Ryan Braun

[DOUGHBOYS]

Ryan Braun tested positive.
Four words.
Those four words have initiated vile from baseball fans to web sites and letters to editors across the U.S.
We are a see-it-react-to-it society.
Knee jerk makes us a jerk.
If a test registers him guilty then he must be guilty.

Braun didn't take anything in hopes of improving his strength or hitting ability.
It just doesn't make sense.
The test was at the end of the playing year. Braun had already played not only an MVP type year, but an MVP year, period.
His contract runs, with deferred money, till at least the 2020's.

The 'testosterone levels off the charts' readings should be a signal that something is amiss.
Braun, being so unbelieving of the test as to ask for another immediate test is more credible than mere denials afterwards.
Anybody can deny after a positive test. It's been done time and time again by Bonds, Sosa, Palmeiro, etc. That's the easy part for someone who is accused. And we're used to that.
None of those players asked for another test.
Instead, they hid behind their union and expensive lawyers.

No player has ever won their appeal.
The tests have been upheld and have a 13-0 record.
So were the Green Bay Packers last week.
Past performance doesn't always reflect future outcomes. As fantasy baseball players we know that.
We also know if something doesn't make sense, that it's probably not true.

To put my money where my mouth is, I drafted Ryan Braun in the second round of a draft littered with NFBC'ers that is in progress right now.
Have I had any signs of buyers remorse since?
No.
What I do wonder is how MLB will spin the test once Braun is exonerated.
How can we trust their results again?

[DOUGHBOYS]

In the most mature possible way....

Nah-ner nah-ner nah-ner!

Now MLB, about this Joe Jackson thing....

[DOUGHBOYS]

Ok, it's official.
2012 is the 'No love for Ryan Braun' year.
Already, since Braun has won his appeal, there are detractors.
'Maybe Braun has been juicing since the beginning and will stop now and be horrible'
'Without Prince, Braun won't be Braun'
'The distractions will be too much for him'

In which to ALL, I say BUNK!
Braun is a hitter. Simple as that. He's gonna hit and he's gonna run and be fantasy gold again.
To those that say Fielder leaving will make a big difference- One question-
Who hit behind Matt Kemp last year?
James Loney was the Dodgers next 'big' rbi guy with 65.
And when Kemp was pitched around, he stole second base.
Same thing for Braun this year.
Braun has had a self-imposed stop sign with Fielder up, now those inhibitions are gone.
He'll run if only to keep Aramis Ramirez from grounding into double plays.
A few less rbi, a few more stolen bases. Most players will take that trade off.

When making any decision in fantasy baseball, especially when it comes to the first round, it all boils down to one thing.
Can he hit? And in the first round, it's can he hit any pitcher and run too?
Braun can hit. Braun can run.
There is a positive spin on the drug thing. Now, Braun will be playing with a huge Dorito, er, chip on his shoulder.
Maybe he can be focused all year like he was vs. the Diamondbacks.
If so, the talk of PED's fades and talk of back to back MVP's replaces it.

[cugjp1]

PED use is possible, we need to ask Ryan what he did to get caught. Baseball doesn't like to talk about the process of testing with the public because it is pretty easy to see how it could be manipulated. Suppose baseball only tested after games, suppose I new my schedule(night game day game etc...). I take PED is correct amount and other items that hide ped use in the correct amounts according to a schedule and I can never get caught unless something strange happens. So I am asking, can someone explain in great detail how the testing takes place otherwise we are really just guessing. Sounds to me like he got off on a technicality, Fedex was closed, so the sample was alone for a period of time. So I can understand how someone might break into this testers house(because he new that Fedex was closed), tampered with the sample(but made it look like he didn't). LOL I think it was Aramis, no one else had anything to gain.

[DOUGHBOYS]

The FedEx thing gives folks ammunition to be sure, but the arbitrator hasn't stated the deciding factor.
It doesn't matter now.
If innocent, it's still a shame because this will follow him the rest of his career.
If guilty, he got away with it.
The only one that will EVER know is Ryan Braun, unless he writes a tell all book.
I don't care about all that now.
It's done.
Now, I'm more concerned where to take him in Main Event drafts.

[Money]

The FedEx thing gives folks ammunition to be sure, but the arbitrator hasn't stated the deciding factor.
It doesn't matter now.
If innocent, it's still a shame because this will follow him the rest of his career.
If guilty, he got away with it.
The only one that will EVER know is Ryan Braun, unless he writes a tell all book.
I don't care about all that now.
It's done.
Now, I'm more concerned where to take him in Main Event drafts.

Come on, he got off on a technicality. MLB is pissed. This is as bad as "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit"

The guy got away with it so far. I'm not touching him in drafts. Maybe if he falls to 5th pick

[bjoak]

May I ask who you paired up with Braun in your draft? That is a pretty excellent score.

[DOUGHBOYS]

May I ask who you paired up with Braun in your draft? That is a pretty excellent score.

Tulowitzki.
I know of others (hi Jim) who paired Kemp with him.
You're right, excellent score.

[Money]

May I ask who you paired up with Braun in your draft? That is a pretty excellent score.

Tulowitzki.
I know of others (hi Jim) who paired Kemp with him.
You're right, excellent score.

I think the jury is still out on how great the score will be. Assuming he was on the stuff, there is a mental and physical price to be paid. This price will come in the form of reduced stats.

Unfortuantely the scrutiny and questions will be relentless, this will take a toll. I think he was on it, but would rather it went away now that the fianl repercussions have been addressed. Let baseball players concentrate on baseball and fans root for those deemed talented and worthy enough to play.

I also think that players for ahwile have used masking agents to a great deal of success. The preverbail cat and mouse game with the scientists. We still don't know all (100 and some) names that were on the original list. Why did Arod's name get leaked and no one elses off of that list? That list would shock a lot fans in my opinion.

[DOUGHBOYS]

It's a worthy discussion.
I believe that all the steroid players that are worthy by what they did on the field will get into the Hall of Fame.
Especially if those 100 names are released after some have been elected to the Hall of Fame.
Ivan Rodriguez is Hall of Fame worthy. He also will not answer 'no' to whether he took PED's. Instead, taking the "God only knows" route. No Ivan, YOU know too!
A player like him will be voted into the Hall and later, those 100 names will be released or that player will write a tell all book.
After that one player is in, it'll be acceptable to let others who are known offenders in to the Hall as well.
Just my reckoning...

On Braun, MLB says that a report is due next week from the arbitrator with the independent vote.
I'm wondering if that'll be made public.
I've heard all the noise as to why he may have exonerated Braun, all of that is speculation.
I'd like to hear it from the man himself.

[bjoak]

May I ask who you paired up with Braun in your draft? That is a pretty excellent score.

Tulowitzki.
I know of others (hi Jim) who paired Kemp with him.
You're right, excellent score.

I think the jury is still out on how great the score will be. Assuming he was on the stuff, there is a mental and physical price to be paid. This price will come in the form of reduced stats.

I hope I have 14 guys in my draft who share this opinion.

[ToddZ]

Just want to clarify something, because I am more of a Chemist geek than baseball geek.

The TESTOSTERONE alone was not high, the RATIO of synthetic to natural was. He was not suspended due to the amount, but the ratio. A K:BB of 9:3 is not the same as 3:1, it is sort of the same thing here.

The synthetic and natural have the exact same chemical composition. The difference is natural has more Carbon-13 (think carbon dating).

So what is really being measured is the ratio of C-13.

The comments in this piece explain why these results could be high, or at minimum, why there is reasonable doubt with respect to their accuracy.

http://itsaboutthemoney.net/archives/20 ... -it-right/