Bye bye Braun?

[Outlaw]

While the Florida Flubbers are being scrutinized, I wonder how many other players are cheating and not getting caught. These Florida fellas have been under a microscope while players like Marlon Byrd and Chris Davis play over their heads. Keeping us wondering.

This is the second time that you have referenced Chris Davis as a possible PED user; here in this post and previously in an entire commentary on your page.

You have linked him with players like Marlon Byrd and Rafael Palmeiro, known PED users.

You have pronounced him guilty until proven innocent, and even then suggested that he wouldn’t really be innocent, he just wouldn’t have been properly caught by the old man holding the ball.

All the while offering no proof other than he has had a great season.

Look, I’m no Pollyanna. I know that there are players using PED’s right now, and who knows, Chris Davis may very well be one. However, I cannot watch the game with the assumption that every player that has a great game or week or half season is a PED user.

I have been playing one form of statistical/dice roll/fantasy baseball or another for 30+ years, and in all that time I have been a baseball fan first and a game player second (which may explain why I’m such a sh*ty fantasy player ). As like most everyone reading these boards, I have been to and or watched thousands of baseball games in my life, but very rarely do I so with the intent to see if my fantasy player hit a HR or threw a shutout. I watch baseball for the game. The day I have to stop and wonder if every single event I see on the field is tainted for no reason other than that a similar previous event was tainted, is probably the day I give up this game.

Give me the proof, and I'll be as angry as Outlaw, but until then, I'm going to enjoy what I'm watching.

Naval - I didn't take it as Dough saying Davis was a PED user. The problem Davis and any other clean player has, is the cheats who have preceded them, the hundreds of them and that is why the Clean players want the game cleaned up. I've liked Davis since his first 1/2 season 4 years ago when he 20 something home runs. I saw Talent and I saw a clean, easy swing, plus one heck of big strong kid. his success has come as he has figured out how pitchers pitch him, he guesses better now, he has more experience. I would be highly surprised if he ever did Peds.

An interesting story on Davis the other day. A 17 yr high school old sent a Tweet to Davis twitter and asked him if he ever did PEDS. Davis said the tweet caught his eye as he scrolled though all his tweets from fans and others and he took the time to tweet back to the kid. He explained he never did a PED, and does not like what it has done to baseball. I applaud him for answering the question and expressing his disdain for PEDS in baseball. That's the right type of honesty that is needed these days and to me, a good person and great player who "gets it".

As far as me being angry of PEDS- please... furthest thing from the truth. Disappointed it exists, sure, concerned about the examples it sets for the kids who watch the cheats, sure.... but angry, sorry that's not me.

[Outlaw]

The attorney who got Braun off on his failed test, David Cornwell, represents AROD now. Appears Arod was not the only one who was shaking in his boots when the 4 hr meeting with MLB ended Friday evening. I will go so far as to speculate they called Cornwell out on his cover story he provided for Braun on why Braun was linked to Biogen. It's probably safe to say that Braun has spent the better part of the last month trying to figure out how to survive his involvement with BioGen. If most or all of what is suspected is true about Braun, anyone would have to feel some compassion for him, especially since he now has a Family issue going on. If Braun has lied, he better consider all his options, as it appears picking a fight through an appeal may not be in his bests interests. IMO, MLB has so much hard eveidence on him and all these cheats, if it ever comes out, it will amaze people, fans and the clean players the depth of it all.

NY Daily News: This is what David Cornwell, formerly Braun’s attorney and now the representative for Francisco Cervelli and AROD, told USA Today last month about MLB’s investigation:

“The conduct of Major League Baseball with the Tony Bosch investigation is despicable, unethical and potentially illegal.”

Cornwell, from the start, has shown a love for the sound of his own voice that makes you think of the way people love their favorite pets. Or their children. He clearly sees himself as being some kind of big, powerful — and real loud — union leader down the road.

Baseball’s executive vice president, Rob Manfred, who is running the sport’s investigation of Bosch and Biogenesis, said this in response to Cornwell at the time:

“At the conclusion of this investigation we hope there will be a full airing of what we have learned about what Mr. Cornwell and his clients have done, so that the public can decide who has behaved despicably, unethically and illegally.”

[Outlaw]

Anyone know whether Braun will be back for this weekends games from his Family Emergency?

I'm hearing that MLB has evidence of Braun's PED use dating back to 2008 and has just as much, if not more on him, than Arod.

A-Rod, Braun punishments could be even worse than expected

NEW YORK – Forget 50- or 100-game suspensions. Major League Baseball could be in position to invoke the equivalent of the NCAA's “death penalty” against some players implicated in the Biogenesis scandal.
This is now very, very serious.

Until this week, everyone outside of the offices of MLB commissioner Bud Selig and players’ union chief Michael Weiner was under the impression the Biogenesis-tainted players would be subject to the same punishment rules as players who test positive for performance-enhancing drugs: 50-game suspension for first offense, 100 games for second offense and a lifetime ban for a third. We learned on Tuesday that just isn’t the case.

Weiner told a group of baseball writers that "non-analytical evidence" – that is, testimony and records – that certain players received PEDs from Tony Bosch, the founder of the Biogenesis anti-aging clinic in Miami, is not subject to 50/100/life scale.

Baseball’s “just cause” clause allows Selig to act in the best interest of the game in certain situations, and this would be one of those. That means suspensions are at Selig’s discretion, and suddenly 150 games, 250 games and lifetime bans are not out of the question.

“In theory, they could be suspended for five games or 500 games,” Weiner said. “We could then choose to challenge or not, but the commissioner's office is not bound by the 50/100/life scale.”

That could be bad news for players like Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, who are among several players who have been connected to Biogenesis. Weiner said he hopes the league and the MLBPA can work together to determine appropriate suspensions. Of course, the definition of “appropriate” is vastly different between the guys trying to catch drug cheats and the guys trying to get away with the cheating.

A player like Nelson Cruz, who never had a previous link to PEDs before Biogenesis, could face a suspension lighter than 50 games.

But for a guy like Rodriguez, who has a positive test on record and has admitted to using steroids in the past and refused to cooperate in his interview with MLB regarding this case, that could mean Selig would consider giving him a lifetime ban or something more than the 50 or 100 games the league has reportedly sought.

Ryan Braun is in the same boat. He has a positive test on record, although the suspension was thrown out on appeal, he chastised baseball for a flawed system as well as accusing his sample collector of malicious intent and vowed to cooperate with the investigation to clear his name. Once MLB came knocking to ask him questions, Braun clammed up and was uncooperative, according to reports.

That is plenty of reason for Selig to want to slam Braun or A-Rod with 100 games or more. However, the commissioner, speaking to the same BBWAA group Tuesday, promised there was no vendetta against certain players.

“I hear that this is about some kind of retribution or has something to do with my legacy,” Selig said before vaguely dousing the legitimacy of those claims as he went off on a different tangent.

Selig also wanted to squash any belief that MLB was the leak for any of the Biogenesis updates, leaks that Weiner, through a veil last week, accused MLB of putting out there. Weiner later released a statement saying he wasn’t directly accusing MLB, but his point was made.

“Nobody was more unhappy about the leaks than me,” Selig said. “I know this: The leaks did not come from us. I’m saddened by it, I don’t like it, but there’s nothing I can do about it because they aren’t coming from us.”

What will come from Selig is the decision on which players deserve bigger-than-expected suspensions, because this is a call that can be historic and groundbreaking. Selig speaks about the “enforcement” of the toughest drug-testing program of the four major sports, and this is his chance to give it fangs.

[Hells Satans]

07/16/13 Milwaukee Brewers activated LF Ryan Braun from the bereavement list.

[76erfan]

see ya braun. done for year. even released a statement saying he now realizes he made some mistakes

[Outlaw]

This thread should be closed. It is done and I wish Bruan the best in the future, everyone makes mistakes and this type of event, deserves a chance at redemption if that is what Bruan wants. I know if I was him, I would know What I would attempt to do and it would take effort and time.