Ryan Braun is having a rough year. First, he is suspended for 65 games for alleged P.E.D. use in the MLB Biogenesis investigation. Then public figures, like Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the NFL's Green Bay Packers, distance themselves from him publicly. Now, a 29-year-old former best friend of Braun is suing him for defamation.
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! The former friend, Ralph Sasson, claims in his suit, among other unflatering allegations, that Braun cheated on, in essence, every woman in his life, including his current fiancee, the lovely Ms. Larisa Fraser. In essence, Bruan has been, suspended, disgraced, tainted his 2011 National League Most Valuable Player award, apparently been exposed to have cheated baseball, and now is accused of cheating on his woman. Oh boy would I like to be a fly on the wall at Casa de Braun tonight!
Today's retweet is straight to the point. By Carlos Alonzo (@Ceeelow4):
Every time I have written about Yankees third baseman Alex
Rodriguez (.319, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .897 OPS) in light of the Major League Baseball
Biogenesis performance enhancing drugs (P.E.D.s) investigation, I tell myself
that it will be the last time for “a while”. There is no benefit in beating a
dead horse. It isn’t interesting.
Yet every time I think this story is going to cool off, it
takes a new twist or dramatic turn. I’ve consistently explained how much I am
not a fan of the New York Yankees and never have been. I think their
operational philosophy is bad for baseball and bad for sports in general.
The putrid stench of the handling of the Biogenesis investigation
and discipline is making a piece of me root for the Yankees to have success in
2013. That part of me is the part with a short tolerance for hypocrisy, self-righteous
double-talk, and pawns being used as scapegoats. I probably will not be able to
bring myself to cheer the Yankees along the way. However, if the Yankees have
any measurable postseason success in this season (particularly if Rodriguez
continues to play a significant role in their success), I will have a sense of
gratification with the outcome when their season has concluded.
A picture says a thousand words, even if only one word is written. 1
VIGILANTE BASEBALL
The A-Rod story took another turn late last week when multiple
sports media outlets revealed that a 60 Minutes report would allege that
members of Rodriguez’s “inner circle” leaked information to Yahoo! Sports
implicating Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers and teammate Francisco Cervelli
in the Biogenesis flap in February, when the spotlight shone heavily on Rodriguez’s
involvement. In essence, A-Rod was accused of ratting out his peers to deflect
attention from his role in the scandal, taboo in any fraternity of any kind in
any organization.
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Ryan Dempster (6-9, 4.77
ERA) was the starting pitcher in last night’s rubber match against the Yankees
at Fenway Park. Rodriguez came up to bat in the second inning. Demspterthrew a pitch behind Rodriguez’s back followed
by two pitches way inside that forced Rodriguez to move to avoid being hit. On a
3-0 count, Dempster release a pitch that drilled A-Rod in the back. The attempt
to hit Rodriguez could not have been more blatantly obvious to anyone with a
baseball I.Q. greater than that of a raisin.
Rodriguez's girlfriend: Rebeca Yunen Finke: "Why you gotta hate?" Again, A-Rod is having the last laugh. 4
At this point, all but the most vitriolic of anti-A-Rod
fans, in my opinion, should have been able to empathize with Rodriguez had he
charged the pitcher’s mound and served Dempster a fresh knuckle sandwich. Dempster
took it upon himself to police the game, which is traditional in baseball, and
made his intentions crystal clear by making four consecutive over-the-top, obvious attempts to hit Rodriguez with the ball.
Dempster should have been ejected on the spot.
Was Dempster ejected? No. What happened? Umpire Brian O’Nora
issued a warning to both benches, essentially saying the next incident would
result in an ejection (meaning the Yankees could not return the favor – also traditional
in baseball). Yankees Manager Joe Girardi was beside himself, vaulted from the
dugout to argue O’Nora’s handling of the situation, and then O’Nora ejected
Girardi.
I am sure Girardi thought, “Let me get this straight. Their
pitcher deliberately hits my player. You warn OUR bench and throw ME out of the
game? Somebody’s getting hit.” On his way to the Yankees clubhouse, his lips
could clearly be read saying, “Somebody’s getting hit!”
You be the judge.
KARMA
Rodriguez didn’t charge the mound. The Yankees’ bench didn’t
empty. Instead, Rodriguez would go on to score the first run of the game. A-Rod
would later drive in a run and then hit a home run off Dempster to spark a
Yankees comeback in the 6th inning. New York would go on to win the
game, 9-6.
I’ve read about how egg is a great source of protein for
athletes, but I thought it was supposed to be eaten, not smeared on one’s face.
Ryan Dempster was brought in via free agency to help the Red Sox make a serious
push in a very tight American League pennant race. He is underachieving relative
to last season and his career. His season has been in a tailspin since the
All-Star break.
So what do you do to help your career? What do you do to help
your team, only one game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the A.L. East at a time
of the season in which the significance of the outcome of every game is magnified?
You walk a leadoff runner in a manner so blatant that you are all but certain
to be suspended for five games (meaning you miss your next start and your team
needs to find a less desirable replacement). Why? You’re choosing now, in the
middle of August on national television, to be the sheriff of Major League
Baseball.
But wait! There’s more! So now you’ve pissed off one of the
best power hitters in the history of the game and given his team, which was
dead in the water two weeks ago but is now surging in part because of that
hitter, a rallying point…you fire up your archrival. What does he do? Goes 3
for 4, makes a jackass out of you by getting an RBI at your expense followed by
a homerun that gets them back in the game and gets you pulled out of the game. You
go on to get the loss and your slim division lead gets slimmer. Bravo! Nice
going! Cue in the “sports movie slow clap” for a job well done!
It's deep and I don't think it's playable. Dempster sure taught A-Rod a thing or two! 2
WHAT COMES OUT OF THE SOUTH END OF A NORTH BOUND BULL
I’m glad Dempster’s antics blew up in his face and the Red
Sox faces. I’m glad Rodriguez had the last laugh and proverbially danced on
Boston’s grave yesterday. I’m glad that every new development in this story
looks worse and worse for Major League Baseball and its interests in the public
eye.
Depmster isn’t holding up his end of the bargain when the
Red Sox signed him for $27 million for two years. He decided to be a champion
for the integrity of baseball. Because, of course, no Red Sox player ever
juiced.
Major League Baseball reaped the benefits of juiced up
players bashing out homeruns at unprecedented rates in the late 1990s and
re-engaging the fans it turned off in the strike-shortened, conclusion-less
season of 1994 with a more exciting, higher scoring offensive brand of baseball.
MLB decided to make a scapegoat out of its least likable, most polarizing, and
most overpaid superstar whose contract is an albatross on its most storied
franchise in its biggest market.
The Yankees enjoy an oppressive competitive advantage over
most other Major League Baseball teams because of its relatively limitless
ability to spend money on player salaries and the absence of a salary cap in
baseball. They knew they would be over paying Alex Rodriguez on the back end of
a 10 year, $250 million contract extension to which they signed Rodriguez,
taking effect following his American League Most Valuable Player award winning
season of 2007. They knew that the salary they were offering Rodriguez would
make it impossible for any other team to compete for his services because they
were overpaying him.
Some call this "funny". I call it "a motive". 3
YOU MADE YOUR BED, NOW LIE IN IT
The Yankees thought they were getting a company man whose
reputation would remain squeaky clean for the remainder of his career. They
thought they were getting a player who, even on the decline, would surpass
Barry Bonds’ record of 762 career home runs and do it in a Yankee uniform without
the taint of P.E.D.s. Their deep pockets and fiscal bullying in free agency
saddled them with possibly the worst value for a player’s contract in the
history of American sports.
MLB brought the hammer to 12 other first-offender players
tied to Biogenesis and then attempted launch a nuke on Rodriguez for the same
first offense, justifying the attempt at the augmented punishment with claims
of aggravating factors. Rodriguez is
still playing. He is playing so well that his contribution is impacting the pennant
race and rejuvenating a team that was left for dead before his return. He has embarrassed
every entity that has attempted to profit from his P.E.D. ties and controversial
image.
Dempster? Embarrassed…. The Red Sox? Embarrassed…. Yankees
GM Brian Cashman, who is dying to find any avenue to weasel out of some or all
of Rodriguez’s contract? Embarrassed almost weekly…. Major League Baseball Commissioner
Bud Selig? Embarrassed almost daily….
You get out what you put in. Something has stunk from the
beginning of the Biogenesis/Alex Rodriguez witch hunt. It appears that MLB is
completely full of crap.
I don't see too many signs like this for Bud Selig or Brian Cashman at MLB parks. Don't hate the player; hate the game. 5
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Alex Rodriguez is like the gift that keeps on giving to sports journalists, broadcasters, and bloggers. The traditionally slow summer sports news cycle has been a little fast because of him and all of the sensational twists involving Rodriguez and the MLB investigation into performance enhancing drugs (P.E.D.s) distributed by the now closed Biogenesis anti-aging clinic. Now, in addition to being a juicer, A-Rod is allegedly a rat.
ESPN reported that a 60 Minutes report will claim that Rodriguez's associates leaked information to Yahoo! Sports this past winter that implicated Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun (.298, 9 HR, 38 RBI) and Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli (.269, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 17 GP), his teammate. Both of those players are serving suspensions for their involvements with Biogenesis.
His teammate? That would be pretty low. Through his attorneys, Rodriguez is denying the allegations. Still, the public isn't holding its breath regarding Rodriguez's integrity.
Today's retweet is from Peyton's Head (@PeytonsHead):
"Has A-Rod never heard the saying "Snitches get stitches"?"
He didn't even rat out Jason Varitek (right, whipping A-Rod's ass). Could you imagine what his own teammate might do?
Love him or hate him, if you're a baseball fan, Alex Rodriguez has your attention. Earlier today, I offered a few paragraphs on the Rodriguez situation. Today's retweet, from Fernando Martinez (@itsthenando), does it much more efficiently than I did, in 140 characters or less:
"#ARod is a victim of the system. Sad how the world is coming down on him. #MLB built him up. He got over. So now they destroy him. @espn"
No sir you are not. The Red Sox, Rays, Orioles, and Blue Jays are all on your side!
In spite of all of the speculation...all of the rehab assignments...all of the sniping in the media...all of the threats of a lifetime ban...Alex Rodriguez returned to the Yankees lineup on Monday night. He went 1 for 4 in a lopsided loss at the Chicago White Sox.
A-Rod must have been laughing his ass off when he finally got some privacy.
SO MUCH FOR TOUGH TALK
Rodriguez was among 13 players whose suspensions were announced on Monday for their relationship with the now closed Biogenesis anti-aging clinic. Biogenesis has been linked by MLB with distribution of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to MLB players. Eleven players were suspended for 50 games as first offenders.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder and 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun was suspended for 50 games plus an additional 15 games for remarks he made publicly about the testing process. A-Rod was slapped with a suspension of over 200 games, intended to last from Thursday though the end of the 2014 season. The other 12 guys were at home. A-Rod batted cleanup on Monday.
While Major League Baseball, on the surface, remained within the boundaries of discretion and confidentiality, the media was always a few days ahead of the announcements throughout this saga. One of the possibilities that was consistently reported was that Bud Selig was considering pursuing a lifetime ban against Alex Rodriguez, though he has never had a positive drug test nor has he ever been disciplined under MLB's Drug Program. Yet there A-Rod was with sports networks breaking in for coverage of every Rodriguez at bat.
Alex Rodriguez singles in his first at-bat of the 2013 season on Monday against the White Sox. 1
WHAT NOW?
Of course, the reason Rodriguez played Monday night is because the other players agreed not to appeal their 50 game suspensions (with no additional discipline). Rodriguez has thrown the finger to the Commissioner's office throughout the process, never agreed to any suspension, and filed for an immediate appeal. Players are allowed to continue playing pending appeal of suspensions per the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players' union.
Rodriguez's appeal is reportedly not expected to be ruled on by an arbitrator until after the season. This means that Rodriguez could play the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs (should the Yankees miracle their way out of fourth place in the A.L. East). He will also get to collect on all of his $29 million salary he is due in 2013 and the Yankees will not collect on an injury insurance policy they took out on A-Rod (in the event he could not play due to hip surgery recovery).
Chicago showing A-Rod the love. 2
SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN GOTHAM
Alex Rodriguez is among the least likable of Major League Baseball stars. This means that public backlash is less likely to result from any discipline he receives in the Biogenesis investigation. He is also 38 years old. His production took a noticeable dip after the 2010 season. He struggled so badly in the playoffs last year that he was benched during the American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers. Simply put, Rodriguez's salary on his contract, which runs through 2017, is far greater than his MLB market value relative to his productivity.
He has no 40 homerun seasons in his future. He has no MVP-caliber seasons remaining. He is not likely to have another .300 season. The Yankees are about halfway through a very bad and very expensive contract.
Major League Baseball player contracts are guaranteed. The only way to get out of paying a player is if the player retires, is injured and unable to perform because of a non-baseball reason, or is suspended. The Yankees are arguably the highest profile franchise in all of professional sports, certainly the American League's flagship club. When historic, high-profile legacy franchises are doing well in any sport, it is always good for the sport.
Removing the albatross of over $40 million in salary obligations for a player worth about $4 million on the open market over the same payout period would be very good for the Yankees and therefore very good for baseball, PED issues aside. Regarding PEDs, making a Draconian example of of one of its highest-profile stars makes for great publicity for a sports organization and a commissioner looking to save face and erase the stain of its self-induced Steroid Era of the 1990s and early 2000s. Again, A-Rod is not well liked among baseball fans. Throwing the book at A-Rod benefits everyone involved except for A-Rod and the other American League ballclubs in direct competition with the Yankees for the A.L. pennant.
Only Brian Cashman could find a way to make A-Rod look (ever so slightly) sympathetic this year. 3
THE EGG IS FRIED AND READY FOR BUD SELIG'S FACE
The Yankees, collectively, can't get a hit in blackjack right now, let alone on the field. Their struggles are well documented, with shortstop Derek Jeter, first baseman Mark Teixeria, centerfielder Curtis Granderson, A-Rod and other key players missing most of the season. They were batting just above the Mendoza line, with absolutely no power whatsoever, from the third base position, prior to Rodriguez's return.
Suppose Rodriguez catches lighting in a bottle. Suppose Granderson can get his groove back. Suppose Jeter recovers from his seemingly endless string of nagging leg injuries. Suppose the Yankees can turn this nightmarish season around, slip into the playoffs and make a deep run. Suppose Alex Rodriguez is a significant part of such a run.
It's a longshot, but it is not an outrageous suggestion. The Yankees were on the heels of the Boston Red Sox until shortly before the All-Star break and the Yankees pitchers have continued to turn in consistent solid performances on a nightly basis. The Bronx Bombers lineup is getting back some significant position players and their bats. Much stranger and more improbable comebacks have happened in sports.
Alex Rodriguez, in the aforementioned scenario, would regain his popularity in the baseball's largest market. Public sentiment would turn in his favor. The Yankees, specifically General Manager Brian Cashman would be handcuffed in taking any hard stances in dealing with A-Rod (yes, the Brian Cashman who told Alex Rodriguez to "shut the fuck up" on ESPN Radio in New York). And a season-plus suspension against the aging yet redeemed Rodriguez would not help Selig's image at that point nearly as much as it would if Rodreiguez went away quietly. I won't even open the Pandora's Box of what happens if A-Rod wins his appeal.
Bravo, Bud Selig! Once again you've been given a wide-open public relations alley-opp, and the ball slipped through your fingers as you hit your face on the side of the rim. Possession: A-Rod.
Don't be surprised is Selig if throwing his hands up, again, when this is all over. I've been throwing my hands up as a fan for nearly 20 years. When is he going away? He'll be 80 years old next year. Time to retire!
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You regular readers, for whom I am thankful, probably know
my stance on the New York Yankees. I don’t like them. I have pure “fanhood
hatred” for them. I think they buy up all of the talent other teams can’t
afford. Etcetera…etcetera.
You may not have noticed that I don’t extend this sports
vitriol to many of the actual Yankees players. This includes controversial
third baseman Alex Rodriguez. I am not an A-Rod fan, per se, but I think his
market, his team, and his circumstances share responsibility with Rodriguez
himself for his image issues. Nobody had any problem with A-Rod when he played
for the Seattle Mariners or the Texas Rangers.
Alex Rodriguez was the first pick of the 1993 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners. Do people even remember that he played with Ken Griffey, Jr.? 1
SHAME ON YA, A-ROD
If you are a sports enthusiast, you are well aware of the
Biogenisis PED scandal involving A-Rod, suspended Milwaukee Brewers left
fielder Ryan Braun and other high-profile MLB players. You are also well aware
of the very public feud between the Yankees organization, led by General
Manager Brian Cashman, and Rodriguez.
The media can sometimes make sports fans overlook the simple
and the obvious as a sensational story about a superstar is evolving. There are
two constants that have not escaped my notice: 1) Even older, 37-year-old
(turns 38 tomorrow) A-Rod coming off of two hip surgeries in recent years would
offer a significant boost to the Yankees impotent batting production from the
third base position, barely above the Mendoza line and 2) Rodriguez is chomping
at the bit to get back into the Yankees’ lineup and on the field.
Rodriguez has speculated, I believe correctly, that Cashman
is trying to keep him out of the lineup by any means and with any excuse
available for financial reasons. Rodriguez’s 2013 salary is $29 million, roughly
10 times his market value if he were a free agent on the open market. If A-Rod
doesn't play this year, the Yankees can collect on an insurance policy they
took on Rodriguez. In addition, Rodriguez may be suspended for his involvement
with Biogenesis, meaning the Yankees may be completely off the hook for his
salary this year.
For all of the bad press surrounding Rodriguez, his value as
a player and his dedication to his craft have been unimpeachable in my view. He
is an easy target and he brings most of it on himself. He is not very likeable
right now. But to take shots at the man for what he offers on the field is
overreaching by writers.
Today’s retweet, by Sarah (@sarahmcox) ties it together
well:
“So ARod is a jerk for wanting to play? Looking forward to
the columns during his next injury about what a freeloader he is.”
With 647 career home runs (5th all-time), I doubt that. Haters gonna hate! 2
Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun (.298, 9 HR, 38 RBI) was suspended for the remainder of the 2013 regular season. Braun is suspected of use of performance enhancing drugs in connection with the Biogenesis anti-aging clinic investigation. Braun reportedly reached an agreement similar to a plea deal with baseball to avoid disclosure of the evidence in question and a possible longer suspension resulting from arbitration.
He will be spending more time at home no doubt. His fiancee is model Larisa Fraser, the subject of today's Chick Pic. That sounds like a sweetheart deal that Braun cut with MLB.
I'm sure he cries himself to sleep every night she's there with him. 1
If there were ever a better time for Braun to take a vacation to the beach.... 2
How can she show her face in public again? 3
4
She's holding a box with a bow. Braun's gift in life? 5
Milwaukee Brewers left fielder and 2011 National League Most
Valuable Player Ryan Braun (.298, 9 HR, 38 RBI, 61 GP) was suspended for the
remainder of the 2013 regular season under an agreement with Major League
Baseball for a violation of its drug program. The violation stems from evidence
obtained in the investigation into the now closed Biogenisis anti-aging clinic
in Florida. Several high profile MLB players have been linked to the clinic
through media reports including Braun, New York Yankees third baseman and
former American League M.V.P. Alex Rodriguez (DNP in 2013), and 2011 American
League Championship Series M.V.P. Nelson Cruz (.275, 23 HR, 70 RBI) of the
Texas Rangers.
Dikembe Selig A.K.A. Bud Mutumbo? 2
UPPING THE ANTE
The dominoes are falling hard and fast. However, the first
to fall may be the hardest. Braun reportedly faced a 50 game suspension at the
beginning of the 2012 regular season for allegedly failing a performance
enhancing drug (P.E.D.) test in late 2011. Braun doubled down on his reputation
with an emphatic denial of the legitimacy of the reports, using phrases like,
“I would bet my life,” and evoking all of his values that he has from his
“twenty-eight years on this planet”. Many met Braun’s denial with skepticism
until, days later, his drug test was discarded due to a chain-of-custody
violation by the specimen collector. No positive test…no suspension…no
violation of the MLB drug policy on Braun’s record.
Critics of Braun were quick to point out that he “got off on
a technicality”. But he did get off. And he was proactive in defending his
(formerly) good name. Maybe he didn’t do it. Maybe the specimen collector did
make a mistake. The circumstances were suspicious, but Braun was acquitted in
the MLB court and raised reasonable doubt in the court of public opinion.
It's not just a river in Egypt.
LESSON FROM O.J.
While Braun was never accused of an actual crime, his
alleged use of P.E.D.’s cast a shadow over his image. I don’t want to compare
the seriousness of a double-murder to trying to get an edge in a game, but from
a public image standpoint, and a standpoint of consequences, there are some
parallels between Braun’s fall from grace and that of Pro Football Hall of
Famer O.J. Simpson. In both instances, the accused learned nothing from the
first near-miss.
It appears, with the benefit of hindsight, that both “did
it”. O.J. Simpson was acquitted in large part due to several instances of
evidence contamination with key pieces of evidence and significant flaws in the
prosecution’s strategy. In other words, failures by others played a heavy role
in raising reasonable doubt of Simpson’s guilt and eventual acquittal.
Ryan Braun’s positive test was thrown out because the person
who collected Braun’s urine specimen failed to adhere to specified
chain-of-custody requirements. A failure by the individual in charge of
collecting Braun’s tested specimen failed and no discipline could be
administered to Braun. In addition, Braun acted
like a falsely accused person when the story broke and shortly thereafter,
there was a significant problem with the means by which suspicion was cast upon
Braun.
None of us have the benefit of hindsight in the present.
That’s why it is called “hindsight”. Additional information crippling Simpson’s
credibility was available to the public in O.J. Simpson’s wrongful death civil
suit (much from The Juice’s own testimony) and Simpson’s own actions (like
writing a book that may have been potentially incriminating prior to his
criminal acquittal). Most of the American public, me included, (as expressed
through scientific opinion polls) feels confident that Simpson was complicit in
the murder of his ex-wife and her friend.
Los Angeles Dodgers centerfielder Matt Kemp was second in 2011 N.L. MVP voting. 5
Criminal Adventures of O.J. Simpson
It appears that Simpson (at least in the criminal court) got
away with murder and knew he got away with murder. Conducting multiple
interviews on national television, writing a book called, “If I Did It”, and
generally keeping himself in the public eye - attempting to recover
unrecoverable shreds of his standing with the American public (which was as
high as the standing of any retired athlete prior to his arrest for murder) - only
served to further erode Simpson’s reputation.
The coups de gras for Simpson was his ill-fated decision to
retrieve memorabilia that he alleged was stolen from him. Simpson and other
accomplices burst into a hotel room in Las Vegas with firearms to retrieve the
merchandise. Simpsons was arrested, tried, and convicted of armed robbery and
kidnapping and is now serving a minimum of nine years in a Nevada state prison
for his role in the incident.
In a vacuum, the case against Simpson in Nevada was not cut-and-dry,
with substantial circumstantial evidence. However, after getting away with
murder (allegedly), there was no jury in America that could be completely
unbiased, try as they may. Simpson escaped prison by the narrowest of threads
in the mid-1990s and the events in Las Vegas were far more than enough to snap
those threads in the eyes of the public and the criminal justice system.
Simpson, knowing he got away with murder (or – in the most
favorable light possible – knowing that the public thinks he got away with
murder) should have vanished…disappeared…been as quiet as a church mouse. He
should have treaded as softly as possible in every aspect of his life.Instead, he kept himself in the public realm
and remained among America’s top pariahs for more than a decade and then had
the nerve to test his fate in the criminal justice system again. Simpson met his rock bottom point in life in spite of
countless opportunities to avoid it.
One the slow ride home after he was acquitted, O.J. should have kept going....far, far away! 3
P.E.D. Adventures of Ryan Braun
It appears that Ryan Braun got away with using P.E.D.s and
knew it throughout the ordeal. Proclaiming his innocence using emotionally
charged references while attempting to assassinate the integrity of the
specimen collector and the MLB drug program only heightened the stakes of Braun
salvaging his reputation to “feast-or-famine”.
I am not clear on the timeline of Braun’s alleged dealing
with Biogenisis, but it either happened before or after the discarded P.E.D.
test in 2011. If it took place before, Braun would have been best served to say
absolutely nothing. American sports fans have short memories when the flames of
controversy are unfueled and unfanned. If it took place afterwards, Braun
climbed to the apex of arrogance, after avoiding an official and public black
mark on his record by the most fortuitously timed of errors in his favor.
Regardless, Braun had the nerve to return fire at people who
were simply doing their jobs, knowing he had no actual ground to stand on
should all of the truth be revealed. The evidence against Braun in the
Biogenesis case was on the testimony of others without any smoking gun (i.e. no
positive drug test). Braun had 15 games tacked on to the standard 50 game
suspension for a first violation of the MLB drug program because of his actions
in the wake of the discarded 2011 test.
Braun’s credibility is permanently damaged with the public
and among his peers. In contrast, Texas Rangers system outfielder Manny Ramirez
(career .312, 555 HR, 1831 RBI) is no stranger to drug suspensions. Ramirez he
was first busted early in the in 2009 season while with the Los Angeles Dodgers
in the thick of a pennant race. Ramirez, true to form, offered no denials and
gave a response that said, to me, “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.”
Critics could say a lot of things about Ramirez but
disingenuous was not one of them. Upon his return from suspension, Ramirez’s
popularity among Dodgers fans (dubbed “Mannywood”) was as high as ever. Dreadlock wigs, emulative of Ramirez, were
ubiquitous at Chavez Ravine all the way through the end of the Dodgers run in
the first round of the 2009 National League playoffs.
Braun showed (feigned) indignation. He played the victim and
took advantage of the incompetence of others to sell his role as the wrongly
accused to the public. Some people bought his act, especially his fans in
Milwaukee.
Braun won the 2011 N.L. MVP over a competitive field, including then-teammate Prince Fielder. I wonder if Fielder would have connected knowing what we all know now. 4
THE OTHER SHOE
Braun’s situation arguably elicits the most contempt among
fans, writers, and players. However, he is not alone. A-Rod’s situation has yet
to be resolved but, from all accounts, he can expect to be hammered for at
least 50 games. Nelson Cruz and Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Bartolo
Colon (13-3, 2.52 ERA) are possibly among those who can expect an unwelcome
letter from the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Braun is not the first player to do what he did. He was not
the only one doing what he did when he didn’t. He won’t be the last player to
do it. The stench from the fallout in his case, caused by how he handled it,
may follow him for the remainder of his career.
The silver lining: Braun can spend a lot more time with his fiancee', model Larisa Fraser. 1
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New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has begun his
minor league rehab assignment in Tampa. The Yankees slugger has not played
since the American League Championship Series last October, recovering from hip
surgery during the offseason. He is eyeing a return to the Yankees lineup some
time shortly after the All-Star break.
The elephant in the room is that Rodriguez has been ensnared
in the latest Major League Baseball performance enhancing drug (PED) dragnet
along with other MLB stars like Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun and
Texas Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz. They have been linked with Biogenesis,
a Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing PEDs while it was in
operation.
Rodriguez is scheduled to meet with Major League Baseball
today. It has been reported that he will have nothing to say in the
investigation, effectively “pleading the fifth”. Today’s retweet, from Chris
Baldassano (@Baldassano) takes note:
“@JonHeymanCBS Taking the 5th is usually better then taking
the 3rd, as in called 3rd Strike he usually does...#AROD”
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