Dragash: Ryan Braun produces another black eye for baseball
By CRAIG DRAGASH
ISL Correspondent
You have to expect it by now.
Ever so often, you watch Sportscenter or another of your favorite sports shows, and it happens. A report pops up, and someone in the world of baseball has taken the game down another level.
This time, it’s Ryan Braun, who just a year ago, had many in our nation convinced that he was innocent of what he was being accused of, which was a failed test that indicated he used performance enhancing drugs (PED’s). Braun is another addition to a long list of players who have faced similar accusations; some proven, some not.
As a fan of baseball, I have to say I really don’t even have reactions to this sort of thing anymore when it comes to the effects on the game itself. I’ve said for a long time that while PED’s help people get an advantage when it comes to hitting or throwing a ball, you still have to have an eye-hand coordination that is found in few people to be able to perform at a high level. Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, and others dazzled the baseball world in the 90’s with their amazing displays of power. I watched on the edge of my seat as McGuire and Sosa engaged in what to me was the greatest home run derby ever in 1998; a far cry from the derby we recognize today. While I certainly lost a lot of respect for those players, and others who cheated the game, I can’t deny that I was thoroughly entertained by the show they put on.
Bob Gibson, a dominant pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals mainly in the 60’s, was once quoted as saying he didn’t know if he would have used PED’s or not if they were presented to him when he played. Here’s one of the most feared mound performers of his time, and he was such a competitor that PED’s would have tempted him to try to go higher. So I get why this is such a temptation for these players; if no one knew how you got there, why not do whatever it takes?
I’ll tell you why…it makes you dishonest and it shatters your character, that’s why.
Take Braun, a heartthrob in the Milwaukee area. I attended a game at Miller Park in Milwaukee just a year ago, and there were plenty of fans to be found sporting a #8 Braun jersey. He was popular, not just because of his home run and RBI totals, but because of his All-American persona. Needless to say, that persona will take a hit from the fact that he was caught in a lie. Americans forgive a lot of things, but they don’t like to be duped. Hiding what artificially helps your performance is dishonest in and of itself; but lying on top of it to cover it up makes it almost unforgivable. Look at Lance Armstrong. For years, he denied use of PED’s despite rampant accusations; a classic “when there’s smoke, there’s fire” type of situation. Anyone care to conduct a poll and see where his popularity is at this moment?
And then there’s the suspension. Braun received a suspension of 65 games, which is the number of games left in the Brewers’ season. Recent collective bargaining implemented a suspension schedule where the first offense is a 50 game suspension, a second offense brings a 100 game suspension, and a third bans a player from baseball for life. This suspension is unprecedented because it is the first to go away from the set schedule.
My opinion? He got off easy.
But what’s more interesting is the fact that Braun is not appealing the suspension; he knows the evidence against him is overwhelming, and he’s accepting his punishment. Many players appeal their suspensions, largely in part because of the immense power of the Major League Baseball players union, and their ability to overturn many of these suspensions. Of course, it will be interesting to see what will happen with the other names mentioned to be in connection with Biogenesis, the establishment where Braun received his PED’s.
Here’s the kicker: while he’ll lose the rest of this year’s salary, he still has $133 million bucks waiting for him over the next 8 years when he comes back. Again, the power of the union makes it so no contract is terminated because of a drug suspension. Clearly, there is no long term financial threat when it comes to making a decision to use PED’s in the game of baseball.
The message: The players union is tired of players who cheat the game, and they won’t tolerate being deceived.
The question: Will Major League Baseball ever truly gain back the trust of it’s fan base?
Time will tell.
