This just blows on so many levels.....
After so many years out in the baseball desert my team had finally struck gold - we drafted a superstar player that produced big time from day one, seemed to actually like Milwaukee, and took less money to remain a lifetime Brewer. Not only that, after getting his super long-term deal the guy actually goes out and has his best season yet and wins the NL MVP award.
And now, no matter the outcome, Ryan Braun is going to have questions following him for the rest of his career.
Like I said, this SUCKS.
For now I'm holding on to the slim hope that there is an actual, legitimate excuse for the positive test. They are reporting that Braun immediately requested a retest when he learned he tested positive and that result came up negative, which is a good sign. Plus it seems weird that his people would immediately come out so strongly saying that there are "highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case." Granted, you wouldn't expect them to be like "Yeah, he did it," but the choice of words seems odd.
On the downside, it is hard to ignore that Braun's people used that famous qualifier word in their defense, that Braun "didn't KNOWINGLY" take any banned substance. And as Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted - "There is also this sobering statistic about those who appeal positive tests - no player has overturned a positive drug test through arbitration." The deck is already stacked against players in terms of proving no negligence of any kind (and I agree it should be that way), but in Braun's case the hurdle may be impossible to beat because you know the Commissioner is going to want to avoid any apparent conflict of interest and accusations of favoring his old team.
It's times like these that I'm glad my childhood hero's career took a normal path. As painful as it was to watch the frequent injuries and rapid decline in Griffey's skills at the end, at least I knew that was how your body is supposed to act after 20 years of playing pro ball. To me it confirmed that he did things the right way.
(sigh)....Go Pack Go....
I'm a Cubs fan but being Jewish I've been rooting for Braun. I sure hope things work out positively. Griffey's legacy should be strong as well as guys like The Big Hurt and Jim Thome.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you. I was going to post a nice long diatribe about this after I saw it this weekend but after reading your post I'm just going to refer people here cuz I think you said it perfectly. And the Go Pack Go!!! 13 and OHHHH yeah!
ReplyDeleteI agree. Just to add something. Apparently, Braun's camp is saying that the second test (doesn't matter much that it's negative because synthetic Testosterone only stays in your body so long), but they're saying that it shows significant differences from the first test that PROVE he couldn't have knowingly done it. Don't ask me how it proves that. Anyway, I'm a huge Braun fan - just check out my blog at
ReplyDeletehttp://morethancardboard.blogspot.com
@ CB - Thanks! Yeah, at least we've got the Pack still making things look easy. But my man Jennings going down yesterday worries me a bit....at least it sounds like he could be good to go for the playoffs
ReplyDelete@camclow - I heard that too. Like you, I don't know the science behind it but it gives me a little hope. But again, he'll have to prove it beyond any shadow of a doubt or else everybody will scream "Selig is giving his team a pass!!"