While President Clinton was pictured visiting Pac Bell
Park last week, the S.F. CHRONICLE's Matier & Ross report
that what people "didn't see was all the catty gamesmanship
between the Giants and millionaire Walter Shorenstein before
the party-hearty picture" was taken for local media.
Clinton was staying the weekend with Shorenstein and
expressed his desire to visit the ballpark, and Shorenstein
"offered to make the arrangements." The "only problem" is
that Shorenstein, a former partner in the team, didn't own a
luxury box and "had a bitter falling out" with the current
owners. After Shorenstein had a staff member contact the
team, the Giants said they would offer a suite to Clinton on
"one condition," Giants Managing General Partner and
Shorenstein "rival" Peter Magowan and team COO Larry Baer
"wanted in on the action, too -- along with their wives and
a couple of friends." But Shorenstein "drew the line" and
said there "were to be no wives and absolutely no friends."
But it turned out that the "execs' wives ignored Shorenstein
and the Secret Service" and joined Clinton, Shorenstein and
their husbands in the suite and "freely mingled with"
Clinton, his daughter Chelsea and her friends. Meanwhile,
newspaper photos the next day showed Clinton with Magowan,
his wife, and Baer. One observer said, "You could see the
steam coming out of Walter's ears" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/26).
