CLEVELAND, Ohio - As temperatures start to drop and fall starts yielding to winter, cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto reminds Cleveland sports fans there’s plenty to celebrate these days – specifically, the leadership examples set by the Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell and Guardians’ José Ramírez.
In the latest Terry’s Talkin’ podcast, Pluto drew some parallels between Mitchell and Ramírez, explaining how these two stars have become the emotional and performance anchors for their respective franchises.
“You have this guy that’s your best player, and he’s about all the right stuff,” Pluto said about Mitchell. “He plays so hard. Donovan plays so hard. And that’s what sometimes I like to tell him, ‘Quit diving on the floor in the middle of January.’ ”
This commitment from Mitchell mirrors what Pluto has observed for years from Ramírez, the Guardians’ cornerstone third baseman.
“Just like, I mean, it’s hard to tell those guys like, José, I mean, you’re down 7-2 in the seventh inning and you go flying into third base, head-first,” Pluto said. “It doesn’t mean don’t hustle. We just need you healthy.”
The comparison highlights how both franchises have developed stable, winning cultures built around stars who exemplify work ethic and team-first attitudes.
Pluto pointed out that since Mitchell came to Cleveland, the Cavs have the third-best regular-season record in the NBA, trailing only Boston and Oklahoma City.
Also, Mitchell has the highest regular-season winning percentage in Cavs history among players who’ve appeared in at least 200 games – nearly 70%, surpassing even LeBron James (64%).
“I’m not saying it’s everything. But it’s something,” Pluto said about regular-season success. “You want to have a good regular-season team and you want to have a guy like Mitchell who has the right leadership qualities, a guy who did sign an extension to stay here.”
Mitchell’s influence extends beyond his play on the court. Pluto noted how Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson frequently consults with Mitchell on plays and strategy, showing the level of trust and respect the organization has for their star guard.
This commitment to Cleveland distinguishes both Mitchell and Ramírez. While other stars have left for bigger markets, these two have embraced their roles as franchise cornerstones in a city that desperately needs sports stability.
“We’ve got two teams that are good every year and they’re worthy of attention from fans, and they don’t have players doing stupid stuff off the field,” Pluto said. “And they’re well-run (organizations), period.”
Here’s the podcast for this week:
If you have a question or a topic you’d like to see included on the podcast, email it to sports@cleveland.com, and put “Terry’s Talkin’” in the subject line.
You can find previous podcasts below.
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