[David R]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

David, I never said "innocent". Again, I do think he used something. But MLB is clearly overzealous in their pursuit of Braun. How many times do you see somebody accused of a crime, vindicated, and then tried for the same thing again, by the same people? It doesn't happen in a criminal court system because jeopardy attaches. Now obviously, this is not a court system, but arbitration. But MLB didn't like the verdict they got when Braun appealed, so they decided to basically ignore it, and go after him again.

Remember when this story first broke? The initial article by ESPN was "Ryan Braun to be suspended for PED use". Shortly thereafter, the story changed, that "Braun will be banned for a banned substance, not a PED". Then the stories started coming out that Braun was taking a medication for herpes. STD medication and PEDs are not even remotely the same thing.

Where is the truth in this? All we know for sure is that Braun was to be suspended for a banned substance, that his testosterone levels were nearly three times higher than any professional athlete had ever tested before, and that he won his appeal by challenging the procedure in which his sample was handled. That doesn't mean his defense team couldn't have gone after the science. They pursued the line of defense that would most likely result in an overturn. It was hardly the only avenue available to them.

Now we know for a fact that Braun will be suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season. That's about all we really know. We don't know definitively what banned substance he took. We don't know what he was presented with by MLB.

I just hope that these "leaks" which served MLB so effectively will start disclosing the facts of the case. Let's see both sides.

I would love to see all the facts but Braun wouldn't want that. What I think would be refreshing is if Braun came clean and told the truth instead of insulting our intelligence by denying he ever used PEDs. The sad thing is he has profited handsomely from his artificially pumped up performance even with the suspension.