Like many baseball fans I get disappointed when I hear another case of PED’s has been uncovered. I still feel the sting from the Rafael Palmeiro public denials and his subsequent positive test. Regardless of where you stand on performance enhancing drugs debate , one thing I was sure we could count on was a system in place that would eliminate them from the game forever. The system was working. Player were being tested and those who cheated were caught and punished. I consider that system now broken .
Ryan Braun avoided a 50 game suspension from Major League baseball not by an argument about the content of his test sample, but by the collection methods that were used by the test collector. Ryan Braun claims he is a victim. Other claim he is a cheater. Let be honest what is going to be your thought every-time you see or hear about Ryan Braun? Is he a cheater or is he a victim? As you might expect, opinions are covered on both sides of the spectrum.
From Rant Sports, this opinion. Ryan Braun Will Forever Be Known As a Cheater
This isn’t a Cubs fan bashing a Brewer. This is a baseball fan looking for the same treatment that has blackballed numerous steroid users. We will know that Ryan Braun had a large amount of fake testosterone in his urine and that has been proven.
What ticks me off the most is the fact you have some fans disregarding that because their favorite player and favorite team’s best player will now be able to play, and help the Brewers win games this year.
Look, Braun is a GREAT player, one of the best players in all of baseball. He’s going to continue to do some special things on the diamond, and will be fun to watch. However, Braun arguing the protocol of the test to me is how I know he is guilty. Come on, anyone with half a brain knows that someone didn’t just dump a boat load of testosterone in his urine. A urine sample stored for an extra 24 hours doesn’t just generate that much of a synthetic result.
Either way, the result is the same. Ryan Braun is not guilty…however…that doesn’t make him innocent.
For the rest of time, everytime I see Ryan Braun play…I’ll always think one thing:
That man is a cheater.
Not to be outdone are those sympathetic to Ryan Braun as an unfortunate victim , including Braun himself.
From The Lantern , this opinion. MLB’s Ryan Braun was ‘victim of unfortunate circumstances’
The league’s drug policy states that after a sample is collected from a player, it must be shipped on the day that it was collected to the testing facility. According to multiple reports, Braun’s sample was collected Oct. 1, but didn’t get sent to the testing facility until Oct. 3.
The wheels of justice turned and, completely within the rules put forth by the league, Braun was cleared because league procedure was not followed.
Braun went on to make some interesting comments regarding the league and its drug testing policies when he addressed the media prior to the start of Brewers’ spring training. Braun was bold enough to call the process “fatally flawed.” He added that the process was “opposite of the American judicial system.” Read more here
Even Major league baseball players are taking sides in this case. The question is why Ryan Braun had an elevated level of synthetic testosterone in his urine sample. It’s not likely that question will ever be answered.
