What was the first thought when we all found out Ryan Braun
tested positive? We couldn’t believe a guy like this would have ever taken
steroids. He was labeled as such a good clean guy that would never be involved
with a performance enhancing drug. So the fact that Braun won his case wasn’t
overly shocking to me. I never thought the guy did it and I still don’t believe
he did.
How he won the case though doesn’t overwhelming prove to the
public why his result was so high. Yes it wasn’t immediately taken to the lab
for testing and was left in the refrigerator for who knows how long. But there
were two other players tested the same day that took the same route to the lab
as Braun’s test but only his produced the highest level of testosterone in the
history of testing.
That right off the bat told me that something was fishy
about the test, but it still doesn’t ultimately prove why HIS test was the one
that had the high result. Could the person who took the test have tampered with
it? Possibly, but for what reason? Would a die-hard Cardinals or Reds fan
really go that far to ruin the credibility of Ryan Braun? And the names of the
players aren’t on the urine samples to keep testers from being prejudice.
The public may never know, and for that reason there will
always be a dark cloud hanging over Braun and his stats. This could untimely
affect whether or not he ends up in the Hall of Fame. We just don’t have enough
answers.
Major League Baseball was furious about this outcome and they
have every reason to be. This opens up the discussion for the validity of their
testing program and will open up future cases against them for players that
test positive.
Not only did someone test positive and win the first case
ever for someone who did, but it was the defending National League Most
Valuable Player. This has to raise some eyebrows for most baseball fans and
casual observers. You mean no other athlete can win a case except for a high
profile one.?
Braun was able to bring in a great team of lawyers that were
able to find a loophole that kept the judges from having any clear proof as to
why his test was so high. This ultimately won Braun the case in court but he
has lost the case of the public opinion.
Fans in Milwaukee are leaping for joy and will welcome him
back with open arms, but he will face severe scrutiny as he travels to other
major league ballparks because no matter what the courts say we the people will
have our own opinion. And while he wasn’t proven guilty, to most he wasn’t
proven innocent either.
The worst part about this whole situation is that we never
should have even known about. The secrecy of this process was breached by some
reporter trying to make a name for himself. MLB should track down this source
and have him reprimanded. This wasn’t public information and with Braun being
let off the hook it should have never gotten to the presses or Twitter.
This is such a sad case for baseball and one that I hope
will just go away. Braun could have been the face of baseball and a new era.
Hopefully fans will learn to forgive and forget because after all, he wasn’t
found guilty. I agree with the outcome but I don’t agree with the way that
outcome was determined. We need more evidence as to what caused that test to be
so high and until we have that evidence doubts will continue to swirl over
Braun’s head, and bat.
You
can follow Jake on Twitter at: @j8a1k0e or on his MLB Braves blog at: http://bravesandmore.mlblogs.com
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