St. John’s hoops season canceled, Mets
struggle before new owner takes over
BY BILL PARRY
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 quarterfinal
matchup against top-seeded
Creighton.
The Red Storm was leading
by three at halftime 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 effect and
that’s the game of life.”
The game did not result in
a win or a loss and effectively
ended the Storm’s season as
the NCAA Tournament was
also canceled due to the public
health emergency. The squad
finished 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 finish 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 field. They led MLB in batting
average, finished second
in on-base percentage, and
were fourth in slugging percentage;
by nearly any metric,
Steve Cohen is the new owner of the New York Mets. REUTERS/Illustration by Joe Pantorno
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 playoffs. I
want to win a championship.”
He even went on to set
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.16 COM | DEC. 25-DEC. 31, 2020
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
five 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 office
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” offloading
contracts because of
financial concerns.
“I think Sandy and I want
to take advantage of that,” Cohen
added, “and I want to take
advantage of that. There will
be lots of opportunities and
we’ll see what’s available.”
The Mets made their first
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
I’m not in this to be mediocre. I want
something great, and I know the fans
want something great.
Steve Cohen