Ryan Braun exonerated, no suspension… Latest: MLB drops Eliezer Alfonzo suspension; case similar to Braun's (part 2)

[Schlitz001]

I have a feeling the other two tests weren't even positives. With all the details that have been misreported by the media (eg, whether the sample was left in Laurenzi's car, refrigerator, cooler, container, ....), I have a feeling that the "2 other positives" were misreported to Dan Patrick.

 

This is how I feel as well. If the other 2 tests came back with the same insanely elevated T/E ratios as Braun's and they underwent the same mishandling, then Braun could essentially clear a large amount of doubt in the public's mind by releasing the details.

 

Maybe he is afraid of the other 2 players looking bad if the results come out, but taking into account the circumstances of the mishandling and the cloud of doubt already hanging over the testing policy I would have to believe that having the other results come out would only help Braun's cause.

[Patrick425]

This just gets more and more intriguing. From Jonathan Lucroy:

 

“I’m not going to get into the details, but if you knew what we knew, people would be like, ‘Wow,’ ” Lucroy said, adding that he understood why Braun has elaborated only in private. “You’ve got to do that because it’s his prerogative. It’s up to him, it’s his choice. And honestly, if some of the things came out, it would be a lot more negative than positive. There are reasons."

 

This is a snippet from a Bob Wolfley blog in the JSOnline. This stuff has to start slowly leaking out over time as more and more people find out what the deal is.

 

 

Ok, I've read this 3 or 4 times now and I don't get it. "And honestly, if some of the things came out, it would be a lot more negative than positive. There are reasons." Huh? This almost makes it sound like if we knew the entire truth it would make Braun sound more guilty than innocent....especially the "it would be a lot more negative than positive".

[Madtown343]

I think Lucroy meant negative towards major league baseball. I read Wolfey's entire article and luc was also quoted as saying they are with Braun because they know the whole story. That would contradict himself if the story really proved to them he was innocent and would make things more negative him if they leaked?

 

I think? Ha.

 

This has been a strange story to follow, I need April 6th in a bad way.

[JohnBriggs12]

Is everyone forgetting the part of the news conference where Braun said his team learned things about the collector that he couldn't elaborate on? Just because some friends and acquaintences vouched for him, doesn't automatically mean he's entirely innocent either. Remember, he lawyered up too.

 

Braun got a lot of negative feedback for casting doubt on the collector. If he's told teammates what they have on him, it's possible they'd think release of this information would be seen negatively.

[dlk9s]

Remember, he lawyered up too.

 

That means absolutely nothing when it comes to his guilt or innocence. Whether he is 100% innocent, 100% guilty, or somewhere in between, he would have been 100% stupid not to retain the services of a lawyer.

[trwi7]

If he's told teammates what they have on him, it's possible they'd think release of this information would be seen negatively.

 

It also wouldn't make sense to say anything about the collector if Braun was still contemplating legal action against him.

[Patrick425]

"Lawyered up". When did that term originate? Is that from NYPD Blue or were people actually using that phrase before then?

[JohnBriggs12]

Here's another theory. We've been told the collector's son acted as "escort" for Braun when he took the test. Lets just suppose for a second that Braun said something or did something to this "escort" to really get him ticked off. Maybe Braun just acted like an ass and big-timed the young man. The guy goes home and reports this to the old man (the collector) in this case. Now nothing sets off a parent more than his kid being disrespected. As a die hard Cub fan to boot, the old man thinks, "I'm going to get this turd" and taints the sample, perhaps with is own right after taking something he had access to.

 

Now if what Braun said or did to the "escort" was bad enough, I could see where Lucroy would say, if it came out it would add more negativity.

 

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Moderator note (1992casey): Please don't use creative spellings to circumvent the cuss filter. However, in this case, the "circumvention" was "a**." "Ass" is allowed.

[Patrick425]

Here's another theory. We've been told the collector's son acted as "escort" for Braun when he took the test. Lets just suppose for a second that Braun said something or did something to this "escort" to really get him ticked off. Maybe Braun just acted like an ass and big-timed the young man. The guy goes home and reports this to the old man (the collector) in this case. Now nothing sets off a parent more than his kid being disrespected. As a die hard Cub fan to boot, the old man thinks, "I'm going to get this turd" and taints the sample, perhaps with is own right after taking something he had access to.

 

Now if what Braun said or did to the "escort" was bad enough, I could see where Lucroy would say, if it came out it would add more negativity.

 

 

I was actually thinking about this same type of scenario a while ago. Not so much the angle of the parent/son situation, but just possibly Braun coming across as arrogent to the tester and that ticking the tester off. There was some story posted on here from some sports writer mentioning about how Braun complained about having to do a drug test right after or before a playoff game (whenever it was). If this was noticable enough for a writer to take notes on, perhaps he also made some "rude" comments to the tester/escort.

 

edit: Thinking about this a little more. Perhaps there were witnesses that heard the escort say things as he left the clubhouse like "What a 'donkey'" or other rants about Braun.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Counting weekend days, I believe today is the 30th day from when the announcement of Braun winning his appeal was made. Not sure if we'd even know whether Das' written decision has already been submitted, but I think it's due by today unless weekend days don't count in that timeframe.

 

If what Lucroy and other Brewer players have said is true, that they know much more of the story than the general public because Braun told them about it, more details are going to keep coming out. They're going to get asked about the treatment Braun's going to get at every road game repeatedly, and eventually the answer of "if you only knew what we do" is going to get tired. Braun will feel pressure from the locker room to give that information publicly or do what he threatened to do in his press conference and pursue legal options.

[1992casey]

Pursuing legal options may not be really practical during the season. If he does file a lawsuit, any actual court stuff that requires his presence would likely be delayed until after the season.

 

Anything we'd be likely to learn would probably come from testimony. I think it'll be awhile before any of that happens.

[pebadger]

Litigation is not a preferred means by which to convey a story to the public. Litigation has a tendency to cloud the message and, even worse, take it places where you don't want it to go.

 

In any event, Braun doesn't need litigation to tell his story. All indications are that he has all the info he needs to present his side of the case. At the very least the info he has now was good enough to win. He doesn't need litigation to provide him with a means of gathering more information through the discovery process. As I've argued many times, there probably isn't a whole lot of information to be gathered in any event; at least not information that is relevant to the test result itself. If Braun is indeed innocent, we'll never know why the test produced the result that led to all that followed. The testers don't know why, or the case never would have proceeded. Braun's camp doesn't know why because they didn't run the test.

 

There are only two ways we'd know for sure what happened: Braun admitting he took something (either intentionally or unintentionally, which he then realized after the fact) or somebody on the other side admitting that they intentionally or unintentionally took some action which caused the result (contamination of sample, tampering with sample, improper testing procedure, etc). Neither one of those things is going to come out in litigation if it hasn't come out already.

 

The other point about litigation is this: None of these facts about "what really happened" probably matter in most litigation in which Braun would be involved. If he sues the initial leaker, the specifics of the testing stuff aren't relevant. That case would revolve around an alleged breach of duty by the people to whom Braun disclosed information confidential information.

 

The facts surrounding the test would be more relevant if he were to sue the sample collector, but that's probably not a case Braun wants to pursue unless he knows even before he files exactly how strong the case is. That's not a case you just file and then hope to win on the strength of a discovery fishing expedition. Frankly, if they had more info on a specific individual doing nefarious things (as opposed to perhaps just being negligent or non-compliant with standards and practices), I'm confident that would have come out by now.

 

Braun can tell us a lot right now. He's just not going to, if for no other reason than that he's subject to an agreement that says he can't say anything about it. Much as many might think that that shouldn't matter anymore due to all the disclosures that have already been made, the agreement is still in force. We can spin the repercussions of that fact any way we want to, but it's still a fact.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Braun can tell us a lot right now. He's just not going to, if for no other reason than that he's subject to an agreement that says he can't say anything about it.

 

That agreement was breached by the initial leak, who I think may be the focus of legal action by Braun's team. If the leak was someone Braun's team was talking to following the failed drug test as many believe, the issue is the leak didn't come from Braun, MLB reps, or the players' union. Braun can respect the intended confidentiality of this process all he wants, but I think there are going to be enough people fully aware of more information (including Das' written decision) that eventually somebody's going to take what they know and release it publicly. Braun wouldn't have gotten into specifics with teammates if he wasn't intending on more information eventually being made public. This isn't going to be a story that goes away, and there's too much incentive by members of the media to get the whole scoop.

[pebadger]

Braun can tell us a lot right now. He's just not going to, if for no other reason than that he's subject to an agreement that says he can't say anything about it.

 

That agreement was breached by the initial leak, who I think may be the focus of legal action by Braun's team. If the leak was someone Braun's team was talking to following the failed drug test as many believe, the issue is the leak didn't come from Braun, MLB reps, or the players' union. Braun can respect the intended confidentiality of this process all he wants, but I think there are going to be enough people fully aware of more information (including Das' written decision) that eventually somebody's going to take what they know and release it publicly. Braun wouldn't have gotten into specifics with teammates if he wasn't intending on more information eventually being made public. This isn't going to be a story that goes away, and there's too much incentive by members of the media to get the whole scoop.

 

Of course stuff will come out, but it's more than likely going to continue coming out in drips and drops and not in a fully controlled narrative that is formally issued by Braun's people. Regardless of the initial leak, the actions of others have not relieved Braun of his continuing confidentiality obligation under the JDA. I have no doubt that there are writers investigating this right now in hopes of telling "the whole story". As with any factually complex situation, the real question is from which perspective the "whole truth" will be told.

[jjfanec]

Quotes like this from Braun make me really interested to hear the whole story some day.

 

"It's over, man. I'm not going back into it," Braun said Friday after coming out of the Brewers' exhibition game against Los Angeles. "It's not good for baseball, it's not good for us, it's not good for me, it's not good for anybody."

 

"I don't sit here and analyze what people think, have to say or the opinions they've based on a lack of information," he said. "Everybody is entitled to their opinion. It's unfortunate and disappointing that people would make judgments and form an opinion without knowing what actually happened."

 

Asked if it might be better for him if people knew more details, Braun replied, "Would it be? Potentially, but then it just makes it a bigger story again. It's not good for anybody if that occurs; it's really not.

 

"I've already been exonerated. Nobody else's opinion is relevant to me, I've got to be honest with you. The people that are close to me - my friends, my family - know the truth. Beyond that, people are always going to have an opinion.

 

"Tempted (to reveal more)? Of course, but beyond that, like I said, it really wouldn't do anybody any good."

 

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/31/v-print/4380669/ryan-braun-says-fans-dont-have.html

[chuckiehacks]

Braun is clearly looking for someone to leak the "truth." it's readily accepted that the initial leak came from his side, so I'm sure this will come out eventually. He really needs to quit talking about this, he's getting into "OJ looking for the real killers" territory.

[jjfanec]

Braun is clearly looking for someone to leak the "truth." it's readily accepted that the initial leak came from his side, so I'm sure this will come out eventually. He really needs to quit talking about this, he's getting into "OJ looking for the real killers" territory.

 

Serious question. What should Braun say since he is going to be asked about it all the time? He has 3 options but the 3rd might not even be possible for some reason

 

1. No comment. This won't stop people from asking but it may the best

2. Do what he has been doing. Say there is more to the story but then not share, which just frustrates people

3. Tell the whole story. Not sure if this is possible. It could be part of an agreement so MLB's policy does not look bad, but I doubt that because if it was MLB would not have vehemently opposed the ruling like they did. Or he cannot do it because it would bring suspicion to other Brewer players - the two other tests?. Or there is continuing legal action. Or who knows.

[chuckiehacks]

Braun is clearly looking for someone to leak the "truth." it's readily accepted that the initial leak came from his side, so I'm sure this will come out eventually. He really needs to quit talking about this, he's getting into "OJ looking for the real killers" territory.

 

Serious question. What should Braun say since he is going to be asked about it all the time? He has 3 options but the 3rd might not even be possible for some reason

 

1. No comment. This won't stop people from asking but it may the best

2. Do what he has been doing. Say there is more to the story but then not share, which just frustrates people

3. Tell the whole story. Not sure if this is possible. It could be part of an agreement so MLB's policy does not look bad, but I doubt that because if it was MLB would not have vehemently opposed the ruling like they did. Or he cannot do it because it would bring suspicion to other Brewer players - the two other tests?. Or there is continuing legal action. Or who knows.

 

"I respect the confidentially of the joint testing program and can't comment." If he gives that answer every time, even Haudricort will stop asking.

[jjfanec]

Serious question. What should Braun say since he is going to be asked about it all the time? He has 3 options but the 3rd might not even be possible for some reason

 

1. No comment. This won't stop people from asking but it may the best

2. Do what he has been doing. Say there is more to the story but then not share, which just frustrates people

3. Tell the whole story. Not sure if this is possible. It could be part of an agreement so MLB's policy does not look bad, but I doubt that because if it was MLB would not have vehemently opposed the ruling like they did. Or he cannot do it because it would bring suspicion to other Brewer players - the two other tests?. Or there is continuing legal action. Or who knows.

 

"I respect the confidentially of the joint testing program and can't comment." If he gives that answer every time, even Haudricort will stop asking.

 

i really dont think they would. They would ask about public perception. They would ask about if he feels he is being treated unfairly since he was exonerated. Reporters never stop asking because they always want a sound bite.

[TooLiveBrew]

"I respect the confidentially of the joint testing program and can't comment." If he gives that answer every time, even Haudricort will stop asking.

Ooh, man, and this is such a perfect response. Burn!

[fondybrewfan]

The booing and the heckling for the first official road game wasn't nearly as bad as a I thought it was going to be. Pretty weak actually. Consistent booing but nothing crazy and over the top.

[Funketown]

The booing and the heckling for the first official road game wasn't nearly as bad as a I thought it was going to be. Pretty weak actually. Consistent booing but nothing crazy and over the top.

 

There may have been only ~15,000 Cubs fans there for most of that game. It looked really empty to me and there was a pretty decent contingent of Brewers fans.

 

I didn't expect Cubs fans to be too hard on Braun, outside of a few of the bleacher bums giving him a hard time for one rumor.

[Schlitz001]

ESPN showed a few signs at Wrigley specific to Braun including a "Not guilty =/= Innocent". I think the boos will slowly die down as the year moves on.

[Fear The Chorizo]

What sticks in my craw from last night was some of the comments from Sean McDonough of ESPN's broadcast crew. He was snarky at times, saying things along the lines of:

 

"To me, Braun seems to be in a lucky place...he's lucky to be playing right now" (right after Kurkjen talked about Braun saying he felt like he was in a great place)

 

He consistently stated the "technicality" being the only reason Braun isn't currently suspended, and talked about how fortunate he was for the favorable ruling from only 1 arbitrator (Shyam Das). Aaron Boone defended the situation following several of McDonough's comments by stating that almost everyone doesn't know the whole story and there isn't enough information out there for Braun to be villified. That's unfortunately going to be par for the course this season, I think.

 

There may have been more banter about Braun in the booth, but after the first few innings I had heard enough to turn the radio on and mute the TV. To me it seemed like McDonough had a bit of an axe to grind, possibly from the direction of ESPN...I'm not sure why the Brewers-Cubs game would be the game ESPN wanted to carry aside from the fact it was Braun's 1st regular season road game after winning his appeal.

[Warning Track Power]

I didn't hear the remarks from Sean McDonough but if what FTC wrote in the post above is true then I have little to no respect for McDonough anymore. The fact is that no one knows the entire story and I doubt Das makes the decision to exonerate Braun without some substantial piece of evidence that we aren't privy to.

 

Why would Das put his reputation as an aribtrator for Ryan Braun? ESPN should address that and do some real journalism to uncover THAT story if they feel it was such an obvious technicality that Braun got off.