Ryan Braun Named NL MVP

[radler]

i don't know what any of this is about but i do know who das texan is

[Beef]

Larry Beinberg
--------------------
Also, fun that we talk about how unfair it is that there are these biases in the media and then blindly throw out exactly who is biased based on religion.

[Miamarlin21]

Shit could get real:

ESPN.com reports that MLB is considering suing in federal court to reverse baseball arbitrator Shyam Das' decision to overturn Ryan Braun's 50-game suspension.
MLB is on record as "vehemently disagreeing" with Das' decision and evidently is weighing the possibility of taking a big step to get their original ruling upheld. Before taking such action, though, they'll reportedly wait until Das issues his written report within the next week or so and their lawyers have had a chance to review it. Braun's case was the first time a player successfully challenged a drug-related penalty in a grievance.

[Swifty]

Larry Beinberg
--------------------
Also, fun that we talk about how unfair it is that there are these biases in the media and then blindly throw out exactly who is biased based on religion.

You're silly if you don't think that's a big part of it.
--------------------
Also, LOL at Braun "I won't discuss this process" bookending a detailed discussion of the process.

I mean it, I've gone from being completely indifferent to this guy to flat out hating him.

[MiamiHomer]

SB Nation @sbnation

Ryan Braun speaking to the media, says he's never had an STD, says MLB testing system was "fatally flawed."

Jerry Crasnick @jcrasnick

Braun says he is considering "all my legal options." #Brewers

...

[Madman81]

You now have a player whose entire contest was not on the discovered substance, but on the protocol used to protect the tested specimen. Think about that for a second; Ryan Braun all but conceded that synthetic testosterone was in his body, he just contested how his urine was shipped to the lab. Absolutely unreal, and beyond infuriating (to me) that people are championing him for restoring his good name.

The collector spiked Braun's sample with something, duh. Same way the police frame everyone for everything ever.

[Mainge]

Braun is alleging other Brewers took the test with that collector that day right after him. My question is, unless he believes his sample was directly tampered with, why did the collectors mishandling of the samples only cause Brauns' false positive and not the other players as well?

[MiamiHomer]

If you thought the Ryan Braun PED case was over, think again. As Berra infamously said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” We’re not there yet. Not even close.

As reported yesterday, Braun won an appeal that overturned a 50 game suspension for elevated levels of testosterone in his system. The T/E ratio was off the scale and later found to be synthetic. Baseball had gone 12-0 on appeals. This morning, they’re 12-1.

Braun may have had an arguable reason for his T/E levels being so high. Maybe an explanation as to why the testosterone was synthetic. What his lawyers smartly did was argue that the chain of custody of his urine sample was broken.

The Joint Drug Agreement (JDA) -- the drug policy that was jointly reached between the players and league -- has extremely details steps on how samples are to be collected from the players. There is no ambiguity within it. Or, that was thought to be the case on baseball’s side, and one where Braun found safe haven in this simple aspect of the protocol.

The JDA (which can be viewed in its entirety here), reads in part on page 37, “Absent unusual circumstances, the specimens should be sent by FedEx to the Laboratory on the same day they are collected.”

The problem was, the Collector of the sample thought FedEx didn’t deliver on Saturday when FedEx does provide service. At this crucial point, Braun’s lawyers had their case. Still, the JDA continues on page 39:

If the specimen is not immediately prepared for shipment, the Collector shall ensure that it is appropriately safeguarded during temporary storage.

1. The Collector must keep the chain of custody intact.

2. The Collector must store the samples in a cool and secure location.

Remember, the protocol was broken the second the Collector had the opportunity to send “by FedEx to the Laboratory on the same day.” There has been swirling reports that the urine sample was stored in the Collector’s refrigerator, or possibly his basement leading to whether the sample’s integrity was compromised by not being “cool”. In a sense, it’s academic. Simply put, the case fell apart by not delivering on the same day that it could have been.

So, where does this leave us? Is the case over and done with? No.

For one, MLB is looking to immediately address the protocol language in the JDA that they see as a “loophole” that allowed Braun to get the favorable ruling. The reason for the immediate change is due to good reason as players are actively being tested. Having the custody-chain issue bite them again is something they look to avoid.

And while it’s too early to speculate, MLB could appeal to a Federal court to have Das’ ruling overturned. Whether that comes off as sour grapes is a matter of opinion. But, the reason for baseball being so “vehemently opposed”, as Rob Manfred put it, to the Das ruling is that the Braun case was going to be the poster child for Bud Selig to say how impartial the drug policy really is. Not only does it not play favors with star players, it could go after the NL MVP from the club (the Brewers) that Selig once owned.

And, what about who leaked the positive test to ESPN? What is going on with any investigation?

Some have speculated that because of the high profile, and aforementioned awards and association with the Brewers, that the league must have leaked Braun’s positive test to the media. At this point, there is no investigation by MLB because they were not the one aggrieved. The MLBPA could file a grievance if they thought the leak came from the league to force an investigation, but they have not done so, and currently do not have any plans to. That seems to say that the MLBPA doesn’t see the league as being the source of the leak.

It’s not a given, but the possibility that the newly reached Basic Agreement between the players and the league could be available to the public in PDF by the beginning of the season. The JDA is part of that. It’s not out of the question to think that the custody-chain aspect of it could be addressed in the wake of the Braun ruling by then, or that an amendment to the JDA could come shortly thereafter. Going forward, the back story will be whether MLB appeals the case, and if the source of the leak surfaces.

All of this doesn’t speak to Braun. His story is already part of a press conference today, and continued stories in the baseball media about whether he did or didn’t juice. As it was said yesterday, that’s a topic that should have never seen the light of day. It’s here. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle. The fallout, however, has broad-reaching implications that will impact MLB’s drug policy for years. It’s not the end of the world for the policy. It’s just a weakness in it that got tested. You can bet, baseball is doing everything it can to ensure that doesn’t happen again.

If You Thought the Ryan Braun PED Case Was Over, Think Again

[Beef]

You're silly if you don't think that's a big part of it.

I'm silly if I don't think that's a big part of it? Perhaps, since we're talking about bias and the like, your comments show your bias or anti-semitism? I think Bobbob wants you to provide links to prove how you know that was a big part of it. I know the thing to do is to pretend we know what everyone is thinking but to only consider certain circumstances and then to act like super Mr. Fair Guy and that it's just not fair that the media is out to get the black guy.

Are you suggesting that the journalists who are jewish and said they had good information were just lying about that information and happened to be lucky to be right in the end and it was quite a coincidence that this was the first time this has ever happened after they suggested that there was credible information that it could happen? Or are you suggesting that they would not have believed information that they got from sources that they have been able to confirm over time are credible if this same situation happened with a non-Jewish player?

If we're so busy being Mr. Everyone Other than Me is Biased guys, should'nt we also consider that the guy who had the sample that passed by multiple FedEx branches could have had himself a bias and chose to tamper with Braun's sample?

I have no confidence that Braun didn't use something illegal. There are a shitload of questions regarding the science behind it and other shit about the process that I don't have an answer to.

These guys have been doing this for a long time and they have sources that they can confirm over many years tend to be credible. I think it's far more silly to call someone silly for thinking that all of a sudden, in one situation, because there is a Jewish fella involved, these guys took sides because of religion. I actually think it's fucking stupid as shit to tell me that it's silly and a big part of the whole thing.

[Miamarlin21]

Do we know how he found out that the sample wasn't taken directly to Fed Ex?

[MiamiHomer]

Do we know how he found out that the sample wasn't taken directly to Fed Ex?

I'm sure that type of stuff is documented.

[Mainge]

Do we know how he found out that the sample wasn't taken directly to Fed Ex?

I'm assuming it'd be easy to find out from Fed Ex when they received the sample.

[Swifty]

Beef are you saying there isn't bias? You want a link to what people are thinking?

https://twitter.com/#!/JonHeymanCBS

[Omar]

What Braun said today made it sound like a little bit more than just a getting off measure

[Beef]

Beef are you saying there isn't bias? You want a link to what people are thinking?

https://twitter.com/#!/JonHeymanCBS

:-O

Did you just send me to twitter?

Not sure what this could possibly prove....?!?!?!!??!

Have you met twitter?

Do you know who tweets people on twitter?

I won't even click on it, but my guess is that it shows that the general public isn't just sucking on the tits of the whitefaced superstar.