Steve Cohen sat in on a zoom call with beat reporters, his hands folded under his chin, in a grey sweater vest, looking very much like the fortune 500 executive that he is. His calm voice sounds slightly similar to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, only there was one noticeable difference. This was Bill Gates, Bill Parcells, Rex Ryan, and Bob Kraft all meshed together in a blender.
And it was glorious.
Cohen talked about winning. Winning not only now, but in the future for years to come. He spoke of building a Mets culture, and putting baseball experts in charge of baseball operations.
"I want to exceed expectations. I want an exceptional team, built to be great every year. I don't want to just get to the playoffs, I want to win a championship," Cohen said in his opening statement.
"Our fans matter to me," he continued, "We will hire great baseball people; we want great players and we want to make them better. We will start with our homegrown talent and fill in from there." He even took a shot at the Yankees by saying, "You build champions, you don't buy them."
Cohen who purchased the team for $2.4 billion from the Wilpon's Sterling Equities, recalled how he would attend Mets games as a kid growing up, even going back all the way to the very beginning when his father would take him to the Polo Grounds.
In fact, Cohen relayed that his father-in-law is a huge Mets fan who attends home games regularly. So it was clear to fans watching from home that they were hearing from one of their own. And that is what makes Cohen unique. He is not just a man with deep pockets, and an extremely successful and wealthy entrepreneur, but he is in fact one of them.
On the World Series, Cohen was not shy about broaching the subject. "Well you got to get the first one. That's a good feeling and you want more of that. We will shoot for that. Nobody remembers if you came in second place."
My god, he's really going for it!
"If we don't win a World Series in 3 to 5 years, I'd like it sooner, but it would be slightly disappointing."
Call it music to the ears. For years fans in New York have had to hear about no playoff mandates, and no talk of winning championships. Cohen like Rex Ryan when he came to the Jets in 2010 is not afraid to talk about going for the brass ring. You gotta love it.
When asked about competing with the Yankees, Cohen diplomatically said that he is not as interested about competing solely against the Bronx Bombers as he is against the 29 other clubs in the Big Leagues, echoing that it was important for the Mets to build their own brand and identity for success.
Even Team President Sandy Aldrerson got into the act, saying the reason he came back to the Mets after a two-year hiatus was because his vision for a baseball aligned with Cohen's passion. "We want to be iconic," Alderson said, even joking around that he has waited 31-years since his last World Championship with the Oakland A's back in 1989, and wants to get one sooner than the 3-5 years Cohen talked about.
Regarding the front office, Alderson said that the team is currently looking for a new Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. He has spoken with agents and players on the current Mets roster. "Stuff is happening behind the scenes," he added.
On manager Luis Rojas, Alderson said that Rojas would be back as manager in 2021, but would leave open the possibility for change should the new GM and Baseball Ops president decide to go in another direction.
In short, the New Mets are here and they are ready to get the party started.
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