Well it is official folks, just when you thought Major League Baseball couldn't screw up its drug/steroid policy any further, they go and make it worse. MLB has overturned last season's NL MVP, Ryan Braun's suspension for a positive performance enhancing drugs test.
If you have not read the story on ESPN, click here to read it. Braun tested positive for elevated testosterone back in October, but Braun claimed tampering and challenged correct procedures had not been followed in the handling of his sample. It is because of this Braun won his appeal despite having a 20:1 ratio of testosterone and the test confirmed synthetic testosterone was in his system.
This is going to open a huge can of worms as everyone who has been punished for testing positive may now try and appeal the decision, especially because of the technicality which allowed Braun to start the season much earlier than anticipated. According to reports from this ESPN article, MLB officials are livid Braun won and hope it does not create a precedent from which more appeals may draw. This is exactly what baseball did not need at this time. It appeared they were headed out of the darkness the steroid era left lingering over the sport when something like this happens. Just because the sample sat at the tester's home in a cool container because he thought FedEx would have already been closed, doesn't create synthetic testosterone appear in the sample, especially when all the seals are intact. It is reprehensible, especially if there was synthetic testosterone was found in the sample no matter what policies were in place.
I think the worst part of all of this is Braun is claiming his character has been defamed and he is trying to get his reputation back, which he believes MLB has stained. Now I want to direct this at Mr. Braun. Ryan, you stained it when you decided winning the NL MVP award was more important than your integrity and took the synthetic testosterone. In my eyes you are no better than Manny Ramirez and all the others who have tainted the game by taking steroids. You are making millions and are cheating America's pastime. I hope you realize you have disappointed me and many other fans all around baseball, this may have been a short reprieve, but there is no saving the reputation you yourself tarnished. You only have to look in the mirror to find the one responsible. Quit blaming others for your own actions. Please for once be a man and take some responsibility for what you have done. When you can do that you can have my respect as a person, but the respect I once had for you as a player is gone and gone forever. Do everyone a favor and don't tarnish the game you and many others love by taking synthetic testosterone ever again, because I am sure you don't want to disappear into obscurity like Ramirez. He keeps coming back to the league because he can't come to grips with what he has done and misses the spotlight.
Follow me on Twitter @roberts_843.
Check out my D-backs blog for FanSided, Venom Strikes.
No comments:
Post a Comment