WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 24, 2020 19
St. John’s hoops season canceled, Mets
struggle before new owner takes over
Steve Cohen is the new owner of the New York Mets. REUTERS/Illustration by Joe Pantorno
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.
The 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.
The Red Storm was leading by three
at halft ime when both squads were sent
off the Madison Square Garden court
as officials canceled the remainder
of the tourney due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
“This 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. This
is a worldwide eff ect and that’s the game
of life.”
The 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. The 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.
The Mets struggled to a fourth-place
fi nish in the National League East this
season, despite a talented roster and
high expectations.
The team was loaded on paper, but
failed to perform on the fi eld. They 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 offense.
However, they struggled to score runs
equal to that production. The Mets were
13th in MLB in runs scored, ending the
COVID-shortened season with a 26-34
record.
The 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.
The 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.”
The 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. “That’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. That’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.
That 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.
The 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.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW
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