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Maybe New York Yankees Alex Rodriquez respects Ryan Braun herpes

Posted by on 27 February 2012, 5:02 am
Ryan Braun

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Let me be clear by stating that Alex Rodriguez has never said anything about Ryan Braun’s failed drug test having to do with him taking medicine for herpes.

Of course A-rod wouldn’t because he knows better, as Derek Jeter would have failed way before Braun… right?

Kidding again. But now to the point, as this Braun saga is getting annoying but I wanted to weigh in my opinion.

So, there are three things that bothered me after I heard that Braun’s 50-game suspension got overturned last Thursday.

Quick Summary of the Braun Saga (for the readers who live in a cave):

Last Thursday the news broke that Milwaukee Brewers Ryan Braun had beat the system.

Braun’s urine tested positive for a banned substance last October, but he will not serve one day of the standard 50-game suspension given to first time offenders.

It marks the first time an arbitrator has ever reversed a player’s appeal of the embargo set by MLB for a drug testing violation.

Braun’s legal eagles had the 50-game suspension overturned due to a loophole found in MLB’s Drug Treatment and Prevention Program Policies.

His lawyers made the case that the samples were wrongly handled by the authorized CDT Sports Collector, aka the test’s collector, which insinuates that there was possible tampering.

In the MLB Collection Procedures and Testing Protocols, the policy states that the sample is supposed to get to FedEx as soon as possible. Read policy HERE, page 18.

In Braun’s case the collector said that FedEx was already closed so he kept the sample in his fridge overnight and sent it out when FedEx reopened.

And that is the grey area that has won Braun his freedom from suspension, but what about his test results?

1) Braun you talk too much:

Braun finally addressed the matter for the first time last Friday, which was one-day post-verdict, at the Brewers Spring Training facility in Arizona.

To me Braun’s words sounded scripted and angry. He went on and on as if he was persecuted and unjustly framed due to a “fatally flawed” testing system.

He disclosed that the test’s collector did not follow the guidelines set under MLB’s Collection Procedure; there was no mention to whether Braun did or didn’t juice, or if the test was tampered with. He beat the system, but why does this seem to only happen in MLB?

The long-winded explanation triggered that feeling when you know someone is lying because they’re talking too much about why it is not their fault and in the end they come-off looking guiltier.

2) So ultimately Braun’s defensive team won citing incorrect protocol but what about his test results changed?

The answer is nothing.

Maybe you will find comfort in knowing that MLB Commissioner’s Office ‘vehemently disagrees’ by the outcome, but personally I find that a little hard to believe. Continue reading ‘Maybe New York Yankees Alex Rodriquez respects Ryan Braun herpes’ »

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MLB: To Be Or Not To Be MVP Is Up To Ryan Braun

Posted by on 21 January 2012, 2:17 am
Ryan Braun

Tonight, Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun will be presented with the 2011 NL MVP Award at the Baseball Writers’ Association of America dinner in New York City and everyone is wondering what he will do.

That is because back in October, Braun failed a routine performance-enhancing drug test. The levels of testosterone found were said to be “insanely high,” and Braun has been adamantly refuting the test results to be true.

Back on November 22, 2011 the BBWAA announced Braun as the 2011 NL MVP Award recipient.

That same day, Braun went on the MLB Network to talk about how hard he works on being the best baseball player he can be; and he also thanked the Brewers, his teammates and the fans. He talked about his fondest personal memory, which was when he hit the home-run vs. the Florida Marlins that clinched the NL Central Division for Milwaukee. That was on September 24th and he failed the test only a week later.

According to the New York Daily News, Braun started the appeal process this past Thursday just two days before he is to be presented with the NL MVP Trophy.

Whether the appeals committee find Braun’s “highly unusual circumstances” relevant enough to overturn his pending 50-game suspension has said not to be decided prior to the Awards gala tonight.

The likelihood that the test results won’t be upheld and the suspension will be lifted is low because no player has yet to have an appeal overturned.

Regardless, for now Braun is left with a life-altering decision to make, to accept or decline the NL MVP honor.

The BBWAA has already stated that the NL MVP voting results stand no matter what happens.

So, this made me think what I would do if I were Braun? Continue reading ‘MLB: To Be Or Not To Be MVP Is Up To Ryan Braun’ »

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New York Yankees: Meeting CC Sabathia

Posted by on 13 December 2011, 10:58 am

Yesterday evening, thanks to the gracious PR queen Kathy Jacobson, I had the pleasure of attending a PitCCh In Foundationevent at the

Me & CC Sabathia at the MLB Fan Cave.

MLB Fan Cave, hosted by New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia and his wife Amber.

The Sabathia’s’ hosted 52 kids (hence CC dons #52) from the Columbus House clubhouse of the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club where they had dinner, mingled, took pictures and handed out iPods as presents.

Sabathia couldn’t have been more gracious a host, and let me just say that all Yankees should be very proud to have this man represent the pinstripes. Both Sabathia’s’ were so happy to be able to share not only gifts, but also themselves with these kids and it was wonderful to see.

Now, the press did ask the Yankee ace some baseball questions, and when asked if it was hard to end the 2011 season in Game 5 of the ALDS Sabathia had this response:

“It was for me. Winning the World Series the first year, losing the ALCS the second year and then being put out in the first round, really made me step back this offseason. You want to win. You want that parade. You want that at the end. It just made me really step back and look at some things that I could do better to help our team win.” Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Meeting CC Sabathia’ »

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New York Yankees: A Note To Brewers Fans

Posted by on 12 December 2011, 5:20 am
Ryan Braun

Image via Wikipedia

Dear Milwaukee Brewers Fans,

It is saddening when troubling news breaks about a player that you admire, like it did with your perennial Milwaukee favorite Brewer Ryan Braun.

I can safely speak for most New York Yankee fans in stating that things changed the day Alex Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs (performance-enhancing-drugs). Even though he was not playing for the Yankees at the time of the cheating, A-rod was wearing the uniform when he spoke about it.

What I am trying to say is that I understand the feelings of betrayal that you might be trying to mask now towards Braun.

My guess is that most Brewers fans are giving Braun the benefit of the doubt, as he claims his innocence and until all the facts are heard you will not judge him. Just be careful because even if Braun gets his pending 50-game suspension overturned, he still is not the same guy before this all came out.

Here are two reasons why Brewers fans cannot negate Braun after this:

1) Back when A-rod’s steroid scandal was front-page news during the 2008-2009 off-season, Braun had some wise-words for A-rod: “… The best thing he can do is come out, admit to everything and be completely honest, the situation will die a lot faster if he tells the whole truth.”

Okay, so why didn’t Braun follow his own advice?

Braun had known about the test results for weeks before accepting the 2011 NL MVP Award, so why did he not come forward and proclaim his innocence immediately?

That kind-of behavior is typical when someone is hiding something, or in total denial, as according to the Brewers, Braun had not informed the team either.

Look, Braun cannot change the fact that ESPN confirmed with the World Anti-Doping Agency that indeed he had failed a drug test for elevated levels of synthetic testosterone. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: A Note To Brewers Fans’ »

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MLB: Steroids Are Still Baseball’s Dirty Mistress

Posted by on 10 December 2011, 11:37 pm

When ESPN reported the news that 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun had tested positive for PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) it reminded me that baseball still had a dirty mistress.

Ryan Braun

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I knew back on January 11, 2010 that MLB commissioner Bud Selig might have spoken too soon about the end of the steroid era, when he told NY Time’s Mike Schmidt:

“The use of steroids and amphetamines amongst today’s players has greatly subsided and is virtually nonexistent, as our testing results have shown.”

That statement was right after slugger Mark McGuire omission, which sparked me to write an article naming PEDs Baseball’s Dirty Mistress. As Selig seem to be living in denial, when in essence he should have done more years ago.

For now, Braun is maintaining his innocence and plans on appealing the standard 50-game suspension through an arbitration hearing.

So, commenting too much further on the matter is somewhat unfair, as we haven’t heard the entire story yet.

The only fact that ESPN confirmed is that Braun took a urine test during the October playoffs, and was informed before the end of the month of his failed results. The test found elevated levels of testosterone that was later confirmed to not be of the natural kind, meaning that Braun did not produce the testosterone, and that it came from outside his body.

This means that MLB darn well knew they were handing the 2011 NL MVP Award to a player who had just failed a drug test; and in turn that player, Braun, felt no guilt accepting the season’s biggest honor.

Braun had this to say after he was announced the MVP winner:

“I’m not going to pretend like I wasn’t anxious or nervous because I was. I was obviously thrilled, excited. It’s honestly difficult to put into words how much this means to me.”

My question is how big an ego does this guy have? Continue reading ‘MLB: Steroids Are Still Baseball’s Dirty Mistress’ »

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MLB’s Collective Bargaining Agreement: 9 Changes You Will Want To Know

Posted by on 27 November 2011, 9:16 pm

In efforts to avoid what didn’t happen in 1994, as well as avoiding the path the NBA took, MLB and the MLB Players Association took the bull by the horns to avoid letting the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expire on December 11, 2011.

And that hard work has paid off, as MLB has a new (CBA) that lasts through 2016. This translates into nonstop play for the next 5 seasons, which makes it the longest agreement deal in history.

So, what changes in the new CBA would the everyday baseball fan want to know?

After reading about the new CBA, here are 9 points that a typical baseball fan might want to take note of:

 

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NL MVP To Ryan Braun Screw You Matt Kemp

Posted by on 23 November 2011, 12:07 am

The BBWAAvoters really screwed up this time.

Ryan Braun

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I mean the AL MVP debate was at least passable, but everybody knew who the NL MVP for the 2011 season was going to be.

It would seem that the BBWAA’s blunders are coming from letting their wishes interpret all duties by having an open mind.

It was Los Angeles Dodger Matt Kemp, but he came in second and not a close one either to Milwaukee Brewers Ryan Braun.

Let me make it clear, that Braun was undoubtedly worthy of being involved in the 2011 MVP discussions and right till the end too.

The problem is Kemp’s regular season numbers were undeniably atop of the NL; and it is a travesty he didn’t win the award.

Still, there is no reason to not give huge congratulations to Ryan Braun, who had a spectacular 2011 season in Milwaukee.

Here is the 2011 NL MVP voting results: Continue reading ‘NL MVP To Ryan Braun Screw You Matt Kemp’ »

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