It’s been more than six years since Dan Le Batard grilled MLB commissioner Rob Manfred regarding the sale of the Miami Marlins and we’re still learning about the fallout from the contentious interview.
During Wednesday’s episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, former Marlins president David Samson revealed that Manfred had even gone as far to orchestrate a shadow ban to prevent MLB-related guests from appearing on Le Batard’s show, which at that point was still at ESPN.
“Dan, that was the most hated — you became persona non grata in baseball after that interview,” Samson told Le Batard. “People colluded to make sure you would not get guests.”
Samson — who was still employed by the Marlins at the time of the interview — also revealed that Manfred had approached him following the interview and asked him, “Why do you talk to that MFer?” The Nothing Personal host said that he replied by stating, “Because it’s great content and I love it and [Le Batard].”
Le Batard, for his part, barely reacted to Samson revealing that he had been blackballed from baseball interviews. Perhaps he was already aware, or more likely, he simply didn’t care. Despite having covered the Marlins during their inaugural season, the former Miami Herald columnist doesn’t often have MLB players, managers or executives on his show, so it’s hard to imagine which interviews Manfred’s apparent shadow ban might have blocked him from.
Still, Samson’s revelation provided fascinating insight into Manfred’s mindset as a commissioner. Even if his interview with Le Batard painted him in a negative light (and it did), preventing his league from receiving additional exposure on a national radio show and very popular podcast is a pretty clear example of cutting your nose to spite your face.
More than anything, Wednesday’s conversation served as an opportunity for Le Batard to replay select portions of the six-year-old interview with Manfred. In that spirit, you can watch the interview in the video player below.
Update: A MLB spokesperson denied that clubs were directed to boycott Le Batard’s show.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.