David Samson
David Samson
baseball city franchise gateway people team took washington
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.
deal learn meet paper people portland talk typical
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.
bigger community fans far hard lost matters order people shows
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.
anywhere attending baseball believe build building drive far north people perfect seen site south spot sticks teach tradition west
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.
deadlines fake save trying
There's no more fake deadlines or real deadlines. This is about the Marlins trying to save its franchise. We need a place to play after 2010, and we don't have one.
early grow sure sustain viable view
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.
capacity design designed next orange seat terms
Seat capacity will be similar, but in terms of design, that was designed to be next to the Orange Bowl, so the design will be different.
gets member team valuable
Carlos is a valuable member of this team and we look at him the way we look at all of our players: Everyone gets evaluated at the end of the year,
cities exploring league major portland terms work
Portland has more work they need to do to become a Major League city, and we have more work we're doing in terms of going to other cities and exploring those cities.
built five focus last seven south staying teams
Our focus is on staying in South Florida, that's our only goal. Five of the last seven new (major league) ballparks were built after teams started to relocate and didn't.
financial plans talks until
Talks are serious, but until financial plans are discussed, it's preliminary.
involved progress
They've made more progress because they've been more involved on a day-to-day basis.
league major permission
That's not a problem. We had to get permission from Major League Baseball, so it's not a problem.
choice continue deal florida miami noted reality south
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.