Sportswriter Terry Pluto to Speak on Sports and Faith

Terry Pluto, the award-winning sports columnist, Hall of Fame journalist, and writer of 23 books on sports, sports personalities and faith, will be the featured speaker in the SPC Wednesday Night Speaker Series on February 6 at 7:00 p.m. at Stow Presbyterian Church, 4150 Fishcreek Rd., Stow. This event is free and open to the public.

Pluto has chronicled the ups and downs of Cleveland sports as a columnist for more than 25 years, formerly for the Akron Beacon Journal and now for the Cleveland Plain Dealer (http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/).  He has written numerous books on the sports franchises and personalities of Cleveland, including the heartbreaking Indians of the 1990s, the Browns before and after Baltimore, and the Cavaliers under Lebron James.

An ardent and knowledgeable Cleveland sports fan, Pluto’s first and foremost love is writing. In a 2012 interview with blogger Ed Newman, he said:

“I like sports, but love to write. My passion is finding good stories for fans who love sports...I prefer the teams to win because it's much more fun and makes for better stories, but I never let the millionaires ruin my day when they lose or make a bad trade.”

His books on sports topics include: Joe Tait: It’s Been a Real Ball, his recent biography of the famed Cavaliers sports broadcaster; The Curse of Rocky Colavito, selected by the New York Times as one of the five notable sports books of 1989, and Loose Balls, the story of the short-lived American Basketball Association, which was ranked at number 13 on Sports Illustrated’s list of the top 100 sports books of all time. Pluto was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, has twice been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the nation’s top sport columnist for medium-sized newspapers, and is an eight-time winner of the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year award.

In addition to his prolific sports commentary, Pluto also writes a regular blog about matters of faith, and is the author of several books on spiritual topics. His most recent book, Faith and You, Vol. 2, is a collection of Pluto’s personal musings on topics people face in everyday life: insults and what they really mean, prayers that don't seem to get answered, endless sibling rivalry, figuring out how to relate to dads and more, based on his “Faith and You” column in the Plain Dealer.

“My goal is not to convert anyone," Pluto wrote. "It is to make them think, and to bring some comfort. I write for people who are struggling with faith, or people in pain—physical or emotional. My job is to give them a voice, and to talk about the kind of faith we need to get through what life throws at us each day.”

Pluto said he writes for people who aren't always confident in their beliefs, who sometimes get mad at their church or disagree with their pastor yet don't want to lose the spiritual side of their lives, or who have spiritual beliefs but may not consider themselves religious.

Pluto will share his thoughts on faith, sports, and writing during his presentation on February 6. Select copies of his books will be available for sale (cash or check only) and autographs.

The SPC Wednesday Night Speaker Series is designed to enlighten, educate and engage audiences on a variety of relevant and interesting topics. Upcoming speakers include: Prof. Jay Case, who will speak on the impact of Christianity’s move to other parts of the world (Mar. 6); and Lisa Ryan, co-founder of The Positive Thinkers Network, who will speak on the power of gratitude (Apr. 3).

For more information on the SPC Wednesday Night Speaker Series, call 330-688-6935 or email info@stowpres.org.