The View from Pluto

As the Indians get close to wrapping up spring training, our sports commentator Terry Pluto caught up with team owner Paul Dolan to talk business. The team has steadily increased payroll from $49 million in 2011 to $135 million in 2018. Pluto says for 2019, the payroll will be around $120 million. "Dolan says for the last several years they've been deficit spending. And if you look at how the Indians spent compared to Kansas City, Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, or other teams in their market size,

There are a lot of unanswered questions about the Indians lineup with just over a week until opening day. WKSU commentator Terry Pluto has been scouting the team from Goodyear, Arizona this week and says there are big holes in the outfield. Out with the old, in the with the new The first observation Pluto makes is that there are not a whole lot of returning players this year. "I walked in the locker room, and all of the sudden, there's all these new guys and there's all these ... young guys,"

An analysis of Ohio’s major public universities shows that the schools have been increasingly spending more to subsidize athletic programs, with a total of $186 million last year for ten schools, excluding Ohio State. WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia spoke with Rich Exner, data analysis editor at Cleveland.com, about the trends he’s seeing in the numbers on athletic spending.

This week, Kent State, The University of Akron and 10 other college basketball teams are competing in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament. The winner gets an automatic bid to March Madness. It's been 20 years since the NCAA awarded an invitation to another MAC team, called an at-large bid. But WKSU sports commentator Terry Pluto says that could change this year with Buffalo. The last at-large bid It was 1999 when Miami University received an at-large bid. The No. 1 ranked team in the

After eight straight trips to the NBA Finals, including four with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James and his new team the Los Angeles Lakers are likely to miss the playoffs entirely. WKSU’s sports commentator Terry Pluto thinks after being sidelined with an injury for part of the year, LeBron and the Lakers have looked like a complete disaster.

The debate over whether college athletes should be paid was revived the moment Duke basketball star Zion Williamson’s shoe exploded last weekend. The likely No. 1 draft pick hurt his knee in the big matchup against North Carolina. A lot of people are wondering why Williamson is even playing college basketball, and whether he deserves to be compensated.

WKSU commentator Terry Pluto says it's a good time to be an NBA owner. Forbes reports the average team is worth $1.9 billion, up 13% over last year and three times the level of five years ago. The Cavs, however, were the only team to lose value over the last year, down about $50 million to $1.2 billion. The New York Knicks top the league at $4 billion.

The late Frank Robinson left a legacy in Cleveland as the first African American manager in Major League Baseball. But Robinson’s brief time with the Indians in the mid-1970s was tumultuous. WKSU sports commentator Terry Pluto got to know the Hall of Famer well over the years.

There’s nobody who’s played for the Cleveland Indians getting into Cooperstown this year. The Baseball Hall of Fame recently announced its newest class. WKSU sports commentator Terry Pluto is one of about 400 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America who elect the Hall of Fame class.

For the first time in years, Browns fans are upbeat heading into Super Bowl weekend. That’s because the team that went 0-16 into the last off-season is predicted by many to make the playoffs next year. WKSU sports commentator Terry Pluto says for once the Browns have a clear vision in the off-season with General Manager John Dorsey at the helm.