I’ve thought about this tweet alot. With one tweet, Steven Cohen was able to do what previous ownership* who shall remain nameless from here on out was unable to do: keep Mets fans in the loop in the vacuum of inactivity.
*= Its not that I refuse to talk about them because of their laundry list of personal defects that caused them to be among the most hated humans on Mets twitter, its that for me why waste our breath constantly comparing any regime to them? I’m trying to move my energy elsewhere. Also I may have broken my vow later in this article.
For many of us who were around for the Pre-Cohen days it seems unfathomable that the owner would be taking to a public forum this actively without the slimy tactics of “leaked sources” to state-run television to spread the gospel of patience.
But Steven A Cohen is not your ordinary owner. Have you ever listened to billionaires or seen them in a public setting? Nothing makes them squirm more than being asked a why question. Why means there’s a gripe coming and they don’t handle failure well. Presumably, we’ve been told, that’s what makes them ultra successful.
Cohen came with that type of rap sheet. After all some have taken to the myth building of Cohen by suggesting that some of the inspiration behind the character played by Damian Lewis on Billions is inspired by Cohen. While that’s nice and all*, its been his ability to lower himself to interact with #Metstwitter that has been a breath of fresh air.
*= Boss is what it actually is.
He not only is natural, but he’s gone out of his way to ::gasp:: solicit their opinions on the truly important issues of the day such as:
or even this:
Its truly uncharted territory for an owner to be this forward and direct with the fan base. Especially one as irrational as the Mets fanbase is. Its been 2 months since the deal was closed and there are Mets fans who are being impatient about the overall glacial pace that the free agent market is moving in.
What didn’t help were the Padres reaching deep into their war chest of prospects to pull off two stunning trades to vault them into the conversation of a top 5 team in baseball.
But fear not, even in the midst of all the angst and self doubt/loathing found on Mets twitter, Cohen managed to speak to his base with the kind of fair minded reasoning that only made those who were craving news even more furious. It was fun to see and also refreshing. Because what is an irrational fanbase if they are being bludgeoned by patience and well reasoned arguments?
Steven Cohen came in waxing poetic about attending games as a kid at the Polo Grounds, falling in love with the ’69 Mets as most of his generation did, polishing his authenticity as one of the legion of Mets fans who “care” or “get it” and went on social media to double down.
But Cohen’s introductory press conference should tell us everything we can expect: he looks at owning the team as a public trust. He loves commiserating with fans, even the bitter ones. He won’t spend money just to spend money because he wants to build something sustainable.
The best quote came from Sandy Alderson, the Team President- “acquisition over cost”. It doesn’t read as flashy as “come get us” but it does the trick.
He will make the move that fans will point to, even those who are openly crying on Mets forums, as the sign that he’s the real deal but it may not happen just yet. Maybe not even this season.
But atleast he will be direct and you get the sense that he isn’t afraid to put his thoughts out there about why he could or could not make the move like when he congratulated the Padres on the Snell and Darvish trades:
I see no lies told.
The honesty is refreshing but the access Mets fans have is a reflection of who Cohen intends to be: an open book. Not Steinbrenner-ish (I hope) with violent outbursts in the media. But invested enough with the fan base that he will at the very least respond even to the outlandish ones.
This kind of access is almost unprecedented save for Mavs owner Mark Cuban. You don’t see team owners actively engaging with their audience in a way that most youtubers understand is essential to winning people over. Its such a small thing to do but so gigantic in how a fan can feel like they are being heard. Imagine Jeff Bezos leaving comments about your subscription orders on Amazon? How much fun would that be?*
*= Actually not because Jeff Bezos is a Bond villain and you can’t convince me otherwise.
For Mets fans its a breath of fresh air. Think about how many times ownership has stood so far back protected by the darkness so they wouldn’t be exposed? How many times Mets fans demanded answers about their unwillingness to spend and being given the all good hand signal with not a single person believing any of it?
This isn’t to say that Cohen won’t have terrible days. That his willingness to engage with Mets fans over social media has created an unrealistic expectation that he is at their beck and call day and night when they have a question. But this is to suggest that if something newsworthy happens- he won’t hide. He will be the face in front of the camera and the microphone and its refreshing.
Here’s to better days and better times to come!
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