From the Palm Beach Post:

The Marlins arrived at Wrigley Field on Friday an angry team on the brink of turmoil. Players mocked President David Samson and wondered who'll be traded next. Many called owner Jeffrey Loria a liar, saying he told them at a team meeting two weeks ago that he was committed to winning. "We were blatantly lied to. If they continue in this direction, I will ask for a trade," first baseman Derrek Lee said.


Full Article in the PB Post

[ July 13, 2002: Message edited by: Wurm ]

Wurm ... My source (i.e. a Marlin player's wiefe) told me today at Wrigley Field that the team charter plane circled around the tarmac at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport for 2 1/2 hours on Thursday while Samson was making the trade with several teams in the terminal on a land based phone.

Dempster and Floyd were on the plane headed to Chicago when the charter plane went back to the gate at FTL. Samson came on the plane and mentioned for Floyd and Dempster to come off the plane. About 30 minutes later, Samson came back on the plane without Dempster and Floyd. Then he ordered the plane to take off immediately for Chicago.

During last two games at Wrigley, the Marlins dugout and bullpen have been vocal and angry with comments about Luria, Samson, and Selig. One comment "Selig has targeted us for contraction ... he needs to get rid of his bad toupee". Some of the players' comments are not printable.

J T - an amazing story, onethat I have no doubt is true. It makes you wonder if Sampson finished the negotiations at the terminal because, on board the plane, he would have needed to pay for cell phone airtime

I've heard several extensive Sampson interviews on WQAM and (acknowledging that it's simply a gut feeling) he just doesn't project any credibility whatsoever - all the duplicitous talk about "salary flexibility" and "building a core for the future" - what good is it when you'll have no fans?

Admittedly I'm a Giants fan of 39 years standing, so a marlins contraction would mostly hurt me in losing their annual visit, but my sympathy really goes to my many friends and co-workers who have been jerked around and lied to so badly by the troika of HyPinga, Henry and Loria (whose sordid actions make Brezhnev, Kosygin and Podgorny look better all the time)!

Maybe the Marlins should go out on strike before the rest of the players do!

The Marlins appear totally demoralized, winless since the trades... as some columnist wrote recently, is there any doubt left that Loria is Beelzebud's puppet?

And the post-trade winless streak has now reached EIGHT games. Nine hits but only one run produced .... sad