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David Samson (baseball)
American baseball executive (born 1968) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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David P. Samson (born February 26, 1968) is a former American sports executive. Samson was the president of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball from 2002 until September 2017. He held the title of Executive Vice President with the Montreal Expos from 1999 to 2002, working in both cities under team owner and former stepfather Jeffrey Loria.
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Career
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Montreal Expos (1999–2002)
Samson was named executive vice president of the Montreal Expos in December 1999, shortly after his then-stepfather, Jeffrey Loria, purchased the ownership stake of Claude Brochu and became the principal owner on December 9.[1][2]
The tenure of Loria and Samson in Montreal would be brief, however. Samson played a key role in negotiating the sale of the Expos and the subsequent purchase of the Florida Marlins in 2002. Loria sold the Expos to a Delaware partnership, Expos Baseball, LP. The partnership had been formed by a vote of the Major League Baseball owners so that Loria would be free to purchase the Marlins from John W. Henry, who needed to sell the South Florida Club in order to complete his purchase of the Boston Red Sox.[3][4] The Expos would later be moved to Washington, D.C., by Major League Baseball.
In July 2002, a group of former minority partners in the Expos ownership group filed an unsuccessful lawsuit in Miami federal district court against Samson, Loria, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, MLB Chief Operating Officer Bob DuPuy, the commissioner's office and others, alleging that the defendants had violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in the course of selling the Expos.[5] The court referred the suit to a three-judge arbitration panel in New York, which in November 2004 ruled unanimously against the plaintiffs on all of their claims, finding that the defendants had committed no fraud or breach of fiduciary duties.[6]
After a 79–83 season in 2002 in which the Marlins finished fourth in the NL East, they signed free agent Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez and made several other key additions for 2003, and surprised the baseball world by going 91-71 and winning the club's second World Series.[7]
Subsequent ballpark-related lawsuit
South Florida businessman Norman Braman filed a lawsuit in January 2008 alleging that the deal between the Marlins and the county to fund the new stadium was an illegal use of taxpayer money that was intended to combat urban blight, and should have been subject to a public vote.[8] All seven counts of the lawsuit were eventually dismissed, the last on November 21, 2008, by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jeri Beth Cohen.
Due to the nearly year-long delay caused by the Braman lawsuit, the original timeline for the construction of the stadium was delayed and the opening date was pushed back from the 2011 season to the 2012 season.[9] The official groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 18, 2009, in front of 5,000 fans.[10] The ballpark, and the newly rechristened Miami Marlins, hosted their first regular season game on April 4, 2012, against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Samson was let go as President of the Marlins following the 2017 season, when group led by Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter purchased the team.[11]
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Podcast
He currently hosts his own podcast, Nothing Personal with David Samson.
Non-baseball appearances
- He was a contestant on Survivor: Cagayan, the 28th season of CBS reality show Survivor,[12] where he was the first contestant voted out finishing in 18th place.
- He debuted in a full-length play "Not Ready for Primetime" as Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels in March 2014.[13]
References
Wikiwand - on
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