On Wednesday, New York Mets majority owner Steve Cohen was interviewed by SNY’s Steve Gelbs. The topics covered varied from Mets memorabilia to Mets memories and a lot in between. My MMO colleague, Tim Ryder, covered the front office and roster upgrades in an article that has already been published. Here, we will examine some of Mets fans’ past favorites that will likely reappear under Cohen’s watch and a little about his business philosophy and how the ideals and ideas he used to build his hedge fund can be used to build the Mets.
Calling it a “no-brainer”, Cohen enthusiastically supports the return of Old Timers Day to Citi Field. Darryl Strawberry, David Wright, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Ed Kranepool and Jerry Koosman are some of the many former players he is excited to see at Old-Timers Day. Cohen added that Fan Fest and Fan Appreciation Day “make sense” to be brought back to the Citi Field calendar.
The only ‘controversial’ subject was the return of the Mets’ black jerseys, to be used as an occasional alternate uniform. Here, more of Cohen’s personality and humor came through as he mentioned he was aware of the divide Mets fans have over the return of the black jersey.
Noting that one of the main proponents of the jersey’s return was none other than Pete Alonso, Cohen remarked with tongue in cheek, “I will say that Pete Alonso is a lot bigger than me, so I’ll probably listen to him.”
At the end of the interview SNY’s own Andy Martino turned aesthete and went on a passionate discourse as why to not have the jersey’s return. It is good for a few laughs.
As far as Cohen keeping Mets informed on Twitter, he has no plans to stop. Through the good times and the bad, the 64-year old Long Island native told Gelbs that he will remain on the social media platform through thick and thin, good times and bad.
He said emphatically, “Well, they (the fans) are the customer, I want to hear from them because they’re the ones that are paying the bills and they’re the ones that live this and breathe this day to day. I’m having a blast with them. They know what they’re talking about, they’re passionate, they’re funny. Being on Twitter is a hoot. It’s really fun.”
Steve Cohen then talked a little about his business outside of baseball. He said a turning point in his life was moving from a firm to the hedge fund. It was a risk, he said, but he wanted to take it the next level. “I can’t tell you how many people will try to talk you out of your dream. If it’s a dream of yours, you’ve got to go after it.”
The dream has paid off handsomely. Forbes estimates Cohen’s worth at $14.6 billion making him the richest owner in MLB.
Continuing with his thoughts on business Cohen remarked, “Playing it safe is no fun, it’s actually boring. Being afraid of change is not a recipe for being as great as you can be. I’ve always been a risk-taker…All these decisions are about making intelligent risks.”
Further, in noting baseball is a game of highs and lows, he said there are days and even weeks when he makes no money. It doesn’t cause Cohen to pout, but rather reflect:
“But I never get too low,” he said. “When I’m on a real great streak, I never get too high either. You’re never as good as you are when you’re doing great, you’re never as bad as you are when you’re doing poorly.”
Finally, a little of Cohen’s overall demeanor, style and tone displayed on the interview. He comes across as a confident man, though he admits continual “curiosity”, he is a “tenacious” business man, art lover and baseball fan.
His sense of humor was on display frequently throughout the interview. When asked if it’s set in that the kid who grew up a Mets fan that now owns the team, Cohen said: “In between me being that kid and buying the Mets, I did start this hedge fund that has some notoriety.” Really?
Cohen appears sincere and forthright. There is no quit in this man. He is also determined. When he got back into the picture as a possible Mets owner, Cohen said, “Once I got back into it, I wasn’t going to lose this.”
As far as style, he articulated, “if you only have one style, you’re probably not as good as you can be.” Another words, roll with the punches and sometimes change course depending on the winds. This is a feature I’ve seen common in several entrepreneurs I’ve had the privilege in covering.
And as for his dream being realized as the new Mets owner, I repeat Cohen’s own words (words I try to live my life by):
“I can’t tell you how many people will try to talk you out of your dream. If it’s a dream of yours, then you’ve got to go for it. And I’m glad I did.”
So are your fans.
