The past became present again when Derek Jeter and David Samson, former president of the Miami Marlins, crossed paths during Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown. What seemed to be a cordial meeting ended up turning into a new chapter in a feud that has been going on for years, marked by Jeter’s brief stint as an executive in Major League Baseball.
A tense Hall of Fame meeting
Samson recounted on the podcast Pablo Finds Out, hosted by Pablo Torre, what the unexpected reunion with the former Yankees captain was like. According to his version, he approached with his son to greet him: “I reached out my hand and he looked at me… and said, ‘Oh, I’m sure you brought your camera crew’. I told him it was my son, and he replied: ‘Of course you did'”.
The atmosphere quickly became uncomfortable when, according to Samson, Jeter started talking about how angry he still was with him about the past in Miami. The former executive claims the situation escalated to the point where Jeter shouted insults at him from across the Hall of Fame store, leaving his son shocked at the reaction.
A rivalry with history
The tension between the two is not new. In 2017, when a group led by Jeter and Bruce Sherman bought the Marlins, Samson was abruptly fired. According to him at the time, he learned of his departure through an ESPN alert.
Since then, Samson has consistently criticized Jeter’s tenure as an executive in Miami, questioning his decisions and management skills. The former Yankees captain remained in his position for five years before leaving the project in 2022.
Samson doesn’t hold back
In his conversation with Torre, Samson again threw direct darts at the former player: “Derek Jeter has a problem. In short. He has a fitness problem. He has a problem in everything, except being a shortstop”.
In addition, he recalled that while he was still in office with the Marlins, Jeter regularly listened to his radio show, which, in Samson’s words, showed that he lived “rent-free in his head”.
A wound that remains open
So far, Jeter’s team has not responded to a request for comment on what happened in Cooperstown. However, the episode demonstrates that the relationship between the two characters is still marked by confrontation and resentment.
What seemed like an anecdotal reunion ended up turning into a new public controversy. And although Jeter is no longer in the Marlins’ offices, his name and his decisions as an executive remain controversial, especially for a tireless critic like David Samson.
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