The Redemption Plan for Ryan Braun

[rickh150]

You know, this whole drug thing really taints 2011 for me.

 

What a year that was! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to 96 wins, beating the Diamondbacks, and dreaming of a World Series. The crowds were great! I sat in the bleachers for Game 5 of the NLDS with my dad, caught a BP homer ball, and leapt for joy when the Brewers won on Morgan's hit. The Brewers were on top, and they did it the right way with home-grown talent, smart trades, and a reasonable payroll. Tickets were fairly reasonable too, and it always seemed the Brewers were doing some promotion to get you in Miller Park. Great year, great memories.

 

Then the Braun thing happened. Back and forth, back and forth...did he do it? We all wanted to believe him, believe in him. Then the floor dropped out beneath us. He was using drugs in 2011, his MVP season. He batted like .500 in the NLDS. For me, for most Brewer fans I'd like to believe, the great feeling you had of that 2011 season has diminished. I still get chills when I think about the Brewer fever that year, being with my dad for that game, focusing on every pitch of those playoff games. And I know that Braun is just one guy of many on the Brewers team and in the team's organization. Yet, the feelings changed. Some of the innocence and magic of the year left, and now more leaves every year since.

 

THat leaves us with Braun. Hart is gone, along with the Counsels, Kotsays, and Morgans of the day, not to mention stars like Axford, Greinke, and Fielder. What do we do with Braun? What should we think? Should we boo? be unresponsive? overlook everything? forgive unconditionally? Like a good movie or book, the ending will probably surprise us on what will take place with Braun and the Milwaukee Brewers. But what about us? What should we think and do?

 

Like everything, I believe one's faith is instrumental in the whole life of a person, not just what he or she believes, definitely not just what they do on Sundays. So with Braun, I believe that we as sinners need to look upon another sinner with compassion. We are all pigs in the mud, right? All sinners that have fallen short, huh? Yet, sinners are seen in different lights in the Good Book. A common theme is: Grace given to the humble, the law given to the proud. In short, we all should recognize what Braun has done as a terrible thing- lying, cheating, stealing, coveting. Yet, are we to condemn him forever? Are we to never forget? If that is the case, I sure hope that you wouldn't get what's coming to you on your judgement day? However, what we need to see truly from him is a lowly heart that recognizes the errrors of his ways. He needs to be contrite in heart, sincerely sorry for what he has done to himself, those around him, the team, and those that support him. In short, be humble, Lord willing. Without this happening, the forgiveness of others and a loving Father will never be full again.

 

Then we can jump back on the Brewers and Braun bandwagon with more vigor than ever, although we have never left.

 

To Braun and all those who follow the Crew, here is what Braun needs to do:

1. Say he's sorry, especially to those around him most affected.....Check

2. Apologize to Brewers fans for what has happened

3. Be specific in saying that PEDs are wrong for the game and that he will, Lord willing, not use

4. Give back his MVP

5. Be a leader in a drug prevention program- financially or vocally

 

 

Don't shrug it off....his actions were huge and it affected all of our feelings toward the Brewer team, past years' successes, and how we will look at Brewers baseball in the future, including money on the bottom line. Hopefully, the rise of the Brewers and the redemption of Braun is one and the same, and it can only happen with Braun being humble.

[Baldkin]

Your personal demands are completely different from mine. I don't comprehend, nor do I understand the anger and hate for a guy who wanted to simply be the best he could possibly be.

 

Steroids haven't ruined the game of baseball, they are still amazingly prevalent within the game.

 

It hasn't tainted anything in my mind, and it is ridiculous the media storm that these things have created.

[sveumrules]

600 PA, 300/350/550, 30 HR, 100 RBI.

[Warning Track Power]

@Sveum:

 

All should be easily reachable goals for Ryan this season. I honestly am expecting something close to .315/.390/.550, 35 HR, 125 RBI or his second best career season behind 2012.

 

I am an optimist, but I think he will eventually return to being a Brewer icon after his fall.

[Patrick425]

Your personal demands are completely different from mine. I don't comprehend, nor do I understand the anger and hate for a guy who wanted to simply be the best he could possibly be.

 

Steroids haven't ruined the game of baseball, they are still amazingly prevalent within the game.

 

It hasn't tainted anything in my mind, and it is ridiculous the media storm that these things have created.

 

Uggghh...Ok, I should bite my tongue because getting involved in Braun discussions just usually makes me angry, but I can't help myself...

 

So, wanting the be the best you can be is an excuse for cheating? If I want to be the best poker player is it ok for me to cheat at it to accomplish that goal? I want lots of money, so it's ok for me to steal it? If you don't think that's a fair comparison then I guess we will just have to disagree.

[brewmann04]

I am more Upset that he Lied to the fans and the team.I pretty much believe most use some form of help so its the lying for me that the big part.

[Fear The Chorizo]

If anything should have become known after the latest ARod fiasco, it's that the only way MLB's drug testing policy catches PED cheats is if they get sloppy or get their PEDs from the wrong source. Users are and always will be ahead of testers, and the players busted in the Biogenesis scandal would all have gotten away scot-free if they bought their stuff from someone not as seedy as Tony Bosch. Braun got caught - he lied and publicly pleaded the 5th until the Biogenesis scandal blew up and he had no other choice but to admit he used PEDs.

 

I blame Braun for holding that press conference at spring training 2012 - he would've been better off just stating that he was glad with the arbitration ruling and moving forward instead of lying to the press and fans.

 

I'd guess there are at least a dozen more Biogenesis-type providers for players throughout MLB, let alone the other major sports. The only thing the Biogenesis scandal has done is shown these other providers how to conduct their operation in a way that doesn't get their customers busted.

[SRB]

Don't shrug it off....his actions were huge and it affected all of our feelings toward the Brewer team, past years' successes, and how we will look at Brewers baseball in the future, including money on the bottom line. Hopefully, the rise of the Brewers and the redemption of Braun is one and the same, and it can only happen with Braun being humble.

 

Speak for yourself. I honestly could not have cared less about the whole scandal and it affected my feelings toward the Brewers exactly zero percent. The only thing I got out of the whole thing was annoyed at the self-righteous, phoney stance people (especially baseball writers) take on the steroid issue.

 

My only wish is that PEDs actually had a demonstrable effect on baseball performance, and that if they did the rest of the Brewers would start taking them so we could win more games and I would be treated to a more exiting game with a higher level of play.

[owbc]

At one point I wondered how so many SF Giants fans could support Barry Bonds, but after reading several of the Braun threads, I now understand. It's not Bonds' fault that he took PEDs to break the home run record. Cheating has always been a part of the game, he was just keeping up with everyone else, it was unlikely that he was going to get caught, and fans/media are self-righteous for suggesting that the game is somehow disgraced by having a cheating superstar. Since there's never going to be a perfect drug test, 762 is the home run record and there's nothing that can be done about it. Winning is what really matters in sports.

[JimH5]

I was a moderately loud cynic & critic of Braun's during the whole mess of his PED scandal.

 

And I remain on the anti-PED side of the argument as it relates to baseball players. I don't want to watch baseball if they're not going to be vigilant in pursuit of a clean game.

 

That said, Braun has done a lot to shut me up in regards to his character and conduct. He took his suspension, he made his apologies, he stood before us with some humility. That's enough for me to move on.

 

I'll never view his achievements the same, and I'll chuckle a little when he gets taunted on the road, so he'll never reach full redemption for me--but he's still a key player on the team, and he could be for quite awhile.

 

I don't see any benefit for me in keeping up a hostile stance toward the guy.

 

If he's welcome back in the clubhouse and if he keeps out of trouble, that's enough for me to root for him as he helps my hometown team.

[Patrick425]

Once again, JimH puts it in words better than I ever could. I pretty much agree with what he said.

 

My hostile feeling towards Braun are not as strong as there once were. My frustration is more towards the population out there who just shrug off PEDs or are actually for PED's if they make the product on the field "more exciting to watch". What about reality? Do you have any interest in watching that? All sports could be more exciting if the games were fixed..if pitchers purposely threw meat pitches so that there could me more HR's because that's "more exciting" to watch. Do you think all professional sports should just go the way of professional wrestling and throw all honesty and integrity out the window?

 

Also, this whole "everyone is doing it so it's ok" philosophy...really? I sure hope this is not how people are raising their children.

[logan82]

I remain on the anti-PED side of the argument as it relates to baseball players. I don't want to watch baseball if they're not going to be vigilant in pursuit of a clean game.

I agree but I don't feel that this whole Ryan Braun fiasco really accomplished much other than make the commissioner's office feel better. The game isn't clean. I don't feel they are being vigilant. There are more clinics out there supplying the players. The fact they haven't found more than a couple(Biogenesis, BALCO) leads me to believe they are not really trying. Either clean up the game or don't. I tire of the half assed PR driven measures they have taken so far.

[Baldkin]

Once again, JimH puts it in words better than I ever could. I pretty much agree with what he said.

 

My hostile feeling towards Braun are not as strong as there once were. My frustration is more towards the population out there who just shrug off PEDs or are actually for PED's if they make the product on the field "more exciting to watch". What about reality? Do you have any interest in watching that? All sports could be more exciting if the games were fixed..if pitchers purposely threw meat pitches so that there could me more HR's because that's "more exciting" to watch. Do you think all professional sports should just go the way of professional wrestling and throw all honesty and integrity out the window?

 

Also, this whole "everyone is doing it so it's ok" philosophy...really? I sure hope this is not how people are raising their children.

 

Everyone should have to play like they did in the 60's! On greenies and with no off season training or good nutrition!

 

Heck, make them all take second jobs like the guys in the 30's!

 

I don't understand the idea that there is some hard line to be drawn, and if you cross it, you are suddenly a horrible person.

 

As for your other comments, he isn't stealing from other people. He isn't robbing a bank. He is an entertainer. Are you going to chastise Charlie Sheen for the steroids he took while filming Major League? Or Sylvester Stallone for what he took in Rocky?

 

If you're relying on athletes to set an example for your children and teach them how to live, I'm going to tell you that you're raising your children wrong.

[Outlander]

I don't really think there is a redemption plan and quite frankly he shouldn't worry about it. The national media will always bring up his drug use and a large amount of fans will always boo him and call him names. Writers will refuse to vote for him for the hall of fame and will always bring up the drug use in articles about him. The thing he does have going for him is he is not at the end of his career so he can have some personal redemption and organization redemption by winning another MVP or winning a World Series in the time he has left playing this game to prove some doubters wrong and prove to himself he didn't need that stuff to be a great player.

[JimH5]

If you're relying on athletes to set an example for your children and teach them how to live, I'm going to tell you that you're raising your children wrong.

 

On that we agree, but I should be able to rely on athletes to set an example for my child on how to be an athlete.

 

And I don't think that PED users are horrible people--I just don't want to cheer for them if they're not playing by the rules agreed upon by the owners and their fellow players.

 

And as for Sheen and Stallone using steroids, I don't think that's a fair comparison. A significant part of the entertainment of sports is not knowing the outcome ahead of time. Hollywood productions are about story-telling. Sports is about story-making.

I agree but I don't feel that this whole Ryan Braun fiasco really accomplished much other than make the commissioner's office feel better. The game isn't clean. I don't feel they are being vigilant. There are more clinics out there supplying the players. The fact they haven't found more than a couple(Biogenesis, BALCO) leads me to believe they are not really trying. Either clean up the game or don't. I tire of the half assed PR driven measures they have taken so far.

 

That may be true, though we don't have any real evidence that players are getting drugs from these clinics. And while you think MLB isn't doing nearly enough to clean up the game, others are critical on how far they went in their pursuit of the Biogenesis clients. So I guess it's really up to everyone to decide for themselves what's an adequate effort in cleaning the game.

[RobDeer 45]

Boy, I'm not sure I want to dip my toe in this conversation, but here it goes.

 

Steroids didn't ruin the game, it could be argued they saved it. It made it hard to now compare current players to past, I'll give you that. I think baseball hurt itself for years to come by turning a blind eye to steroids. I'm in the camp that says, it was not illegal, so don't call them cheaters. You can't do that. You have to look at it like they were taking a supplement to be the best they could be.

 

Once they came up with testing, and guys got caught, I then feel like they need to be looked at differently. Not sure how that should work for hall of fame, but if they are caught cheating, you can't decide or believe them on when they started taking them. As for pre-testing guys, put them in the hall and let the fans decide how they tell their stories. I for one will tell my son that Barry Bonds was the best hitter I've ever seen. He was taking steroids, that made him stronger, but he still was the most exciting player I've ever seen.

 

To the quote about MLB not doing enough with all these clinics....how can they? They are legal clinics aren't they? They are distributing HGH to the population for medical reasons. They can't possibly monitor every clinic and every patient to make sure they aren't giving anything to MLB players. The only way to truly stop this is stiffer penalties. 162 games for first offense. Lifetime ban for second offense. Or it voids their contract on the first offense. The problem is what do you do with false positives, if that is possible? As long as there is big money, people will find a way to cheat.

 

As for Braun, I will always have a hard time knowing how to look at what he did in the past. I think he's a great ball player. I think HGH makes these guys closer to 100% most of the time, instead of playing at 80% for several games. That gives you an edge I think, but don't think it makes you amazing. I think his biggest problem going forward is staying healthy. I could see him having more injury issues, which he's already had a lot of minor ones. I'm not mad at him.

[logan82]

My problem is how uneven and apparently self-serving their pursuit of Braun and A-Rod was. Are they going to these same lengths to catch others? It doesn't seem like they are.

 

I have a very hard time believing they couldn't hire investigators to find more clinics. I really don't believe they can clean up the game completely but I don't like feeling like the whole Biogenesis situation was just a witch hunt.

 

The cheaters will always be ahead of the testers.

[JohnBriggs12]

600 PA, 300/350/550, 30 HR, 100 RBI.

 

Those are off his career norms prior to 2013. I think he needs 600 PA, .310/.370/.570, 35HR, 115 RBI.

 

He has to prove that clean he is just as good, not almost as good. Of course some will believe he's still not clean.

 

What has me wondering is if he does post great numbers, will he get votes for Comeback Player of the Year? I assume he'll get left off many MVP ballots even if deserving, but Comeback POY for coming back in part from a 65 game suspension?

[fondybrewfan]

My redemption plan for him is pretty simple

 

1. Stop doing PED's - Or atleast don't get caught

2. Hit for an OPS of 900+

 

Pretty simple if you ask me. Perform and many will forget. Hell this already seems like ancient news.

[SRB]

My hostile feeling towards Braun are not as strong as there once were. My frustration is more towards the population out there who just shrug off PEDs or are actually for PED's if they make the product on the field "more exciting to watch". What about reality? Do you have any interest in watching that? All sports could be more exciting if the games were fixed..if pitchers purposely threw meat pitches so that there could me more HR's because that's "more exciting" to watch. Do you think all professional sports should just go the way of professional wrestling and throw all honesty and integrity out the window?

My lack of concern about PEDs stems from the fact that it is an entirely arbitrary distinction invented by the media and others (e.g. Congress) as to what substances are "unfair" and "evil" and what substances are not. Do you have a problem with the inhuman workout and supplement regimes that modern athletes undertake, which give them the inhuman physiques that they have? I mean, what is "reality" that you want to see? Why is a cortisone shot not an outrage?

 

And your comparisons do not hold water. Pitchers purposely throwing bad pitches fundamentally alters the game and would not, in fact, be more exciting in any way. PEDs do not alter the game, they alter the physical capabilities of players to perform the game at a higher level (in theory), and more importantly they keep players healthy and let them return sooner (why do you think Braun was taking PEDs?).

 

What's really hilarious to me is all the people making these grand stands against PEDs who then go and cheer for Clay Matthews on the weekends. Unless you are as angry at the NFL as you are at Braun, then I don't consider your moral arguments very genuine.

[Patrick425]

As for your other comments, he isn't stealing from other people. He isn't robbing a bank. He is an entertainer. Are you going to chastise Charlie Sheen for the steroids he took while filming Major League? Or Sylvester Stallone for what he took in Rocky?

 

He isn't? If I work with someone who uses dishonesty and breaks company policies to get ahead do you not think he/she is in effect stealing from me and other employees? Are you really going to compare an actor taking PEDs to supplement a role they are playing (as a wrestler would do!) to an athlete who is competing against other teams and other athletes and is supposed to be following rules that have been established for all athletes playing that sport? I don't know what rules actors have in place for what they can do to "look the part", but when I go to a movie I understand that it's not real.

 

If you're relying on athletes to set an example for your children and teach them how to live, I'm going to tell you that you're raising your children wrong.

 

Why do people always bring this up whenever someone brings up raising children in a PED discussion? I was not saying what you are inferring at all. In fact just a couple of days ago my teenage son got back a final semester exam grade in one of his classes. It was one grade lower than what he was erroneously posted on the online grading system the night before. He immediately brought this up to his teacher even though it would mean that he would end up with a final semester grade of B+ in that class instead of A- because of the correction. I couldn't have been more proud of him and I would like to believe that he did this because my wife and I raised him with the idea that he should earn things on self merit alone and to be honest.

 

My comment in my original post was that it appears that there is a portion of the population that doesn't seem to have a problem with cheating as long as you believe everyone else is doing it and I'm concerned that they are raising their kids with the same values.

[Patrick425]

My lack of concern about PEDs stems from the fact that it is an entirely arbitrary distinction invented by the media and others (e.g. Congress) as to what substances are "unfair" and "evil" and what substances are not. Do you have a problem with the inhuman workout and supplement regimes that modern athletes undertake, which give them the inhuman physiques that they have? I mean, what is "reality" that you want to see? Why is a cortisone shot not an outrage?

 

And your comparisons do not hold water. Pitchers purposely throwing bad pitches fundamentally alters the game and would not, in fact, be more exciting in any way. PEDs do not alter the game, they alter the physical capabilities of players to perform the game at a higher level (in theory), and more importantly they keep players healthy and let them return sooner (why do you think Braun was taking PEDs?).

 

What's really hilarious to me is all the people making these grand stands against PEDs who then go and cheer for Clay Matthews on the weekends. Unless you are as angry at the NFL as you are at Braun, then I don't consider your moral arguments very genuine.

 

Even if what you say about PEDs is true (I don't hold those same beliefs), the fact remains that PEDs are currently against the rules of baseball. If the majority of atheletes in a particular sport believe the same way you believe then they should make an effort to work with owners to allow such substances and put it in the collective bargaining agreement. Until then, taking these substances is cheating, and I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for those who deliberately break the rules. As a pre-emptive response to your "What about pitchers that doctor balls" response. Again, if players/owners think that the punishment for such acts by a pitcher should be harsher, then they should work together to change those rules.

 

What's hilarious is that even after everything that he has done and said, people are so quick to believe things that Braun says including his reasoning as to why he was taking PEDs. Personally, it's going to take a little more time for me to start believing him again.

[torts]

a wisconsin judge is allowing 5 (of the 12) counts against Braun stand in the Sasson suit, and he has no plans to settle and wants to take Braun, Balelo and Creative Artists Agency to trial.

[MadScientist]

Do you have a problem with the inhuman workout and supplement regimes that modern athletes undertake, which give them the inhuman physiques that they have? I mean, what is "reality" that you want to see? Why is a cortisone shot not an outrage?

 

And your comparisons do not hold water. Pitchers purposely throwing bad pitches fundamentally alters the game and would not, in fact, be more exciting in any way. PEDs do not alter the game, they alter the physical capabilities of players to perform the game at a higher level (in theory), and more importantly they keep players healthy and let them return sooner (why do you think Braun was taking PEDs?).

 

The evidence seems clear that PEDs do enhance performance, at least for a short time. Long term health damage has been shown for at least some PEDs. So the situation is simple, if you do not ban PEDs, they become essentially mandatory. If everyone is taking them, there is no net competitive edge, but the players all get extra health risks.

 

Here's another way to look at it, suppose you have a son who likes baseball and shows some talent for it. Would you want him to be taking these drugs? Would you say to him, "To be really good, you need hard work, dedication and a concoction of drugs. Start taking them now."

[Minigoon]

Just flush that [deleted]. Doesn't deserve to be back. Bud made a huge mistake not banning him for life. Melvin is being equally stupid by keeping him on the roster. What a joke having that [deleted] as the face of the franchise. There's no redeeming that [deleted]

 

 

Cleaned up by moderator. Use more family friendly language next time.