Photo: Steve Marcus
Steve Cohen is on Twitter.
He has spent the weekend interacting with Mets fans, responding to them, and even asking them for their feedback. Well, as a blog run by diehards, we felt it important to dedicate a roundtable solely to answering Cohen’s question.
Now, what was his question?
I would love to hear your ideas to make YOUR Mets experience better.
— Steven A Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020
Before getting into responses, I just want to note that it is a pretty amazin’ feeling to have an owner that cares about the fans and actively seek out their feedback.
Now, into our ideas:
The mere fact that Steve Cohen is now in charge has raised the spirit of the fanbase immensely. But beyond that, there are of course a litany of changes — both in the short and long-term — needed to maintain and further improve morale. Among them, two things that have been most lacking for way too long. First, honoring history. The Mets don’t have the prestige of some other clubs, but they are unique. Acknowledge it. Embrace it. This goes beyond having ceremonies honoring past champions, which aren’t exactly a yearly tradition. If you take Cohen’s recent tweets seriously, he ensures a revival of Old Timer’s Day. I love it.
Can you picture Ron on the mound, Keith manning first base, and Gary calling the game in a Lindsey Nelson-inspired sportcoat? What a beautiful sight. As would be the overdue completion of the Tom Seaver statue and number retirements for Mets legends (namely David Wright and Keith Hernandez).
Second, and more importantly, organizational transparency and integrity. We don’t need to rehash every episode which made the previous regime such a colossal failure in this area. Cohen reaching out to fans on social media is a wondrous breath of fresh air and demonstrates a complete reversal from the proverbial curtain put up by the Wilpons. Cohen likely won’t be doing a Twitter engagement with fans every week or month. But if he lives up to his word, he won’t need to.
It’s pretty remarkable how Mr. Cohen has already seemed to win over most of the fanbase by a simple tweet. Now that may not seem like much, but for Mets fans who seemed to always be kept in the dark about everything by the previous regime — this is a welcome sign of change. With that being said, what can make our Mets experience better he asks? Well that’s a pretty simple one for me… sustained success on the field. Citi Field is already one of the best venues in the MLB to experience a game in-person, along with having the best broadcast booth in the sport.
If the team can become perennial contenders year after year, that is the only experience fans want to see change in Flushing.
I’d love it if going to more games was just more economically feasible. For example, the David Wright game set me back almost $70 or so and I was sitting in the 500 level. That was just a single ticket plus taking the LIRR and food. I can’t imagine how much a family might have spent at the same game. As a whole, I would like more promotional nights. For example, back in 2015 my parents took me to a Matt Harvey special, 3 tickets for $33. I’d love something like that again where you can get seats at a fair price and go with a group of people.
I’ve mentioned repeatedly in this space and in articles, that in my mind, one item has to ben accomplished to make my Mets experience more meaningful. For years the New York Mets franchise has been derided, belittled and scoffed at by fans, other owners and baseball experts. The very term ‘Mets’ brings up a vision of a poorly run franchise from top to bottom with often a smirk to accompany it. This has to cease immediately. The Mets are a New York based franchise, beloved by millions and represented by some of the finest names baseball has to offer. From Gil Hodges, to Tom Seaver, to Jerry Koosman, to Dwight Gooden, to Mike Piazza to Jacob deGrom and so many more, the Mets have a wondrous history of top talent.
A shame so much of the good feelings produced by these men has been washed away with controversy, poor trades, and almost amateurish business ethics this team is known for. I want to root for a team that’s more than that. Much more. Mr. Cohen, if you do nothing more than restore the luster and integrity of this team then that will be enough for me. None of us wants to hear ‘same old Mets’, or that’s a very Mets-like thing to do when describing something foolhardy. Pride and integrity are stalwarts of any business, but they are crucial to a sports franchise of the Mets’ magnitude. Please, sir, make the name ‘Mets’ a term of endearment, respect, efficiency and proficiency going forward. This, sir, is job one.
With a new owner in place I think this is huge for the fanbase and the look of the organization from the outside looking in. That being said, this is the perfect opportunity for the Mets to try and save face and rebrand in a sense to try to adjust the current narrative of the team. One of the suggestions I have is to alter the surrounding area of the stadium, because the current surrounding area kind of plays into that poverty franchise narrative that we have been stuck in for the last decade.
I remember seeing a live chicken place less than a mile from the stadium, which, to me, is not a great look. That would be one of the big priorities throughout the reign as owner for Mr. Cohen. Additionally, I think having transparency across the front office and fanbase is something that definitely was not the Wilpon’s strongest quality and would benefit the brand’s image going forward as we are turning over the stone with a new start. I want the best for our Mets franchise and I think some clean up and “re-branding” would be very helpful in order to gain more fans, and change the narrative.
The Mets experience could be made better, of course, by having a consistently better product on the field. In thinking about “at the ballpark” ideas, I’d prefer to see fewer between-inning promotions. I’m kind of over the stolen base challenge, the wife ball home run contest,. etc. Let’s focus on Major League Baseball. Let’s show highlights of games in progress, or great plays, or even great historical moments. Let’s teach kids about the wonders of the game while at the ballpark. Let’s make them baseball fans for the next generation. They can play wiffle ball any time.
When their parents spend money to bring them to Citi Field, have it be about appreciation of the beauty of the game, and make it an experience unlike any other. And one more thing, let’s mix in some genuine organ music with a live organist. The Braves do it, the Dodgers do t, as do many other teams. I’m all about creating an immersive baseball experience to build the brand for the next generation, in a way that only baseball can.
I LOVE THIS. Steve Cohen building a Twitter account to reach fans where he knows they are AND to ask them about what could make their experience better?! What a way to say hello, Uncle Steve. Obviously a winning team in Flushing will make the experience better. But in terms of ballpark experience, we need an Old Timers Day — a day where the greats of the past come back and are honored and stay to watch the game. This should be happening every year. As fans, we want to see and celebrate them too!
One other thing I’d love to see is less ads/sponsored content at Citi Field. Those Chick ‘Fil A signs on the foul poles that literally block the view of people who sit behind them? They can go. The ballpark should go back to being centered around baseball, not about advertisements. Statues (such as for Tom Seaver) and wins of the past should be highlighted better, and that should be what people are doing and enjoying between innings rather than trying to beat The Machine.
