Looks like Braun won his appeal

[Thrylos]

and the MLB does not like the outcome. The vote was 2-1. What a travesty!

 

And the reason that he won was on a technicality. He claimed that the sample was left unattended for 2 days and could had been tampered with... if the glove doesn't fit...

[Kirsten Brown]

I don't know whether Braun really took something he shouldn't. However, I'm kind of befuddled at how MLB is handling all this. MLB certainly shouldn't have leaked the information about the appeal because it was supposed to be confidential. And when the process that both MLB and MLBPA put in place goes against MLB, they get all pissy. Is anyone going to hold MLB accountable for their actions in all this?

[Thrylos]

I don't know whether Braun really took something he shouldn't. However, I'm kind of befuddled at how MLB is handling all this. MLB certainly shouldn't have leaked the information about the appeal because it was supposed to be confidential. And when the process that both MLB and MLBPA put in place goes against MLB, they get all pissy. Is anyone going to hold MLB accountable for their actions in all this?

The MLB did not leak it officially... a person working for the MLB leaked it. I suspect that this person is no longer working with the MLB.

[JB_Iowa]

The "technicality" explains why the test results were leaked. This whole thing has been a mess.

 

Braun doesn't look "innocent". MLB looks incompetent. Testing lab looks irresponsible.

 

Just when baseball looked like they were making progress on steroids, etc., this case now looks bad for everyone involved.

[zchrz]

Wow pretty ridiculous he is going to get off with roiding for an MVP because the courier was an idiot.

[Thrylos]

The "technicality" explains why the test results were leaked. This whole thing has been a mess.

 

Braun doesn't look "innocent". MLB looks incompetent. Testing lab looks irresponsible.

 

Just when baseball looked like they were making progress on steroids, etc., this case now looks bad for everyone involved.

Agreed.

 

But for the ones who are exonerating Braun today, they have to remember that Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens (and a few more) have never tested positive for anything...

[JB_Iowa]

I've noticed the celebratory tweets from players asserting that Braun is innocent and totally exonerated.

 

But it sounds more like "not guilty" than "innocent" to me.

 

Fed Ex/Kinkos was thought to be closed so the sample had to be refrigerated overnight? Why in the world can't MLB ensure that procedures are followed?

 

I hope MLB learned a HUGE lesson from this mess.

[Thrylos]

I hope MLB learned a HUGE lesson from this mess.

Yes they did. They are changing the guidelines... I suspect that a press release will be issued within a couple of days.

[Seth Stohs]

If Ryan Braun truly is innocent, good for him! If not, then MLB's drug credibility is hurt. Maybe it's just cuz he's a nice guy/superstar.

[Kirsten Brown]

You're right, I shouldn't have claimed that MLB leaked the confidential information. I don't know how it happened, and I shouldn't have said that.

 

However, I don't believe Braun got off on a "technicality". There are processes in place for a reason, and the proper procedures weren't followed -- for whatever reason. I know nothing of testosterone testing, but I imagine that since it naturally occurs in the human body, that time is probably is really of the essence and that a sample that sits too long might not yield an accurate result. If it didn't matter how long it took to get it to the lab, there wouldn't be protocol to ensure that it does. No one will know for sure whether the test would have came back normal if it had gotten to the lab on time.

 

At any rate, chain of custody is a real thing, not a "technicality." We wouldn't allow a person to be even sentenced to probation if the evidence was held in some random dude's fridge for 2 days, why should we allow a man to be kept away from his livelihood for 50 days?

 

Anyhoo, I'm not really as worked up about this as I'm making all this sound. Sorry about all the wordiness.

[TwinsGuy55422]

What's weird about the whole thing is that when the positive test first came out, Braun was claiming that it had something to do with a medication he was taking for an undisclosed medical problem. Yet when the actual appeal happens, they only argue the chain of custody? I guess we'll probably never know what really happened and that's what sucks about this.

[Crimson]

I agree we will most likely never know what really happened. I just hope we don't hear any serious conspiracy theories about it.

[John Bonnes]

Is there a reason we won't know what happened? I'm fairly sure that both sides will tell their sides right now. Or is this all still supposed to be confidential?

 

It might very well be that Braun's real reason for protesting has nothing to do with the technicality that got him off of the suspension. His team would have used whatever avenue they thought worked best, not whichever they thought was most valid. Then they would leak the real reason they thought it was unfair.

[Crimson]

As another question, why is the arbitration panel not made up of 3 independent people? It doesn't make sense.