Ryan Braun busted for PED use; faces 50 day ban

[Ubiquitous]

Actually, this is a prefect example of why using this stuff IS bad for the game and IS a big deal and detrimental to sports in general... We have a situation where a guilty man won an MVP award he probably shouldn't have won anyway, by cheating, over a man who may be clean. Can anybody understand what I'm saying here or am I the last sane man in America? In some people's minds this means, "Oh well, what the hell, let 'em all cheat cuz who cares anyway"? Bullspit. If they let that guy keep that award knowing this then there has never been a bigger show of hypocrisy since all this crap broke. For some reason they all bent over backward to give this guy that award anyway. He never earned it and now he doesn't deserve it either. Matt Kemp, go claim your trophy. It's rightfully yours.

Numerous players in the NFL have won awards while also testing positive. They even did a revote after a guy came up positive and he still won the award.


If it was possible to find out one way or the other I'd put a thousand bucks down on Matt Kemp using PEDs as well.

[Zito75]

I'm betting WAY more players than we know of are using PEDs. With so much money on the line, you know guys are paying chemists to develop undectable strains of HGH, etc. But heck - the fans want an exciting game and MLB wants to fill the stadiums. I'm not sure I really have a problem with it, I just wish players wouldn't be so sneaky about it, like Braun and A-Roid. As long as there are millions on the line, PEDs will continue to be used - that's the bottom line.

[Rich the Giants fan]

They knew he tested positive and gave him the MVP anyway? How???

The simple answer being that the MVP was voted on by reporters before the playoffs, during which he tested positive.

[Rich the Giants fan]

Stunner!

I will hold on to see if he made a stupid buy of something OTC. I really think well-paid players should be smarter than this. You can afford to higher people to select stuff for you and avoid this.

Just to keep an open mind: it's possible he took something that was not properly labeled, etc. It's a black eye if it turns out to be something else.

Yes, it's best to keep an open mind until the case is resolved. Innocent until proven guilty.

But it sure looks bad.

[Rich the Giants fan]

All the people who raked Reyes over the coals for pulling out of the game to preserve his batting average and win the batting title look crapfaced right now.

Why? It was still the wrong way to play the game, regardless of what anyone else may or may not have done.

[Yankwood]

Numerous players in the NFL have won awards while also testing positive. They even did a revote after a guy came up positive and he still won the award.


If it was possible to find out one way or the other I'd put a thousand bucks down on Matt Kemp using PEDs as well.

You may be right. But he hasn't. One has and one hasn't....big difference. Also, please don't compare the NFL. Most hard core football fans don't even care about steroid use. Mention steroid user in the sports world and you hear Bonds, Palmeiro, McGwire etc., never the name of some 6'5" 397 lb. guy who runs a 4.4 40 and plays plays on team X's offensive line. We know all those guys are using. Hell, in the town I live in my nephew told me at least 50% of his high school football team uses them. Am I to believe that by college or the NFL, suddenly they get a conscience? They seem to welcome it. The testing is a joke anyway and if anyone wants to use the stuff and mask it, they can.

[Rich the Giants fan]

You may be right. But he hasn't. One has and one hasn't....big difference. Also, please don't compare the NFL. Most hard core football fans don't even care about steroid use. Mention steroid user in the sports world and you hear Bonds, Palmeiro, McGwire etc., never the name of some 6'5" 397 lb. guy who runs a 4.4 40 and plays plays on team X's offensive line. We know all those guys are using. Hell, in the town I live in my nephew told me at least 50% of his high school football team uses them. Am I to believe that by college or the NFL, suddenly they get a conscience? They seem to welcome it. The testing is a joke anyway and if anyone wants to use the stuff and mask it, they can.

Yes, kind of hypocritical, isn't it?

[sturg1dj]

what is the significance level of the drug tests...99% or 95%? I only ask because while reading the article and realized that nobody has ever fought and beat a ruling...yet there have been around 30-35 suspensions and probably thousands of tests overall since they began testing which if we are testing at 95% or even 99% then we can expect at least a few false positives.

Not saying this is the case, but I feel it is strange that we treat the tests like they are 100% accurate, and the league treats it as though it is 100% accurate yet we know through the scientific method that it is not at all 100% accurate.

[sturg1dj]

You may be right. But he hasn't. One has and one hasn't....big difference. Also, please don't compare the NFL. Most hard core football fans don't even care about steroid use. Mention steroid user in the sports world and you hear Bonds, Palmeiro, McGwire etc., never the name of some 6'5" 397 lb. guy who runs a 4.4 40 and plays plays on team X's offensive line. We know all those guys are using. Hell, in the town I live in my nephew told me at least 50% of his high school football team uses them. Am I to believe that by college or the NFL, suddenly they get a conscience? They seem to welcome it. The testing is a joke anyway and if anyone wants to use the stuff and mask it, they can.

I know you are using hyperbole to make a point...but this always bugs me....there has never been a 6'5'' 397 LB guy who has run a 4.4 40. There have only been a handful of guys who have been anywhere near 397 lbs. The heaviest person I have ever heard of that ran around a 4.4 was Jevan Kearse who was something like 265.

The same goes when people mention 300lb linebackers (also do not exist).

[runningshoes]

Give Kemp his MVP. Ban him for life.

Why would they give Kemp the MVP and then ban him for life? lol

[Rich the Giants fan]

what is the significance level of the drug tests...99% or 95%? I only ask because while reading the article and realized that nobody has ever fought and beat a ruling...yet there have been around 30-35 suspensions and probably thousands of tests overall since they began testing which if we are testing at 95% or even 99% then we can expect at least a few false positives.

Not saying this is the case, but I feel it is strange that we treat the tests like they are 100% accurate, and the league treats it as though it is 100% accurate yet we know through the scientific method that it is not at all 100% accurate.

Do we? I'm not a scientist. Are you?

[Yankwood]

I know you are using hyperbole to make a point...but this always bugs me....there has never been a 6'5'' 397 LB guy who has run a 4.4 40. There have only been a handful of guys who have been anywhere near 397 lbs. The heaviest person I have ever heard of that ran around a 4.4 was Jevan Kearse who was something like 265.

The same goes when people mention 300lb linebackers (also do not exist).

Bruce Campbell, Maryland, 6-7, 310, tackle. Dazzled scouts at the combine when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds. If you can forgive the hyperbole, you get the point.

[Rich the Giants fan]

Bruce Campbell, Maryland, 6-7, 310, tackle. Dazzled scouts at the combine when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds. If you can forgive the hyperbole, you get the point.

That's neither a linebacker, nor anywhere near 397 lbs.

[Yankwood]

That's neither a linebacker, nor anywhere near 397 lbs.

Who said anything about linebackers? The point being made is that steroids are not the "black mark" in football that they are in baseball. I'll bet there aren't football websites that sit and argue about if so and so was a better running back only because of steroid use.

[Rich the Giants fan]

Who said anything about linebackers? The point being made is that steroids are not the "black mark" in football that they are in baseball. I'll bet there aren't football websites that sit and argue about if so and so was a better running back only because of steroid use.

"I know you are using hyperbole to make a point...but this always bugs me....there has never been a 6'5'' 397 LB guy who has run a 4.4 40. There have only been a handful of guys who have been anywhere near 397 lbs. The heaviest person I have ever heard of that ran around a 4.4 was Jevan Kearse who was something like 265.

The same goes when people mention 300lb linebackers (also do not exist)."

There.

And maybe it's not, but perhaps it should be. The main reason it is not is pretty much because football doesn't have the same type of "hallowed" numbers that baseball and its rich history, do.