These exchanges are a dramatic departure from the previous ownership group led by Fred Wilpon, his son Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz, each of whom shied away from engaging with fans in any public venues, probably to avoid being bombarded with laundry lists of grievances over perceived mismanagement of the team.
Cohen, on the other hand, is seen as a knight in shining armor, galloping in to save the franchise from oblivion with an arsenal of cash, a reputation as a savvy business manager, and now as a likable new figurehead.
Almost overnight, a man who seemed to operate best underneath the radar is poised to emerge as the most communicative owner in baseball, competing with the likes of Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks for the title as the most approachable owner in sports. Cohen has a new toy, and in a refreshing way, he seems to love playing with it.
Thanks to Twitter, we now know that Cohen’s favorite movie is “The Godfather,” he takes his hot dogs with mustard and sauerkraut and Tom Seaver was his favorite Met. Bold choices.
In an era of social media managers, it is fair to wonder if it is actually Cohen behind the keyboard. But the responses feel genuine and are littered with just enough typos to lend credence to the idea that they were hammered out by a person between meetings, rather than an employee who would be risking their job by making the boss look bad.
Either way, the account marks a departure from Cohen’s previous reputation as a cryptic billionaire hedge fund owner. For years, he vigorously guarded his privacy and rarely did interviews unless they were off the record. He hated to be photographed, often buying the rights to photos of himself to limit their distribution. It was hard for the general public to get the measure of his personality.
That changed on Nov. 10. During a live Zoom conference call with reporters, Cohen projected a relaxed, engaging and knowledgeable demeanor as the new leader of the Mets. It was the polar opposite of the Wilpons, whose news conferences often felt awkward and scripted.