24 THE QUEENS COURIER • 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW • DECEMBER 24, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
2020 year in review
St. John’s hoops season canceled, Mets
struggle before new owner takes over
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Sports, like many other industries, took
a hit in the early days of the COVID-
19 pandemic back in March in April.
Professional and college sports shut down
at the onset of the pandemic, and while
some leagues recovered, others did not.
Th e St. John’s University men’s basketball
team’s 2020 campaign came to a stunning
end last March during a Big East
Tournament quarterfi nal matchup against
top-seeded Creighton.
Th e Red Storm was leading by three at
halft ime when both squads were sent off
the Madison Square Garden court as offi -
cials canceled the remainder of the tourney
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Th is is a situation that I have never
experienced and I know our team has
never experienced it,” Red Storm Coach
Mike Anderson said. “Our guys are very
disappointed. We feel like we’ve been
playing some of our better basketball, but
at the same time this is bigger than basketball
with this coronavirus. Th is is a worldwide
eff ect and that’s the game of life.”
Th e game did not result in a win or a
loss and eff ectively ended the Storm’s season
as the NCAA Tournament was also
canceled due to the public health emergency.
Th e squad fi nished the season at
17-15 with a disappointing showing at
5-13 in the Big East Conference and lost
leading scorers LJ Figueroa and Mustapha
Heron to transfer and graduation, respectively.
Meanwhile, the start of the baseball
season was pushed back to July and the
New York Mets didn’t give fans a whole
lot to cheer about from home. Th e Mets
struggled to a fourth-place fi nish in the
National League East this season, despite
a talented roster and high expectations.
Th e team was loaded on paper, but
failed to perform on the fi eld. Th ey led
MLB in batting average, fi nished second
in on-base percentage, and were fourth in
slugging percentage; by nearly any metric,
they were an elite off ense. However,
they struggled to score runs equal to
that production. Th e Mets were 13th in
MLB in runs scored, ending the COVIDshortened
season with a 26-34 record.
Th e off -season, however, has been
a charmed one for Mets fans as Steve
Cohen, a billionaire hedge fund manager
from Great Neck, bought the team from
Sterling Equities for $2.4 billion on Nov. 6.
Th e 64-year-old self-professed lifelong
Mets fan immediately became the richest
owner in baseball and expressed a deep
desire not just to win in 2021, but to also
turn the Amazins into a perennial championship
contender.
“You want us to win the World Series,
and so do I,” Cohen said. “New York
fans have high expectations, and I want
to exceed them. I want them to be great
every year. I don’t just want to get into the
playoff s. I want to win a championship.”
He even went on to set something close
to a goal, saying that he would consider it
“slightly disappointing” if the Mets didn’t
win a World Series “within the next three
to fi ve years.”
Th e Mets’ new owner stressed the
importance of bringing on an excellent
baseball staff , under the tutelage of new
team president Sandy Alderson, to rebuild
the Mets’ scouting, analytical and player
development programs and create organizational
depth.
Cohen said the team will do what is
necessary to win now and in the future,
and will spend like “a major market team.”
During the previous ownership, fans were
critical that the Mets front offi ce never
spent enough to ensure success.
“We want to be excellent in all areas
of this game,” he said. “Th at’s going to
require resources, and I’m fully committed
to making that happen. I’m not in this
to be mediocre. I want something great,
and I know the fans want something
great. Th at’s my goal, and that’s what I’m
going to do.”
Cohen is now the richest owner in baseball,
with a net worth of about $15 billion.
While he committed to providing
the Mets the resources they need to win,
he stated that he would leave the baseball
decisions to Alderson and the other professionals
brought in to run the team.
Th at being said, he cautioned that the
Mets would not “act like drunken sailors”
in spending money on free agents.
“Part of building a sustainable franchise
is that you want to make decisions about
what works not just for the next 60 games,
but also for the next four years,” Cohen
said. “We’re in an unusual market today
given COVID, where a lot of teams might
be” offl oading contracts because of fi nancial
concerns.
“I think Sandy and I want to take advantage
of that,” Cohen added, “and I want
to take advantage of that. Th ere will be
lots of opportunities and we’ll see what’s
available.”
Th e Mets made their fi rst dive into free
agency signing Chicago White Sox catcher
James McGann to a four-year deal
with $40.6 million plus a signing bonus
and remain connected to some of the top
available players in free agency and on the
trade market.
Steve Cohen is the new owner of the New York Mets.
“New York fans have high expectations, and I
want to exceed them. I want them to be great
every year. I don’t just want to get into the
playoff s. I want to win a championship.”
—Steve Cohen
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