Dissecting Ryan Braun's Statement

Tweet

As an independent sports writer, it is very crucial to have your ducks in a row when it comes to what you report. It's also important to trust the words that come out of someone's mouth before you use them as facts. I've learned that the hard way a few times. So, when put into a position like many fans were in February 2012, we either had to believe the star of the Milwaukee Brewers after winning his appeal or we had to totally throw the arbitrator's decision out the window and not believe our face of the franchise and reigning MVP winner. You see? The only acceptable option at the time was to believe Braun. Because if we didn't, many would question things like dedication to the team, city, etc. Now, I know I can believe what I want regardless of popular decision, but as a writer it puts us in a tricky situation.

Well, we all should have taken the latter.

We stuck our necks out for Ryan Braun for a year and a half and it all turned out to be a lie. Ryan Braun's press conference was as phony as a three dollar bill.

Before I jump into depicting this statement apart, let me shed light on a few things.

• Even if Ryan Braun's statement was a live press conference, he would still be accused of orchestrating it. Either way, he's in a bad situation. Media would destroy him either way.
• This statement from him is about 950 words long, but it doesn't say much. There are a few key points I will touch on.

Ryan Braun's statement:

Now that the initial MLB investigation is over, I want to apologize for my actions and provide a more specific account of what I did and why I deserved to be suspended.  I have no one to blame but myself. I know that over the last year and a half I made some serious mistakes, both in the information I failed to share during my arbitration hearing and the comments I made to the press afterwards. 

I have disappointed the people closest to me – the ones who fought for me because they truly believed me all along. I kept the truth from everyone.  For a long time, I was in denial and convinced myself that I had not done anything wrong. 

It is important that people understand that I did not share details of what happened with anyone until recently. My family, my teammates, the Brewers organization, my friends, agents, and advisors had no knowledge of these facts, and no one should be blamed but me. Those who put their necks out for me have been embarrassed by my behavior. I don’t have the words to express how sorry I am for that.

I'll make my first remarks here. It's truly striking that Braun didn't tell anyone the truth from the get-go. Which raises the question: Who did he talk to when consulting about what PEDs to take and how much? Anthony Bosch is somebody. So he knew. But then again if you tell one person, sooner or later everyone will know. The only way to protect his lie is to not tell a soul. And obviously, Bosch wasn't going to spill the beans. Moving on.

Here is what happened.  During the latter part of the 2011 season, I was dealing with a nagging injury and I turned to products for a short period of time that I shouldn’t have used. The products were a cream and a lozenge which I was told could help expedite my rehabilitation.  It was a huge mistake for which I am deeply ashamed and I compounded the situation by not admitting my mistakes immediately.

Here's something interesting. As many suspected, he claims he took the PEDs to help nurse his calf injury during the 2011 season. What Braun doesn't mention is previous points of use, most specifically the alleged use at the University of Miami as well as turning up on documents from Biogenesis from March and April of 2012. Ryan Braun would be foolish to not tell the full truth after everything that has happened. He'd be even more foolish to lie about anything in this statement. I really can't give an educated opinion on either because I didn't see what Braun did at Miami and I can't confirm or deny Braun actually used Bosch as a consultant during his arbitration process. But, as the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Hoping he isn't holding anything back that will turn up later.

I deeply regret many of the things I said at the press conference after the arbitrator’s decision in February 2012. At that time, I still didn’t want to believe that I had used a banned substance. I think a combination of feeling self righteous and having a lot of unjustified anger led me to react the way I did. I felt wronged and attacked, but looking back now, I was the one who was wrong.  I am beyond embarrassed that I said what I thought I needed to say to defend my clouded vision of reality.  I am just starting the process of trying to understand why I responded the way I did, which I continue to regret. There is no excuse for any of this. 

For too long during this process, I convinced myself that I had not done anything wrong. After my interview with MLB in late June of this year, I came to the realization that it was time to come to grips with the truth. I was never presented with baseball’s evidence against me, but I didn’t need to be, because I knew what I had done.  I realized the magnitude of my poor decisions and finally focused on dealing with the realities of-and the punishment for-my actions.

This is by far the strangest part of his statement. I find it very hard to believe that he just magically realized what he had done was wrong and decided to accept the suspension without MLB presenting evidence to him. I don't see any other way other than MLB sitting Braun down, giving him a power point presentation on everything they had against him, Braun coming to the realization there was no way out, and knew he had to accept the suspension.

I requested a second meeting with Baseball to acknowledge my violation of the drug policy and to engage in discussions about appropriate punishment for my actions. By coming forward when I did and waiving my right to appeal any sanctions that were going to be imposed, I knew I was making the correct decision and taking the first step in the right direction. It was important to me to begin my suspension immediately to minimize the burden on everyone I had so negatively affected- my teammates, the entire Brewers organization, the fans and all of MLB. There has been plenty of rumor and speculation about my situation, and I am aware that my admission may result in additional attacks and accusations from others. 

It's unfortunate it took Braun this long to "know he was making the correct decision". Also, little jab at media with "plenty of rumor and speculation" comment? Maybe.

I love the great game of baseball and I am very sorry for any damage done to the game. I have privately expressed my apologies to Commissioner Selig and Rob Manfred of MLB and to Michael Weiner and his staff at the Players’ Association. I’m very grateful for the support I’ve received from them. I sincerely apologize to everybody involved in the arbitration process, including the collector, Dino Laurenzi, Jr. I feel terrible that I put my teammates in a position where they were asked some very difficult and uncomfortable questions. One of my primary goals is to make amends with them.

I'm not sure how much "support" Braun has from Selig, but whatever. And, even though Braun took PEDs and his test was positive, Dino still didn't do his job right. It doesn't matter how much more wrong Ryan Braun was lying, Laurenzi still didn't follow protocol when handling the specimen.

I understand it’s a blessing and a tremendous honor to play this game at the Major League level. I also understand the intensity of the disappointment from teammates, fans, and other players.  When it comes to both my actions and my words, I made some very serious mistakes and I can only ask for the forgiveness of everyone I let down.  I will never make the same errors again and  I intend to share the lessons I learned with others so they don’t repeat my mistakes. Moving forward, I want to be part of the solution and no longer part of the problem.

If this is truly how he feels, then I do believe he is taking a step in the right direction. I suggested this in an article last week as one of the things he could do to start making amends.

I support baseball’s Joint Drug Treatment and Prevention Program and the importance of cleaning up the game.  What I did goes against everything I have always valued- achieving through hard work and dedication, and being honest both on and off the field.  I also understand that I will now have to work very, very hard to begin to earn back people’s trust and support. I am dedicated to making amends and to earning back the trust of my teammates, the fans, the entire Brewers’ organization, my sponsors, advisors and from MLB. I am hopeful that I can earn back the trust from those who I have disappointed and those who are willing to give me the opportunity.  I am deeply sorry for my actions, and I apologize to everyone who has been adversely affected by them.

Overall I think he said everything that he needed to say. I know a lot of people are disappointed that he didn't say everything they wanted him to say. I believe him. Like I said before, he'd be insane to lie again. And, if he truly only took performance enhancing drugs in the 2011 season to help heal an injury and for no other reason, then what's to say he's no different than Andy Pettitte, Everth Cabrera and Nelson Cruz? Pettitte denied it just like Braun, but then admitted it when he couldn't lie anymore.

Feds in Miami calling witnesses to grand jury in investigation of Biogenesis. No way Braun's lawyers let him issue statement with untruths.
— Wendy Thurm (@hangingsliders) August 23, 2013

This isn't the one and only time Braun will talk about this in the future I'm sure. We will all find out more as time goes on. But, there wasn't anything that Braun could have said in his statement that would have garnered him one-hundred percent forgiveness. Not even remotely close.

His decisions were extremely poor. But, if what he claims is true, he was basically trying his hardest to win the Brewers a World Series. Although it was selfish, he essentially did it to help the team. Sometimes you can care too much and it can get the best of you.

It did for Ryan Braun.

Until next time, Beer, Brats, and Championships.

- Andrew Vrchota (@AndrewVrchota)

Follow us on Twitter (@WISportsBlog) for up to date news on the Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks, and Golden Eagles. We feature live, in-game commentary, breaking news, previews and post game discussions. Follow the entire Wisconsin Sports Blog writing team on Twitter: @AndrewVrchota, @jheldred, @JoeP_Norton, @SMahon2Go, @olewr7, @Stevie2Westside, @TABrown23, and @10iskristin.

Ryan Braun to Speak Monday

Tuesday August 20th: Joey Votto and Troy Tulowitzki have both come out and confirmed that they had never either received calls from Ryan Braun nor have they heard him suggest that Dino Laurenzi Jr. is anti-Semite or a biased Cubs fan.

In other words, ESPN jumps the gun yet again. And, Jeff Passan and his "four sources" are still a morons.

If you want a really good inside look at what a defamation case is, read this article over on the Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball blog. 

Monday August 19th: According to sources of Buster Olney and others, Ryan Braun called veteran players (Joey Votto, Matt Kemp, and Troy Tulowitzki) privately at that time of his appeal for their support. Braun told other players that in the preparation for his appeal, information had surfaced about the collector of his urine sample, Dino Laurenzi Jr., that he was a Cubs fan. He tried to imply that Dino might work against him, who played for a division rival of the Chicago Cubs.

Ryan Braun, who is Jewish, also told these select players that he had been told the collector was an anti-Semite.

The sources indicate that when Ryan made his pleas for support to the players, he did so in anticipation of the probability that he would lose his appeal and be suspended. Instead, Braun became the first player to win an appeal.

Braun is set to speak soon, even as early as today.


Friday August 16th: Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting, along with ESPN, that Ryan Braun will speak publicly on Monday for the first time since being given his 65-game suspension. He will admit to PED use and why he did it, admit to his lies in 2011, admit guilt, and will apologize to Bud Selig, the sample collector Dino Laurenzi Jr., the Milwaukee Brewers organization, the players, and to the thousands of fans like you and I.

Embattled Ryan Braun, distancing himself from A-Rod, plans to soon apologize and admit to the use of PEDs in 2011. http://t.co/eN52btAh73
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 17, 2013

I've stayed rather quiet about all of this Braun stuff since the suspension was handed out. I'm not sure why, but I think it has to do with the fact that my level of disappointment was so high that I honestly couldn't even put my thoughts into word on the keyboard. But, with the light seemingly at the end of the tunnel with Ryan Braun being set to speak, I think it's time to finally write about. 

If there is one shining light in all of this, it's that Braun is taking a different path than Alex Rodriguez, who continues to dig himself into a deeper and deeper hole.

Now granted, if he wouldn't have taken the PEDs in the first place, he wouldn't be in this predicament. But that's neither here nor there. The deed is done There's nothing he can do now but ask for forgiveness.

But, how believable will he be? What should we believe? What will we believe? I know a lot of people, in their own right, won't believe anything he says and will have the "too little, too late" reaction. And that's fine and expected. But here's how I think Braun should handle himself to get himself on the right track again. Braun has a long road ahead of him as he will be playing baseball for a very long time after this is all over.

First of all, as odd as this may sound, he needs to make the truth sound even more believable than the lies he told in Spring Training 2011. He needs to get into detail. He needs to touch on the who, what, where, when, and why. It needs to be the full truth as well. Pre-2011 use, if there was. He needs to address the Ralph Sasson lawsuit. He needs to address every single thing that is surrounding him in this situation.

He then needs to apologize. I'm not going to go over the list of everyone he needs to say sorry to. We all know who it is. He's going to be sincere about these apologies. But it will need to be because he did wrong and not because he got caught. He's already started to call teammates and coaches (Jonathan Lucroy and Ron Roenicke) as well as major league officials to personally apologize. Most importantly, he needs to directly apologize to Doug Melvin, Mark Attanasio, his parents, his teammates and the fans. For me personally, I could care less about who else he apologizes to after that. Aaron Rodgers isn't important. That's a personal issue that can be addressed elsewhere. I'm sure he'll apologize to Bud Selig and Dino Laurenzi Jr., which I understand.

Ryan Braun's apology tour has begun. Besides his chat with Roenicke today, Braun called Jonathan Lucroy. Likely other teammates, too.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) August 17, 2013

After the apologies are handed out, Braun could really take a step in the right direction by doing something that I don't think many expect to happen. I think it would be wise from Braun to close everything after the apologies and say "What can I do to fix this?". If that means public speaking regarding drugs, attending charity events, etc., so be it. Returning the MVP award from 2011, do it. Whatever it takes. He's got to start somewhere. But, just like his apology, his actions have to be sincere and not because he was caught. If he truly wants to go in the other direction than Alex Rodriguez, this is what he needs to do.

Until next time, Beer, Brats, and Championships.

- Andrew Vrchota (@AndrewVrchota)

Follow us on Twitter (@WISportsBlog) for up to date news on the Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks, and Golden Eagles. We feature live, in-game commentary, breaking news, previews and post game discussions. Follow the entire Wisconsin Sports Blog writing team on Twitter: @AndrewVrchota, @jheldred, @JoeP_Norton, @SMahon2Go, @olewr7, @Stevie2Westside, @TABrown23, and @10iskristin.

An Attempt at Sorting Through the Ryan Braun News

If you’re one of those Brewers fans who truly “doesn’t care one way or another” about this whole Braun situation, then I envy you – I’m still trying to sort through all of my thoughts and feelings on the situation. This whole time, I have been one of the Braun supporters who would have stuck with him to the end had he continued to insist that he had never taken PEDs. I don’t know if it was blind optimism, or if I truly believed that he didn’t do it (probably the former), but I could never bring myself to accept or even think about the possibility that he had intentionally taken a banned substance. Now I am no longer able to reside in this place of denial, and I have to move on and accept the fact that my all-time favorite Brewer is now suspended for the rest of the season and will have to deal with this for the rest of his career. I usually try not to let myself become emotionally invested with any aspect of sports, but the Brewers (and certain players) always have had and always will have a special place in my heart, so this one stings. I do wish he would have told the truth to begin with, but he didn’t, so there’s no use in dwelling on the past and wishing things are different.

65 games is the suspension for Braun. Technically, the ‘rest of the season’ was the official suspension, but 65 games is what that equates to. Given that this season is a lost cause (and has pretty much been so ever since spring training began), this could end up helping the Brewers in the long run. Braun can rest and allow his thumb to heal. The Brewers can allow younger players (such as Schafer, Gindl, and Davis) to have some playing time in the outfield and assess their future potential as major leaguers. The Brewers certainly lose a lot on offense without Braun in the lineup, and less runs scored usually means more losses. More losses means a higher draft pick. Still, none of these things don’t make me feel any better about the suspension. At least not right now.

It also doesn’t help that all of the national baseball writers seem to take pleasure in taking direct shots at Brewers fans. Questioning how we could possibly cheer for Braun to succeed in the future while playing for the Brewers is just ridiculous. Of course I’m going to cheer for him; I want my team to do well. What do you expect me to do, hope he fails in every single situation so I can watch yet another disappointing season? No thanks. On second though, I guess I will root for him to fail because he did take PEDs and is now the evilest person ever in the history of baseball. I’m also going to find a list of all of the current major league players that have been suspended in the past for failing drugs tests and make sure to root against them on a daily basis. I also vow to track down every DUI ever issued to an MLB player and start cheering for them to fail, too. Man, this is going to take a lot of work. But, why stop there? I think I’ll also find the names of all of the players who have ever had a domestic assault charged to their name. I’m also going to hold a personal vendetta against anyone in the majors who was ever arrested for possession of any other illegal drug. I mean, that’s a possible jail-worthy offense! Oh boy, I’m probably going to need to take a full week off of work in order to find all of these names, but I’m dedicated to doing it, because it’s the “right thing to do.” Or something like that.

Ron Roenicke says that if Union, MLB, legal ramifications allow, Ryan Braun should come forward with an explanation.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) July 23, 2013

So, what happens from here? Well, a lot of people are calling for a public apology by Braun to all of Brewers fans. I think this is something that would make some people feel better, but I could care less if he apologizes to us. Who knows at this point if it would just be empty words, or if he truly means whatever he says. At this point, all I want from him is to come back in 2014 and play like a ballplayer trying to get his team back to the playoffs. While I may no longer view him in the same light that I did before all of this happened, he is still a huge part of my baseball team, and I love my baseball team. There have been past Brewers players who I didn’t particularly admire off the field, but I cheered for them during games because they were an important part of my favorite ball club. Regardless of how I feel about Braun as a person, I will continue to cheer for him and hope he puts up career numbers because that is what is in the best interest of my ball club. I will continue to buy tickets to see the Brewers play this year and every year from here on out. I will support my team no matter what and there’s nothing anybody can say to me that will ever change that.

Until next time, Beer, Brats, and Championships.

- Kristin Zenz (@10iskristin)

Follow us on Twitter (@WISportsBlog) for up to date news on the Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks, and Golden Eagles. We feature live, in-game commentary, breaking news, previews and post game discussions. Follow the entire Wisconsin Sports Blog writing team on Twitter: @AndrewVrchota, @jheldred, @JoeP_Norton, @SMahon2Go, @olewr7, @Stevie2Westside, @Mik3_Schu, and @10iskristin.

Bunt to Lose Podcast: Episode 2 Recap

Andrew Vrchota and Curt Hogg discuss the latest on the Biogenesis Scandal involving Major League Baseball and it’s players. With them they have Adam Rygg, writer for the Brewer Nation blog on MLBlogs.com. They go over the credibility of Anthony Bosch, the clinic’s creator. They debate the integrity of Major League Baseball in this whole mess. They finish with the future of the game – where do they go from here on out? Also, at the end of the episode Andrew has a special announcement for the listeners.

Follow us on Twitter: @BuntToLose, @AlecDopp, @YouAStupidHogg, @AndrewVrchota

Read our blogs here:
Alec Dopp – http://BrewCrewBall.com/
Curt Hogg – http://reviewingthebrew.com/
Andrew Vrchota – http://wisportsblog.blogspot.com/

Hosted By: Alec Dopp, Curt Hogg, and Andrew Vrchota

Click here to listen to Episode 2: http://thesportsstuff.com/bunt-to-lose-ep2biogenesis-scandal/

Until next time, Beers, Brats, and Championships.

- Andrew Vrchota (@AndrewVrchota)

Follow us on Twitter (@WISportsBlog) for up to date news on the Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks, and Golden Eagles. We feature live, in-game commentary, breaking news, previews and post game discussions. Follow the entire Wisconsin Sports Blog writing team on Twitter: @AndrewVrchota, @jheldred, @JoeP_Norton, @SMahon2Go, @olewr7, @Stevie2Westside, and @Mik3_Schu.

Braun, A-Rod and 18 Others Could be Suspended by MLB in Connection to Biogenesis Clinic

UPDATE (6/19 at 10:58am) - Suspensions are likely in Biogenesis case.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports has reported that people who have spoken with MLB investigators feel that it is likely that a few suspensions will be issued.

Major League Baseball has started interviewing players connected to the Biogenesis scandal. Alex Rodriguez or Ryan Braun have yet to be interviewed by the MLB because the league considers them "primary targets" and wants to be sure that they compile enough evidence against the pair before conducting the interviews.

Document recovered from the Biogenesis clinic with Alex
Rodriguez's name that indicate he was a client.

Jon Heyman also reports that the MLB will claim the Joint Drug Agreement legally allows them to issue suspensions prior to the appeals process, because the names involved have already been leaked. This would obviously be a large point of contention for the MLB Players Association, who will argue that suspensions cannot be issued or announced until a player has had the opportunity to appeal.

MLB is also interviewing Porter Fischer, the former Biogenesis employee who is responsible for leaking Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch's notebooks and records to the Miami New Times. MLB has reportedly interviewed Fischer three times now in an attempt to stockpile evidence. Heyman reminds that there are varying degrees of mentions in Fischer's documents; for example, Rodriguez's name allegedly appears alongside mentions of specific PEDs, while Braun's name only appears next to dollar amounts.

I guess the part that sticks out to me is the whole Porter Fischer mess that I linked in the paragraph above. To paraphrase what happened, Porter Fischer took records from Biogenesis after the clinic's owner, Tony Bosch, failed to repay him $4,000. MLB tried to buy records for $15,000. Many of the records have gone missing after they were stolen from Porter's car. Porter is getting death threats.

"The people running Major League Baseball are the biggest scumbags on Earth as far as I'm concerned. At this point, every bad guy out there knows exactly who I am. Why shouldn't everyone else know the story too?"

                                                                                                             - Porter Fischer


UPDATE (6/6 at 12:18am): Here is a statement from Alex Rodriguez on Biogenesis investigation:

"Myself and others are being mentioned in a media report before the process is even concluded I would hope this thing would follow the guidelines of our Basic Agreement. I will monitor the situation and comment when appropriate. As i have said previously, I am working out every day to get back on the field and help the Yankees win a championship. I am down here doing my job and working hard and will continue to do so until I'm back playing."

The most noteworthy piece of A-Rod's statement is when he brings up that fact that MLB squealed to ESPN, which is a violation of the Joint Drug Agreement's confidentiality rules. MLB got caught up in that same mess during the Ryan Braun appeal. And, we all know how that ended.

UPDATE (6/6 at 11:10am): In addition to the A-Rod/Bosch news, the New York Daily News is also reporting that Ryan Braun may have only consulted Anthony Bosch while he played college ball for the University of Miami. If that is all they have on Braun, I don't see any way they could discipline him. MLB has nothing to do with the decisions he made in college. If anything, Braun could get hit with lying about only consulting Bosch during his appeal process. But, again, him consulting him in college has nothing to do with MLB. There has been no new evidence presented and MLB can't suspend him for something he already won an appeal on.  

UPDATE (6/6 at 12:45am): According to the New York Daily News, Anthony Bosch tried to get money from A-Rod to help pay his mounting legal bills, due in part to the frivolous lawsuit filed by Major League Baseball for tortious interference. A-Rod refused his request, so Bosch cut a deal with the MLB. In exchange for his cooperation, MLB will reportedly be dropping the lawsuit they filed against him earlier this year and paying his legal bills. (via Deadspin.com)

As if the integrity and credibility weren't at a low, this has to put everything at rock bottom. I don't see how the MLB will win this battle.

UPDATE (6/5 at 2:34pm): MLBPA president Michael Weiner issued the following statement today: 

"The Players Association has been in regular contact with the Commissioner's Office regarding the Biogenesis investigation. They are in the process of interviewing players, and every player has been or will be represented by an attorney from the Players Association. The Commissioner's Office has assured us that no decisions regarding discipline have been made or will be made until those interviews are completed. It would be unfortunate if anyone prejudged those investigations.

"The Players Association has every interest in both defending the rights of players and in defending the integrity of our joint program. We trust that the Commissioner's Office shares these interests."

Original Post:

The MLB is planning to suspend at least 20 players connected to Biogenesis, the Miami clinic under investigation for supplying performance-enhancing drugs, reports T.J. Quinn, Pedro Gomez and Mike Fish of ESPN's Outside The Lines.

According to a source of Bob Klapsich of the Bergen Record, besides Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez, "other major, major names" are also involved in the Biogenesis case.

A full list of the suspected names are: Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Bartolo Colon, Yasmani Grandal, Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero, Jhonny Peralta, Cesar Puello, Fernando Martinez, Everth Cabrera, Fautino de los Santos and Jordan Norberto. Other names have turned up on documents, but as of right now they are known under code names.

Previously, MLB officials also investigated a possible connection between Biogenesis and Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, as the spokeswoman for Cano's foundation, Sonia Cruz, has had her name turn up in some clinic documents.

One name that has cleared is Nationals' pitcher Gio Gonzalez, who used the Biogenesis clinic to buy product that is not banned by Major League Baseball.

Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch has agreed to cooperate with the investigation and begin naming players, with suspensions possibly following within two weeks. Bosch is set to meet with MLB officials in New York City on Friday to begin sharing his information.

First things first. Cheating is bad. I don't endorse it. I don't like it. I don't support it. An even playing field makes sports fun. However, there is cheating not just in what one ingests or injects into their body. Especially in baseball. Stealing signs, corked bats, the use of pine tar that is not allowed, and pitchers using foreign substances for better grips and rotations all are just as illegal as taking a drug to give them the upper handed advantage.

Photo: ESPN

Let me start here with the "credibility" of this whole situation. So, in an interview with Pedro Gomez, Tony Bosch said he didn't have any knowledge of suspected PED distribution at Biogenesis. But, now he has agreed to work with MLB to name names of guys he sold PEDs to? Not to mention MLB is suing Tony Bosch...(awkward)

The MLB will need to gather more information than just Bosch's testimony. The lawyers who represent the players will easily claim that Bosch's lack of credibility and that he is only naming names to avoid possible criminal prosecution and getting himself sued by the league and that will be that. 

The original report on ESPN uses words and phrases like "if," "might," "possibly," "is expected to," and "corroborating evidence could prove difficult to come by." To me, that doesn't sound like MLB has all of their eggs in one basket. Not one bit.

First, to cover the basis for my Brewer fans who read my blog regularly, it's not known if Braun's name will be mentioned by Tony Bosch in regards to if Braun actually purchased PEDs from the clinic. It's all speculation at this point. Bosch mentioned a few months back that Braun only used him as a consultant during his appeal process, so there's that. But again, Bosch is about as credible as a butcher at a PETA event. It is believed that MLB is continuing to use Braun's name just because of his history.

Here is Braun's post game interview following the game in which the news came out. It was full of confidence and he didn't have a "Well, you caught me" vibe at all, which at least gives Brewer fans some reassurance. Here is the full post game interview:


MLB's integrity is quite possibly the most comical about this whole situation. A player can get a DUI and won't get suspended, let alone fined or get benched for a game, yet taking a banned substance gets you a 50 game suspension. A player can abuse his significant other physically or sexually and not get suspended or fined, yet a player's name on a piece of notebook paper could end up leading to a 100 game suspension. There's something terribly wrong with that mindset. Infact, to me it's 100% ass-backwards.

I understand rules are rules and there are no loopholes for them. However, we're in an era of baseball where performance enhancers are part of the game. They have been for almost 20-25 years. The 80's were all about drug use, too. Only back then it was all about the cocaine and heroine.

My point is that maybe instead of slapping the wrists of these players by dishing out these suspensions that they honestly don't care about, I think it's time for MLB to either A.) make these drug use regulations part of their contracts where if they fail their contracts are voided and they are jobless or B.) just allow steroids to be a part of the game. That's really the only way to get this stuff straightened out and to put an end to the bad press baseball has been building up for decades now. Financially, these players don't care about suspensions. And if you think they do, you're delirious. A lot of these players could retire today if that wanted to and could live comfortably for the rest of their lives. But, neither of those options I listed are likely to happen when they can't even figure out how to implement a proper instant replay system to fix the errors their umpires continuously make.

Finally, to defend a few of the players that are rumored to be on this list, what happens to the players who have already been disciplined by the MLB? You have guys like Bartolo Colon, Yasmani Grandal, and Melky Cabrera who served 50 game suspensions last season for testing positive for PEDs. Shame on them for doing it, however all indications show they are clean now. I'm assuming previous offenders are more "on the radar" than non-offenders, you would think. Anyways, so MLB's plan is to suspend them again for already serving punishment for what they've done? I'm sorry, but that makes so sense to me at all. If I get a parking ticket for illegally parking and pay the fine, I don't get another ticket the next time I park legally just because of what I did the day before. Maybe that's a bad comparison, but I hope it gets my point across.

MLB is head hunting because they are frustrated with what the game has become, which is understandable. They are looking to make an example out of the these 20 players and anyone else in the future who turns up in the bad press of steroid use. We will find out in a few weeks time how they will handle this situation, but I have a feeling this is going to be a battle that will last a lot longer than the two week timetable MLB has on the board.

Until next time, Beers, Brats, and Championships.

- Andrew Vrchota (@AndrewVrchota)

Follow us on Twitter for up to date news on Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks and more. Live in game commentary, breaking news, previews, and post game discussion. @WISportsBlog @AndrewVrchota, @JoeP_Norton, @SMahon2Go, @Mik3_Schu, @jheldred, @olewr7, and @Stevie2Westside. Finally, find us on Instagram! (wisportsblog)

5 Things We Learned in Brewers Spring Training

Ryan Braun will forever have a target on his back: Okay, so maybe we already knew this. It was apparent last year that nearly every baseball fan outside of Milwaukee hated Ryan Braun and assumed he was a cheater. However, what we learned this spring is that the MLB truly believes that as well. Major League Baseball went as far as labeling Braun “Public Enemy #1” this spring, with rumors circulating regarding their apparent willingness to grant immunity to PED offenders in exchange for information that would help them to nab Braun. Things pretty much heated up again following the Biogenesis report, which indicated that Braun owed money to the organization for services rendered. Braun put out a statement, claiming he used Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch as a consultant in fighting his drug suspension last offseason. Regardless of his reasons, Braun’s name popping up in this fiasco didn’t bode well for his chances of forgiveness when it comes to the MLB and its fanbase. Regardless of the outcome, fans in Milwaukee will continue to back their superstar left fielder, myself included.  

Jean Segura is going to be a star: Yes, most people already knew this as well, but now EVERYONE knows this. After showing promise in the closing weeks on the 2012 season, Segura wasted no time in getting back on the field and continuing to develop his skills. He spent the winter playing in the Dominican Winter League. Segura shined in 35 games, batting .324 to win the league’s batting title while also swiping 11 bases. He didn’t skip a beat when spring training rolled around, as his bat continue to scorch baseballs, this time at a .367 clip while stealing 5 bases in Cactus League play. The one thing Segura may be lacking is power, but if he continues to get on base at a high rate and play solid defense, he can prove to be a very capable starter for the Brewers at shortstop and a fixture in the lineup for years to come. 

Khris Davis could be a star: After destroying baseballs for much of the year in AAA Nashville last season, many fans wondered where Khris Davis might fit into Milwaukee’s plans for the future. He played well in spring training, leading the team with 6 home runs in Cactus League play and hitting a 7th when the crew played team Canada. He fields his position well in left field, but the knock on him is his arm. He needs to show that he can make consistent, well-placed throws from that position if he expects to get consistent time in the lineup. Oh, and there’s that guy named Ryan Braun that happens to play the same position. Ron Roenicke has said they will try him in right field in an attempt to get him some playing time, but for the time being, Davis’ hot bat has at least earned him a spot on the Brewers bench to see if he can provide some pop as a pinch hitter.  

Mark Rogers is still a disappointment: Now I’m not knocking Mark Rogers. I love the guy and remain impressed with his resilience in fighting off injury after injury to reach this point since being drafted in the first round in 2004. But after posting promising stats in a short stint with the big league club last year, this spring Rogers has let fans down by failing to consistently hit the strike zone or generate the velocity he is known for. I still won’t go as far as calling him a total bust, as time will tell if he can bounce back from what has been labeled a “dead arm” and get back to throwing in the upper 90’s again. However, the Brewers front office was hoping he could earn a spot in the rotation, as he is currently out of minor league options. After his stint on the DL, the Brewers will have to make a decision whether to keep him in the bullpen or cut him loose. 

Bob Uecker’s still got it: Ueck turned 78 in January, and by no means is he slowing down. He was able to do a handful of games during spring training and continues to make listeners laugh while calling a great game. Fans have wondered, including myself, how much time Uecker has left in the booth, especially after a few health issues he has faced in recent years. But rest assured, he is still going strong and hasn’t lost a step from last season. And for those worried, refer to Vin Scully, the Dodgers play-by-play man who is back in the booth in Los Angeles for another season, at 85 years of age! Fans will be particularly interested in the new segment Bob and Joe will be doing in the booth this season called “Ask Ueck.” Fans can email in questions that Joe will read on air for Bob to answer during the games. The segment was introduced during the crew’s first game back at Miller Park and Bob didn’t fail to disappoint with his witty, informative answers. Submit your questions to askbob@jrn.com and see if your question is chosen to be read on air for Ueck to answer!

Until next time, Beers, Brats, and Championships.

- Joseph Norton (@JoeP_Norton)

Follow us on Twitter for up to date news on Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks and more. Live in game commentary, breaking news, previews, and post game discussion. @WISportsBlog @AndrewVrchota, @JoeP_Norton, @SMahon2Go @ryan_937, @Mik3_Schu, @jheldred, @B_Toom_3, @olewr7, and @Stevie2Westside. Finally, find us on Instagram! (wisportsblog)

Full Story: Ryan Braun's Connection with Biogenesis

Tuesday morning I read an article on the Milwaukee Brewers website talking about how Ryan Braun was enjoying a quiet offseason, unlike last season when he won his appeal on his 50-game suspension. Boy, was that short lived.

Photo: Yahoo! Sports

Tuesday night it was reported by Jeff Passan and Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports that they had obtained records of the moribund clinic Biogenesis that contained the name of left fielder Ryan Braun on multiple documents. This report is in connection with last week's report that Biogenesis had allegedly provided performance-enhancing drugs to Alex Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz, and Gio Gonzalez. Major League Baseball is investigating the Biogenesis clinic and Anthony Bosch to determine the magnitude of his alleged PED dispersion throughout the sport. Bosch has also been linked to Manny Ramirez, dating back to 2009. However, unlike Rodriguez, Gonzalez, and Cruz, Braun's name is not listed next to any specific PEDs. Ryan Braun’s name is among players on a list titled "Baseball" on a piece of scrap paper (right) with the dollar amounts of $20,000-$30,000 next to his name. Other names on the list included Alex Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez, Melky Cabrera, Francisco Cervelli, and Danny Valencia. Another document has multiple references to Chris Lyons, one of many attorneys who represented Braun in his appeal last winter/spring. Braun said his attorneys retained Bosch as a consultant during his appeal for the positive test. Here is Braun's full statement in response to Yahoo! Sports' report:

"During the course of preparing for my successful appeal last year, my attorneys, who were previously familiar with Tony Bosch, used him as a consultant. More specifically, he answered questions about T/E ratio and possibilities of tampering with samples.

There was a dispute over compensation for Bosch’s work, which is why my lawyer and I are listed under ‘moneys owed’ and not on any other list.

I have nothing to hide and have never had any other relationship with Bosch.

I will fully cooperate with any inquiry into this matter."

                                                                                                 -Ryan Braun

 Though I have never studied law in any level of education, I don't think it is too farfetched that Braun and party would speak with Bosch for his appeal. Sure, Braun needs to explain why his name is mixed in with those other names, but everything else about his statement seems cogitable.

Tackling some of the critics questions here, let's look at the most brought up: Why would Braun and Co. consult with Anthony Bosch? Ryan Braun was going to be given a 50-game suspension before it was overturned by the successful appeal. Previously stated, Bosch was linked with Manny Ramirez at the time of Manny's 50-game suspension. If I wanted a proper defense, I would consult with someone who has experience with the situation I was in. Bosch wouldn't have been the only one Braun's people consulted for the entire appeal regarding the process of MLB's testing procedures. I'm sure there were many parties involved. But, I'm sure Bosch had some important information that helped Braun build his case. As far as Bosch being a creditable source, I'm sure that was brought up in full depth during Ryan Braun's appeal last winter.

Braun addressing media after last year's successful appeal.

Well, then: What does the 20K-30K dollar amounts have to do with Braun? That's pretty simple to explain. People don't talk for free. The sum of money listed next to Braun's name is likely the amount it costed Braun's people for talk to Bosch. Simple as that. There may have been a dispute in dollars, which may be the reason for the different dollar amounts.

But, but: Why didn't Braun come out and talk last week when the original report was released? I had only one explanation for this, until I read Wendy Thurm's article on FanGraphs. My original thinking was, as simple as it may sound, that it never dawned upon Braun that his name would show up in Biogenesis documents. The original report never listed him, so why think otherwise? But Wendy brought up a great point as well. Had Bosch been a private consult, Braun could have breached the law of confidentiality with Bosch. That would have caused more issues than there already are with this situation.
  
Ryan Braun’s Lead Attorney, David Cornwell, makes this statement regarding the Yahoo! Sports report:

“I was not familiar with Tony Bosch prior to Ryan Braun’s case.

In the 15 years that I have represented players facing discipline under the various professional sports leagues’ substance abuse and steroid programs, I have relied primarily, if not exclusively, on Dr. David L. Black and his team of scientists at Aegis Sciences Corporation in Nashville, TN as my experts with respect to scientific and other matters relevant to the testing of player specimens.

Bosch was introduced to me at the earliest stage of Ryan’s case. I found Bosch’s value to be negligible and, thereafter, I followed my prior practice of relying on Aegis in the preparation of Ryan’s winning defense.”

                                                                                                           - David Cornwell


Based on that logic, Braun's explanation seems credible. Now, let's get one thing clear. Braun's statement from yesterday does not make him exonerated. Also, Braun's statement raises a few questions that will likely have to answered when Major League Baseball investigates Braun. However, using some common sense and just knowing what occurred with Braun last year, it sure makes it seem Ryan will be cleared of this repeat accusation in as many offseason.

I'll finish with one last quote that was said by ESPN reporter T.J. Quinn:

"I see nothing that linked Braun to drugs from that clinic."

                                                                                       - T.J. Quinn

Until next time, Beers, Brats, and Championships.

-Andrew Vrchota (@AndrewVrchota)

Follow us on Twitter for up to date news on Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks and more. Live in game commentary, breaking news, previews, and post game discussion. @WISportsBlog @AndrewVrchota, @JoeP_Norton, @Brandon_BFP, @SMahon2Go @ryan_937, @Mik3_Schu. Finally, find us on Instagram! (wisportsblog)