MMO Roundtable: What Are We Most Excited for from Cohen?
From his first public interview to his Twitter presence, Steve Cohen has been making waves in the baseball work these past few weeks. Mets fans are excited, and have a right to be. It’s a new era! But, if we had to choose just one thing to be the most excited about from Cohen, what would it be?
Although not a requirement to be a good owner, I believe that Steve Cohen’s accessibility will be his major asset. His frequent musings on Twitter make for fun and informative notes, giving Mets fans some direction and guidance as to where the franchise is heading. His interviews on SNY have been light-hearted and entertaining showcasing Cohen’s considerable business acumen and sense of humor.
His initial moves with the team have been met with mostly wide acclaim and excitement. No doubt the Mets are major players for all free agents due to Cohen’s deep reservoir of cash and should be a team to reckon with both on and off the field in the very near future. Cohen also seems to a very dignified man, important because he is taking over a franchise renown for its gaffes and missteps.
The phrases, ‘same old Mets’. or that dumb move was very ‘Mets-like’ should be thankfully a thing of the past The Mets should, instead, operate like a well-oiled machine and have a reputation of success rather than disdain. All the while, Cohen tweets away letting us all now what we need to know. A welcome change from past ownership that’s for sure…I believe Cohen’s accessibility as well as his other fine attributes, should make Mets fans excited for the prospects of their team for years to come.
I’m most excited that Steve Cohen will bring a new approach to team ownership. In just about a month, Cohen has showed that he understands marketing. He reaches out to his customers, asks what’s important to them, and in some cases commits to implement ideas to make his product as appealing as it can be to his customer base. We did not see that under the previous ownership.
In addition to soliciting input, Cohen will bring a sense of professionalism to how the Mets are run. His first move was to bring in industry veteran Sandy Alderson as team President. Alderson knows what he is doing, is media savvy, and will not seek the back pages as Brodie Van Wagenen did.
Alderson will focus on the task at hand-putting a winning product on the field. He won’t make outlandish statements (“come get us”) that can come back and bite the organization. He won’t run the team reactively. There will be a plan, and he’ll stick to the plan. We, as fans, will have the sense that there’s an adult in charge, and that alone will go a long way toward changing the perception that the Mets are a second class organization.
Photo: NY Times
I’m most excited for what I feel will be more transparency on ownership’s part. Based on something as simple as his Twitter interactions, Cohen has already made this transparency in communication a priority, while also interacting with (and involving) the fanbase at the same time.
The idea of clear, direct, and honest communication – relating to something as simple as team goals and expectations – from past ownership was always a pipe dream, so what we have already seen and heard from Cohen has been a breath of fresh air.
We have a Mets fan, from New York, as the new owner of the Mets. This is what I am most excited about — someone owning the team because they love this team as much as we do, not to just make money. It brings a new perspective to the leadership role.
Plus, as a fan, Cohen knows what fans want — a winning team. No more cutting corners when it comes to signings. No more “maybe next years.” No more small market team in a big market. Cohen not only has the money to help lead the Mets to become the caliber team we have always wanted them to be, but he has the passion to do it, too.
