No one, not even New York Mets owner Steve Cohen can make a pope joke in front of the Sports Pope and get away with it.
Things haven’t gone great for the Mets since signing Juan Soto in Dec. 2024. Soto began last season appearing “glum,” per Michael Kay. And once Soto turned his season around, the Mets faltered and failed to make the playoffs. As Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns look to retool the Mets, they’ve allowed Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz to walk, and now they’ve lost out on Kyle Tucker to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cohen teased Mets fans Thursday night, writing “let me know when you see smoke” on X, referring to the papal conclave signaling a new pope was elected with white smoke.
That’s a bold joke to make as the Mets fanbase was eagerly waiting, and somewhat expecting Tucker to pick the Mets. It’s an even bolder joke to make in a city that hasn’t had to name a new Sports Pope in decades, with Francesa wearing that hat.
“The Mets are not gonna win big and they’re not gonna fill that ballpark like they did last year,” Francesa ranted the morning after Tucker signed a ridiculous contract with the Dodgers worth $60 million annually. “They owe the fans for last year. The fans paid them back for Soto last year, they filled the park completely. That’s what the owner wanted, and they did that. And now the owner gets on Twitter, makes his white smoke joke and then has egg all over his face. He looks like a weak, ineffective billionaire who doesn’t know what he’s doing, and is being led astray by a guy who doesn’t understand what it means to have muscle.”
The Mets bounced back from the gut punch by Tucker and flexed their muscle Friday afternoon when they signed Bo Bichette to a three-year $126 million contract. Signing Bichette buys Cohen a third baseman and a premium bat, but more importantly, it should buy him time before the fanbase starts to panic again.
Francesa knows Cohen isn’t about to start running the Mets like they’re a small market organization, signing Bichette proves that. But Francesa hasn’t quite lost his fastball yet, and after losing Alonso, Diaz and Tucker, he smelled blood. The Sports Pope saw a fanbase teetering on the brink of a meltdown and he knew going after Cohen would spark a reaction.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com