4 moves that Steve Cohen has made to improve the Mets fan experience

The 2023 season is nearing its home stretch. Despite entering the year with aspirations of competing for a championship, the New York Mets will almost certainly be on the outside looking in when the playoffs begin.

Though the team hasn't yet found the success on the field that fans have hoped for, Mets owner Steve Cohen has done many things to improve the fan experience and reconnect with the team's history. Here are four of the best.

1) Retiring the numbers of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry

On Thursday, the Mets announced that two of the most iconic Mets of all-time, Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, would have their numbers retired next season. As someone whose favorite player growing up was "Straw", I'll admit some bias here, but I know I'm not alone in thinking this is a great decision by the Mets.

Gooden and Strawberry were, in many ways, the faces of the franchise in the '80s. Two ascendant superstars that took the league by storm, they were two of the best players on the Mets' 1986 World Series-winning team. Just as quickly as their rise, though, was their fall. We all know the personal demons that each player faced, but that doesn't overshadow the contributions, and the sheer excitement, they brought to Mets fans everywhere.

Gooden and Strawberry have always been been seen as a package deal. They reached the majors a year apart and made numerous All-Star teams. In a sport that has seen declining participation by black players, they were two rare black stars on the same team. Both overcame personal struggles to emerge on the other side and once again find success.

Cohen's decision to give each player their own day of celebration next year is surprising to some, but well deserved. I'm sure Gooden will be there for Straw's big day, and vice-versa, but despite their closeness, each was more than just half of a tandem. Allowing each player to have a solo induction ceremony is a great move.

Gooden and Strawberry will now join Keith Hernandez, Willie Mays, and Jerry Koosman as players who have had their numbers retired since Steve Cohen took over.

2) Commissioning a Tom Seaver statue to be displayed in front of Citi Field

Nicknamed "The Franchise," Tom Seaver is a Hall-of-Famer and the best player the Mets have ever had. The statistics speak for themselves: 311 wins, 3,640 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.86, not to mention being the ace of the 1969 World Series champs.

Knowing the history of mismanagement the Mets have exhibited, it's a shame that Seaver didn't get to spend his entire career with the team, but Steve Cohen helped cement Tom Terrific's legacy by commissioning a beautiful statue of him.

Unveiled less than two years after Seaver's death, the statue depicts his patented "drop and drive" pitching technique to perfection. I was admiring the statue before attending a game earlier this year when I overheard a father and his son doing the same. The boy, probably about ten years old, asked his dad, "Why is his back leg so low?" I couldn't help interjecting, "That's the right question to ask." To me, that question got to the heart of why you build a statue in the first place. Now Mets fans young and old can connect with and learn about a player that modeled what Mets greatness can look like.

Mets fans are in a negative frame of mind far too often. By celebrating the best players that have come through the organization, it's a way to appreciate the good times, and inspire hope that we can have them again. Look at this beauty.

4) Inducting a new class into the Mets Hall of Fame

Less than three months ago, the Mets inducted a special class into the team's Hall of Fame. Comprised of Al Leiter, Howard Johnson, Gary Cohen, and Howie Rose, the group represented almost 40 years of Mets history.

Leiter was one of the mainstays of the late '90s/early 2000s Mets teams that also featured Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura, among others. His two-hit shutout in a one-game playoff against the Reds in 1999 is one of the most impressive performances in Mets history.

HoJo, like Goodwen and Strawberry, was an important part of the '86 team, and he was one of the most versatile players of his era, a switch-hitter with speed that still ranks fourth on the Mets' all-time home run list and third on the team's all-time stolen base list.

Cohen and Rose have been two of the most instrumental pieces in making Mets broadcasts on both TV and radio arguably the best in the business. Seriously, SNY broadcasts of Nationals games are blacked out where I live, and I have to watch on mute to avoid losing my mind.

Inducting this foursome into the Mets Hall of Fame was a no-brainer, but for years the Mets failed at doing the easy things. Steve Cohen has put an emphasis on appreciating those that have given so much to the organization, both past and present, and for Mets fans, it's exciting to see.

I'd be remiss not to mention Jay Horwitz, who was also honored with the Mets Hall of Fame Achievement Award for his decades of service as the Mets' Media Relations Director.

Events such as these strengthen the connection fans have with the team, while also rewarding those that have made us proud to root for the blue and orange. Here's hoping that there are many more in the future. With Steve Cohen at the helm, I think there will be.