MLB MVP Ryan Braun suspension

[Louis]

Looks like the Biogenesis affair is taking him down.

I have no idea how pervasive doping is in MLB (or the NFL for that matter) but at least cycling is not the only dirty sport out there.

I'm a bit of a baseball fan (hard to live in St Louis and not pay at least some attention) so this certainly doesn't make me happy, but if all these scandals, regardless of how messy the situations are, do result in cleaner sports in general, then that's an improvement.

[Climb01742]

What caught my eye was that he's not fighting the suspension, and his statement sounds like he realizes the evidence against him is solid. If MLB has solid evidence, who's next?

[oldpotatoe]

Looks like the Biogenesis affair is taking him down.

I have no idea how pervasive doping is in MLB (or the NFL for that matter) but at least cycling is not the only dirty sport out there.

I'm a bit of a baseball fan (hard to live in St Louis and not pay at least some attention) so this certainly doesn't make me happy, but if all these scandals, regardless of how messy the situations are, do result in cleaner sports in general, then that's an improvement.

He beat his first bust with a chain of custody argument, which was BS..glad he's getting suspended..I'm betting AR is next, bout time..the testing in 'ball sports' is a joke.

[eddief]

why does this make me wanna puke? i vote for zero tolerance. you blow it, you're done...forever. grown men with incredible talent too stupid to make millions of dollars in a clean way.

"As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect,” Braun said. “I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions. This situation has taken a toll on me and my entire family, and it has been a distraction to my teammates and the Brewers organization. I am very grateful for the support I have received from players, ownership and the fans in Milwaukee and around the country. Finally, I wish to apologize to anyone I may have disappointed – all of the baseball fans especially those in Milwaukee, the great Brewers organization, and my teammates. I am glad to have this matter behind me once and for all, and I cannot wait to get back to the game I love."

[Rada]

RB=D'bag. Should have been sent to the showers for good.

[Bradford]

What caught my eye was that he's not fighting the suspension


I'm guessing he cut a deal. Go down without a fight and get a lighter suspension, fight it and get the maximum. All the suspects had a chance to sit with MLB, so they know what the evidence is.

I'm happy every time the catch and punish someone, whatever the sport...or business.

[eddief]

the corporate monopoly that is major league baseball knows which side its bread is buttered on and does not have the gonads for zero tolerance. why should they? Americans buy it and eat it if it is dirty or not.

I'm guessing he cut a deal. Go down without a fight and get a lighter suspension, fight it and get the maximum. All the suspects had a chance to sit with MLB, so they know what the evidence is.

I'm happy every time the catch and punish someone, whatever the sport...or business.

[akelman]

Chicks dig the long ball.

[pbarry]

the corporate monopoly that is major league baseball knows which side its bread is buttered on and does not have the gonads for zero tolerance. why should they? Americans buy it and eat it if it is dirty or not.

Exactly. There would be no MLB with a zero tolerance policy.

[akelman]

There would be no MLBwithout an antitrust exemption.


FTFY. You're welcome.

[pbarry]

Well done. :beer:

[rwsaunders]

Serious money is on the table and if you look at his salary this year, it's chump change compared to the $150MM that he's guaranteed through 2020.

http://www.baseballnation.com/2011/4/21/2125295/ryan-braun-contract-details-brewers

[bargainguy]

I'm in Milwaukee. He was taking a pretty defiant stance every time this issue came up. You could tell he practiced his deflection speech by the number of times he said, "Like I said before."

[FlashUNC]

He's not an idiot, take the lumps now while Milwaukee is out of it.

Course, I'm curious what the actual evidence MLB has against him, but it's clear they've had it in for him once he beat the positive on the chain-of-custody issue.

[wc1934]

I think Bud Selig gave his fellow Brewer a break (only 65 games = rest of this season).
Why not a full years suspension, or more - Because he knows Milwaukee can't win without him.

[Louis]

One of the reader comments on the NYT web site:

I hope that Dino Laurenzi Jr., the test collector, is experiencing schadenfreude at Braun's public admission of cheating and downfall. Braun is a bully and cheat. He is the Lance Armstrong of baseball.

Poor Lance! He's replaced Barry Bonds as the worst drug cheat of all time.

[JeffS]

I'm guessing Attansio lost the best and had to be the one to throw one of his guys to the wolves.

Just like with cycling, seeing one, or even a handful of guys, punished as countless more are ignored doesn't make me feel any better. It's fake and only points to collusion at the highest levels.

[JeffS]

Poor Lance!

Odd, I could hear he was being tortured at Guantanamo and the words "poor lance" would never cross my mind.

[rwsaunders]

He's not an idiot, take the lumps now while Milwaukee is out of it.

Course, I'm curious what the actual evidence MLB has against him, but it's clear they've had it in for him once he beat the positive on the chain-of-custody issue.

I wouldn't say that they had it in for him when in fact he has finally confessed. He did fail previous tests but an arbitrator ruled that a lab tech mishandled the specimen. They caught him this time with the testimony of the "dealer", just as they are going to catch ARod and others.

I read that the new term being used is "non-analytical positive"...essentially if the prosecutor has enough evidence from appointment logs, phone records, accounting records, witness testimony, etc. then it's deal time.

[saab2000]

Odd, I could hear he was being tortured at Guantanamo and the words "poor lance" would never cross my mind.

Really? Wow....

1. A civilized nation does not torture.
2. Lance never killed or conspired to kill hundreds or thousands of people.

[FlashUNC]

I wouldn't say that they had it in for him when in fact he has finally confessed. He did fail previous tests but an arbitrator ruled that a lab tech mishandled the specimen. They caught him this time with the testimony of the "dealer", just as they are going to catch ARod and others.

I read that the new term being used is "non-analytical positive"...essentially if the prosecutor has enough evidence from appointment logs, phone records, accounting records, witness testimony, etc. then it's deal time.

But if you read between the lines, this deal isn't in line with the punishments and suspensions levied under the CBA's doping punishments -- 50 games, 100 games, lifetime ban, etc.
It's under that sweeping "conduct detrimental to the game" clause the commissioner invokes whenever he feels like it.

And why go after Braun first if, apparently, the evidence against A-Rod and others is more damning?

I'm not absolving Braun by any stretch, but this looks like a Pyrrhic victory for the MLB. Braun serves an ultimately meaningless punishment as the Brewers are 18.5 games out in the Central, and likely doesn't hurt his long-term earning power. Meanwhile, MLB declares victory in the war on doping.

All theater.

[Dave B]

I just hope A-Roid gets popped. I cannot stand how smug he is and anything bad that happens to the Yankees is good. ;)

[Louis]

Really? Wow....

1. A civilized nation does not torture.
2. Lance never killed or conspired to kill hundreds or thousands of people.

OK, I was being sarcastic, and I assume Jeff was exaggerating for effect.

[rwsaunders]

Theatre for sure...contract renegotiation time too.

[ctcyclistbob]

Braun in the past (after testing positive but beating it last time) :
"I am very pleased and relieved by today's decision," Braun said in a statement. "It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side.

"We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances. I have been an open book, willing to share details from every aspect of my life as part of this investigation, because I have nothing to hide. I have passed over 25 drug tests in my career, including at least three in the past year."

Braun now :
"As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect,” Braun said. “I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions. This situation has taken a toll on me ..."

The poor guy, he invoked the Lance defense in the past, but what did he acknowledge? Nothing, he lied until he couldn't lie anymore. And now he sounds like a victim.

[saab2000]

OK, I was being sarcastic, and I assume Jeff was exaggerating for effect.

It is distasteful. There is nothing funny about Guantanamo and the 'crimes' of Lance hardly rise to the level of those imprisoned there.

I'm no fan of cheaters or liars, but we need to keep things in perspective.

[pbarry]

I just hope A-Roid gets popped. I cannot stand how smug he is and anything bad that happens to the Yankees is good. ;)

Keeping AR on the roster, especially in the post season, is bad for the Yankees. At this point, I'd bet management would love to have a legitimate reason to let him go.

[jr59]

Theatre for sure...contract renegotiation time too.

Not going to happen. Either in RB's case or the case of A-rod! The union would never allow such a thing.

The Brewers won't have to pay him for the suspension, but can not rework his deal. They are on the line for the 150 million or so. That is what the CBA says. If the teams wanted to be able to do such a thing, they should have negotiated for such, but they didn't!

Same with A-rod. After the suspension, providing it's not a lifetime ban, the Yanks are still required to pay it all. As long as he tries to return to the field.

[beeatnik]

Small market team, yo.

[titans]

His lawyers devised a plan to question the credibility of the drug test custody chain. He drags the test administrator to court and wins his case. Now he apologizes and accepts the ban which really admits guilt without having to say it. Don't know if the test admininistor suffered any credibility issues or worse lost his job but I would like to see him get an apology at the very least. A monetary payment for putting him on trial and all the duress that comes with it wouldn't hurt either.

[Seramount]

I have no idea how pervasive doping is in MLB (or the NFL for that matter)...

hint: it's everywhere...

[thwart]

This poll from today's Milwaukee paper probably would've been somewhere around 90/10 pro-Braun before the announcement.

Maybe some things are worth more than money...

[FlashUNC]

His lawyers devised a plan to question the credibility of the drug test custody chain. He drags the test administrator to court and wins his case. Now he apologizes and accepts the ban which really admits guilt without having to say it. Don't know if the test admininistor suffered any credibility issues or worse lost his job but I would like to see him get an apology at the very least. A monetary payment for putting him on trial and all the duress that comes with it wouldn't hurt either.

I don't understand this sentiment. Braun proved the guy failed to do his job by not sending the sample in immediately -- instead keeping it at his house over the weekend -- and that the company contracted to do the testing had policies on sample storage that conflicted with what was outlined in the CBA between the league and the union. His positive is fruit from a poisoned tree.

The guy shouldn't get a payment or an apology for not doing his job to the standards of the CBA. I'm all for finding the dopers, but I'm not for cutting corners in that process either.

If the MLB really wants to stamp out doping, they could start by not being sloppy about it.

[jr59]

I don't understand this sentiment. Braun proved the guy failed to do his job by not sending the sample in immediately -- instead keeping it at his house over the weekend -- and that the company contracted to do the testing had policies on sample storage that conflicted with what was outlined in the CBA between the league and the union. His positive is fruit from a poisoned tree.

The guy shouldn't get a payment or an apology for not doing his job to the standards of the CBA. I'm all for finding the dopers, but I'm not for cutting corners in that process either.

If the MLB really wants to stamp out doping, they could start by not being sloppy about it.


Well said.

Two wrongs never make right!
Braun is a doper, and got caught. he is now paying the price.
The tester did not do his job and got fired. So he is now paying the price for not doing his job correctly!

[titans]

I'll agree that the drug administrator didn't do his job correctly but surely there is something wrong with a man knowing full well he is guilty and then proceeds to blame someone else for causing it. Would this man have lost his job if he confessed initially? Probably not. I guess it's the lying, denying and then confessing that gets me.

[teleguy57]

It's about character: contrast David Tom's behavior at the 2005 British Open (http://allianceforintegrity.com/issues-and-incidents/golfer-david-toms-exercises-monumental-integrity-and-preserves-his-self-respect/). I know who I want my kids to look at as a role model -- intials aren't RB or LA....

[saab2000]

It's about character: contrast David Tom's behavior at the 2005 British Open (http://allianceforintegrity.com/issues-and-incidents/golfer-david-toms-exercises-monumental-integrity-and-preserves-his-self-respect/). I know who I want my kids to look at as a role model -- intials aren't RB or LA....

Thanks for saying this! Integrity seems to be a dying characteristic today in so many avenues of life.

Those who live with it stand out in my eyes as people with whom I want to associate.

[Climb01742]

It's about character: contrast David Tom's behavior at the 2005 British Open (http://allianceforintegrity.com/issues-and-incidents/golfer-david-toms-exercises-monumental-integrity-and-preserves-his-self-respect/). I know who I want my kids to look at as a role model -- intials aren't RB or LA....

+many

if you can't succeed with integrity, you've already lost.