Larry Baer in the video was seen trying to forcefully grab his phone away from his wife PamGETTY IMAGES
MLB Giants President & CEO Larry Baer will "take a leave of absence in light of Friday's recorded scuffle with his wife, Pam," according to Henry Schulman of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The team, which announced the news this morning, "did not name a single replacement to run the team's day-to-day operation." There are several Exec VPs with "long tenures in the organization who could be involved in running the team temporarily," including Alfonso Felder, Mario Alioto, Jack Bair and Staci Slaughter. Giants officials "spent part of the weekend holding internal discussions on how to proceed" (SFCHRONICLE.com, 3/4). One reason for Baer's leave is so the club "can conduct its business while Baer deals separately with the immediate consequences of the video" and an MLB investigation (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/4). In San Jose, Dieter Kurtenbach wrote Baer is the "public face of the franchise and whatever happened Friday was unquestionably a bad look for both him and the organization." It is "not a stretch to say that Baer could lose his job over what happened." If a player were "seen in the same light ... there’s no question that termination would be an option" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 3/2).
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? In S.F., Ann Killion wrote the public will find out if a "well-known and wealthy executive in a tailored suit will be held to the same standard to which we expect him to hold players." An apology is "not going to erase the image of Baer trying to forcefully grab his phone away from his wife, pulling her over, off her chair and onto the ground." The video of the altercation is "disturbing," with the "sound of Pam Baer screaming 'Oh my God, oh my God.'” If this event involved a player, the Giants "would likely investigate further to see if this was an isolated incident or if there was any history of abuse." They would probably "suspend the player" and "order counseling or community service." Killion: "Will all those things happen in the case of Baer?" He "sets policy and protocol for his team," and "shapes the culture." If anything, he "should be held to a higher standard than some 20-something player who hasn’t spent decades in the public eye" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/3). FORBES' Howard Cole wrote under the header, "To Avoid Double Standard, MLB Must Suspend Giants' CEO Larry Baer" (FORBES.com, 3/1).
