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The latest from Terry Pluto
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Welcome to the Terry Pluto Newsletter!
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| WHY THIS NEWSLETTER? Without you, I don’t have a job. I have understood that for 50 years, dating back to when I was writing stories for the Twinsburg Bulletin about Twinsburg Chamberlain basketball. I was a freshman in college, living at home. Some people wonder how I am able to write so much today. It’s because back then I was paid 25 bucks a pop for those Twinsburg hoops stories. I covered them like the Cavs. I wrote lots of stories while working my way through Cleveland State. It was journalistic piece work. The point? Most of you have worked very hard in life. For some, it’s on the job. Others, it’s family. For many, it’s both. I often hear from readers who are being sandwiched, with older kids at home and elderly parents who require a lot of care. That’s where I come in. At their best, sports are a diversion from life. It’s more fun to talk about the miseries of the Browns or another local team than someone’s Alzheimer’s or the latest chemo treatments you’re facing. Without you … the readers … there is no us at Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. So this newsletter is a way of saying thank you for being there for us. It’s also going to be a way for us to communicate directly. I will set up a special email address where you can send Hey Terry questions. I will also be able to solicit your feedback for stories. |
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Broadcaster Herb Score interviewing Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove back in the day. |
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I LOVE THE START OF BASEBALL |
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I grew up on Westminster Drive in Parma. I recently spoke at the Walls of Books in Parmatown. Thanks to all of you who packed the store. Sorry, we ran out of chairs. It meant a lot to see so many people from the old neighborhood. That little ranch house in Parma had a small basement. During the spring, I’d take a rubber ball and my glove and throw the ball against the wall. I had baseball cards and made out lineups. I created some type of game, but can't recall how it worked. Other times, I had a transistor radio. It always seemed like Herb Score was doing games from Arizona while in a garbage can or under water. In the spring, Herb always told us it was sunny. I always remember those March days as snowy. This was the 1960s. The Tribe was mediocre in its best years – often awful at other times. But I had basement baseball dreams. So did my father, while he was working at the old Fisher Foods warehouse. We both counted down the days to the opener. My father often worried the Tribe would move – a real possibility during that time. Bad teams. Bad ownership. Bad Baseball. But they were always Our Tribe, as I wrote about them in my book of that title. If you have some baseball memories like that of your own, send them along to TerryPlutoInsiders@cleveland.com. |
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For decades, Tom Hamilton has made memories for Cleveland baseball fans. |
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One of the best things about baseball season is baseball on the radio. Over the years, Tom Hamilton has become a good friend. We worked together on the book “Glory Days in Tribe Town,” the story of the Tribe in the 1990s. I often write my stories while listening to the Guardians on the radio. Jim Rosenhaus is underrated. This season is his 18th with Cleveland – after 17 years doing minor league baseball and college sports in Buffalo. “Hammy & Rosey” feel like a part of the family this time of year. Herb Score and Joe Tait were like that in the 1970s. That’s why I was thrilled when I became the Plain Dealer’s baseball writer in 1980 and got to know both of those men. I can still hear Joe saying, “It’s a BEAUTIFUL night for baseball” when it was 36 degrees and sleeting. And there was Herb saying, “It’s Cleveland 3, Kansas City … beg your pardon, we are not in Kansas City, we are in Boston.” When I covered the Tribe daily from 1980 to 1984, Tait was doing the TV broadcast with Bruce Drennan. Nev Chandler was on the radio with Score. Chandler was a marvelous mimic, and he would entertain the beat writers by doing his Herb Score voice saying, “There’s a fly ball to left … is it fair? Is it foul? It … IS!” And then there would be silence, as Herb tried to figure out what it was. Herb really knew the game. Managers trusted him. He was very helpful to me off the air, explaining pitching and other aspects of the game. As I write this, there is a bit of heaviness in my heart because Tait, Score and Chandler have all passed away. I miss them. But I love Hamilton and Rosenhaus on the radio. |
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The draft price of the Deshaun Watson trade has finally been paid by the Browns after last weekend's draft. |
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Back when the Browns were awful, looking for a QB and drafting near the top of the draft – the draft was fun for me to cover. It was easy to figure out who are the best college QBs, receivers, etc. Then I could find videos online, read scouting reports, reach out to some NFL people for their thoughts. In the 2018 draft, the Browns had the No. 1 and No. 4 picks. The prime QB prospects were Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Sam Darnold. Confession time: I rated them in this order 1) Rosen. 2) Allen. 3) Mayfield and I wrote I wouldn’t even consider Darnold. He was too turnover-prone. Rosen was a complete bust and is out of the NFL. Allen has turned Buffalo into a consistent playoff team. Mayfield has led Cleveland (2020) and Tampa Bay (2023) to the playoffs. Darnold is a career backup. And the best QB in that draft? It’s Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. Ravens President Ozzie Newsome traded back into the first round to grab Jackson with the 32nd pick. Bad teams lead to high draft picks, making drafts more fun for the media and readers. The Browns traded three first-rounders (2022-24) to Houston as part of the Deshaun Watson deal. They also won 11 games, dropping them to the 54th pick in the second round. I had no clue what they’d do in the 2024 draft. |
There are some people in the media who really study the NFL draft. They look at videos of the top prospects. They watch a lot of college football during the season. They read scouting reports until their eyes rolled out of their heads. I’m not one of those people. Most of those I know in the media are not those people. When most of us are interviewed about picks made by the Browns such as many of them this year, we fake it. There, I said it. We finesse it. We look up stuff quickly online. We send a text to a few NFL people for quick opinions. We throw it into a stew and call it our own. After a while, you can see trends and form a reasonable opinion based on a player’s profile. For example, Michigan Zak Zinter is a 2-time All-America, a team captain, a leader of the offensive for a Big Ten team that won a national title. He sounds like a safe, smart draft pick for the Browns in the third round – even though he’s recovering from a broken leg in the OSU game. Did I actually watch Zinter play? No. Only the hardest of the hardcore stare at individual offensive linemen when watching a game. Do I think it was a smart pick by GM Andrew Berry? Yes. I’m basing it on the profile. That’s what I mean by finessing it. |
Nathaniel Watson at Mississippi State. |
A QUICK SCOUTING REPORT, TERRY-STYLE |
The Browns picked Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson in the sixth round. I didn’t follow Mississippi State or even the SEC very closely. I checked Watson’s bio and loved what I read: Led the SEC in sacks. Led the SEC in tackles. Was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Was on some All-American teams. Earned a Master's Degree in Workforce Education and was on the SEC All-Academic team. With credentials like that, you’d think he’d be in the first two rounds. But he isn’t especially fast. I watched a little video on him, and he fits the scouts label of “a classic, old-school between the tackles linebacker.” That’s not what most NFL teams want. They look for athletes who are almost as much like a strong safety as a linebacker. Well, I like old-school, productive linebackers in the lower part of the draft. He also can help on special teams. Ooops! Turns out Watson also had some legal problems. He was arrested for drag racing in 2018. He also was arrested for a DUI in 2023. Not great, but not a deal breaker. It could be why he dropped in the draft. In my mind, taking him in the sixth round is a great move. He certainly can help on special teams. I say that without having seen Watson pull a full game. |
In addition to my columns for Cleveland.com, I also write books, including 28 books on sports so far. As much as there is to say about Cleveland football, baseball and basketball on a daily basis, there’s usually more to a story than can fit in a column. I’ve written books about baseball (“The Curse of Rocky Colavito,” “Our Tribe”), football (“Browns Town 1964,” “Things I’ve Learned from Watching the Browns,”), and basketball (“The Comeback” – about the Cavs 2016 NBA championship, “Joe Tait”). Inspiration for a book sometimes comes from readers’ responses to a column. A few years ago I wrote about the death of former Cavaliers star John “Hot Rod” Williams. I covered him as a Cavs beat writer during his career. After the column was published, I heard from a lot of readers who also remembered him fondly. That led me to write “Vintage Cavs,” a book of stories about players like Hot Rod who left a lasting impression on Cleveland fans. You can check out www.terrypluto.com |
THIS MADE ME FEEL GOOD AT AGE 68 |
I'm writing a Mother's Day column and want to hear what made your mom special. Mom can also be a Grandma, an aunt, or whatever woman took the role. You can use your full name or first name. Please send your story to TerryPlutoInsiders@cleveland.com |
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| This newsletter is supposed to be informal and like hearing from a friend. Send your comments to TerryPlutoInsiders@cleveland.com. Let’s have some fun with it. |
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| We think you'll like Terry's weekly podcast, "Terry's Talkin'" with host David Campbell as they explore everything going on in NE Ohio sports. You can listen on your favorite apps, including Alexa, Apple, Spotify and Stitcher. |
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