Go Brewers!

[Hory]

If Braun is guilty, then he needs to face the consequences and should possibly give up his MVP. However, people need to get the facts straight. Before a bunch of biased baseball fans rush to ruin a guys reputation or career...people need to step back and look at the situation. For starters, Bruan DID NOT test positive for a performance enhancing drug! He tested positive for "elevated levels of testosterone," a chemical produced in varying amounts by different people. Baseball's trigger for a positive test regarding elevated testosterone is also one of the strictest in all of sports. Braun did request another test as soon as he found out he tested positive, and the second test showed lower levels of testosterone. Does this prove innocence? Probably not yet. Does the evidence so far avoid reasonable doubt and make him guilty? No.

ESPN has outdone itself yet again with a biased sports report with little backing. There is a reason that the MLB has yet to make a statement in this case! The facts are far from being determined. As a fan of baseball, I hate to see any young star who people enjoy watching go down at the hands of the media's factually unsupported, biased reports. There is a lot of talk that ESPN and other media outlets who were first to "break" this story could face an immense lawsuit if Braun is found to be innocent, or a mistake was made in the testing process.

Again...testing positive for a P.E.D is VERY DIFFERENT than testing positive for advanced levels of testosterone. If he is proven guilty with biases set aside in testing and reporting, then throw the book at him. Until then, I hope he is playing for the Brewers on opening day in April.

[RiverFish]

Hory,

He did test positive for elevated testosterone levels, which you are correct does not mean you have used PEDs.

But the same sources that broke the story to ESPN also reported this:

To affirm the results and strengthen its case, MLB asked the World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Montreal, which conducts its testing, to perform a secondary test to determine whether the testosterone spike resulted from natural variations within Braun's body or from an artificial source. The test indicated the testosterone was exogenous, meaning it came from outside his body.

This would imply that he was using PEDs.

Again, I am going to wait till the whole story is out, but this could be a sad story for sports fans.

[Hory]

I think this case will drag well into the new year and the approaching season. Braun believes he will be playing LF on opening day, and one can only hope that is true. Baseball has had more than its share of controversy, and Braun is one of today's emerging stars that came up through the system and has been tested since day one. His age-grouping of fellow stars were supposed to be the bridge to distance baseball from P.E.D's. If the worse scenario comes from this, I can say that it will only push more fans away from baseball...including myself.

Braun has been fairly consistent, and has been a powerful, yet controlled bat in the Brewers lineup for a few years now. If he did actually take P.E.Ds, why? Yes he won an MVP this year, but to say this season showed some immense spike in power numbers or his ability to stay healthy would be a lie.

[RiverFish]

I agree Hory, this is going to be a long drawn out battle. I really hope he can prove MLB wrong.

[SledNeck]

50 game for first offense should be enough , one would think