Braun’s a lucky bastard … or not!

Ryan Braun may have won his appeal of his
50-game ban, but his PED saga is still far
from over as far as MLB is concerned.

Milwaukee Brewers reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun is one lucky bastard … or is he? 

Sure, Braun had his 50-game suspension overturned last Thursday by baseball arbitrator Shyam Das, but all that did was piss off Commissioner Bud Selig and the Major League Baseball officials that wanted to nail Braun’s ass to the wall for his alleged cheating.

Now, it’s come to light that Braun did still get a positive test for traces of synthetic testosterone, but that he got off on a technicality due to the fact that the courier that collected his urine sample did not immediately ship it off for testing, thereby creating an opportunity where the specimen could have become tainted (even though the seal on the sample was still intact).

Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, called the decision to reinstate Braun "a real gut-kick to clean athletes."

"To have this sort of technicality of all technicalities let a player off ... it's just a sad day for all the clean players and those that abide by the rules within professional baseball," he said.

The decision was announced last Thursday , just one day before the 28-year-old outfielder was due to report to spring training in Maryvale, Ariz and the outfielder immediately proclaimed justice was served.

"I am very pleased and relieved by today's decision," Braun said in a statement. "It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side.

Nevertheless, Braun’s situation is far from over, just a bit more complicated as Major League Baseball ramps up it effort to stop Braun from being the first player to successfully win an appeal after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Save Your Breath Pal!

You know what Eye On Sports baseball lovers, I’m going on record right now to say that I don’t want to hear a single word that Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun has to say about testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs after winning this season’s NL MVP award.

In December, ESPN's "Outside The Lines" reported, citing sources, that Braun tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. He is currently appealing the finding while facing a 50-game suspension nest season.

On Saturday, Braun is expected to speak at an annual banquet awards dinner where he will accept his National League MVP award from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

A spokesman for Braun said "there are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation" of baseball's drug-testing program.

All I’m gonna’ say is ….. hmmmm, now where have I heard that before?

Braun has not made a public appearance since news of the positive test broke Dec. 10 and I for one, can’t wait to see if something jumps off!

Mattingly Right on Mark on NL MVP Award!

I agree with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly whole-heartedly when he says that disgraced Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun shouldn’t get the NL MVP award he won this season if his appeal for testing positive for a banned substance is denied.

Mattingly, a Hall of fame inductee, Braun should be stripped of the award if it is found that he knowingly used a banned substance.

"In the end, I hope the appeal it's something that was a mistake. I don't want to see anything bad come out of it for him," Mattingly said. “It makes sense though, a little bit. It's not 10 years later, it's a month later."

After reports of Braun testing positive were released in December, the hard-hitting ‘superstar’ adamantly vowed to prove his innocence and is currently appealing the results.

Maybe it’s me Eye on Sports readers, but I’m just sick and tired of steroids in baseball at this point and I fully believe they should give any player caught using performance enhancing drugs out for an entire calendar year for the first offense, followed by two years for the second and a lifetime ban for a third offense. Enough said!