Steve Cohen Brings Life to Mets - New York Sports Nation

Mets owner Steve Cohen introduced himself to Mets fans on a Zoom call with the local media.

He used this opportunity to present a vision of what he plans to do as a Mets owner.

Yes, he said all the right things as one would expect in a press conference. Unless that owner is James Dolan or Woody Johnson, no owner tends to screw up in making a first impression. Normally, he is coached to say the right things.

But this felt different. Cohen came off genuine and smart. He knew what he was talking about. He understood a team has to be built from within rather than just buying. He talked about building a program that can sustain success for the next 10 to 15 years. He mentioned he does not want the Mets to be a fluke team that got lucky for one year.

He said he doesn’t have all the answers as people made it out to be, and he is not qualified to run a baseball team by citing he only played Little League baseball. He also did not come up with stupid proclamations like disgraced Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen saying “Come Get Us!” in his belief the Mets are the best team in the NL East when in reality, they were a flawed team that had bullpen issues.

Make no mistake: The newly minted Mets owner wants to win. He pointed out that if the Mets do not win a championship in a span of three to five years, it would be a failure on his part. Refreshing in so many ways.

Does anyone think Dolan, Johnson, and John Mara would take accountability like that? Didn’t think so.

Cohen mentioned about him living out the dream and making it a reality in owning the Mets that he talked about as a kid growing up. He talked about growing up to watch the Mets with his father at the old Polo Grounds.

His best moment came when he was asked whether he supports Black Lives Matter or not. He answered it deftly by saying he encouraged players to express support for Black Lives Matter, and he talked about the importance of diversity. It may not mean much to the average Mets fan, but you better believe this meant a lot to guys like Dominic Smith. Players don’t want to be treated as assets as Noah Syndergaard pointed out the day Cohen’s sale was approved. They wanted to be treated like human beings and let them speak their mind.

Cohen made such an impression that he inspired Marcus Stroman to accept the $18.9 million qualifying offer by the Mets on Wednesday. No way this happens if the Wilpons operated the Mets.

The Mets fans did not need Cohen to talk to the media. They were happy that he bought the team and the owners approved his sale. The new Mets owner already made a first impression as it is. He kept the good vibes going by talking to Mets fans on Twitter, and he fired Brodie Van Wagenen, Omar Minaya, Allard Baird, Jeff Wilpon, Jared Banner, and Adam Guttridge after he announced his $2.5 billion purchase of the Mets was completed.

His presence played a role in Sandy Alderson coming back to the Mets as the team’s president. The former Mets general manager would not waste his time coming back with the organization if he did not think Cohen was the real deal. Alderson seemed refreshed and relaxed on a Zoom call with the New York media on Tuesday. He offered insights on what he would do to get this franchise back on track. He did not give you a condescending answer like he constantly did in his tenure here. He came off reflective, and he sounded like a general manager that has unfinished business. His goal is to make the Mets an iconic franchise.

It’s like he never left. He clearly wants to finish off where he started. He gets that opportunity thanks to Cohen.

Mets fans received a boost with an owner who is committed to winning and who understands so much about the Mets. It’s been a long time coming since Fred Wilpon seemed detached from the team after Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. Now, the Mets become relevant locally and in Major League Baseball because of Cohen’s cash and passion. It’s more about baseball than off-the-field nonsense now.