Braun wins appeal, will NOT be suspended.
"Ryan Braun became the first major-league player to have a positive drug test overturned"
3 months ago
Ogre39666
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My opinion of this is gonna hinge
on the exact technicality of the decision that fell in his favor. If the possibility of a rigged doping test was ruled out then I don’t know how my skepticism is going to be quelled.
"Intelligence is not a genetic predisposition. Think stupid!!"
by Wright of passage on Feb 23, 2012 5:32 PM EST reply actions
check the update from 5:50pm
"No curses, only incompetent ownership" - Russ
by Help!I'maRock! on Feb 23, 2012 5:52 PM EST up reply actions
I'm happy for Braun
Where are all the writers that demonized Braun? Hiding under their desks I bet.
by graves9 on Feb 23, 2012 5:32 PM EST via mobile reply actions 4 recs
He won on a technicallity
He was not proven innocent.
__________________________________________________________________
Really good kid.A very good player.Not a superstar. #BlameWilponz. Never Forget
by ScottfromPeekskill on Feb 24, 2012 12:01 PM EST up reply actions
he also wasn't proven guilty
Hey, wait! I'm having one of those things. You know? A headache with pictures?
by KeithsMoustache on Feb 24, 2012 12:53 PM EST up reply actions
not saying either one isn't guilty, just saying neither one was proven to be
theres a difference
Hey, wait! I'm having one of those things. You know? A headache with pictures?
by KeithsMoustache on Feb 24, 2012 2:43 PM EST up reply actions
Neither was OJ
__________________________________________________________________
Really good kid.A very good player.Not a superstar. #BlameWilponz. Never Forget
by ScottfromPeekskill on Feb 24, 2012 9:55 PM EST up reply actions
Because OJ didn't kill anyone
It was ‘some Puerto Rican guy’.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 24, 2012 11:13 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
How much they pay off that third arbitrator?
2012 New York Mets, World Series Champions!
Gave him a box of chocolates.
Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!
You might know me as mistermet.
by Steve Schreiber on Feb 23, 2012 6:16 PM EST up reply actions
Kind of messed up
you test positive, then you fail
2012 New York Mets, World Series Champions!
Yes
but judging from their argument, they tried to raise enough doubt about whether or not everything in the testing was done by the book, and he got off on a technicality
"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell
Allegedly
not sending the sample in to be tested for 2 days is more than a “technicality.” MLB has only themselves to blame if that’s the cause of their loss in this case. And most importantly, the result never should’ve been leaked in the 1st place.
What's that about?
by Brian. on Feb 23, 2012 6:33 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs
There's no evidence that the samples being in the freezer for two days changed the results.
He got off because the players union and MLB agreed samples would be handled in under two days, and this was over. It was a violation of an agreement, but didn’t necessarily change the results of the test.
"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell
It's about systems
I haven’t read any of this, but if they didn’t adhere to a really basic rule they had agreed to, their systems management simply can’t be relied on, and the thing should have been overturned. Braun’s name is stained, maybe correctly, maybe not. But whether he used or not, MLB absolutely deserved to lose this, if they couldn’t manage the sample correctly.
by SuperT on Feb 23, 2012 7:07 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs
Sure, but this is still ridiculous
“According to ESPN’s Karl Ravech, Ryan Braun won his PED suspension appeal on a revelation that a courier did not take his urine sample immediately to FedEx because he thought it was closed on Saturday nights.”
It seems like the arbiter spent two months trying to find any technicality on which they could overturn the case, regardless of whether or not Braun was actually innocent or guilty. MLB certainly looks foolish but I don’t hold it against them or particularly culpable if they lost the case because of a courier screwup.
"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell
Maybe it was courier number 7?
Yogi on the 1969 NY Mets....." overwhelming underdogs "
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." —William Arthur Ward
by SuperSantana on Feb 24, 2012 4:44 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
You can't say yes based on what's come out
Actually, you likely will never know. You also don’t know what their arguments were. MLB has leaked their crybaby tantrum.
Braun did not test positive
He failed a PED test. There’s a difference.
__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden
by Russ on Feb 24, 2012 7:33 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
He failed because he tested positive for a banned substance in his urine.
__________________________________________________________________
Really good kid.A very good player.Not a superstar. #BlameWilponz. Never Forget
by ScottfromPeekskill on Feb 24, 2012 12:03 PM EST up reply actions
No he tested positive for an absurdly high level of testosterone, often a byproduct of PED use
and the levels were so high they were almost comical, WAY outside the physiological range even for a PED user.
Hey, wait! I'm having one of those things. You know? A headache with pictures?
by KeithsMoustache on Feb 24, 2012 12:54 PM EST up reply actions
This
There was a single banned substance detected.
__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden
He did?
I’ve only read that he tested positive due to elevated levels of testosterone.
Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!
You might know me as mistermet.
by Steve Schreiber on Feb 24, 2012 2:30 PM EST up reply actions
Shady as hell
But I think this was obvious from a few months ago. These things are usually open and shut cases, and for whatever reason, Brauns case was dragged out for months. Once it started taking that long, you knew he was going to get off.
"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell
I never expected an appeal to win
it seems crazy
2012 New York Mets, World Series Champions!
If you did everything properly the 1st time,
you wouldn’t have to “exhaust all avenues in the pursuit of appropriate discipline” MLB.
What's that about?
This Guy Will Sure Be Under Pressure
To get more than 20 jacks this season.
by WT Economist on Feb 23, 2012 7:07 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
true
Yogi on the 1969 NY Mets....." overwhelming underdogs "
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." —William Arthur Ward
by SuperSantana on Feb 24, 2012 4:45 PM EST up reply actions
Nice take from Craig Calcaterra
Ryan Braun got off on a technicality? Bull. Major League Baseball half-assed it and failed to adhere to the standards it set up for itself. In that case I have no problem considering Braun to be the less culpable party. Anyone who says otherwise is more interested in assumptions and the casting of aspersions than they are in a rigorous and legitimate drug testing regime.
by James Kannengieser on Feb 23, 2012 7:32 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
RAmen
Mark Cuban for owner! Save us from the Wilpons!
by Greenpoint Ian on Feb 23, 2012 8:44 PM EST up reply actions
well put
Hey, wait! I'm having one of those things. You know? A headache with pictures?
by KeithsMoustache on Feb 23, 2012 8:55 PM EST up reply actions
Well down by Craig
If you can’t be bothered to maintain the system you agreed to, you deserve to lose
"I reject your reality and substitute my own"
-Adam Savage
by blueandorange4life on Feb 24, 2012 9:09 AM EST up reply actions
done*
"I reject your reality and substitute my own"
-Adam Savage
by blueandorange4life on Feb 24, 2012 9:09 AM EST up reply actions
I have no problem with Braun getting off on a technicality
There is a reason these rules exist. But it still seems like a technicality (based on the information out there). Just like some people go too far with the moralizing, it seems like others are going in the opposite direction with this bit of news.
I have no problem with him getting off
I have a problem with him giving a press conference saying this exonerates him. It absolutely does not.
If you had to bet, which way would you lean
The guy cheated and got let off on a technicality. It’s ridiculous he’s being let off.
by Mike Clemente on Feb 24, 2012 5:11 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
This screams sleazy on Brauns part.
I don’t think it was steroids, but something in there tested positive, and all this explanation does is throw that under the rug. Something was wrong, but I guess we will never find out what.
Down 2 in the bottom of the ninth?
Lets Bring in Willie Harris!
by ShaqKazaam on Feb 23, 2012 8:22 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Not just Braun really, all parties involved.
Down 2 in the bottom of the ninth?
Lets Bring in Willie Harris!
by ShaqKazaam on Feb 23, 2012 8:59 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
If it was sitting in some guy's freezer all weekend next to the popsicles and broccoli florets
then the positive really might not be a positive.
Haha, rec'd!
__________________________________________________________________
Really good kid.A very good player.Not a superstar. #BlameWilponz. Never Forget
by ScottfromPeekskill on Feb 24, 2012 12:05 PM EST up reply actions
I like Braun a lot, FWIW
I’m glad he’s going to be there to help keep the NL Central a 3-team race. The whole think stunk from day one, and I was hoping he would be exonerated.
Mark Cuban for owner! Save us from the Wilpons!
Why would you hope that from day one?
All evidence (ie, one positive test) pointed to him being guilty. Why would you want him exonerated if he was guilty?
Astro Traveler
by BlackOps on Feb 23, 2012 10:32 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
it seemed suspicious from the start
First, the whole press leak thing seemed wrong, and it led people to rush to judgment. Further, some details of the test seemed off, like that his testosterone level was twice as high as any other test ever taken. One has to wonder about the validity of the test when something like that pops out at you.
I also just hate the witch hunt nature of this thing. I feel like it’s the same mindset that has (so far) kept Jeff Bagwell out of the Hall of Fame without any good reason for doing so.
Mark Cuban for owner! Save us from the Wilpons!
by Greenpoint Ian on Feb 23, 2012 10:49 PM EST up reply actions
But Braun and his lawer didn't dispute the results of the test
They only won on the way the test was administered, and got it overturned because they found something not according to guideline. It’s the equivalent of the police storming into your apartment and finding you with a couple of dead bodys, but you getting off because they didn’t have a search warrant.
"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell
Or,
It’s the equivalent of waking up in your apartment with the cops and a couple of dead bodies. How did this happen? Without a proper chain of evidence, it’s every bit as likely that the cops brought the bodies as that they were there when the cops arrived. Every bit as likely – this is why the chain of custody is so important.
by SuperT on Feb 24, 2012 1:39 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs
In many cases
it wouldn’t be every bit as likely, but there would be a possibility, and that’s why chain of custody is important, so there won’t be a conviction on a guess, no matter how educated it might be.
Right
Every bit as plausible, I should have said.
Again
There’s no doubt he tested positive. He didn’t dispute he had high testosterone. And he didn’t argue the “improperly administered” procedure led to the high testosterone. They simply said the courier keeping the sample in a freezer for the extra day was not protocol; in virtually any other sport this is not considered a big issue, and happens all the time. However it violated the terms of MLB’s agreement with MLBPA.
So MLB is looking terribly stupid, but it doesn’t make Braun any less guilty. He has no explanation for the high testosterone, MLB and the testing labs say the delay wouldn’t cause any change in testosterone levels…it’s a technicality, plain and simple.
"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell
How is it going to have elevated levels after sitting for 2 days anyway?
2012 New York Mets, World Series Champions!
Except the level of testosterone was so high
that it exceeded all other (presumably including PED-enhanced) samples – the highest recorded, ever (or so we’ve read). It introduces some doubt, no?
Braun took a normal test a few weeks later. How is an athlete falsely accused – if you’ll grant the hypothetical – going to dispute an accusation? Take another test when he finds out? Braun did that, and it was normal. And how would we all regard that, anyway? “Right, he tests normal, NOW.” Testing after the fact demonstrates nothing. He chose to attack the custody argument as his best case, and he won on that. What other preferable path are you arguing for here, for the hypothetical falsely-accused player?
In order for a testing protocol to stand up as evidence to stain an athlete’s career, it needs to be blamelessly rigorous. This was not. I’m not asserting anything about Braun. Who knows. But there is just really no way you can put any faith in MLB’s practices here, and if we’re ever going to have a clean* game, that’s the crucial element.
*there is not and never has been a clean game. Can they keep it inside some reasonable norms? Possibly. But not doing things this way.
by SuperT on Feb 24, 2012 2:26 PM EST up reply actions 6 recs
The Braun Identity (2012)
Check IMDB for more details.
In lobby for: Jaime Cevallos, Zack Lutz, orange unis and Rickroll as the 7th inning song.
The Unwritten Rules of AA
by Michkin on Feb 24, 2012 1:52 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
if it were a no-name ball player
he’d have no chance- just saying
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
by feslenraster on Feb 23, 2012 9:07 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Oh well
I was hoping to score him lower in the draft because he’d start off suspended. Whatever.
Justice has been served though.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 23, 2012 9:22 PM EST via mobile reply actions
MLOLB
Am I doing this right?
by brooklynberger on Feb 23, 2012 9:23 PM EST via mobile reply actions 3 recs
Definitely not the way MLB wanted this to go.
Braun doesn’t have to prove he was clean, and they can’t prove they’re serious about getting PEDs out of the game. Gotta say, this sucks for Braun, since he’s always going to have this hanging over his head, even if he never fails another test.
"And that's why anybody who invested with Lenny Dykstra should really call that number. Lawyers are standing by."
by BobbyV_Incognito on Feb 23, 2012 10:35 PM EST reply actions
If you think about it though, i am sure MLB are not too upset.
Braun is no longer going to be the first MVP to have been suspended for PED offenses. It doesn’t make MLB look good if he is sitting out 50 games after an awesome season.
A reasonable outcome for MLB.
__________________________________________________________________
Really good kid.A very good player.Not a superstar. #BlameWilponz. Never Forget
by ScottfromPeekskill on Feb 24, 2012 12:08 PM EST up reply actions
MLB blew it.
If they’re going to have a zero drug tolerance policy, they have to hold themselves to the same high standards they expect the players to adhere to. They apparently didn’t this time, so Braun win his appeal. Guilty or not, he wins.
Gotta love America, right? Or in this case MLB.
Braun is still going to be haunted by this as the media will haunt him over this all season.
by MetsFan4Decades on Feb 23, 2012 11:16 PM EST reply actions
For the rest of his career.
__________________________________________________________________
Really good kid.A very good player.Not a superstar. #BlameWilponz. Never Forget
by ScottfromPeekskill on Feb 24, 2012 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
I genuinely wonder what the reactions of the MSM and fans to Braun are gonna be next year.
by BurleighGrimes on Feb 23, 2012 11:31 PM EST reply actions
Standing Ovation
He will get a standing ovation. God bless America.
Most arguments are really about context.
by SheaWasBettor21 on Feb 24, 2012 12:36 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
See: Ortiz, David
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 24, 2012 1:49 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Jayson Stark
This is a verdict that seems to tell us, if you just read the headlines, that Braun is as innocent as he has always claimed. It’s a verdict that appears to suggest that the circumstances surrounding his positive test in October were as odd as his side has long contended they were. It’s a ruling that theoretically proclaims that this was not a man who cheated his way to a most valuable player award, as his supporters desperately want to believe.
But is that a proper reading of this decision, or isn’t it? The sad part of this news is this: We may never know.
We still don’t know exactly what caused Braun’s test results to produce such a vastly elevated testosterone level, and it isn’t likely anyone will ever tell us.
You always root for laundry. Of course, you'd like to have good players in that laundry as well.
by MetsCity on Feb 24, 2012 10:20 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Umm...
I don’t know what just happened. My comment got all screwed up.
This is what I was trying to say:
Jayson Stark answers the call here
But is that a proper reading of this decision, or isn’t it? The sad part of this news is this: We may never know.
You always root for laundry. Of course, you'd like to have good players in that laundry as well.
Braun should STILL give back his MVP.
Because then sportswriters would like him. And isn’t that all that really matters in life?
Guys, you see......
Braun went to the car wash on his way to the lab………..
One day, this team is going to kill me.
by fxcarden on Feb 24, 2012 11:56 AM EST reply actions 4 recs
Yes, that would do it!
__________________________________________________________________
Really good kid.A very good player.Not a superstar. #BlameWilponz. Never Forget
by ScottfromPeekskill on Feb 24, 2012 12:10 PM EST up reply actions
but he didn't leave without unloading all over this car and that ass?
2012 New York Mets, World Series Champions!
Beer and birthday sex is good enough for the US Olympic Comission
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 24, 2012 3:52 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I just failed a PED test
__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden
by Russ on Feb 25, 2012 1:28 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Dispute Alternatively Resolved
All I know is, don’t eat over at that courier’s house. The urine sat there 2 days and evidently absorbed the PEDs festering in there.
Can you imagine the conversation when that guy was first hired?
“Hon, I got the job. The only thing is we’re going to have to get rid of all the food in the refrigerator cause I’m going to need it to store other guys’ urine. You’re cool with that right?”
by packard37 on Feb 24, 2012 1:34 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
"But only when fedex is closed.
It closes at 3, right?"
Why wasn’t it part of his job description to know fed ex’s hours? He think’s they’re closed early on Friday? Weird.
Frankly, I don’t think the sample was tainted by sitting at this dude’s house. I think Braun had taken a banned substance or something screwed up in taking the sample or at the lab. Still, this courier was slack.
I don’t see the big deal.This won’t happen often, people will think what they want about Braun, but testing will still go on. It’s rough on Braun if he actually didn’t do anything and this all leaked but frankly, many fans don’t care if he took them or not. He’s not being suspended, so I think, personally, he’s going a little heavy on the “proven innocent” thing, but that’s just me.
it doesn't even need to be tainted by any outside source while sitting in the fridge though
long term storage of samples, multiple changes in temperature, overexposure to light, any of these can cause all sorts of stuff to break down, react, bind, aggregate or otherwise change properties in a way that can alter the outcome of a test. These bioassays are stupidly sensitive to the exact conditions the test is run under (trust me, I’ve run my fair share of ELISA assays), which is why proper sample preparation and handling is vital to a reliable testing program. It’s just as likely that poor handling like this has caused a lot of potentially positive tests to come out negative (of course no player is going to raise an issue when that happens though).
Hey, wait! I'm having one of those things. You know? A headache with pictures?
by KeithsMoustache on Feb 25, 2012 8:16 PM EST up reply actions
Meh
I really don’t believe any athlete that has any positive test of any kind anymore. Feel free to say I’m overreacting, but we’ve had decades of PED users. Blame the wolves out there for my cynicism when someone cries out “I’m not a wolf!”
Awesome mixed metaphor, I know
The artful muppet formerly known as KrmtDfrog.
Please read my sardonic wit and over-blown sense of self over at http://www.headkicklegend.com
"What if Lin was a Water Polo star?"
"I would dress as a seahorse and let him ride me until his thighs are bleeding" - nywins46
by Cory Braiterman on Feb 24, 2012 2:21 PM EST reply actions
When he's testing positive for levels that are nearly physically impossible
And then tests normal shortly thereafter, you have to conclude there was something faulty with that first test.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 24, 2012 3:54 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
he failed both samples last i heard
The artful muppet formerly known as KrmtDfrog.
Please read my sardonic wit and over-blown sense of self over at http://www.headkicklegend.com
"What if Lin was a Water Polo star?"
"I would dress as a seahorse and let him ride me until his thighs are bleeding" - nywins46
by Cory Braiterman on Feb 24, 2012 4:58 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe you should hear less......
A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that, after being informed of the positive result, Braun asked to have another urine test taken, and that the second test was within normal range.
One day, this team is going to kill me.
by fxcarden on Feb 24, 2012 5:01 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
so.... I wouldn't have heard that either?
maybe you should come up with better zingers :P
The artful muppet formerly known as KrmtDfrog.
Please read my sardonic wit and over-blown sense of self over at http://www.headkicklegend.com
"What if Lin was a Water Polo star?"
"I would dress as a seahorse and let him ride me until his thighs are bleeding" - nywins46
by Cory Braiterman on Feb 24, 2012 5:49 PM EST up reply actions
I was implying hear less, read more
can we play baseball now ?
please ?
One day, this team is going to kill me.
yeah, I dont get why people dont find the test more questionable
since he had inhuman amounts of testosterone according to the test.
Hey, wait! I'm having one of those things. You know? A headache with pictures?
by KeithsMoustache on Feb 24, 2012 5:27 PM EST up reply actions
At least we now know
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 24, 2012 7:27 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah he is laughing!
__________________________________________________________________
Really good kid.A very good player.Not a superstar. #BlameWilponz. Never Forget
by ScottfromPeekskill on Feb 24, 2012 9:59 PM EST up reply actions
braun is forever stained in my eyes
just like all the other cheats. it’s a shame if he really is innocent, but there’s enough smoke there that makes me believe he is guilty.
by jhMLB on Feb 24, 2012 11:11 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I don't understand what people expected him to do to prove he was innocent?
There’s no way to actually “prove” you got a false positive (since taking a test later and it coming out negative apparently doesn’t count) right? Or am I missing something. Assuming everyone arguing technicality doesn’t just automatically assumes a positive means he’s guilty what exactly do you require to believe innocence?
one does not simply walk into mordor...unless winter is coming
by Gina on Feb 25, 2012 12:49 AM EST reply actions 3 recs
Hey, you're not coming back to the Sabermetrics! Fantasy League, are you?
Save Jenrry Mejia!
2012 Amazin' Avenue Offseason Plan: 2nd place
Okay, could you you do me a favor and renew the team so I can transfer the roster to someone else?
Otherwise I have to delete the team and keep track of the roster myself.
Save Jenrry Mejia!
2012 Amazin' Avenue Offseason Plan: 2nd place
Weigh him down with rocks in a tub of water
If he drowns, he was innocent.
Report from Lester Munson, ESPN legal guy
But Braun’s side went one step further. He and his lawyers, sources say, offered a DNA sample that could have been compared to the urine sample to determine whether the urine came from Braun. It was a bold move by Braun attorneys David Cornwell and Christopher Lyons. But instead of agreeing to a DNA test that would have determined conclusively whether it was Braun’s urine that tested positive, MLB declined the offer. The refusal to agree to the DNA test likely pushed the arbitrator toward a ruling for Braun. It was also a major first step for Braun in the effort to clear his name.
by James Kannengieser on Feb 25, 2012 7:53 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
And then there's this
from the Times:
According to two people with knowledge of the case, Braun, during his efforts to overturn baseball’s 50-game suspension, went so far as to volunteer to take a DNA test to demonstrate that the damning sample was not his.
It is unclear what became of Braun’s offer. In one telling, Major League Baseball turned down his request. In another telling, Braun backed down after Major League Baseball agreed.
Who knows what to believe. But it does seem what people are choosing to believe or the arguments they are choosing to accept are tied into what they feel about steroids in general.
Having worked/run analytical labs
for biotech/pharmaceutical companies and now consulting, I can tell you that is audited this process I would conclude that the breaking of chain of custody would render the results invalid.
Sample storage can be critical to testing results. I don’t have a lot of knowledge of the test for testosterone; however, I’ve validated methods were we left samples out at room temp for 12 hours and got very different results from time zero. The sample doesn’t have to be “tainted” to get a different results. Other analytes in the urine could break down and interfere causing higher results. Again, I’m not an expert of this test but it’s very plausible that the results could be skewed due to improper handling of the sample.
FWIW, based on the report put together by Floyd Landis’ lawyers, I considered his results invalid as well. I still do.
He was a boy of soft demeanor
And he loved his caburetor cleaner
that should read: "that if I audited..."
He was a boy of soft demeanor
And he loved his caburetor cleaner
I'm heading your way in a bit DiSturco
"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell
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