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The transfer of Mets ownership to Steve Cohen will be happening very soon, and he appears to already be a more fan-friendly owner than the Wilpon family ever was. Cohen took to Twitter over the weekend to ask fans for their ideas on making their experience as Mets fans better. 

He ran through a bunch of ideas and replied to several. It already had to be incredibly refreshing for Mets fans, after years of feeling alienated by an ownership group that seemed far more interested in many things above how the fans felt about their experience. To be clear, sure, Cohen will likely ultimately care more about his own bottom line than fan experience -- he's a professional sports team owner, after all, and there's a reason incredibly wealthy people got wealthy in the first place -- but the public relations here is a night-and-day exercise compared to the Wilpon Experience. Kudos to Cohen for getting it so early in the process and being in the business of immediately winning fans over. 

One idea that caught Cohen's eye (and ours, too) was this: 

The Yankees have an Old Timers' Day where former players are honored and then play roughly three innings of exhibition baseball, all in good fun, of course. 

So let's zero in on the Mets here and see what they've got for a possible Old Timers' Game game in 2021, assuming the pandemic allows it to be played.

First off, the ceremonies should absolutely start with a Tom Seaver retrospective. Perhaps they unveil a Seaver statue that same day? Or maybe he deserves his own day before that all to himself and then Old Timers' Day comes later and still includes a portion dedicated to Tom Terrific. Either way, he needs to be honored as part of it. Maybe start with Seaver and then have a video montage for other Mets legends who have passed away in recent years? 

Once you get to the game itself, here are some options per position who might be willing and able to take part. There needs to be a balance between honoring the legends and then making the game play as entertaining as possible, it seems to me, so keep that in mind. Oh, and this would be for Mets fans. That's the most important thing. 

Catcher

Obviously the late, great Gary Carter is someone who should be honored before the game. As for possible participants, it starts with Hall of Famer Mike Piazza. How about Todd Hundley for the other backstop? That would work well. 

First base

You gotta go Keith Hernandez and Carlos Delgado here, right? Mex is the easy choice and while some might argue for John Olerud over Delgado, there are few retired players I'd rather see swing a bat right now than Delgado. Let 'er rip, Carlos. 

Second base

If I know Mets fans, I know that they want Wally Backman involved. Edgardo Alfonzo is the best Mets second baseman in history when considering only Mets careers. An interesting decision might be on tap. If Daniel Murphy is forced into retirement (he had a club option declined, he's clearly cooked and would turn 36 years old next year), he has to be in the mix. Jeff Kent could also be considered, though his best work was elsewhere. 

Shortstop

In judging from the response I got to my Mets all-time team, Jose Reyes is likely to be the top shortstop pick to satisfy the fan base as a whole. How about bringing Rey Ordonez to see if we get a dazzling defensive play? Also, you have to honor Bud Harrelson and see if he wants to take a swing or two. 

Third base

David Wright and Howard Johnson are the starters. Robin Ventura has to be there, too. 

Outfielders

The easy picks? You have to have Darryl Strawberry and Mookie Wilson. Honor Cleon Jones and let him decide how much he wants to play (ditto for Art Shamsky?). 

Between the whole third-strike thing (which is so overblown, but this is for Mets fans) and having to fire him before he managed a game, maybe pass on Carlos Beltran? 

Curtis Granderson seems like a good one to have and he can surely still swing it. 

Lenny Dykstra? Kevin McReynolds? Lee Mazzilli, Bernard Gilkey, Lance Johnson? 

You gotta go Bobby Bonilla, right? 

Pitchers

Definitely give Jerry Koosman a chance to tip his cap and throw the first pitch of the game, if he's up to that. 

Dwight Gooden is next in line. 

Just from the 1986 Mets alone, there are some fun options to add to the rosters here with the likes of Ron Darling, Bob Ojeda, Sid Fernandez, Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco. 

Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana! R.A. Dickey bringing his knuckleball seems like a must-have. 

Al Leiter, Bret Saberhagan and David Cone bring more pedigree. 

John Franco has to be the "closer" for at least one side. 

And, yes, Mets fans, I know you want Bartolo Colon there. 

Managers

One of the biggest no-brainers here is Davey Johnson, who has to be a central figure. Along with the other Mets legends, Gil Hodges needs to be honored. 

Opposite Johnson in the actual game, I think you gotta go Bobby Valentine, right? Terry Collins matched him with one Mets pennant, but Valentine would be a lot more entertaining, I think.