San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Baer must smooth relationships, answer critics in return to Giants
Larry Baer returns to the Giants this week after a lengthy suspension linked to an altercation with his wife, Pam, retaining his titles but assuming a lower profile.
What lies ahead for the longtime face of the franchise? Time will tell how changes in the frontoffice structure will shake out and Baer will be received in the community, especially among advocates who fight domestic violence.
Baer has issued a statement ahead of his return saying he is “truly sorry.”
The team’s leadership says it will welcome Baer back Tuesday after his threemonthplus unpaid absence, that he has done all that was required by Major League Baseball during that time and will resume his roles as president and chief executive officer.
In an exclusive interview, acting president and CEO Rob Dean, a member of the team’s board of directors, told The Chronicle that he is excited for Baer to come back and resume his leadership role, and that the
board and investors remain very supportive of the 62yearold executive.
Dean explained, though, that the team’s governing structure has changed. Dean will assume the newly created role of chairman and said the organization will be run in a “more collaborative manner.”
Some of Baer’s longtime duties will be spread among other team executives, Dean said. While those executives will still report to Baer, others in the organization will become more visible and Dean will take a more active role in daytoday operations.
“The Giants will have many faces with one voice, where historically it really was Larry as the one face and one voice,” Dean said.
A statement issued by the board said Baer initially will “focus on reconnecting with employees and receiving updates on all aspects of the organization.”
Baer also is expected to address the confrontation with his wife and the corrective steps he has taken during an organizationwide meeting in midJuly, when the offices at 24 Willie Mays Plaza will be more fully staffed after the Fourth of July holiday week and baseball’s July 811 AllStar break.
Baer declined to speak to The Chronicle before he returns, but issued a statement apologizing to Giants employees, fans and members of the community.
“I am truly sorry for letting you down,” it read. “While my time away has been difficult on many levels, it has allowed me opportunities for introspection and, with the help of some wonderful people, growth. I’ve been able to step back and take stock in myself as a person and a leader. I am wiser for it, and the work continues.”
On the surface, the changes look like Baer’s authority is being diluted. Dean, who has told staffers he will be around a lot less when Baer returns, insisted otherwise, saying that a business said to be worth as much as $3 billion has become too big and complex for one top executive to assume so much responsibility.
“Larry has always been accountable to the board, and that doesn’t change,” Dean said. “The structure will definitely be more decentralized, but we all see that as a positive rather than a reduction in Larry’s power.”
There is one significant exception.
Dean, whose wife, Trina, and sisterinlaw, Tori Humphrey, together own the thirdlargest stake in the Giants, will become the permanent “control person” authorized to represent the team in league matters. Baer will continue to attend owner meetings.
By convention, the top executive on the baseball side reports to the control person, so president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi will report directly to Dean, not Baer as before.
From Major League Baseball’s perspective, Dean’s assumption of the control person role ensures a more seamless transition should Baer be removed from his job or forced to liquidate his shares if he and Pam divorce and he needs cash for a division of community property.
Moreover, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has pushed for teams to designate owners with more significant stakes as the control persons. Baer owns less than 5% of the team. Dean’s wife and sisterinlaw are believed to own close to 20%.
Baer addressed the changes in his statement, saying, “The Giants are in a major transition on and off the field. That includes some structural changes, which I fully embrace.”
The statement did not address his marriage, but Staci Slaughter, the executive vice president of communications, said the Baers remain together and recently returned from an extended vacation.
Slaughter also confirmed the authenticity of a photo shared on social media showing Larry and Pam Baer smiling, his hand on her arm, at a birthday party in Nantucket, Mass., on June 23.
The Giants said Pam Baer would not comment for this story. Efforts to reach her attorney Friday were not immediately successful.
The board’s statement said Baer completed
counseling that was a condition of his reinstatement. Dean said in the interview that Baer went “above and beyond” what he was required to do.
A Major League Baseball source, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the commissioner’s office was satisfied with Baer’s efforts.
The Giants were thrown into turmoil on March 1 when the video of the Baers’ argument at a Hayes Valley park surfaced.
It showed Larry Baer trying to retrieve his cell phone, which Pam Baer had taken from him. During the brief tussle, Pam’s chair tipped over and she fell.
Pam, who was wearing a walking boot due to a foot injury, is heard on the video yelling, “Oh, my God, no, help!”
The person who shot the video sold it to the gossip website TMZ, which immediately posted it. A security video from a nearby business later surfaced showing the Baers had argued in the park for 25 minutes before the phone incident.
The league investigated the incident and imposed the suspension on March 26, two days before Opening Day.
The San Francisco district attorney’s office weighed criminal charges against Baer but declined to pursue them, citing insufficient evidence of a crime.
Some community leaders and antidomesticviolence advocates expressed outrage over the video and demanded that Baer be punished, particularly when they felt Major League Baseball was dragging its feet.
A group of 12 advocates sent a letter to Manfred in March, calling for Baer to be suspended. Debbie Mesloh, president of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, was among those who signed the letter.
Mesloh said Thursday she had no objections to Baer’s return but will continue to monitor how he and the Giants respond.
She said the group wanted Baer to take responsibility for what happened, show young people that bullying and violence carry consequences, and ensure that baseball executives are held to at least the same standards as athletes who are subject to punishment if they commit domestic violence.
“We really felt like they heard us and took action,” she said. “It’s something we’re going to continue to watch. We hope for everyone’s sake, for the Giants, for Major League Baseball, for the Junior Giants and for Mr. Baer and his family, that the steps he took toward restorative justice and accountability continue. Everyone benefits if that’s the case.”
Baer will have to smooth relationships with the community and the 350 Giants employees — some of whom were said to be disturbed by the video that led to his suspension — while adapting to a more decentralized management structure.
The five executives who divided Baer’s responsibilities in his absence will maintain a more active role in running the Giants and representing them in the community.
Zaidi and Slaughter are part of that group, as are Alfonso Felder, Jack Bair and Mario Alioto.
Although Zaidi mostly has a free hand to shape the team, Baer will continue to have a voice in decisions involving onfield personnel at a critical juncture. The rebuilding Giants are expected to entertain offers for ace pitcher Madison Bumgarner and others ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
Zaidi and his predecessors always consulted with the team’s top executives and ownership on major player decisions and financial commitments. Dean said that will not change, and he plans to give Zaidi considerable leeway.
“I’d rather have Farhan make baseball decisions than me,” Dean said.
Baer might encounter resistance as he returns to the public eye. To get to his seat near the Giants dugout at Oracle Park, Baer has to descend the entire first deck. He might have to deal with unfavorable comments or even boos.
Also, it’s hard to imagine Baer taking an active role in the Giants’ annual Strike Out Violence Day, to be held Sept. 14. The club has held the event for 20 years, featuring a pregame ceremony highlighting efforts to stamp out violence and bullying and honoring those in the community who have taken a leading role. Dean was asked how he would respond to fans who are not happy with Baer or his continued role in Giants leadership.
“I would say I’d hate for anyone, not Larry, you or me, to be judged in a short window of time after doing so much good,” Dean said. “Larry has done a tremendous job for the community, for this organization, as a leader for a very long time.
“I think everyone deserves a second chance. He’s worked hard on himself and reflected a lot on the incident around March 1. I frankly think he’s going to come back better than ever.”