Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday will live long in the memory of New York Mets’ fans of all ages. This as Old Timers’ Day finally returned to Citi Field. It was a truly special day and one that perfectly illustrated just how committed owner Steve Cohen is to honoring and celebrating the franchise’s rich history and past.

If there’s been one consistent trend since Cohen took ownership over the Mets, it has been his desire and relentless drive to reconnect the organization with its fans and with its’ history. There was a clear and worrying disconnect between the team and its community when the Wilpons were in charge. As it seemed former players and franchise greats were staying well away due to not being made to feel welcomed by the previous ownership.

It wasn’t that long ago that every talk sports show in New York and beyond would rip the Mets for the latest embarrassing gaffe sparked by the Wilpons. The term ‘the dysfunctional Mets’ was used so much throughout the local and national media that the New York Knicks were beginning to look like a model franchise in comparison. Not only did the Mets struggle on the field for large parts of the Wilpon era, but the culture off the field was questionable as well.

For instance, it took 28 years for the Mets to bring Old Timers’ Day back to Queens. It seemed the Wilpons did whatever they could to turn their back on the past, shunning those who gave their blood, sweat, and tears to the franchise. It didn’t go unnoticed, either, as perhaps best summed up by what 1986 World Series MVP Ray Knight had to say on Saturday.

“I love the New York Mets. I don’t like the Wilpons,” Knight said. “I don’t like any of that. It truly broke my heart. It’s a special thing for me to be here and feel like maybe I’m back as part of this organization because Mr. Cohen came up and spoke to me. I haven’t spoken to Jeff Wilpon in over 30 years. I wasn’t even invited back to throw out a first pitch. That hurts because you gave everything you had.”

Thankfully, those days are now long gone. Cohen has transformed the Mets into one big happy family again, and Saturday was very much the perfect coming together of all those efforts. It was a day where Mets’ fans could feel proud of their team, a day where franchise icons finally felt appreciated and wanted. A day where the Mets looked like the model organization it has so often fallen short of being over the past few decades.

Sure, Cohen has had some growing pains in his opening years as Mets’ owner, and he’s not got everything right. Who does? But, he’s backed up his words by clearly displaying time and time again that he truly cares about this team. Not only has he invested his many billions into putting a winning product on the field, and finally hiring competent people to run the baseball operations, he has also gone out of his way to ensure the players who made this franchise what it is are not forgotten.

Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

He’s taken it into overdrive this year. First, there was the long overdue statue of one of the greatest Mets ever, Tom Seaver. That now serves as a Mecca for baseball fans of all ages outside of Citi Field. Then there was the emotional, joy-filled day to honor Keith Hernandez and retire his number 17 jersey in July. Ask anyone, there that day and they will struggle to put into words just what it meant to be present to see Hernandez finally get his day in the sun.

There will be other jersey retirements to follow. The ceremony to honor Hernandez was seen as Cohen officially opening the floodgates, and it won’t be surprising to see David Wright have his jersey retired as well as other notable Mets in the not too distant future. The Wilpons steered clear from jersey retirements like they were a gift sent from the devil, whereas Cohen has embraced that wonderful tradition.

There’s more. On Friday, before the Old Timers’ Day festivities really began, the Mets renamed I.S. 419 in Queens the Tommie L. Agee Educational Campus in honor of the 1969 World Series champ. That move set the tone for the rest of the weekend. If that wasn’t enough, after fan favorites, icons, and legends spanning 60 years of Mets’ baseball were officially welcomed back to Queens, Cohen saved his biggest surprise of the weekend for last.

With the celebrations in full swing, it was announced that the Mets would be retiring Willie Mays‘ jersey, with number 24 rightfully taking its place in forever land at Citi Field. It was a moment fit for the occasion and the clearest sign yet that Cohen listens to what the fans want. Some in the media may be uncomfortable with how much time he spends on social media, but it is clear that he cares what the fans think. And that’s in stark contrast to the Wilpon days.

“These are simple things,” Cohen said. “I think the fans just want to know you care, and want to know that ownership is listening. That’s all I’m trying to do. I’m doing this for the fans, and so I’m listening to what they have to say. I don’t always have to agree, right, but it’s important to me to know what they’re thinking and it’s important to me that they know I care.”

Retiring Mays’ jersey with the best of the best and the beloved from the past 60 years in attendance was a masterstroke, and it was hard not to get emotional when listening to Mays talk about the honor. “I want to thank Steve and Alex Cohen for making this day possible and embracing Mets history,” Mays said. “I can never forget the way it felt to return to New York to play for all the loyal Mets fans.”

Screenshot via Mets YouTube

While Mets’ fans in attendance on Saturday relished the chance to see old favorites like Mike Piazza, Doc Gooden and Hernandez put on those beautiful Mets uniforms once again. As well as witness the long-awaited return of Bartolo Colon to Queens – they also made sure to voice their appreciation of Cohen’s efforts in honoring the past. And, while Cohen did his best to downplay his part in all of this, former Mets pitcher David Cone perhaps put it best.

“He’s brought a sense of hope, that’s probably the best way to put it,” Cone said. “The whole fan base has a sense of hope now that this is sustainable. Year in and year out, that whatever it takes, it’s going to be done. That’s just a great feeling as a fan. He seems to understand the modern way of doing things and what the fan base responds to.”

There’s been many a special day to cherish at Citi Field this season, and there were many a tear shed both on Saturday and on the day Hernandez had his jersey retired. Those tears fell from Mets’ fans who have supported this team for decades, but have always been made to feel that they had to feel ashamed at what had come before. For the new generation of Mets’ fans, they’ve been kept at bay from some of the greatest names to ever play in Queens. No more. Cohen has made it his mission to make the New York Mets a family once more.

“(Saturday) is just a different thing,” former Mets third baseman Robin Ventura said. “To have us all together is special. You feel it in the room… I have a lot of respect for everybody that’s in this uniform today because of what they’ve accomplished, knowing what it takes, and knowing what they mean here to the fans. That’s the part that’s nice that they’re doing this. You feel humbled.”

Ultimately, Steve Cohen’s legacy with the Mets will largely be defined by what success the team enjoys on the field. However, no matter what happens beyond today, he will already go down as a better and more caring owner than his predecessors because he’s shown time and time again that he cares. And he gets it.

Hosting a first Old Timer’s Day since 1994 will draw that kind of reaction from a fan base that has long craved an owner that will embrace the Mets’ past as well as trying to build a bright future. Steve Cohen truly cares about this franchise. And that’s all Mets’ fans have ever wanted. Saturday was a beautiful reminder of why things have changed for the better under the Cohen family.