Marlins President Samson Examined In Extensive Profile
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| Marlins' Samson Examined In Extensive Profile |
Marlins President David Samson, who has been described as "one of the most disliked persons in the game," might "ultimately be remembered as the man who helped save baseball in South Florida," according to an extensive profile by Carlos Frias of the PALM BEACH POST. Samson's name is "cursed in Montreal for pulling out the Expos." He also "once got into a shouting match with Marlins season-ticket holders" and "nearly fired popular manager Joe Girardi in the middle of a pennant race." And while Samson is "finally getting a stadium built," a former Dade County politician said the deal "could have been done a lot sooner if it wasn't for David Samson." Frias wrote for a man who "calls himself a 'private person,' who declined repeated requests to be interviewed for this story, insisting the focus should be on the players and not the president, David Samson sure knows how to make a spectacle of himself." Samson's "abrasiveness isn't confined to the boardroom." Several former Marlins employees "blame Samson for an 'us' vs. 'them' approach to upper and lower management." Agent Matt Sosnick: "When you bring his name up, I've never heard of somebody being so universally disliked in any field." However, Samson recently ran an Iron Man Triathlon "for more than self-accomplishment, raising $100,000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which provides grants for training, competition and equipment needs to disabled athletes." Samson's stepfather and Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria said, "Everything David does, he does with his head and with his heart. And he always seems to make the right decisions." Former MLBer Jeff Conine added Samson is "brutally honest. I think some people are taken aback by that. But I respect that. ... He is what he is, and he's not going to change for anyone" (Palm Beach Post, 5/31).
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