Braun tests postitive for PEDs

[Steve9347]

One theory why the arb. ruled the way he did: to keep his job.

That's just irresponsible journalism and makes me hate the world.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Steve9347

[G&T]

One theory why the arb. ruled the way he did: to keep his job.

 

It's not unheard of for arbitrators to do things like that. But no one would do it in such a huge case. Pick a smaller thing that no one will remember. In any event until we can read the decision it's dumb to think that's what was going on.

[southsider2k5]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/milwauk...renzi-Jr-022812

 

Turns out, The Collector has a name. And a reputation. And a story.

 

The PR battle Ryan Braun lamented is raging anew. For this, he has himself to blame.

 

I don’t know if Braun knowingly used the synthetic testosterone that showed up in his October urine test. But he is guilty of a blatant refusal to quit while he was ahead.

 

In the news conference that followed his successful appeal of a 50-game suspension, Braun all but accused “The Collector” — whom he very carefully didn’t name — of actively or passively tampering with his urine sample.

 

“There were a lot of things we learned about the collector, about the collection process, about the way the entire thing worked that made us very concerned and very suspicious about what could have actually happened,” Braun said Friday.

 

Major League Baseball subsequently released a statement that said neither Braun nor the players’ union argued in the grievance that the sample had been tampered with. Instead, sources say Braun’s appeal was successful because arbitrator Shyam Das ruled The Collector didn’t take the package to FedEx immediately after leaving Miller Park.

 

At the hearing, Braun’s lawyers argued The Collector didn’t comply with the letter of the law. In public, Braun all but accused him of contaminating the sample. (Multiple sources have said the original seal on Braun’s sample was intact when it arrived at the lab in Montreal for testing.)

 

Predictably, this created considerable public fascination about the identity of The Collector. It didn’t take long for reporters to learn his name. And given the times in which we live, Dino Laurenzi Jr. had little choice but to tell his side of the story or risk becoming the doping version of Steve Bartman.

 

So, on Tuesday, he issued a statement through attorney Boyd Johnson. Laurenzi said he followed the procedures of his employer, Comprehensive Drug Testing, in obtaining and processing Braun’s sample. He said he stored the FedEx Clinic Pack in a Rubbermaid container in his basement office, per CDT regulations, until a day when the package could be shipped out.

 

“The FedEx Clinic Pack containing Mr. Braun’s samples never left my custody,” Laurenzi said. He added: “At no point did I tamper in any way with the samples. It is my understanding that the samples were received at the laboratory with all tamper-resistant seals intact.”

 

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Clearly, Braun and Laurenzi have different versions of the truth. I don’t know which is correct. I do know Braun amplified a side of the story that might have gone untold without his hyper-aggressive public stance.

 

It wasn’t necessary for Braun to incriminate Laurenzi — whether he erred or not. If Laurenzi’s alleged malfeasance wasn’t a necessary component of Braun’s innocence in the hearing room, it didn’t need to be part of his statement to the public.

 

Braun could have said that he’s never used steroids, that the appeal process proved him right, that an unexplained error was to blame, and that he hopes baseball can make adjustments to the testing program going forward. To fans in Milwaukee — the people he counts on to cheer for the Brewers and eat at Ryan Braun’s Graffito — that would have been more than sufficient.

 

But he didn’t stop there. Braun, who signed a $105 million contract last year, questioned the honesty of a former teacher and athletic trainer from Kenosha, Wis., without presenting concrete evidence of wrongdoing.

 

Braun made a point of closing his Friday statement by saying that he’s considering his legal options. Why would he need to do that? He won. He side was proved right by the arbitrator. Does Braun need to text Matt Kemp a photo of the MVP trophy to prove that he won it?

 

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Whom would Braun want to sue? Laurenzi? CDT? What would that accomplish, other than giving longer legs to an unflattering story?

 

Any settlement or judgment would change the minds of few baseball fans, because the people who are going to believe Braun already do. And any remittance he would receive would surely pale in comparison to his on-field earnings.

 

Braun is a superb baseball player, one of the best in the game today. But his pride — normally a favorable attribute — ensnared him in a lamentable squabble with top baseball officials. Laurenzi gave his side of the story only after Braun put him on the defensive.

 

Not long ago, it was Ryan Braun who said, “This is my livelihood, my integrity, my character — everything I’ve worked for in my life being called into question.” Dino Laurenzi Jr. can empathize.

[Texsox]

After reading the collectors account I am now even more convinced Braun was using PEDs.

[Kyyle23]

It was really dumb of Braun to put all of this on the collector when he made his speech. He should have just left it at "we won the arbitration case" and left it at that, but he went after the character of an unnamed person who now has a name, and has had his livelihood and integrity questioned.

 

I have a feeling this isn't over by a long shot.

[southsider2k5]

It was really dumb of Braun to put all of this on the collector when he made his speech. He should have just left it at "we won the arbitration case" and left it at that, but he went after the character of an unnamed person who now has a name, and has had his livelihood and integrity questioned.

 

I have a feeling this isn't over by a long shot.

 

The only reason he won his appeal was by focusing on a very narrow piece of the entire process. Once he got off task, he opened himself up to getting hit hard.

[justBLAZE]

It was really dumb of Braun to put all of this on the collector when he made his speech. He should have just left it at "we won the arbitration case" and left it at that, but he went after the character of an unnamed person who now has a name, and has had his livelihood and integrity questioned.

 

I have a feeling this isn't over by a long shot.

 

I hope it's not!

[Balta1701]

It was really dumb of Braun to put all of this on the collector when he made his speech. He should have just left it at "we won the arbitration case" and left it at that, but he went after the character of an unnamed person who now has a name, and has had his livelihood and integrity questioned.

 

I have a feeling this isn't over by a long shot.

I don't know if MLB will challenge this ruling in court or not, but that's the only way "This isn't over". That and the boo's. And either his next positive test or the dropoff in his numbers.

[Balta1701]

The only reason he won his appeal was by focusing on a very narrow piece of the entire process. Once he got off task, he opened himself up to getting hit hard.

Presumably though it was the same lawyers who figured out where the loophole in the testing process rules was who wrote that statement ripping the collector.

[southsider2k5]

Presumably though it was the same lawyers who figured out where the loophole in the testing process rules was who wrote that statement ripping the collector.

 

I would be shocked if he lawyers were stupid enough to write a statement that specific with that many holes. It sounds more like a publicist type of a statement.

[Kyyle23]

I don't know if MLB will challenge this ruling in court or not, but that's the only way "This isn't over". That and the boo's. And either his next positive test or the dropoff in his numbers.

 

I'm sure Dino is going to make himself heard as well.

[Balta1701]

I would be shocked if he lawyers were stupid enough to write a statement that specific with that many holes. It sounds more like a publicist type of a statement.

Wouldn't you be equally shocked if the publicist wrote that statement and then didn't run it by the lawyers who had just won the case?

[Balta1701]

I'm sure Dino is going to make himself heard as well.

THe answer here is probably obvious, but um, who?

[Kyyle23]

THe answer here is probably obvious, but um, who?

 

Do I honestly have to ask you this?

 

 

Did you read the article?

[southsider2k5]

Wouldn't you be equally shocked if the publicist wrote that statement and then didn't run it by the lawyers who had just won the case?

 

Judging by the statement, any lawyer who approved s*** that needs to be fired and disbarred.

[southsider2k5]

Do I honestly have to ask you this?

 

 

Did you read the article?

 

Or even the previous pages posts....

[Balta1701]

Do I honestly have to ask you this?

 

 

Did you read the article?

Yeah I did, but didn't memorize the guy's name. Thanks.

[Kyyle23]

Yeah I did, but didn't memorize the guy's name. Thanks.

 

Oh im sorry, I thought you were the guy that busted me out on tiny details in the middle of arguments with me. My bad

[Balta1701]

Oh im sorry, I thought you were the guy that busted me out on tiny details in the middle of arguments with me. My bad

That's why I said thanks.

[G&T]

Wouldn't you be equally shocked if the publicist wrote that statement and then didn't run it by the lawyers who had just won the case?

 

It's easy to blame publicists and lawyers, but it's usually the client that's the moron. Some clients don't really care what their lawyer has to say and Braun was very talkative from this moment this became public. These people are represented by skilled and experienced attorneys and publicists that deal with the press for a living. But then...some lawyers are kinda crazy.

 

I would also suspect that no lawyer would allow that press conference. Just like the collector, a statement should have been sent out by the team or the player's union. There was no reason to talk about it.

[southsider2k5]

It's easy to blame publicists and lawyers, but it's usually the client that's the moron. Some clients don't really care what their lawyer has to say and Braun was very talkative from this moment this became public. These people are represented by skilled and experienced attorneys and publicists that deal with the press for a living. But then...some lawyers are kinda crazy.

 

I would also suspect that no lawyer would allow that press conference. Just like the collector, a statement should have been sent out by the team or the player's union. There was no reason to talk about it.

 

For what he is paying the guys, I would hope this was Braun going off on his own. Otherwise he didn't get what he paid for at all.

[G&T]

For what he is paying the guys, I would hope this was Braun going off on his own. Otherwise he didn't get what he paid for at all.

 

 

Here are the most damning parts of his statement: business insider

 

Notice that he reads the facts off his sheet but he seems to be ad libbing large chunks. Notice the part at about 2:20 where he talks about finding things out about the collector. He isn't reading that. That's not to say it wasn't written, but from watching him, it looks like he wrote notes and tried to ad lib the rest. The entire weird analogy he makes about having a disease is not being read either.

 

Edit, it is embedded at the end of the article.

Edited February 29, 2012 by G&T

[Steve9347]

Yeah I did, but didn't memorize the guy's name. Thanks.

badger?

[Steve9347]

For what he is paying the guys, I would hope this was Braun going off on his own. Otherwise he didn't get what he paid for at all.

We're talking about this guy.

 

 

I put no act of stupidity past him.

[southsider2k5]

We're talking about this guy.

 

 

I put no act of stupidity past him.

 

In that picture he looks like he should be pulling his shirt up for beads.