[The Curse of Rocky Colavito: A Loving Look at a Thirty-Year Slump] [By: Pluto, Terry] [April, 2007]

by Terry Pluto, Unknown Author

Paperback

About the author

Terry Pluto is a sports columnist for the Plain Dealer. He has twice been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the nations top sports columnist for medium-sized newspapers. He is a nine-time winner of the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year award and has received more than 50 state and local writing awards. In 2005 he was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame. He is the author of 23 books, including The Curse of Rocky Colavito (selected by the New York Times as one of the five notable sports books of 1989), and Loose Balls, which was ranked number 13 on Sports Illustrateds list of the top 100 sports books of all time. He was called Perhaps the best American writer of sports books, by the Chicago Tribune in 1997. He lives with his wife, Roberta, in Akron, Ohio."

Reviews

[Darryl Barney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This non-fiction book is best enjoyed by Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) fans during the team’s wilderness years from 1960-1993. Despite Goodreads calling Terry Pluto an unknown writer, he is a talented, veteran Cleveland sportswriter with a massive body of work. He’s still very active.
Cleveland sports fans are a special breed requiring an odd, unhealthy persistence to keep rooting for teams that go decades without taking a championship. But we (I’m in the group) hope for a reward, and sometimes one is delivered. The Indians made the World Series in 1995, 1997, and 2016, losing each one. The Cavs won the NBA in 2016. The Browns have been waiting since 1964. We never really give up, we just consider it.
Pluto captures Cleveland fandom with humor and dozens of stories. Rocky Colavito was a power hitting outfielder for the Indians in the late 1950’s, a fan hero; he was foolishly traded, and some say this cursed Cleveland. That might explain it.