Spring is Coming

It's almost time for the Wilpons
to ride off into the sunset

It almost seems fitting that the last days of the Wilpon era in Queens are shaping up to be one last miserable sh*tshow. As depressing as the last three days were for any Mets fan still paying attention, imagine how bad it would all feel if you knew the Wilpons were still going to own the club after this season. While this nightmare isn't quite over yet, the end is finally in sight.

I had a bunch of ideas that I wanted to write about today, but then I wound up working until almost 7 tonight. My back operation is scheduled for Friday, and we're trying to get as much as possible done this week. If I can't get to them this week they'll give me something to do next week while I'm laid up. As a fan, it's exciting to contemplate a future where the Mets are more than just an easy punchline for the media.

Joel Sherman wrote a piece about Steve Cohen in the New York Post on Saturday after it had been announced that the multibillionaire had entered into exclusive negotiations to buy the club. It was kind of fitting that this news came out after the Mets had swept the Yankees on Friday, a brief moment of hope and glory in this season before it all came crashing down again. Sherman's piece highlighted something about Cohen that I had heard previously, a real reason to be optimistic about his potential stewardship of the club:

It also is what makes him so attractive to so many Met fans. He can write a check for any player. But those who know him say it will go beyond that. Cohen will invest in the best people and technology in the way the Wilpons were unwilling. And clearly he sees the potential in this franchise, that this can, if operated right, be another masterpiece in his collection.

It's not just the thought of someone coming in with a lot of money and upping the payroll a little. Back when the Wilpons were riding high on Madoff money they spent plenty on this club, but often that money was spent neither wisely nor well.

I would expect that Cohen would try to spend some money this winter and make a splash as a way of signaling to the fans that the days of pinching pennies were over. But it's the idea of him investing in the best people and technology that really gets me ramped up. It's not the sort of conspicuous spending that will earn accolades with most fans in the way that running a big payroll would, but it would change the course of this franchise in a way that no free agent ever could.

I'm going to check out of here now. It's after 11 pm and I have another long day ahead of me tomorrow. I'm so tired my eyes are starting to cross. Please stay safe, be well and take care.

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