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David Samson, the former president of the Miami Marlins, said that he thinks Phillies fans are “a bunch of frontrunners” and says he “can’t stand ’em.”
That didn’t go over very well with the folks who are rooting for Philadelphia in the Major League Baseball playoffs.
“As for Philly fans, I can’t stand ’em,” Samson said during The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Wednesday. “I’m sorry. We’re on a national show, I shouldn’t say it. But as a guy who was in the N.L. East for 18 years, it it is absolutely ridiculous. What [Diamondbacks starting pitcher] Merrill Kelly did, he shouldn’t have done. Don’t poke the bear by saying it’s louder at Marlins Park, I get that.”
“But let me tell you: in Philly, there were years where they were not in the playoffs and it’s quiet and they’re grumpy and they’re rude and it’s empty. And now all of a sudden, it’s a bunch of frontrunners who are going crazy and cheering. They’re not even in the top five fanbases in all of baseball.”
Yikes.
Keep in mind, however, David Samson is also the same guy who called Derek Jeter a “fraud” and publicly stated Barry Bonds was a “disaster” as the Marlins hitting coach. So he very much enjoys stirring things up.
“Kyle Schwarber now has 18 postseason home runs tying him with Reggie Jackson.” #MrSchwarbtober
“Philly fans, I can’t stand them…a bunch of front runners going crazy…they’re not even in the top 5 fan bases in baseball.” – @DavidPSamson
Stat of The Day📊
Presented by @Venmo ✅… pic.twitter.com/vBK0dvPfxY— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) October 18, 2023
And stir things up he did, as Philadelphia Phillies fans laid into him on social media for his take on them.
“Trust fund nepo babies like David Samson who never had to put in an honest day’s work in their lives could never understand a city like Philadelphia,” read another comment on X (formerly Twitter).
“What a clown,” another fan wrote. “In top 10 in attendance 16 of the 20 years citizens bank opened.7 x in top 5.Through the rebuild we were there. Your Marlins would have begged for our worst year in attendance. Loser.”
Should I know this guy?
— Happy the Squirrel (@HappytheSquirr1) October 18, 2023
legit glad when baseball ends because Samson appearances will decrease
— Sledge Johns (@SledgeJohns) October 18, 2023
“PHILLY fans are front runners?!? We’re the most passionate fanbase in the entire country by a mile,” someone else commented. “Literally – to a fault – we let our sports teams dictate our moods. EVERYONE know this. You should probably be fired for being a complete and utter moron. Just admit you hate us.”
“For you to say a comment like that tells us all we need to know about your biased, uninformed, and frankly lazy opinion of a fan base, city, and what it takes to play there,” yet another Phillies fan commented. “Just stop talking, David.”