SF Chronicle: Magowan stepping down as Giants’ boss

Peter Magowan announced Friday he will retire as the Giants’ managing general partner at the end of this season, ending a 16-year reign that brought to San Francisco a new ballpark, Barry Bonds, a World Series, and ultimately scorn as the team became the eye of the baseball steroids storm.

The Giants also said that William Neukom, one of the Giants’ principal investors, will replace Magowan as managing general partner and that Larry Baer, currently the chief operating officer and executive vice president, will be promoted to president. Neukom, who was raised in San Mateo, is the former general counsel for Microsoft Corp. and is currently president of the American Bar Association.
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In an interview Friday afternoon, Magowan told The Chronicle he will retain an ownership stake in the Giants but will sell some of his shares to a group of current investors led by Neukom, who was named a general partner in 2003 after increasing his stake in the team. The other general partner is Sue Burns, the largest shareholder.
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When asked if Sabean’s job was safe, Magowan said, “He’s certainly safe as far as I’m concerned. Bill has said he’s got confidence in Brian. You can’t say anybody’s got a guaranteed job. I never had a guaranteed job. I’ve never operated my entire life with a contract. I haven’t had one in 16 years here.”
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His biggest regrets include not acting sooner to build up the farm system and holding on for too long to the strategy of acquiring older players to complement Bonds, which worked well until Bonds aged and hurt his knee in 2005.