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

[Dragonbait]

well then.... I do NOT suggest reading the piece over at Foxsports.com......

 

I don't want to link it, it's that bad.

[jjfanec]

well then.... I do NOT suggest reading the piece over at Foxsports.com......

 

I don't want to link it, it's that bad.

 

Wow that is a piece of trash. Horrible journalism. Just horrible

[Warning Track Power]

I read it...and it disgusts me even more.

 

No proof from the "journalist", only "reports" of what happened behind closed doors during the hearing which he wasn't present at. To me this has nothing to do with Ryan Braun being a member of my favorite baseball team. It has more to do with the complete and total lack of journalistic integrity being pumped into society right now by media sites such as ESPN and Fox Sports. Kobe Bryant may have been a rapist, but man he is good in the clutch with the game on the line and he sure does boost ratings. Ray Lewis may have played a hand in a murder but that is overlooked because of his passion for football. It's never even brought up anymore about Kobe's arrest or Ray Lewis' arrest and they MAY have done something so much morally reprehensible than Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro and all the other supposed steroid users in baseball combined. Whereas Kobe or Lewis get a free ride, supposed steroid users are dragged through the mud still by the ESPNs and Fox Sports of the world. I'm not condoning the actions of baseball players, only giving perspective on the type of sensational journalism espoused by these sports "news" outlets. Guilty until proven innocent. Sickening.

 

Sorry for the rant...

[pretendastronaut]

well then.... I do NOT suggest reading the piece over at Foxsports.com......

 

I don't want to link it, it's that bad.

 

Wow, that really is probably the worst article I've read about Braun. I'll link it, because people are going to hunt for it regardless at this point. But ya, wow. The bit about racism tacked on at the end, really iced it.

 

Full Article Spoiler Warning: Greg Couch is not a happy man.

[pretendastronaut]

Kobe Bryant may have been a rapist, but man he is good in the clutch with the game on the line and he sure does boost ratings.

 

That was a pretty horrible bit in the article.

 

[sarcasm]We forgave Kobe because he won a gold medal. But can we ever forgive Braun? Totally comparable![/sarcasm]

[CheezWizHed]

There also will be a racial test in this. Let’s be honest. Barry Bonds was despised for so long, and if Braun is forgiven, it won’t look right. Maybe saying nothing with a smile is better than saying nothing with a snarl, but it’s hard to overlook that the MVP failed a performance-enhancing drug test and never even had to explain himself.

 

Wow... Not sure what race had to do with any of that. People don't like Mark McGuire for the same reason. Nor Jose Canseco or Sammy Sosa. Its just that none of them broke the all-time HR record (of Hank Aaron) while under the suspicion of PEDs.

 

How many drug tests did Bonds have to take? I'm sure its far less than Braun has taken already, if any at all.

[brwrsfan]

The guy seemed all bent out of shape because Braun didn't have time to do full interviews after the game and just went off on it. He's entitled to his opinion but to just rip the guy at this point seems silly. This article could have been written any time the last 2 months and instead he waits until game 4 of the season when Braun "shafts" the media? Really? Way to be professional.

[GormanHarvey]

Let alone all of the other garbage contained in this joke of an "article", this quote is the one that made me completely write it off after only a paragraph or two...

 

"The sample-taker got Braun’s urine at a playoff game last year, and then tried to send it via Federal Express to the lab. When the FedEx office was closed, he did what sample-gatherers always do. He put it in a fridge in his basement and sent it off two days later, on a Monday."

 

The guy can't even get the most simple facts straight. Even the collector himself stated that the sample sat in a rubbermaid container in his basement, not a fridge. Get a life Greg Couch.

[pebadger]

Berthiaume got in a shot at Braun/Brewers fans yesterday in a column at ESPN the other day which argued that the Brewers starting pitching is middle of the pack.

 

Let's face it. Braun is guilty to the vast majority of people and Brewers fans who defend him are just doing it out of blind loyalty. The only people whose opinion matters are the cynical "realists" in big market media. It's going to be the story that's run out there not just season but for many seasons to come. Most people don't want to know the story behind the story or what goes on behind the scenes. They want the media to give them an easily digestible morality tale and that's what they're going to get.

[Fear The Chorizo]

That article is a classic example of a "reporter" have a predetermined angle to a story. He was probably told he needed to write an article about Braun's 1st road game several weeks ago, went ahead and threw together an outline of how he wanted it to read, then fill it in with any possible quotes and visuals from the game that he saw supporting his narrative. Never mind that the boos really weren't that obvious on the broadcast because the stadium was 1/2 empty. Because of that, it was probably easier for him to hear the lame fan barbs he included in his article. Too bad he couldn't maintain the same level of fact-checking and review of the sample collector's legally-constructed statement.

 

As for Berthiaume, he picked the Astros to win the NL Central last season - not exactly concerned about critique of the team I root for coming from him.

[xisxisxis]

I ain't going to waste my time reading that article.

 

The guy can't even get the most simple facts straight. Even the collector himself stated that the sample sat in a rubbermaid container in his basement, not a fridge. Get a life Greg Couch.

 

The Cubs announcers should also attend Club Get A Life too. Last night I listened briefly to the cubs radio broadcast and they stated that "Braun was suspended by MLB for 50 games" (WRONG - he was never suspended. The policy is that players who violate the drug policy for PED get a 50 game suspension for the first violation, but MLB never issued a suspension in this case) and that he "got off on a technicality" (WRONG - From what was leaked he won his appeal based on a chain of custody issue, that is not a technicality). In fact chain of custody is such a critical part of US law because without having a tamper proof process every murder and crime would be solved by a framed individual going to jail. Based on what we know about the leaked information in Braun's case, the arbitrator (in the first ever ruling FOR a player) was convinced that there was reasonable doubt based on the chain of custody issue that the test findings were irrelevant. Based on the language of the drug testing agreement Braun would have to have shown without a doubt that the test was wrong. I don't believe an arbitrator MLB has used repeatedly would simply ignore a test finding on a technicality (this isn't US law) unless he truely was convinced the results were inaccurate.

[reillymcshane]

Braun will never be 'exonerated' in the eyes of most people without the details coming out that 'clear' him.

 

People will see him as getting off on a technicality. Is breaking the chain of evidence a 'technicality'? No. But to many people it is.

 

Braun will have to address things in more depth if he expects to come across innocent of the charges. And innocent means he didn't take PEDs or testosterone. NOT that the process was messed up. Most people seem to agree that the process was mucked up - even a little (even MLB updated their handling policy to insure it's not an issue going forward). But a messed up process doesn't, in the eyes of most people, mean Braun didn't do anything wrong.

 

What they are asking is 'How did the test come up positive? Explain that. And if you have an explanation, why didn't you put it to the arbitration committee?'

 

I wish/hope/pray for Braunie that he can come out and actually say things that will address the questions. Is it tampering? Is there a reasonable scientific explanation? Do we really not know?

 

He can start by explaining why his team argued his case the way they did. He can say that the handling of the samples was a huge issue here. With regard to the arbitration hearing, this single issue was what they used to dismiss the charges. Their team's job was to invalidate the test - and the simplest and easiest way to was dispute the chain of evidence. Thus, they took that approach. They did not need to dispute the results of the test since the broken chain of evidence makes the samples themselves invalid.

 

That would answer the question as to why they only argued the chain of evidence line to the committee.

 

Next, he would then have to talk about how the results got tainted.

 

He'll then have to say something like, "The chain of evidence issue was all I needed to to argue with the arbitration panel. As for the test itself, we were fully prepared to argue how all the tests - not just mine - came up abnormally high." And then, at this point, offer some reasonable theories.

 

In the end, he might have to say, 'We don't know exactly how it happened. But we had several theories. All of which could have caused the tests to come up wrong."

 

That will get Braunie cleared in the eyes of many (certainly not in some opinions).

 

Will it ever happen? I don't know. Braun's refusal to talk about it hurts him, because people think he has something to hide. He's taking the high road - citing the confidentiality of the matter - but many, whether fair or not, just see that as an excuse.

 

In the case of many players, the PED label has faded. A-Rod for instance. I wonder if he thinks time will simply force some to forget/not care. Perhaps he's right.

[TheCrew07]

Why should he be viewed as completely innocent when the full details aren't known?

 

All the conspiracy theories surrounding the sample taker and his family are just classic misdirection, it's used in politics all of the time. Give the public something else to talk about...

 

A chain of custody dispute is a technicality, that's not a medical solution with a repeatable cause and effect. The chain of custody dispute in itself doesn't prove Braun innocent or guilty, it just opens the door to the appearance of impropriety.

 

People are going to believe whatever they want to believe, but I'm not going to sit here and claim that I'm buying what Braun's camp has sold. They haven't said anything libelous or slanderous yet or I bet Braun would be in court for a civil defamation suit. If this dude was just doing his job he's certainly come out on the short end of the stick. The professional athlete should expect public scrutiny, the average guy just doing his job not so much.

 

In the end what's more believable? That some employee of a subcontracted vendor conspired to taint a professional athlete's sample or the athlete's test was accurate? I love a good conspiracy theory as much as anyone, but there's been absolutely no proof of one in this case.

 

However, none of this has anything to do with the declining standards of journalistic integrity in this country. It started with blogs and it's only gotten worse with Twitter. The rush to be first and break the news first in this "everything at an instant" culture we're a part of hasn't served truth very well.

[1992casey]

Blogs and Twitter have made things worse, but decline in journalistic integrity started well before that. As an example, the Connie Chung-Kathleen Gingrich incident occurred in 1995, and I'd guess that things were declining before that.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Why should he be viewed as completely innocent when the full details aren't known?

 

Replace 'innocent' with 'guilty' in that sentence and you can support a completely opposite point of view just as easily. The problem with this situation is that the media formed their opinions and wrote their stories weeks before Braun's appeal was heard. Since the results of the appeal are contrary to all the articles written, "journalists" feel slighted by the story and have emphasized technicalities as a way of defending their previous work.

 

It seems like the need for media to grab any sort of leads and be the first to cover a story have led to the truth being hampered quite often recently. Trying to sell papers, get website hits, and make money in the increasingly saturated market of newsmedia has turned the news into more opinionated propoganda than actual news.

 

The fact is that for what is publicly known about this particular situation, Braun shouldn't be villified. Not enough confirmed information out there to definitively say guilty, not guilty, or completely innocent. Unfortunately when it comes to PED's in baseball and the way this story unfolded with the leak, Braun is now officially:

 

"guilty until proven innocent - but he won his appeal - but still guilty because he doesn't want to talk about it and we have to write something to get paid"

[Warning Track Power]

I agree Crew.

 

My issue solely comes from the fact that media outlets who are continuing to harp on the "technicality" claim. However, they fail to harp on the report that Braun's team was able to replicate what happened and how the levels of testosterone reached such high levels.

 

The fact is no one knows what occurred during the hearing. However, hearing ESPN and Fox Sports continue to pump "technicalities" stories while failing to mention the flip side of Braun's team replicating the test results is just taking one side of the story and sensationalizing it and crucifying Braun in the process.

[reillymcshane]

I agree Crew.

 

However, they fail to harp on the report that Braun's team was able to replicate what happened

 

The fact is no one knows what occurred during the hearing. However, hearing ESPN and Fox Sports continue to pump "technicalities" stories while failing to mention the flip side of Braun's team replicating the test results is just taking one side of the story and sensationalizing it and crucifying Braun in the process.

 

Where has braun come out and said this? I don't recall him doing this - if he has, he should be doing it more.

[Baldkin]

Will Carroll's article stated this:

 

While the problem in the chain of custody is bad enough in and of itself, it is the result of the problem that led to the positive. According to sources with knowledge of Braun's defense, the team was able to re-create the results.

 

I cannot say that any of Braun's people have spoken to this point specifically, however.

[xisxisxis]

A chain of custody dispute is a technicality

 

No it isn't. Not reading someone miranda rights or filing paperwork by a specific date is a technicality. A break in the chain of custody invalidates everything that is derived from the sample/evidence after the break because anything could have happened to the sample. That isn't a technicality that's a nuclear bomb exploding on the evidence. If you actually read some of the posts in this thread (you know actually "listening" to others opinions instead of just spouting yours) you will find that there are plenty of ways the sample could be compromised simply by the way it was handled and not by ill intentions of the collector or anyone else who had access to the sample.

 

 

People are going to believe whatever they want to believe, but I'm not going to sit here and claim that I'm buying what Braun's camp has sold.

 

And of course we have the obligatory comment from The Crew that he knows better because he isn't buying the story from the "man"..... Believe what you want, but The Crew will set you straight. He is all knowing, all seeing, we are just bumbling idiots compared to him.... Talk about a classic narcissist.....

[TheCrew07]

A chain of custody dispute is a technicality

 

No it isn't. Not reading someone miranda rights or filing paperwork by a specific date is a technicality. A break in the chain of custody invalidates everything that is derived from the sample/evidence after the break because anything could have happened to the sample. That isn't a technicality that's a nuclear bomb exploding on the evidence. If you actually read some of the posts in this thread (you know actually "listening" to others opinions instead of just spouting yours) you will find that there are plenty of ways the sample could be compromised simply by the way it was handled and not by ill intentions of the collector or anyone else who had access to the sample.

 

 

People are going to believe whatever they want to believe, but I'm not going to sit here and claim that I'm buying what Braun's camp has sold.

 

And of course we have the obligatory comment from The Crew that he knows better because he isn't buying the story from the "man"..... Believe what you want, but The Crew will set you straight. He is all knowing, all seeing, we are just bumbling idiots compared to him.... Talk about a classic narcissist.....

 

technicality [ˌtɛknɪˈkælɪtɪ]

n pl -ties

1. a petty formal point arising from a strict interpretation of rules, etc

 

To the first part of your post, having listened to and read up about this the only way for the sample to get tainted would be to have multiple seals removed that Braun himself signed off on. It's not like the family dog could walk down into the basement and mess around with a test tube. My understanding was that the individual vials were sealed, placed in a plastic container and sealed again, and then contained within some sort of specimen shipping container that was also sealed. I don't remember exactly when Ryan had to sign off that the seal numbers matched the paper record, but he did. I read or heard some place that those seals were intact when the sample arrived at the lab. In which case tampering would be implied as a sample doesn't get accidentally tainted and the seal restored after the fact. I chose the word dispute carefully because there's no evidence that there was in fact a chain of custody violation, it's all just conjecture.

 

So it appears that the intent of the process was indeed followed, to secure a sample and get sent to the lab for testing. In which case was some form not properly filled out? What's the story? Regardless I chose the word "technicality" because I believe the intent of the process was followed if there was no foul play involved.

 

We have no idea what information the arbiter had which caused him to question the chain of custody, and as I said it has the appearance of impropriety even though none may exist. i heard multiple medical professionals call in and email various sports radio shows (i spend quite a bit of time in my car) saying that temperature has no effect on a urine sample over that short a period. I have no idea if that's true or not, however it's entirely plausible because what would break down and dissipate the urine?

 

The entire public defense of Braun revolved around the sample taker and the sample that was in his care. It seems that FedEx and the lab are beyond questioning in this case, so the entire crux of the defense lies in what happened between 5 PM that Saturday and whenever the dude dropped off the sample on Monday. They put the focus squarely on sample taker and not the ridiculously high results of his test. Ryan offered nothing concrete, which to me was misdirection, they changed the focus from the result of his test to the process and the sample collector. If the samples were triple sealed, how do they realistically get accidentally tainted? How many people in this thread have thrown the sample taker under the bus because of what Braun might have said to him that pissed him off, or the guy might be or is a Cubs fan, or Cards fan, etc, etc.

 

There are many problems I have with results as well, how can his test levels possibly be the highest recorded in the history of the test? His production has been steady throughout his career, he's never tested positive before, and so on. It also bothers me that this was the first leak, I would have rather known about it. However, nothing really surprises me, and as I don't know Ryan personally, I'm not getting off the fence until I see some hard evidence either way.

 

So to your second point, you may not like me or what I post, but I never meant to infer that my opinion was law, you've read my intent entirely from the wrong context. I was trying to say that many people made up their minds one way or the other regardless of the lack of evidence. I have been making an effort to be more succinct and shorten my posts, but I do struggle with putting down on paper exactly what I'm thinking which is why my posts tend to be so wordy. That being said I don't care for a smoke and mirrors defense, give me something tangible, not hinting at a flawed process and partaking in thinly veiled character assassination. Pebadger did a wonderful job laying out all of the issues with the testing process, there's certainly room for improvement. I'm willing to believe Ryan if he would lay it all out... whatever reasonable explanation for the test result, but that's not what happened. If the sample taker is corrupt, I want him criminally charged, if Braun was guilty of taking something to get over injury I want him to admit it and let's move on.

 

I honestly don't care either way, it was 50 games, the Brewers would have survived, however it's never going to go away unless there is full disclosure at some point. We have a crazy test result and some banter about not being able to ensure chain of custody, that's not an exoneration, it's not proof of innocence or guilt, all we know is that his team planted enough of a seed to get the arbiter to rule in his favor.

[TooLiveBrew]

I'm willing to believe Ryan if he would lay it all out

 

In other words, violate the confidentiality that's supposed to be inherent in the process. He's gone on record with the 'I don't think it'd be good for anyone for me to speak further' line, which imo is another way of saying he doesn't want to violate the confidentiality that was violated at his expense.

[dlk9s]

I'm convinced that BF.net pays TheCrew07 by the word.

[CheezWizHed]

And we have thread lock in 10...9...8...

[ninja33]

I'm willing to believe Ryan if he would lay it all out

 

In other words, violate the confidentiality that's supposed to be inherent in the process. He's gone on record with the 'I don't think it'd be good for anyone for me to speak further' line, which imo is another way of saying he doesn't want to violate the confidentiality that was violated at his expense.

 

and in the opinion of many others that could be read as "I didn't have any other defense outside of chain of custody, there's no other 'real story' that my friends, family, and teammates know".

 

Not saying that's what I think, but that's a valid opinion just like yours is. And an opinion like that is going to lead to articles asking Braun to tell the whole story, and they'll likely have the assumption of guilt (because chain of custody is viewed by most as a technicality).

[jazzytrav]

That doesn't make it okay for "journalists" who admit to not having the entire story to speculate that his silence implies guilt.