Braun suspended

[SeaBird]

Oh, IIRC didn't he (or his reps) say they used the lab for "consulting" from the last incident? Really?

You are correct. Braun said the money in the ledger he owed to Boesch was for "consulting fees". When Braun was building his case against the initial suspension, his defense team supposedly solicited help and advice from Boesch. That in itself was "laugh-worthy" but nonetheless original.

[crissfan172]

They both cheated. Braun cheated at a point in time when they were prosecuting cheaters. He went to extreme but legal steps to prove his innocence and attempt to rehabilitate his name.

His attempts to avoid persecution and rehabilitate his name don't particularly bother me since I feel a LOT of folks would act similarly.

Neyer had the right of it last night.

Exactly. The outrage over his lies is laughable. Obviously once he got caught he was going to do whatever it took to get away with it. That's what people do. Good people and bad people.

I get being mad about him using PED's, but the lying should come as no surprise.

[waroriole]

But, it was Tejada's B12 shot that tripped him up. He had no idea.

I know I'm in a very small minority, but I've always believed Raffy about the B12 shot.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Exactly. The outrage over his lies is laughable. Obviously once he got caught he was going to do whatever it took to get away with it. That's what people do. Good people and bad people.

I get being mad about him using PED's, but the lying should come as no surprise.

There's "lying" and there's "LYING".

[crissfan172]

There's "lying" and there's "LYING".

Unfortunately, people had to be thrown under the bus for him to get off. Casualties of his survival instinct.

Only difference between Braun and other cheaters is that he was given the opportunity to save his own ass. They all would have taken the same route if given the chance. That's what cheaters do.

[weams]

I know I'm in a very small minority, but I've always believed Raffy about the B12 shot.

There is a bit of me that does too. Or I would not have posted that. But just a bit. I'm jaded. Dominican Republic though man. DA. Andy told us all about this.

[weams]

I did at first, and a sentimental part of me still does, but Raffy always said that he'd be back to explain what really happened and appeared to be seeking proof of his side of the story for awhile.

And then...

he disappeared.

The stigma of ratting out co-workers looms larger than the point of a finger. Also, he was under oath in Congress. Got to be careful with that.

[tntoriole]

If MLB and the players union were truly serious about stopping this behavior (if it is stoppable), then just institute the same penalty that is instituted for gambling. Lifetime ban on first time use. That would be the measure most likely to put a stop to it. Other stopgap measures, even severe ones, will continue to allow some athletes to delude themselves that the benefits somehow outweigh the risks. The other way is just to legalize it and allow players to use whatever societal legal substances are available to them in trying to enhance their performance however the player sees best. Fans and public opinion would be quite negative about the latter option as it seriously interferes with the mythic heroic qualities we imagine are present in athletes and their games.

[Can_of_corn]

If MLB and the players union were truly serious about stopping this behavior (if it is stoppable), then just institute the same penalty that is instituted for gambling. Lifetime ban on first time use. That would be the measure most likely to put a stop to it. Other stopgap measures, even severe ones, will continue to allow some athletes to delude themselves that the benefits somehow outweigh the risks. The other way is just to legalize it and allow players to use whatever societal legal substances are available to them in trying to enhance their performance however the player sees best. Fans and public opinion would be quite negative about the latter option as it seriously interferes with the mythic heroic qualities we imagine are present in athletes and their games.

At the MLB level only or to include MiLB?

I would hate to see some 16-17 year old from the DR get popped for something he had no idea about.

[crawjo]

But the evidence against Palmeiro was not just the positive test. He was implicated by Canseco, which is why he testified before Congress in the first place.

I assume that he was probably using PEDs since the early 1990s. But I don't hold it against him.

[mark_beckens]

I graduated in 88, played college ball from 88-90. I can honestly say I looked into it my junior year in HS. I couldn't afford it but I know people I went to HS with who suspect used it. I would have used it. I used Creatine for a short time. NOW, I'm glad I didn't use it. It wouldn't have helped me enough to make my dream come true.

[blid]

I agree with the assessment. The only thing I am unable to wrap my head around was how he says the collector followed protocol, but isn't the fact he strayed from protocol (albeit slightly) the reason Braun got off? I'm not saying the guy deserved to lose his job or that he tampered. After all, we all know now that Braun was (and is) guilty of PED use and the positive test was correct. Still, I'm having an issue understanding how he got off in the first place if everything was according to protocol. Was it a flaw in the protocol? And even if that was the case, how could the collector have gotten fired over a flaw in the protocol? Sorry, just slightly confused.

The test in question was given to Braun after the Brewers' first game of the 2011 postseason. In the game, Braun got three hits in four at-bats as the Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-1. The test results were "insanely high, the highest ever for anyone who has ever taken a test, twice the level of the highest test ever taken" for an elevated level of testosterone caused by a synthetic substance.

The tester claimed that by the time the test was completed afterward, there was no open FedEx center at which he could drop off the sample. Instead, the tester followed established protocol that when a sample cannot immediately be dropped off at a FedEx center, it must be kept in a cold and secure place until it can be shipped. In this instance, the tester took the sample home and stored it in a refrigerator until he could bring it to an open FedEx center on Monday.

Lawyers for Major League Baseball told the panel that the sample had been sealed in both a bag and then a box while Braun watched and that they showed no sign of tampering when they arrived at the Montreal laboratory.

Nevertheless, the two-day delay allowed Braun's lawyers to successfully raise doubts about the manner in which the sample was handled. The language governing baseball's drug-testing program states that the testing service, "absent unusual circumstance," is supposed to send urine samples to the laboratory on the same day they are collected. A three-person panel, made up of a league representative, Michael Weiner representing the players' union, and Shyam Das, voted 2-1 that the testing company's protocol for weekend tests failed the "unusual circumstances" provision in the testing program. Ryan Braun basically walked free because Kinko's didn't stay open one hour later on Saturday night.

[Can_of_corn]

The test in question was given to Braun after the Brewers' first game of the 2011 postseason. In the game, Braun playing left field and batting third, got three hits in four at-bats as the Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-1. The test results were "insanely high, the highest ever for anyone who has ever taken a test, twice the level of the highest test ever taken" for an elevated level of testosterone caused by a synthetic substance.

The tester claimed that by the time the test was completed afterward, there was no open FedEx center at which he could drop off the sample. Instead, the tester followed established protocol that when a sample cannot immediately be dropped off at a FedEx center, it must be kept in a cold and secure place until it can be shipped. In this instance, the tester took the sample home and stored it in a refrigerator until he could bring it to an open FedEx center on Monday.

Lawyers for Major League Baseball told the panel that the sample had been sealed in both a bag and then a box while Braun watched and that they showed no sign of tampering when they arrived at the Montreal laboratory.

Nevertheless, the two-day delay allowed Braun?s lawyers to successfully raise doubts about the manner in which the sample was handled. The language governing baseball?s drug-testing program states that the testing service, "absent unusual circumstance," is supposed to send urine samples to the laboratory on the same day they are collected. A three-person panel, made up of a league representative, Michael Weiner representing the players' union, and Shyam Das voted 2-1 that the testing company's protocol for weekend tests failed the "unusual circumstances" provision in the testing program. Ryan Braun basically walked free because Kinko's didn't stay open one hour later on Friday night.

A personal refrigerator is not a secure location.

[Nigel Tufnel]

I did at first, and a sentimental part of me still does, but Raffy always said that he'd be back to explain what really happened and appeared to be seeking proof of his side of the story for awhile.

And then...

he disappeared.

He made a deal with OJ - first they find the real killers, THEN they explain Raffy's positive test.

[Can_of_corn]

He made a deal with OJ - first they find the real killers, THEN they explain Raffy's positive test.

Actually I think it went: First they golf, then they find the real killers, then they explain Raffy's positive test.