Is Steve Cohen Cursed? Mets’ Dysfunction Deepens as $8 Billion On line casino Bid Fails Spectacularly Showcasing Proprietor’s Empty Guarantees

A palpable sense of doom hangs over Citi Area, and it’s not simply the shadow of current losses. The New York Mets, as soon as a beacon of hope underneath the possession of billionaire Steve Cohen, are actually mired in a quagmire of dysfunction and disappointment. The crew’s struggles on the sector, coupled with the spectacular failure of Cohen’s formidable on line casino mission, have raised alarming questions on his management and the way forward for the franchise.

Cohen, a hedge fund titan with a repute for daring strikes and deep pockets, entered the Mets’ possession scene in September 2020 with guarantees of remodeling the crew right into a “mannequin franchise.” Nonetheless, almost 4 years later, the Amazin’ Mets are removed from the promised land of amazement. The crew has misplaced seven of their final ten video games, with their bullpen and lineup changing into a revolving door of ineffectiveness and star gamers like Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso being sidelined with accidents together with longstanding contract problems for the latter.

Off the sector, Steve Cohen’s woes are equally pronounced. His grandiose imaginative and prescient for a sprawling on line casino and leisure complicated adjoining to Citi Area has been unceremoniously quashed by New York State Senator Jessica Ramos. Citing overwhelming opposition from her constituents, Ramos has declared, “Seventy-five p.c of my constituents have expressed that they don’t want to have a on line casino in our yard.” This rebuke not solely derails Cohen’s $8 billion mission but additionally exposes a rising disconnect between the billionaire proprietor and the group he’s presupposed to serve.

Ramos has additional accused Cohen’s group of using aggressive lobbying ways and ignoring the issues of native residents. “I’ve been very clear with them each step of the best way about how I’ve acquired their advocacy,” she stated, underscoring the breakdown in communication and belief.

The on line casino fiasco is merely the newest in a string of missteps and unfulfilled guarantees which have plagued Cohen’s tenure. Regardless of investing closely in participant improvement and infrastructure, the Queens have failed to attain the sustained success that he primarily envisioned. As a substitute, they’ve now turn into a “laughingstock,” far more vulnerable to embarrassing on-field gaffes and off-field controversies.

A billion-dollar query mark for billionaire Steve Cohen

Jorge Lopez, a struggling reliever, lately added to the crew’s woes by hurling his glove into the stands after a disastrous outing amidst a lingering controversy occurring about his phrases that obtained misplaced in translation, together with being illogically DFA’d with his ongoing familial struggles. This unprofessional outburst, harking back to Luis Tiant’s notorious glove toss in 1980, is emblematic of the Mets’ present state of disarray.

Steve Cohen’s empty guarantees have turn into a supply of frustration and disillusionment for the Mets’ fanbase. Many are drawing comparisons to the Wilpon period, a interval marked by mismanagement and ineptitude. “We positive used to blast Fred and Jeff when the Mets devolved into ridiculousness,” writes Mike Vaccaro, a columnist for the New York Put up, in reference to the earlier homeowners. “Solely truthful to do the identical with Cohen.” Can’t argue there.

The crew’s present predicament raises some severe questions on Cohen’s management and his capacity to ship on his guarantees. Is he cursed? Is his brash method and disrespect for group sentiment dooming the crew to failure? Or can he study from his errors and salvage his tarnished repute?

Because the Mets proceed to detect and off the sector, the solutions to those questions stay elusive. What is evident, nonetheless, is that the crew is in dire want of a course correction. Steve Cohen should deal with the dysfunction throughout the group whereas rebuilding their belief with the group and delivering on his promise of making a successful tradition. If he fails to take action, the darkish clouds that presently cling over Citi Area might by no means really raise, God forbid.

Share this with a pal: