Per ESPN: Braun Tests Positive, May Face 50 Game Suspension (Part 1)

[TooLiveBrew]

If it makes anyone feel any better, I'm sure Ryan has played with many teammates over his career who've juiced while Brewers.

[JumpinMacFlash]

I've been trying to figure out what to say about this; here's what I've come up with.

 

I turned on ESPN to find out who won the Heisman. I see the Bottom Line and read the news on Braun. My reaction was muted, I simply let out a "wow." My wife asks me from the other room who the winner was, and I just blurted out "Ryan Braun tested positive for steroids." My wife, somewhat of a novice when it comes to baseball, wasn't very affected simply because she never really like Braun's demeanor or attitude, and I have to admit, I wasn't shocked either. I've gotten to a point where I'm no longer surprised when a player tests positive for PEDs.

 

There were many players that have passed through Milwaukee that I assumed were juicing, but one hasn't ever been caught. It was just a flood of disappointment. I've never bought any defense that a player mistakenly took some substance that threw their numbers out of whack, and I won't start now. I really, truly hope that Braun is proven innocent. If he is, then I'll have no problem supporting him again. However, I really don't expect that to happen.

 

I've already spent less time following the Brewers since I graduated, got married, and had two sons that I spend my free time with. I still love the team, but if tonight's news holds true, I could easily see myself getting less and less interested over time. Probably the most appealing thought I've had in my mind is teaching my boys about baseball when they're old enough and hoping that they enjoy it as much as I do. I look forward to playing catch and teaching them to hit, but I could easily see my fandom taking a hit over this incident. It just seems to be happening naturally, but it sometimes takes something like this to happen to really hit home.

 

Oh well, in the grand scheme of things, worse things have happened. I'll still have to change poopy diapers and change my oil tomorrow.

[randybreuerfan]

3 thoughts:


1) Braun had amazingly high trade value until today.
2) I wonder if he will ever have as good of a season as any of his first 5.

3)
MM: "Hey Braunie, how are you doing, pal?"
RB: "Hey, get out of here, McGwire, you creep. Get over to your own clubhouse."
MM: "Hey Braunie, did you hear your name came up for testing today? Here's the letter. Our guys just picked it from out front."
RB: "Let me see that... why'd this come to you? (reads the sheet, then looks up) You still here? Get outta here, you creep. You trying to watch me piss or something?"
MM: "Just making sure you read the sheet. Don't ask too many questions. We've got our eyes on you. You know they're going to catch you, right?"
RB: "Get out of here, you creep.'
MM: "Just put the cup in the window over there when you're done. We'll make sure it gets to the right place."

[BREWCREW5]

Man, in reading Haudricourt's blog and his tweets, it really seems that he thinks Braun is innocent too...

[Big Cat Dad]

I just hope we don't start sounding like delusional Giants fans over the Bonds ordeal...chances are he cheats.......like a large number of other Major League players. The key is not getting caught.

[BREWCREW5]

MM: "Hey Braunie, how are you doing, pal?"

RB: "Hey, get out of here, McGwire, you creep. Get over to your own clubhouse."

MM: "Hey Braunie, did you hear your name came up for testing today? Here's the letter. Our guys just picked it from out front."

RB: "Let me see that... why'd this come to you? (reads the sheet, then looks up) You still here? Get outta here, you creep. You trying to watch me piss or something?"

MM: "Just making sure you read the sheet. Don't ask too many questions. We've got our eyes on you. You know they're going to catch you, right?"

RB: "Get out of here, you creep.'

MM: "Just put the cup in the window over there when you're done. We'll make sure it gets to the right place."

 

 

Huh?

[mrbergmann]

Man, in reading Haudricourt's blog and his tweets, it really seems that he thinks Braun is innocent too...

I don't know if I would go that far. To me, he's making sure he presents all sides of the story.

He probably is a little frustrated by all the comments (like many on here as well) that rush to judgement on Braun's guilt/innocence in the whole matter.

 

[fondybrewfan]

I rushed to judgment I will admit; only because it is hard to back a guy when something likes this comes out. Hopefully I and many others can eat our words. Just the fact that the testosterone was proven to be sythetic just seems very damning to me. I don't know what defense Braun has for it but I sure would like to know it

[valpocrewsader]

Is this the most let down feeling that we have ever had for a non-game event?

I think so.

It's close, but I think watching the evening news the night of the crane collapse was worse. Same surreal feeling, though. And same panic thoughts about consequences and ramifications (in that instance, affect on scheduled opening, hosting All Star game, etc). Not to mention concern for families having lost loved ones just trying to build a sports stadium in our valley....

 

 

[Flood Pants]

This is the most depressing piece of sports news I've ever read.

[Patrick425]

Ok, I found out about this when I turned on the TV to watch the Heisman trophy presentation. I briefly logged on to see the BF.net reaction and then just decided I didn't want to read or hear about it anymore. Like everyone else I was hoping I would wake up from a bad nightmare.

 

So, after coming to terms that this was reality, I decided to log back in and catch up on everyone's posting. There is one thing that strikes me as odd about this if it's true. Most people that talk about why players would use PED's talk about how there is just so much at stake...and by that I always assumed they meant money. Well, if that's the case I don't understand why anyone who just signed a contract through the age of 37 would feel the need to use PEDs. I realize there is a pride factor, but why would anyone who is basically set financially do this. Whether he averages 15 HRs a year over the next 9 years or 40 HRs he will still get paid the same thing. The only thing that could jeopardize this would to be caught taking PEDs.

 

I will reserve judgement until all facts are out.

[pebadger]

Does anyone know why CAA can't divulge the specifics of Braun's test, which they clearly know? If Braun really is innocent, wouldn't it be in his best interest for his agent to come out and explain in full detail what exactly is going on as soon as possible?

 

obsessedwithbrewcrew - You have to step off the ledge buddy. Even if the worst is true, the Brewers will be Braunless for only 50 games. The franchise will go on. He's just an athlete trying to be the best, like all the rest.

The case is not fully adjudicated. Until it is, nobody is supposed to have the information other than the MLB testing folks and the player. Not even the club is supposed to know. the mere appearance of impropriety is enough to seriously taint a player's career. Whoever leaked this is a miserable [expletive deleted].

As for Braun's people, even if he is innocent, it's better for them not to get into specifics right now. These issues are extraordinarily complicated. Even Braun's folks may not have all the information right now. Lacking that, it's better to say as little as possible. If you say something now, and vary from that position even in the slightest later on, people will characterize that as Braun "changing his story". There is a lot of detail in this story that will be lost in the bigger picture. These things are always sold as morality plays and the player is always the bad guy. The sad fact is, even if Braun is "innocent" in the way that almost everyone understands that term, there is a very, very good chance that he will be suspended anyway. If you think hat fairness to the individual of importance to anyone in this story (other than Braun), you're missing the point.

 

(edit: language --1992)

[randybreuerfan]

3. - I wonder where Braun's sample was obtained. St. Louis maybe?

[fondybrewfan]

So TH's latest blog indicates that the substance in question wasn't a PED? How does that make any sense?

[danzig6767]

Come on, athletes are always looking for an edge. If Braun did take PED's, it's because he was convinced by someone that what he was taking wouldn't be noticed by the testing. Look at the Victor Conte Balco scandal and all the high profile athletes who were involved in it, many of whom had to take drug tests. They still took the PED's for a simple reason, they were told that they wouldn't get caught.

He's Ryan Braun, he doesn't need an edge. He's the MVP. Maybe he took steroids in college, but there's no way he was continuing to use steroids in the last 5 years without being caught already. And how could anyone believe that they wouldn't get caught. It isn't 2005 anymore.

Do you think anyone caught in the Victor Conte scandal thought they'd be caught either, even though they were regularly tested?

 

Athletes in different sports still use various forms of PED's even though they get tested. They keep using them because they are convinced by someone that they'll get away with it. So if Braun was using PED's, odds are that he's been using them for not just a brief length of time and got away with it until now.

 

It's not like most athletes who get caught took the PED's while just accepting that they'd get caught, they did so by thinking they'd get away with it.

[And That]

I disagree with the notion that even if Braun is vindicated, he will still be inextricably linked to steroids.

 

My gut reaction is that a few someones will be fired from ESPN in the coming weeks as a result of this. Like xisxisxis astutely pointed out, no PED case has ever been overturned because the positive results that were contested successfully never saw the light of day. I'm willing to believe a couple reporters at ESPN sniffed this out somehow and decided to make a news story out of it.

 

I'm also willing to believe that Braun screwed the pooch. I'm just not willing to accept Braun's alleged pooch screwing as actual, in fact pooch screwing.

 

We'll see.

 

I blame Yadier Molina, who is a supreme douche hammer. He probably got McGwire to pee in Braun's cup after a night out with Dan McLaughlin.

[razzzorsharp]

So TH's latest blog indicates that the substance in question wasn't a PED? How does that make any sense?

Tell me it's pot and I can sleep well tonight and still root for Braun the same.

[brewmann04]

If this is true i am totally stunned and shocked and sad for Braun and The Brewers teams as well all the fans who wear the #8

[pebadger]

So TH's latest blog indicates that the substance in question wasn't a PED? How does that make any sense?

A considerable number of substances on the "banned substance list" are not PEDs. They are on the list because they can interefere with testing for "actual" PEDs. Then, when a player tests positive for a substance on the banned substance list, media outlets sometimes get lazy and say an athlete tested positive for PEDs, when they should actually report that a player tested positive for a "banned substance". It's semantics. I'm not saying that's what happened in Braun's case, but it does happen.

In response to your earlier question about "synthetic" testoterone, steroidal substances that are derived from plant-based sources interact with the body differently than testosterone produced by your own body. The tests that determine these things find the byproducts of these chemical interactions. They don't find "steroids" themselves.

[ilikewisco]

Just got done with work and read this, wow. I hope he can prove he's innocent, but unless he does I'll assume he took something. I'm more surprised this is happening after his MVP year than I am that he took something intentionally. Ever since the whole steroid abuse stories have broke, I've assumed most players were on something. And knowing Braun trained with A-rod while at Miami, I figured he's no different than the rest of the league. Its just too bad this had to happen after the season he and the team had. Honestly, Fielder is about the only power hitter I can think of that I wouldn't question.

 

I'm kind of torn on the subject. They're role models, so it sets a bad example for children. And I would rather the league be clean, but obviously they can't catch everyone, so might as well let them all do it. It stinks for players that don't want to do that to their body but have no choice to compete. They either need to use a far stricter testing policy, scheduled tests at intervals that would not allow usage. And be able to test for everything. Or just let them do it, and watch this go to the senate again. I don't understand how a union set up to take care of the players, couldn't be on board to giving the players a healthy life. This whole thing just sucks, and they could have fixed it if the union wasn't so greedy and cared about the players well being. I lost a lot of respect for professional athletes in general when this whole steroid thing broke, and we've seen how far its gone. I don't know what this means for me as a Brewer fan, but I know I won't be living Brewers baseball next summer.

[AdvantageSchneider]

Is this the most let down feeling that we have ever had for a non-game event?

I think so.

I was pretty down when Ulice Payne was let go/left the Brewers. I think those of us who were around BF then felt the same way. There were some discouraging posts (all lost to ezboard). Not to say this isn't also a letdown.

Not to get side tracked, but Payne leaving was one of the best things that ever happened to the Brewers. He had no clue what he was doing.

[joepepsi]

I have a hard time believing he is stupid or arrogant enough to do this and think he can get away with it in this day and age. Manny Ramirez? Yes, he's a great player, but he's dumb. Braun? It's hard to believe. His numbers have been consistent his entire MLB career. Either the test is faulty, or well, I don't know...

[pebadger]

A question to think about:

 

When a guy is accused of a crime and refuses to testify, a lot of people will exclaim "If he was really innocent, he'd tell us what really happened"?

 

Why is it when a guy is accused of PED use and immediately denies it, and then fights the charges in whatever forum is available, a lot of people ask "What else is he going to say? Do these guys think we're stupid."

 

Being fair-minded is hard.

[TheCrew]

There are some really comical over the top homer comments going on in this thread.............. sue ESPN?!?!?

I get how huge this is, but take a step back............... anyone think you'd see pictures of Lawrie with a 40oz bottle of booze duct taped to his hand surface around a year ago? These guys are human, and even good people make bad decisions.

[B2k1121]

The latest from Tom with texts from Braun combined with the latest we are hearing is making me think the test will somehow be proven false. He seems to be dying to get out in front of this and claim his innocence. Putting myself in his situation, if I was innocent I would be doing the same thing he is now, telling everyone I could. If I was guilty I would be preparing an apology.