SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — For most of the past two decades, every major decision involving the Giants flowed through Larry Baer.
This time, there was no other possible choice but to remove him from the process.
Three days after a physical altercation involving Baer and his wife, Pam, was captured on video, the Giants announced that their CEO is taking an immediate leave of absence of indeterminate length from the club.
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The Giants board of directors released a statement Monday morning:
“The Board of Directors of San Francisco Baseball Associates is closely monitoring the matter involving Giants President and CEO Larry Baer. Pursuant to League policy, Major League Baseball is taking the lead in gathering all facts surrounding the situation. The organization is cooperating fully with the process.
“Mr. Baer has acknowledged that his behavior was unacceptable, apologized to the organization and is committed to taking steps to make sure that this never happens again. He has also requested, and the Board has accepted, his request to take personal time away from the Giants beginning today. The Board has asked the Giants executive team to manage the day to day operations of the Club during this period, reporting directly to the Board.
“As leaders in the community, we at the Giants hold ourselves to the highest standards and those standards will guide how we consider this matter moving forward.”
Baer stepped aside three days after a witness recorded him attempting to wrest his cellphone away from his wife; Pam Baer screamed as she tumbled out of a chair and onto the ground. Witnesses said the incident occurred after the couple had a lengthy verbal argument in a public square in Hayes Valley.
The initial statement from the team, attributed to Pam and Larry Baer, attempted to minimize the incident: “Regrettably today we had a heated argument in public over a family matter. We are deeply embarrassed by the situation and have resolved the issue.”
The tepid initial statement served to undermine a second statement that Larry Baer released through the team a few hours later: “I am truly sorry for the pain that I have brought to my wife, children and to the organization. It is not reflective of the kind of a person that I aspire to be, but it happened and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that I never behave in such an inappropriate manner again.”
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Although police investigated the area and contacted witnesses in the hours after TMZ posted the video, it is not expected that any charges will be filed. Pam Baer has said through her attorney that she lost her balance because of a previous foot injury: “I did not sustain any injury based on what happened today. Larry and I always have been and still are happily married.”
Major League Baseball instituted a domestic violence policy in 2015 and has investigated 11 players since that time, issuing suspensions of varying lengths in nine cases. José Torres of the San Diego Padres was issued the longest penalty – a 100-game suspension last year. The league has not sanctioned or disciplined a coach or executive, although all club employees are subject to the policy.
The league issued a statement on Friday that it was “aware of the incident and, just like any other situation like this, will immediately begin to gather the facts. We will have no further comment until this process is completed.”
The Giants did not designate a control person to represent the franchise in league matters; senior executives expected to share authority in Baer’s absence include executive vice president of administration Alfonso Felder, chief counsel Jack Bair and executive vice president of business operations Mario Alioto.
(Photo: Eric Risberg/AP)