Ryan Braun First to be Suspended in Biogenesis Scandal

Another Tainted Star Ryan Braun suspended in Biogenesis Scandal.

The first domino in the ongoing Biogenesis scandal fell today, with Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun being suspended for the remainder of the season.  Others are sure to follow, but I think it’s telling that the first one is Braun.  Unlike A-Rod, who’s been Public Enemy No. 1 from the moment he put on a Yankee uniform, Braun was a good old boy.  A clean-cut, hard-working guy who was the face of a small market franchise.  It always bothered me that Braun, for the most part, was given a free pass by almost everyone after his positive test in 2011 and successful appeal.  Well, after today, Braun’s never going to get a free pass again (unless it’s during a game).

To me, there was always something fishy with Braun and that prior test.  And his arrogance about it really irked me.  He got off on a technicality, yet smugly had that defiant press conference denying everything and proclaiming himself to be “proud the system worked.”  I didn’t believe him then (the only reason he got off was because of chain-of-custody issues, not because there was anything questionable with the results of the test).  Well, as it turns out, that press conference was a bold-faced lie.  Braun got caught and he knew it, but still held that press conference knowing it was nothing but a big, fat lie.  For that, he should be ashamed.

Then Braun’s name came up in all the Biogenesis stuff.  (I’d also like to again go on record by saying that Tony Bosch isn’t some sort of “hero” like people are making him out to be.  The guy’s slime.  Why would he keep detailed records like that if he wasn’t ultimately going to double-cross these guys?)  His reason seemed a little too convenient.  He “consulted Bosch during his appeal.”  It made sense, so people bought it.  Well, now we know that Bosch provided Braun with a lot more than just advice.

ESPN’s Buster Olney has said that Braun is now baseball’s Lance Armstrong.  There couldn’t be a more apt comparison.  I’ll be the first to admit that I was as fooled by Lance Armstrong as anybody.  I’m almost embarrassed that he pulled the wool over my eyes for so long before finally coming clean.  Well, I was never fooled by Ryan Braun.  It always felt like he was hiding something.  Turns out, he was.

That’s what makes some of the wording in today’s press release all the more disturbing.  Braun “realizes now” that he has made some mistakes.  He didn’t realize that a year and a half ago when he got caught, got away with it, then proceeded to lie to the entire country?  And what is it that made him realize?  The mountain of evidence against him and imminent suspension that would’ve been much longer had he not cut a deal with Major League Baseball?

Likewise, it’s a strange choice of words by MLB’s Rob Manfred, who “commended” Braun for taking responsibility for his actions.  What exactly has he done that deserves being commended?  That’s the last word that should be used regarding him in this whole situation.  Braun was exposed as a fraud, a liar and a cheat.  That’s not generally behavior that’s classified as “commendable.”  Yes, he took his punishment like a man.  I’ll give him that.  But that punishment only came as a result of striking a deal that would limit his suspension to this season, so even that can be taken with a grain of salt.

I know I come off as a flip-flopper here.  I’m in a proud minority with my unwavering support for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and the like, but I’m quick to jump all over Ryan Braun for being a cheater.  Well, there’s one big difference.  Bonds and Clemens, regardless of what they took and how much they knew about what it was, never failed a test and weren’t breaking any rules.  Well, successful appeal or not, Braun did fail a test.  And that test was administered as a part of Major League Baseball’s drug testing policy.  Braun broke the rules.  All of the guys during the Steroids Era didn’t.  Sorry, but I’ll keep coming back to that as my reason for being in their corner.

It’s pretty clear that Bonds and Clemens are never getting into the Hall of Fame.  Whether you think that’s the right thing or not (I obviously don’t, you can’t pretend the ’90s never happened) isn’t the point.  The point is that something else became clear today.  Ryan Braun’s never getting a plaque in Cooperstown, either.  He’s just the latest in a long line of fallen stars whose legacy is forever tarnished.  It’s a damn shame, too.