published on April 14, 2024 in gacor

Meet the Giants new interim CEO: Why insiders think Rob Dean can turn the page after the Larry Baer

After beloved Giants part-owner Harmon Burns died of heart failure in 2006, at age 61, his son-in-law vowed to live a healthier life. By the end of the year, Rob Dean ran his first half-marathon.

When Sue Burns followed her husband in death in 2009 at age 58, Dean upped the ante. By the end of the year, he finished his first full marathon.

And when former MLB outfielder and current endurance-racing lunatic Eric Byrnes pushed him hard enough, Dean enlisted for his first Iron Man — a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run — at Lake Tahoe, albeit with trepidation over the increased distances.

“I told Eric, ‘I haven’t even done a triathlon yet and you want me to sign up to do an Iron Man?’” Dean, 47, said with a laugh during an extensive interview with The Athletic last Friday. “He said, ‘You’ll be fine.’”

Dean wound up outlasting many in the field on a brutally frigid Lake Tahoe day that had one of the highest Did Not Finish-rates in Iron Man history. A whopping 14.5 percent of entrants didn’t even show up on race day, perhaps wary of the 29-degree temperatures at the start of the swim.

Those hunting for a metaphor can go ahead and put down their magnifying glasses. Dean, recently anointed as the Giants’ acting CEO and franchise “control person” in the wake of the Larry Baer scandal, is ready for the long and treacherous road ahead.

Byrnes, who continues to train with his longtime friend, said Dean has the ideal temperament to get the organization back on track.

“My dad used to always say, ‘Show me how you do anything and I will show you how you do everything,’’’ Byrnes said in a separate interview. “I feel like Rob is the perfect example of this. Quite frankly, he’s one of the most stand-up dudes that I have ever met in my life.”

Ronnie Lott, another from Dean’s eclectic array of athletic friends, also took the triathlon symbolism and ran with it.

“You want people that are trying to find ways to push themselves,’’ the NFL Hall of Famer said in a phone interview. “Rob is trying to push himself ALL. THE. TIME.

“He’s built for this. He does the extreme races and what Rob understands are the circumstances. That’s the nature of an endurance race — enduring things.”

Let us then consider this Rob Dean’s starting line. The Giants board of directors settled on him to serve as the team’s front man, no small role at an awkward juncture in Giants history. The acting CEO inherits an organization reeling from embarrassment at the top (Major League Baseball suspended Baer without pay through July 1 because of a public domestic incident with his wife) and on the field (a combined 58.5 games out of first over the past two full seasons).

To even hardcore Giants fans, Dean is an unknown. But internally, he’s made a steady rise from the Burns’ unassuming son-in-law, establishing himself as a respected consensus-maker. Baer’s outsized personality tends to overshadow all else within the ownership team, but Dean has been a stealth force for a while.

Consider that when the Giants hired Farhan Zaidi as the new president of baseball operations during the offseason, Baer was the first person to interview Zaidi. Dean was the second.

“When this all went down, I even looked at my wife and said, ‘I think Rob Dean would be perfect for this gig,’’’ former Giants third base coach Tim Flannery said, reflecting on the Baer aftermath. “I’m glad that somebody else felt that way as well.”

Dean’s ascent has been stealth in part because he prefers it that way. Some friends laugh about how long they knew him before he so much as mentioned that he was part-owner of the Giants. During a team party at the home of Rob and his wife Trina a few years ago, a coach sidled up to Dean and wondered, “Hey, who owns this place anyway?”

“That story right there hits the nail on the head when I would describe how humble is,’’ former Giants outfielder Randy Winn said. “I think he’s very understated. If you walked into a room of people, he’s not the one that is going to stand out, that’s going to be loud, that’s going to be tough or commanding a bunch of attention. He’s not that type of individual.

“But you get to know him and find out more about him and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is a really impressive guy.’’’

Dean is so non-power hungry that he doesn’t even have an office, let alone a corner office, at the Giants’ executive headquarters. When The Athletic met up with him last week, Dean settled into a modest conference room. George Steinbrenner had closets bigger than this.

Acting Giants CEO Rob Dean was part of the interview process that led to the hiring of baseball operations president Farhan Zaidi. “I am 100 percent behind Farhan,” Dean said last week. (Photo: Tim Kawakami/The Athletic)

Over the course of about 45 minutes, the acting CEO detailed his upbringing in rural Northern California, his childhood trip to Flannery’s baseball camp and how his marriage to the daughter of Harmon and Sue brought him into the Giants family.

Dean also laid out his vision for the potentially awkward next four months. And one thing the triathlete did not do was run away from the man whose shoes he’s filling.

“I think we all want Larry back to be an effective CEO. I think he’s a great leader,’’ Dean said. “He’s done amazing things for the franchise dating back to when he was part of saving them from moving to Florida.”

But at least thing one will change. Before his ugly fight with his wife, Baer made for a happy public face. He was forever the eager emcee, the willing master of ceremonies.

No longer. Even when Baer comes back from his suspension, watch for other faces to make appearances behind the dais. Maybe executive vice president/business operations Mario Alioto winds up making more public appearances, perhaps as early as the home opener on Friday. Maybe executive VP and general counsel Jack Bair will be the one making presentations at City Hall. And some of it — at least temporarily and probably even after Baer returns to the CEO role — will be handled by Dean.

“I think it’s almost unfair to Larry to be in the situation where he is the single face,’’ Dean told The Athletic. “I think you definitely take some responsibility from the board’s standpoint that we should have helped him navigate that early on.

“I know Larry likes the role. We should have made sure that other people were highlighted along the way.”

One thing that will not change: full-fledged support of Zaidi’s baseball blueprint. The new president of baseball operations is under early heat after an offseason defined by an endless stream of back-page waiver-wire transactions, but Dean sees bigger moves ahead.

“I am 100 percent behind Farhan. I believe in his thought process,’’ Dean said. “I understand what he is doing. I admire the job he did with the A’s and with the Dodgers. I think he’s great.

“There may be some impatience with some people out there, but I think we bring the flexibility that the Dodgers have. We’re a big-market, high-payroll team. … I think he’s the perfect guy for our job.”

Dean joked that he doesn’t like music festivals; the crowds would dwarf the entire population of his hometown. He grew up in Fort Jones (pop. 500), about 20 miles west of Yreka. His graduating class at Etna High School had 55 students, not even enough for a spring-training roster.

It’s a small town … and a small world. Shawn Estes’ mother went to Etna High, too. The former Giants left-hander shares an unlikely connection — as well as some extra insight.

“Nobody has heard of Fort Jones or Etna, so I’ve bonded with Rob over the fact that we knew a lot of the same area and camping spots and fishing spots up in that area,’’ Estes said by phone. “Those are the things that come to my mind when I think about him. It’s a very humble town. And he’s a humble guy. I just think that he’s smart, he’s unassuming and he’s very genuine.”

Dean’s parents owned a wholesale food distributor business, Siskiyous Distributing, which meant they delivered food and restaurant supplies to schools, restaurants and businesses across the county. Rob was the sixth of seven kids, which is to say he played sports. His list included football, basketball, track and four years of varsity baseball.

In an otherwise country-fried childhood, he didn’t take his first airplane trip until his junior year. That’s when he and a buddy drove to Sacramento, where they caught a flight to check out the University of San Diego. The journey included a side trip to a Padres-laden baseball camp that included Tony Gwynn, Alan Trammell, Dave Smith, Rob Picciolo — and a certain guitar-strumming utility infielder.

“When I met Tim Flannery for the first time (with the Giants), that was how I introduced myself: ‘Hey Tim. Rob Dean, San Diego School of Baseball, 1989,’’’ Dean said.

Apparently, that first impression didn’t leave much of a mark. “Well, he tells me he was a pretty good little infielder. It’s hard for me to remember much of anything back in those days,’’ Flannery said with a chuckle.

But their subsequent meetings have been rich and meaningful. Over the years, Harmon and Sue Burns annually threw team barbecues for the Giants’ players and their spouses, where Flannery’s camp morphed into a campfire.

“He and I always seemed to be the last men standing around a firepit late at night talking baseball and just really laying it all out on the line,’’ Flannery said by phone. “Easygoing. Compassionate. Very understanding. Not judgmental at all. He’ll get educated on something before he makes a rational opinion of it.

“To be honest with you, he’s everything I wish I was. I think that’s why we’re attracted to each other.”

Dean played just one season at the University of San Diego, as a walk-on. He was light-hitting utility infielder — playing a handful of games at second, third and short. But even that uneventful playing career left an impact.

“Rob is a legitimate ‘baseball guy,’ which is rare to find in ownership,” said Byrnes, who played 11 seasons in the majors, including for the A’s from 2000-05. “He played D-I college baseball at USD and every conversation we have ever had about the actual game I feel like I am speaking with a former big-leaguer. Put simply, he gets it. He understands the intricacies of the game and the business. He’s also not afraid to seek the opinion and advice of others who may be more knowledgeable about a situation. … He has all the traits you would want in a great leader.”

When his baseball days were over, Dean emerged as a much better prospect in business. He started at Franklin Templeton Investments in San Mateo, where Harmon Burns was the vice chairman and Charles Johnson, currently the Giants’ largest stakeholder, was the CEO.

Dean worked in sales before working his way up to vice president and portfolio manager. Along the way, at a social event for the sales group staff, he met a co-worker named Trina.

“I thought she was super nice,’’ he says now, smiling wide. “Now, nepotism in the workplace is not a good thing, but at Franklin, I swear back then everybody met their spouses at work. There was no online dating.”

As Dean would do years later, Trina never boasted about who her parents were or their connection to the Giants’ ownership group. He finally caught on when he went to the Burns’ home for a Super Bowl party. As he rolled up to the Burns estate in Atherton, he realized there was more in store than chips and guac.

“That’s when I met Sue for the first time,’’ Dean said. “I drive up to the house, and I’m like where am I!?’”

Rob and Trina were married in 1997. Trina was a graduate of St. Francis High and the recreation director for Fitness 101 in Menlo Park, which her parents owned. The health club became something of a social hub, where Dean began expanding his circle of sports/business contacts. His friends include Steve Bono, the former quarterback who played for the 49ers and made a Pro Bowl with the Chiefs.

Bono, now an executive for Constellation Wealth Advisors in Menlo Park, said Dean is well-suited for the Giants role he calls “iCEO” — with the “i” standing for interim.

“He’s been working, maybe not every day side-by-side with Larry, but often. And he’s been a conduit between Larry and the board of directors,’’ Bono said. “I think he has a pretty good handle on what happens day to day. There’s probably some heat on the outside, but Rob is a thoughtful person. And a business-savvy person. I think he’s well-equipped.”

Lott, another former 49er who found a second career in venture capital, said the key to Dean’s success will be his open mind. “If you don’t know, or you can’t figure it out, there are lots of people in this Valley willing to help you,’’ Lott said. “Rob is willing to listen. He’s willing to learn.”

That trait is apparent with the way Dean treats his role with the Giants. He took much from Harmon and Sue. They were so influential that when Rob launched his own boutique venture capital firm, he named it Harmony Capital LLC. He did so because it sounded like Harmon E. Burns.

Among other things, Rob and Trina continue with those annual team barbecues, much to the delight of Winn.

“Rob saw Harmon, he saw Sue and he understood that event really speaks to what the ownership group was all about when they came in and saved the team in 1992,’’ the former outfielder said. “I was a bit skeptical when I first got here. As a player, you just try to focus on what you need to do between the lines. But I went to this first event and it was absolutely wonderful. It’s very meaningful.”

Baer succeeded Bill Neukom as the chief executive officer on Jan. 1, 2012. It was then that Dean moved up, too. That’s when Johnson, the principal owner, asked Dean if he would represent the board of directors and attend the Major League Baseball meetings in conjunction with Baer.

“At that point, I always referred to myself as ‘partner relations,’ essentially representing ownership at the meetings,’’ Dean said. “I’ve gotten a lot of support from the other owners and the board in general.”

Since then, he’s also worked on the league’s investment committee and pension committee. Dean’s supporters like to point out that he’s been around the inner workings. Even with Baer out, the board is capable of major power when it comes to the product on the field. If Zaidi wants to trade Madison Bumgarner at midseason? If Zaidi wants to add payroll? Dean and the rest of the five-member panel would have a say so, just as they had under Baer.

“We’d have a board meeting to discuss it,’’ he said. “Farhan would come and present why it would be the right decision to do one or the other. We’d look at the impacts of the budget and make the decision with him on a big item like that.”

In 2012, principal owner Charles Johnson asked Rob Dean to be the owner representative at league meetings alongside CEO Larry Baer. (Photo: Tim Kawakami/The Athletic)

Chances are that there is no World Series berth at stake in 2019, with Zaidi just now dipping his toe into the major roster work ahead. But there is a must-win situation off the field. The Giants ownership group needs to restore some public goodwill after Baer’s domestic dustup as well as Johnson’s controversial campaign donations.

On that front, Dean is off and running. He made his first public appearance at the team’s annual Play Ball luncheon last month. During his time on stage, Dean talked about the Giants employees who represented the organization’s “core principles.”

That was not a commentary on Baer, he says now. It was a commentary on the long journey ahead. As always with Dean, whether it’s an endurance race or a baseball team, he’s focused on the long run.

“It was just a reminder to the community, taking the spotlight off of Larry and back on us as an organization,’’ Dean said. “I think we all understand the importance to the community. We’ve shown a history of doing the right thing.”

Asked directly if he expects to remain in this position even after Baer returns to the CEO role, Dean demurred. “We’ve made a clear statement on corporate governance and we want to make sure that that’s not a rushed decision to really optimize what that means,” Dean said. “Whether or not I come out as the control person, I think it’s going to require at least the time that Larry is away to figure out the optimal solution.”

But there is very little doubt that Giants ownership has placed Dean in this spot — after the Baer controversy, after two terrible seasons, after the hiring of Zaidi — for very specific reasons. And though the circumstances almost certainly were sped up beyond anybody’s control, maybe Dean has been groomed and preparing for this endurance test for quite some time.

— Reported from San Francisco

(Photo: Tim Kawakami/The Athletic)

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