(This email just went out to season-ticket holders)

Dear Goofus, Ya Big Stud,


Yesterday was my last day as president and managing general partner of the San Francisco Giants. While it has been an emotional few days for me, I am comforted by the fact that I can still continue doing what I truly love – being a Giants fan. 

It has been an honor to represent the club these past 16 years. We've shared some incredible memories together. Through the good times and the tough times, you have shown your loyalty, passion and support for our team and I can't thank you enough. 

I know the 2008 season had its frustrating moments, but I am excited by our young players who have emerged as potential every day players in 2009. These players – with guidance from our veterans and coaching staff – played their hearts out every day, determined to earn the respect and loyalty of our fans. Brian Sabean told me that in all of his years in professional baseball, he has never seen a team with as strong a work ethic as this year's club. We certainly made some youthful mistakes in the early part of the season, but their hard work and on-the-job training began to pay off as evidenced by our overall performance since August 1 – when we made the decision to play our younger players more regularly. I am convinced we are now on the right track for the following reasons:

1. Several of our young players – who were untested before the season started – emerged as potential starters for 2009. This includes Fred Lewis, Pablo Sandoval, Travis Ishikawa, Nate Schierholtz and Manny Burriss. Here are five good players who have the potential to play every day next year. We could also add to this promising young group our All-Star closer Brian Wilson.
   
   
2. The 2009 team will be considerably younger than the 2008 team. We have been trying to get younger for some time now, and in 2009 we will finally have done it. This team will be younger, faster and have more energy than the teams of the last couple of years.
   
   
3. The player development program is more promising than it has been in 15 years. The Giants had the second best won/loss record overall in the minors in 2008 and in the last three-year period (2006-08). In 2006 we drafted Tim Lincecum and Manny Burriss. In 2007, we drafted six of the first 51 players drafted. Three of these have performed very well (Madison Bumgarner, who was named the minor league pitcher of the year with a record of 15-3, 1.46 ERA; Tim Alderson at San Jose was 13-4 with a 2.79 ERA; and Nick Noonan, only 19, was an All-Star second baseman at his Class A team.) This year we drafted four college players (college players will arrive in the Majors sooner than high school players) – all of whom were picked at one time or another to be first-round draft picks. Our first pick, Buster Posey, won the Golden Spikes Award, recognizing him as the best college player in the nation. The last two Golden Spikes Award winners who were drafted by the Giants were Tim Lincecum and Will Clark. Not a bad history!
   
   

Given all this promising player development, the Giants have a bright future. And I haven't even talked about our young starting pitchers – Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez and, hopefully, a healthy Noah Lowry – with Bumgarner and Alderson coming fast.

Yes, we need more power. Yes we need to improve the bullpen. But we have the financial resources to do so – either by trading for a player or by signing a free agent or two. I'm absolutely convinced the Giants will be better in 2009 and better still in 2010. 

I believe that a baseball team owner doesn't own a team the way he owns another asset. He is a caretaker of something that really belongs to the community. Eventually, he's going to hand it over to someone else and it is his responsibility to hand it over in better shape than he found it. I like to think that together, we have done that. I know that my successors, Bill Neukom and Larry Baer, and the entire Giants organization share this philosophy and will ensure that this treasured community asset continues to flourish and succeed under their guardianship.

Thank you again for your dedication to this team and for all of the fond memories that we've shared together. I look forward to seeing you at the ballpark in the years to come.


Sincerely, 


Peter A. Magowan