[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

Being a Bay Area native (BALCO) and Giants fan, I've engaged in enough steroid talk to last a life time, and feel little need to weigh in on Braun.. except in saying that I had little/no suspicion of his PED use prior to the 2011 test. His swing looked pure, his power seemed body & hip generated, but oh well.

I agree, and I've been watching Braun closely since he first stepped on the field at Miller Park (in addition to the footage I've seen of him in the minors, and back at Miami). I see a guy that's a career .312 hitter...strong, but lean. He generates incredible bat speed with very fluid mechanics. He's got a really fast twitch, strong legs, and powerful wrists. That allows him to hit with power to all fields.

After the story was leaked, all I seemed to read was "well, Braun is only a great hitter because he has Prince Fielder behind him. Pitchers have to throw to him, so he gets more good pitches to hit". Then he has the best year of his career in 2012 while Prince is in Detroit backing up Miguel Cabrera.

This is why I still don't believe that he took performance enhancers. I know he took something, but I just don't see a guy that's benefiting from juicing up. This isn't a guy hitting 60-70 home runs a season. He's consistent in all aspects of the game. He's pretty much famous in Milwaukee for his work ethic.

There's often more to stories like this, and I think when the other shoe drops, some opinions will change.