Per ESPN: Braun Tests Positive, May Face 50 Game Suspension (Part 2)

[chuckiehacks]

That's pretty much what I heard as well. I also talked to a couple of doctor friends that indicated nothing in that story would cause the test results Braun had.

 

edit: Every version of this rumor that I've heard sounds something like:

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris Ryan Braun pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.

[BREWCREW5]

If I found out that Braun had herpes and his medication for such was the reason of the test, I couldnt be happier.

 

Sure, would other teams fan's enjoy talking smack about Braun because of the herp? Absolutely. Every one of them would take Braun on their team every day of the week though.

 

As of right now, if Braun wins his case because of the herp, this will go from being the biggest story in baseball, to a small paragraph on Braun's wikipedia page.

[xisxisxis]

If Braun is taking meds for a condition and that caused the testosterone reading then MLB could be in big trouble if they release any information about Ryan's health without his approval. Their best response would be to announce that he has not failed a drug test and any rumors to the contrary are inaccurate. They should also state emphatically that Due to state and federal regulations that protect private medical information MLB will not comment on this any further. If I was Braun I would just keep my mouth shut and let the rumors of a STD play out. No need to explain himself if MLB clears him. It's really none of our business.

[MadScientist]

I still don't get how an anti-viral would cause the spike, unless he used a cortisone cream on the affected area that came out in the test and registered as testosterone.

 

As for heat, well he will get the embarrassment factor, plus extra heat from any action he got last season without giving fair warning. I don't think any players will give him grief about it, given the prevalence of the virus in the general population, and the promiscuity that can come in their situations, I wouldn't be surprised if 50% or more of the single ball players have it.

[jeffy]

Yeah, that would be great, assuming that gets him out of the 50 game suspension.

But does it? I thought the players were held responsible for anything they take that would elevate testosterone, even if not on a list?

 

But I tell you I am shocked, yes shocked, that an MLB player contracted a STD...or did he get it from a toilet seat. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[BREWCREW5]

But I tell you I am shocked, yes shocked, that an MLB player contracted a STD...or did he get it from a toilet seat. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

100% agree. No clue.

[Funketown]

Here's the way I see it: if we can construct about 10,000 mutually exclusive situations that have a probability of about .01% of being true, we'll have pretty much proved his innocence.

 

So far we have herpes, viagra, and a couple others. Let's get to work, folks.

[zzzmanwitz]

Elevated testosterone is not failing a drug test, it is only an indicator. Perhaps this "new drug" hasn't been put on the banned substances list and it had side effects that the doctors were unaware of.

[thebruce44]

But I tell you I am shocked, yes shocked, that an MLB player contracted a STD...or did he get it from a toilet seat. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

100% agree. No clue.

He probably got it from riding a tractor in his swimsuit.

[TooLiveBrew]

Their best response would be to announce that he has not failed a drug test and any rumors to the contrary are inaccurate.

 

If Braun is found to be free & clear, under any circumstances, I fully expect MLB's response to be this, almost verbatim. They will never admit their testing system is flawed in any way. Way too much egg that'd be on faces.

[Raw Biz]

But I tell you I am shocked, yes shocked, that an MLB player contracted a STD...or did he get it from a toilet seat. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

100% agree. No clue.

He probably got it from riding a tractor in his swimsuit.

I thought he just got a scar on his leg from that.

[wOOgiE22]

Yeah, who knows. Maybe there is a new drug out there, maybe there is not that causes a spike in T levels. I really want to believe Braun is innocent, but that fact has to be proven to me first. Maybe it is true what I heard, but you know people start rumours all the time, so I am still sceptical. Even if this is true I still think the MLB will hold the ban and he will be out for the first 50 games either way.

[Nottso]

I really want to believe Braun is innocent, but that fact has to be proven to me first.

 

Wow. Guilty until proven innocent, and he hasn't even been suspended.

[theavrock]

anyone farmiliar with this type of testing (pebadger) that can speak to how something related to a VD (which is what is being tossed around by the blogs out there) could cause the results that triggered in Braun's test?

[dlk9s]

If the rumors do in fact turn out to be true and Braun comes out and reveals that he has an STD, he should just parlay that into endorsement money for the medication (cue doctor voice saying that professional athletes should consult their leagues before taking it).

[Funketown]

I think it would be far easier to explain to a child that Braun was just using some good ole' PED's than to explain what a venereal disease is. Just sayin'.

 

That said, I think there's a part of all of us that is now hoping that Braun actually has a "condition" such as those mentioned earlier.

[TooLiveBrew]

Fwiw, herpes isn't automatically a STD. There's a simplex of herpes that's passed genetically, not sexually.

[RyDogg66]

I know that Invader and Woogie are two of our best and most reputable posters on here, so I do not doubt that they may have heard something that might be "good news" as it relates to a suspension and that it could have come from a good source.

 

However, if it is this herpes thing, you have got to be kidding me. This is a completely baseless made up internet rumor, that even if true, has nothing to do with elevated testosterone levels.

[BREWCREW5]

However, if it is this herpes thing, you have got to be kidding me. This is a completely baseless made up internet rumor, that even if true, has nothing to do with elevated testosterone levels.

Are you truly in a position to make such a bold statement? You would have to be an expert in medications involving not only testosterone levels but also in STD treatment and their effect on the human body, relevant to testosterone levels.

[PKBadger]

I think it would be far easier to explain to a child that Braun was just using some good ole' PED's than to explain what a venereal disease is. Just sayin'.

Now, I'm no parent, but why wouldn't you just make something up?

[brettac1]

I would consult Chris Carpenter before explaining slumpbusters to my kids (if I had kids).

[pebadger]

anyone farmiliar with this type of testing (pebadger) that can speak to how something related to a VD (which is what is being tossed around by the blogs out there) could cause the results that triggered in Braun's test?

Hard to say for sure. First, it obviously depends on: a) what is in the drug in question, and b) how the body and the drug interact.

Second, you have to ask which test it affects, or if it may affect both tests. If the drug contains some sort of synthetic testosterone, and that were present in the sample, it could affect both tests. Regardless of whether the drug contains synthetic T, if it has properties that increase testosterone production, it could affect the T/E test. Even if it doesn't contain synthetic T, it might, under just the right circumstances, still affect the CIR test in that the machinery and software might be fooled into seeing something that isn't there, or incorrectly describing what it sees. The machine and software aren't omniscient. They are programmed to look for certain things and that's what they report seeing. The are very good at what they do, to be sure, and the probablility of a glitch is small. That said, if the machine is looking at something it's never seen before, it might not be programmed to account for it.

Here's an analogy. A shepherd boy is trained to spot wild dogs that prey on his herd. He gets very good at spotting them. One day a wolf, a species which the boy has never seen before, moves in to threaten the flock. What is the boy going to say when he calls for help? He's going to say that a big grey dog is attacking the sheep.

Let's say Braun is using a "new" drug for a legitimate medical purpose. If that drug is not listed as a prohibited substance, and if Braun didn't want anyone to know he was taking it, there would be no reason for him to disclose that he was taking the drug on the paperwork accompanying the test. Since it's not on the list, there would be no reason for him to have applied for a therapeutic use exemption ("TUE") either, since that would also expose his use of the medication. Given that, the testers wouldn't known to look out for the drug and would be apt to consider anything that looked like a positive to be a no-excuses positive.

So, let's assume Braun is indeed taking some sort of medication. Since a positive has been declared it will still be up to him to prove that he didn't violate the drug agreement. In fact, he may well have to prove that not only is this drug capable of causing the positive, he might still be required that there was no other way he could have tested positive. We already know he has presented a subsequent "negative" sample. If I'm representing MLB, I'd ask why that second test came up negative when he's presumably still taking the medication. So then Braun would have to prove why one test was positive and one was negative, in addition to proving that the first one was positive only because he was taking the medication.

As I noted upthread, Landis was "convicted" for having a positive synthetic T result, even in the absence of the lab alleging what exactly it was that caused that result. In theory the same thing could happen to Braun if he can't convince the panel with his arguments. In other words, even if Braun has a good explanation for the result, it still may not be good enough for him to win.

[Nottso]

I'll laugh myself silly if this turns out to be that Braun had a cold sore (HSV-1) and used a prescribed medication that caused this.

[umphrey]

I'd like to say I never thought I'd see the day when we were all hoping that Braun has herpes

[hawing]

I'd like to say I never thought I'd see the day when we were all hoping that Braun has herpes

Man. On a different kind of forum that could be a decent signature. And to think that as recently as five days ago, none of this was on our minds.