Five Reasons to Thank Magowan

With Peter Magowan's recent announcement of his retirement, there has been much discussion of his role in the steroids era. There is no disputing these negative aspects of his tenure with the Giants. However, it's important to remember that Magowan's time with the Giants also saw many positive occurrences in San Francisco.
5. 2009-2010. Magowan will be gone before people realize that he has setup the Giants to rebound from the last four years. With a young and talented starting staff and an emerging relief core, the Giants will have one of the best pitching staffs in the majors as soon as next year, but will be paying comparatively little to maintain it. As Bumgarner and Alderson make their way to the majors, look for the Giants to trade at least one starter for some hitting. With the one-two punch of Lincecum and Cain, and the ability to bring out Chulk, Valdez, and Wilson in the 7th, 8th, and 9th, all the Giants need is some hitting at 1B and 3B. The potential acquisition of Teixeira and Crede in the offseason would catapult the Giants back into contention. It's a long shot, but just the fact that it's a possibility demonstrates that Magowan has left a team that is ready to succeed again soon.
4. 2002-2003. The Giants made the playoffs before this under Magowan's watch, but these two years truly announced the return of the San Francisco Giants. They featured an appearance in the World Series for the first time since the 80's, and a season in which the Giants were on top of the division from the first day to the last.
3. Brian Sabean. Sabean is also mentioned in the Mitchell Report, and not in a good manner. He'll undoubtedly go down as the man who was GM of the Giants when Bonds cheated. However, his role in the renewed success of the Giants can't be ignored, even if it seems to have been forgotten recently. Brilliant trades in his first year as manager brought Jeff Kent, JT Snow, and Kirk Reuter to San Francisco. He also acquired Robb Nen and Jason Schmidt. His strategy of drafting pitchers in the late first round allowed the Giants to convert late first round draft picks into a key part of the team. Among the pitchers he selected as GM are Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Noah Lowry. Can you imagine the Giants from 1997-2008 without Lincecum, Lowry, Cain, Kent, Snow, Schmidt or Rueter? Didn't think so.
2. Pac Bell Park. Pac Bell, SBC, AT&T, China Basin. Whatever you prefer to call it, it's one of the best parks in baseball, and it replaced one of the worst parks in baseball. It is an essential part of what Magowan did during his tenure: raise the Giants from a mediocre team to a high budget, high profile, competitive team. The huge jump in attendance when it opened provided the Giants with more money, and rewarded the fan base for its patience through the poor early 90s.
1. The San Francisco Giants. When Magowan took over the position of General Managing Partner, the Giants were looking at moving to Florida. As a Giants fan, I couldn't be more grateful that Magowan prevented this move. First, the Giants belong in San Francisco. The Giants are as important to San Francisco as San Francisco is to the Giants. In case that leaves any doubt, read it as "very important." Second, since considering the move, two teams have been created in Florida. Neither can draw fans, even when doing well! Imagine how poor attendance would have been for the Giants, a team which had struggled for years at the time. Quite simply, Magowan blocked the move that would have buried the Giants.