Marcos Bretón: Remember Magowan for his achievements

Praise him or bash him – and too many do the latter – the Giants' Peter Magowan is retiring as the best owner in baseball. It's not even close.

And no, that is not a misprint. It's a truth that will be proved in time as Magowan's contributions outlast critics who malign him now.

In the wake of Friday's announcement that Magowan is stepping down as the Giants' managing general partner, it's fashionable today to paint him negatively. The baseball world is in the hypocrisy phase of the Steroid Era, after years of denial.

Some will fault Magowan as a steroid enabler of Bonds. They'll say he made a deal with the devil (No. 25 himself) by making the Giants solely about Bonds' soiled pursuit of baseball records.

How soon we forget how captivated people were by Bonds, even those who booed him. How soon we've forgotten the electricity at AT&T Park from 2000 to '03, when the Giants were one of the best teams in baseball and Bonds shattered records.

Let's face it. We all went along for this ride. We all closed our eyes for a time when something fishy was going on. And now, many point fingers at Magowan while averting their own eyes when looking in the mirror.

The Steroid Era happened; there is no denying it now. But you know what? Magowan never rubbed "the cream" on Bonds' buttocks. By and large, players juiced up in the privacy of their own mansions.

And if memory serves, the denizens of AT&T Park either didn't care or didn't believe their hero was anything but their hero. They wanted the show, Magowan gave it to them – and all of baseball raked in the dough.

We know more about steroids now. Testing is improving, cheaters are getting caught, and the Major League Baseball Players Association and the owners are facing up to the whole mess.

In Magowan's day – and Bonds' – steroids were shrouded in lies. They still are, but history will sort out the details. Lies by players will be taken into account, and all that will be left are legacies.

Magowan's will include moments he regrets (just like you and me), but time also will be his friend.

If not for Magowan, the Giants would be playing in Florida now. Those of us who grew up with the Giants would have lived with that sadness forever.

People too easily forget that the Giants were gone. Like many, I went to a game in September 1992 to say goodbye to "my team." Then Magowan bought the Giants that winter in a momentous, 11th-hour blockbuster.

Then he built AT&T Park largely with private money – even as every owner in professional sports resented him for it.

For this reason alone, he's baseball's best owner. But there are others, such as the way he brought legendary Giants players back into the fold. He said he felt an obligation to provide fans with memorable experiences every time they went to the ballpark.

"I'm proud of restoring the tradition and history of the Giants," Magowan said by telephone Friday.

He should be proud, though it's sadly true that the Giants never won a World Series under his watch. And they are haunted by bad moves, such as signing the 0-7 Barry Zito to a monster contract.

But there are kids on the team with promise, and there will be a game at AT&T Park tonight.

Without Magowan, there wouldn't be, and that counts for an awful lot.

Thanks, Peter.

About the writer:

• Reach Marcos Bretón at (916) 321-1096. Listen to him at 7:40 a.m. Wednesdays on NewsTalk 1530 KFBK. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/breton.