It’s been one hell of a year for Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun.
On October 1, 2011, Braun took a standard urine test checking for any trace of performing-enhancing drugs. The test was made public on December 10, confirming that the 2011 MVP had PEDs coursing through his system, and the MLB hit him with a 50-game suspension.
Braun proceeded to successfully appeal the suspension in January 2012, overturning the initial decision and allowing him to play the following season. The 29-year old went on to be an All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, finishing second in the MVP voting.
Then 2013 hit, and his world came crashing down.
Braun’s name appeared three times in a Biogenesis of America report in February, showing that the outfielder may have been involved in receiving PEDs. After denying these accusations and blaming sample collector Dino Laurenzi Jr., Braun was finally handed a 65-game suspension, keeping him out for the remainder of the 2013 season.
The Brewer embarrassed himself on a level unlike anyone prior.
“By no means am I perfect, but if I’ve ever made any mistakes in my life I’ve taken responsibility for my actions,” Braun said in a February interview with the Milwaukee- Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. “I truly believe in my heart and I would bet my life that this substance never entered my body at any point.”
Oh, but Braun didn’t stop there. Every line he said in February makes the current situation that much worse.
“I’ve always stood up for what is right,” Braun told the Journal Sentinel. “Today is about everybody who’s been wrongly accused, and everybody who has had to stand up for what is actually right. Today isn’t about me; it isn’t about one player. It’s about all players. It’s about all current players, all future players and everybody who plays the game of baseball.”
The worst part of all of this?
Braun’s getting off easy in a number of ways, and it’s a disgrace to everyone involved.
Let’s look at the penalty from a number of angles.
Milwaukee is currently 41-58, 20 games out of first place in the NL Central and well out of contention for any postseason play in 2013. Braun’s suspension doesn’t hurt the organization in the slightest this season.
In fact, it will probably help the Brewers, considering the mounting losses will eventually lead to receiving a better draft pick next year.
And outside of his now shattered image, how is this hurting Braun as a player?
In April 2011, Braun signed a five-year, $105 million contract extension through 2020 with Milwaukee. Because of his suspension, he will lose $3.25 million this season. He’ll be making a guaranteed $117 million more before his career is finished.
Let me cry him a river.
And knowing sports fans, all Braun will have to do in 2014 is return to his MVP form, using steroids or not, to win back their favor. If he goes on to hit .300 with 25 home runs next season, Brewers fans will bow down and kiss his feet.
Sure, they’ll remember he’s a terrible person, but that won’t stop them from loving him “as a player.”
Braun should be receiving a lot more than a 65-game suspension. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is possibly facing a lifetime ban.
Why is Braun getting off with a mere 65 games when another player linked to Biogenesis is looking at having his name completely wiped from the books?
It’s time to make Braun actually feel his mistake.
To quote John Hammond from “Jurassic Park”: “I don’t blame people for their mistakes, but I do ask that they pay for them.”