David Samson Quotes (33 Quotes)

We do have the best grounds crew in the sport. But sometimes things happen that are out of their control.

We've discovered now that our best chance, and the best chance for baseball in South Florida, is to get a building built somewhere and making it work. The important thing is keeping the team here.

We always have hurricane awareness, we advertise that at games, talk about it, and we try to schedule more off days in September for makeup games.

We're marketing no expectation, and we're trying to introduce people to players.

Right now we are working with the officials of Hialeah, and we're working with the mayor there. He's a great man. He's got vision. He wants to see baseball there. He's doing his work we're doing our work. We hope to meet again in the next couple of weeks. We're exploring other cities with the focus still on Florida. We'll see how the year progresses.

I don't think one player gets a stadium deal done. Cities that want baseball want it for 50 years. They're looking for the name on the front of the jersey. They're not focused on a specific player.

Owner Jeffrey Loria has shown time and time again his desire to win year after year, ... He has shown his desire to have a competitive team. The reason why we never talk is the proof is always in the results, and it's far more powerful when actions speak without words.

We talked about a financing plan they had in mind that would require a very small contribution by the team. We told them our preference is to stay in Florida, but we have no deal in Florida. We agreed that we will stay in touch.

The fiscal insanity that Jeffrey was willing to be a part of for all these years is over. We've been asked time and time again, when does it end And today is that day.

Governments do make decisions when they attract businesses to the community. Baseball is not the only industry, by any stretch, to ask for government help when deciding where to have its corporate headquarters.

There were no deal discussions. It was very much an introductory meeting. It was 'getting to know you' day. We got to meet people and talk to them and learn more about Portland than what you can read about in the paper and in typical analyses.

We told (Wolff) we wouldn't waste his time. We have too much respect for the county judge and the mayor. This has never been about leverage in South Florida. This is about finding a home for the Marlins.

That's not a problem. We had to get permission from Major League Baseball, so it's not a problem.

Miami, the Gateway to the Americas, could well be the first American city in 35 years to see its baseball franchise leave. People in Washington D. C. know very well how long it took to get a team back.

You have to look at the stadium issue. You have to look at all sorts of other things that go on and work that into the equation. He is losing a lot of money. He has put money into this team four straight years. Three of them have produced winning (records). We've got to see what happens.

We thought it would be a good opportunity to have a chance to say hello and get to know them. The commissioners are very important people in the community. We want to spend a quality nine innings with them.

I understand what they are doing. They are trying to do what is best for their community. At the same time, things don't often work as quickly as you like them to work in any scenario. Deadlines, once they are broken, you've got credibility issues.

We're definitely negotiating with everybody, and we're trying to get a deal done here because it is our first choice. But we recognize it may not happen and we don't have much time left.

We simply must play in a baseball-only facility.

It should be noted that Miami and south Florida continue to be our first choice. But the reality is we don't have a deal there because our lease expires after 2010.

We told them that Florida is our first choice, but we have no deal yet.

It's definitely serious when you are presented a financing plan and when you talk as much as we are.

To imagine baseball getting involved is not far-fetched. How the involvement will end up looking is not yet determined.

We asked them a few questions, they asked us a few questions. We're both going to answer each other's questions and then see about another meeting.

No longer can baseball in South Florida be assured,

We have bent over backwards with the amount of genuflecting we've done to ingratiate ourselves with the Montreal community.

Hampton Roads speaks for itself. When it and Las Vegas are the two largest places without one of the four major league sports, there aren't many places left like it, so it was interesting.

We look forward to discussing this plan with Judge Wolff. It's the first step of a long, interesting process to see if there is a match.

We cannot contemplate a scenario where we would stay at Dolphins Stadium beyond 2010. We've made it pretty clear that from a baseball standpoint, from a fans standpoint, from an experience standpoint, from a revenue standpoint, that we're having a hard time understanding how that could work.

This is important because it shows it's not just about baseball. We've always said that the community is what matters the most. In order to have fans, you have to have a community. For people who lost their homes, it's hard for them to be fans if they have no place to live. This is a far bigger priority.

We have made progress from an initial conversation to an indication of interest from the business community, from the cooperate community, from the fans, from the political community. We're serious, because Jeffrey and the mayor would not allocate their time this way if they weren't.

I haven't seen a spot that really sticks out anywhere in South Florida. There is no perfect site. If you are too far south, the people north are unhappy. If you're too far east, the people out west are unhappy. So, I believe now the new perfect site is anywhere, and we'll teach people how to drive to the stadium. We'll build a tradition in this building for 30-40 years, and people will be more comfortable attending baseball games.

The early view we have is that it's viable right now. We need to see how revenues are going to grow and make sure it can sustain itself.