Sam keeps his interests in life simple, and his primary interest is the ladies. He got an early start with the fairer sex (in sixth grade, if you believe him) and you could dismiss him as an insufferable flirt, but the fact is the ladies love Sam’s brand of charm. And what’s not to love about this former Red Sox relief pitcher? He never comes on too strong, and he always uses his assets (toothy grin, soulful eyes, and a full head of hair) to his advantage. Just don’t get too attached, because while Sam loves the chase, he’s not into lengthy commitments. He’s kind of like the guy who fishes for sport -- he has no intentions of keeping what he’s hooked; and for that Sam is worshipped by bar regulars Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin. Truthfully, Sam’s pretty carefree about love and relationships -- that is until the day Diane Chambers walks into the bar. That brainy neurotic’s ambivalence captivates him, and if there’s one thing Sam enjoys it’s a good challenge in the form of an uptight woman. And in Diane, Sam finds a very formidable challenge. She'll take him around the bend a few times (and even send him back to the bottle), but he'll love every crazy minute of it.

It’s easy to assume that a handsome, personable guy like Sam has it easy in life, but he’s had his share of rough patches, and he’ll have a few more in the years to come. He bought the bar during his drinking days (which kind of coincided with the end of his ball playing days), but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Now retired from his somewhat illustrious baseball career (depending on whom you talk to) and completely off the booze, Cheers is Sam's happy dominion. He is the king, surrounded by friends who feel more like family, and there's always an abundant and continuously renewing supply of women to chase. He’ll sell the bar when things with Diane get rough (to sail around the world), but in time he’ll buy Cheers back because when you get right down to it, the bar is really and truly the one place where Sam feels right at home.