Braun suspended

[blid]

A personal refrigerator is not a secure location.

Actually, it is pretty secure because it keeps the sample in the custody of the tester.

[mark_beckens]

Actually, it is pretty secure because it keeps the sample in the custody of the tester.

How many people have access to it? It's not secure enough for something as important as a drug test. Would you feel comfortable if a cop put your sample in his frig and you ended up testing postitive?

[Can_of_corn]

Actually, it is pretty secure because it keeps the sample in the custody of the tester.

How many people have access to it? It's not secure enough for something as important as a drug test. Would you feel comfortable if a cop put your sample in his frig and you ended up testing postitive?

A fridge without a lock that is not under continual observation is not "secure".

Deadspin chimes in on the issue of the tester:

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/7/23/4548572/ryan-braun-biogenesis-brewers-dino-laurenzi

Dino Laurenzi, Jr. had one job -- to make sure that the procedures for the handling of test samples, as established by the agreement between baseball and the players' union, were followed with respect to Braun's sample. The evidence presented in Braun's arbitration case suggested -- to two members of the three-arbitrator panel, at least -- that Laurenzi did not successfully perform that job.

That was all there was to it -- the procedures that must be followed in order to suspend a player under the agreement were not followed, so the player could not be suspended. It was not a declaration that Braun was "innocent" or that Laurenzi was somehow crooked, but only that the appropriate procedures for a "guilty verdict" were not followed. Maybe most importantly: in no way does the fact that Braun appears likely to have in fact been "guilty" mean that Laurenzi somehow did his job better than he actually did. Laurenzi was still put in charge of handling the samples in accordance with policy, and still (according to the panel) failed to do so.

[mark_beckens]

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/7/23/4548572/ryan-braun-biogenesis-brewers-dino-laurenzi

I agree that he shouldn't have been suspended the first time. My problem was he should have kept his mouth shut about being innocent. Claiming someone had tainted his sample when he knew the results were correct.

[weams]

There were a lot of things that we learned about the collector, about the collection process, about the way that the entire thing worked that made us very concerned and very suspicious about what could have actually happened.

I would bet my life that this substance never entered my body.

[weams]

That way there can’t be any bias – whether it’s with FedEx, while it’s traveling, at the lab in Montreal, in any way – based on somebody’s race, religion, ethnicity, what team they play for, whatever the case may be.

[blid]

A fridge without a lock that is not under continual observation is not "secure".

Deadspin chimes in on the issue of the tester:

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/7/23/4548572/ryan-braun-biogenesis-brewers-dino-laurenzi

That article is pretty poor and takes no time whatsoever to investigate the facts of the case. It relies entirely on the opinion of one man on the arbitration panel to determine Laurenzi was at fault in some way. Actually, keeping the sample at home was the testing company's protocol, and the point of contention was whether the testing protocol matched the guarantees in the MLB agreement. Here is the statement the tester made at the time:

"Given the lateness of the hour that I completed my collections, there was no FedEx office located within 50 miles of Miller Park that would ship packages that day or Sunday. Therefore, the earliest that the specimens could be shipped was Monday, October 3. In that circumstance, CDT has instructed collectors since I began in 2005 that they should safeguard the samples in their homes until FedEx is able to immediately ship the sample to the laboratory, rather than having the samples sit for one day or more at a local FedEx office. The protocol has been in place since 2005 when I started with CDT and there have been other occasions when I have had to store samples in my home for at least one day, all without incident.

"The FedEx Clinic Pack containing Mr. Braun's samples never left my custody. Consistent with CDT's instructions, I brought the FedEx Clinic Pack containing the samples to my home. Immediately upon arriving home, I placed the FedEx Clinic Pack in a Rubbermaid container in my office which is located in my basement. My basement office is sufficiently cool to store urine samples. No one other than my wife was in my home during the period in which the samples were stored. The sealed Specimen Boxes were not removed from the FedEx Clinic Pack during the entire period in which they were in my home. On Monday, October 3, I delivered the FedEx Clinic Pack containing Mr. Braun's Specimen Box to a FedEx office for delivery to the laboratory on Tuesday, October 4. At no point did I tamper in any way with the samples. It is my understanding that the samples were received at the laboratory with all tamper-resistant seals intact.

"This situation has caused great emotional distress for me and my family. I have worked hard my entire life, have performed my job duties with integrity and professionalism, and have done so with respect to this matter and all other collections in which I have participated."

[mark_beckens]

"Given the lateness of the hour that I completed my collections, there was no FedEx office located within 50 miles of Miller Park that would ship packages that day or Sunday. Therefore, the earliest that the specimens could be shipped was Monday, October 3.

Then the sample should not have been collected until Monday.

[Can_of_corn]

That article is pretty poor and takes no time whatsoever to investigate the facts of the case. It relies entirely on the opinion of one man on the arbitration panel to determine Laurenzi was at fault in some way. Actually, keeping the sample at home was the testing company's protocol, and the point of contention was whether the testing protocol matched the guarantees in the MLB agreement. Here is the statement the tester made at the time:

"Given the lateness of the hour that I completed my collections, there was no FedEx office located within 50 miles of Miller Park that would ship packages that day or Sunday. Therefore, the earliest that the specimens could be shipped was Monday, October 3. In that circumstance, CDT has instructed collectors since I began in 2005 that they should safeguard the samples in their homes until FedEx is able to immediately ship the sample to the laboratory, rather than having the samples sit for one day or more at a local FedEx office. The protocol has been in place since 2005 when I started with CDT and there have been other occasions when I have had to store samples in my home for at least one day, all without incident.

"The FedEx Clinic Pack containing Mr. Braun's samples never left my custody. Consistent with CDT's instructions, I brought the FedEx Clinic Pack containing the samples to my home. Immediately upon arriving home, I placed the FedEx Clinic Pack in a Rubbermaid container in my office which is located in my basement. My basement office is sufficiently cool to store urine samples. No one other than my wife was in my home during the period in which the samples were stored. The sealed Specimen Boxes were not removed from the FedEx Clinic Pack during the entire period in which they were in my home. On Monday, October 3, I delivered the FedEx Clinic Pack containing Mr. Braun's Specimen Box to a FedEx office for delivery to the laboratory on Tuesday, October 4. At no point did I tamper in any way with the samples. It is my understanding that the samples were received at the laboratory with all tamper-resistant seals intact.

"This situation has caused great emotional distress for me and my family. I have worked hard my entire life, have performed my job duties with integrity and professionalism, and have done so with respect to this matter and all other collections in which I have participated."

There is nothing secure about an unlocked refrigerator. The refrigerator wasn't even under constant surveillance.

The agreement says "secure" the tester's fridge does not constitute secure.

If it was part of the facilities protocol then some means of securing the sample should have been present.

[weams]

Then the sample should not have been collected until Monday.

Unfortunately many important playoff games, like the one he just won with synthetic testosterone levels more than double the highest level every recorded, are on the weekends.

It's ok if you don't like it. He confessed to it. Just not to you and me.

[Nigel Tufnel]

There is nothing secure about an unlocked refrigerator. The refrigerator wasn't even under constant surveillance.

The agreement says "secure" the tester's fridge does not constitute secure.

If it was part of the facilities protocol then some means of securing the sample should have been present.

Sounds like it wasn't even a fridge - just a cooler or some kind of Tupperware-type container in has basement. Obviously no one tampered with anything, and he was following company protocol, but if it were my livelihood at stake I'd certainly have argued that those procedures were too lax.

[blid]

Sounds like it wasn't even a fridge - just a cooler or some kind of Tupperware-type container in has basement. Obviously no one tampered with anything, and he was following company protocol, but if it were my livelihood at stake I'd certainly have argued that those procedures were too lax.

Yeah, I don't disagree with that. Of course, heavily implying that the tester is suspicious and that the tester tainted his sample was going way too far and is a big part of the reason Braun is now one of the most hated PED users in baseball history. Guys like Giambi have been forgiven by the public for the most part.

[weams]

Yeah, I don't disagree with that. Of course, heavily implying that the tester is suspicious and that the tester tainted his sample was going way too far and is a big part of the reason Braun is now one of the most hated PED users in baseball history. Guys like Giambi have been forgiven by the public for the most part.

And Andy Pettitte is beloved. Braun is the worst of the worst.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Yeah, I don't disagree with that. Of course, heavily implying that the tester is suspicious and that the tester tainted his sample was going way too far and is a big part of the reason Braun is now one of the most hated PED users in baseball history. Guys like Giambi have been forgiven by the public for the most part.

Yeah, it's funny - I happened to make an OJ joke earlier, and coincidentally it sounds like Braun pretty much used OJ's defense.

[tntoriole]

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.

Permanent ban at the major league level, but I would still have severe penalties for any use in minors as well and required educational activities from the time they sign through the entire minor league experience.