Larry Baer

Laurence M. Baer is the Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball.[1] He succeeded Bill Neukom on January 1, 2012.[2]

Laurence M. Baer
NationalityUnited States
Other namesLarry Baer
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
Harvard Business School (MBA)
OccupationSports executive
Known forCEO of the San Francisco Giants
Spouse(s)Pamela Baer
Children4

Early life and education

Born to a Jewish family,[3] Baer attended Lowell High School in San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley.[4] He served as the sports director and business manager of KALX, the student-run radio station. As a junior, he negotiated with Oakland Athletics' owner Charlie Finley to make KALX the official radio station of the Athletics for its first 16 games.[5] Baer served as the play-by-play announcer.[6] He graduated from Berkeley with a degree in political science in 1980.[7]

He joined the San Francisco Giants as their marketing director that year.[1] He left the Giants to attend Harvard Business School and work for Westinghouse Broadcasting.[1]

Career

Baer returned to the Giants to help form the ownership group that kept the team in San Francisco when an attempt was made to move the franchise to Tampa, Florida in 1992.[1] Other members of the group include Charles Bartlett Johnson, Harmon Burns, Scott Seligman, Peter Magowan, Allan Byer, and David S. Wolff.[8]

In 1994, Baer established the first benefit by a professional sports team to fight AIDS.[3]

He succeeded Bill Neukom as the Giants' chief executive officer on January 1, 2012.[2] He was added to the board of directors of the San Jose Giants, the Giants' Minor League Baseball affiliate in the Class A-Advanced California League, in April 2012.[9]

Under Baer’s management, the San Francisco Giants won World Series championships in 2012 and 2014.

Personal life

He is married to Pamela Baer; they have four children and live in San Francisco.[10] He and his wife are members of Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco.[3]

Suspension from MLB

On March 1, 2019, the website TMZ released a video showing Larry Baer in a physical altercation with his wife, Pam near Oracle Park. In the video, it appeared that Larry Baer shoved Pam causing her to fall back on a chair while he attempted to wrestle away a cellphone. Pam cried for help. TMZ noted that the altercation was eventually broken up by bystanders at the scene.

The video leak sparked outrage among fans and social media. Baer was later suspended by MLB.[11]

On July 2, 2019, The San Francisco Giants Board Directors announced that President and CEO Larry Baer will return to the team. However, Interim CEO Robert Dean will still continue to be the Giants person in charge.[12]

References
  1. Gurnick, Ken (November 17, 2011). "Owners approve Baer as Giants' control person". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  2. "Bill Neukom to Retire from the Giants: Team President and COO Larry Baer to Become CEO". MLB.com (Press release). September 15, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  3. Fox, Nancy (October 20, 1995). "S.F. Giants' exec brings Jewish values to the Major Leagues". J. The Jewish News of Northern California.
  4. "Larry Baer, President & CEO SF Giants". Silicon Valley Local Magazine. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  5. "The Full and Unabridged History of KALX". KALX. UC Regents.
  6. Papanek, John (April 17, 1978). "SCORECARD". Sports Illustrated.
  7. "AT&T Park to play host for Cal in 2011". Associated Press. ESPN.com. May 10, 2010.
  8. Darin Bond-Graham (October 31, 2012). "The San Francisco Giants of Real Estate, Tech and Finance". Counterpunch Magazine.
  9. "San Jose Giants Announce Board Changes" (Press release). San Jose Giants. April 3, 2012.
  10. "Laurence M. Baer - President and Chief Executive Officer". MLB.com. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  11. https://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Video-shows-San-Francisco-Giants-CEO-Larry-Baer-13657025.php
  12. "SF Giants President Larry Baer returning July 2 after 3-month suspension". ABC7 San Francisco. 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
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