Baseball Journal: Still awaiting word on my suspension for blogging on steroids.

My lawyers are working out a deal, so I’ll continue on like nothing’s happened.

Ryan Braun has become famous in baseball for all the wrong reasons.  (No, Matt Kemp you don’t get the MVP award because of this.  This isn’t the NCAA.)  Frankly, I am disappointed in the guy.  I was willing to take him at his word as long as the MLB didn’t have unquestioned drug test proof.  That he’s been exposed is a good thing.  His reputation was already ruined with fans outside of Milwaukee anyway.  At this point, he should have been subjected to more testing than the average player, and certainly Braun couldn’t have complained about that.  The MLB should have worked on tightening up and expanding their testing procedures (with union support) and let it go with Braun. 

MLB was not going to let it go.  They wanted to send a message.  They were reportedly offering immunity to other players for ratting Braun out.  When that didn’t work, they turned to more questionable sources.  MLB had heard rumors about the Biogenesis clinic and sued them over allegations of providing PED’s to players.  They attempted to bribe an employee to turn over the firm’s documents.  Finally, they got the information they wanted from the founder of the clinic, Tony Bosch, in return for dropping him from the lawsuit and paying his legal fees.  This just screams credibility.  (The guy isn’t even a doctor.  Why were players taking drugs from him?)  In addition to Braun, several other players were also named as clients.

Braun had embarrassed himself to the point, that when confronted with this proof, even Player’s Union wasn’t going to defend him.  Braun took suspension without an appeal, even though he hadn’t failed a drug test (technically).  Here’s where it starts to get questionable.  MLB cut a deal with him.  Take the suspension and you don’t have to admit to anything and we won’t release what we have.  Suddenly, instead of zealously enforcing the rules, we’re dong plea deals to keep things out of court. 

Now several players are getting suspended because of the information uncovered getting Braun.  The names have been leaked for a couple months, just to make sure that their reputations are now shot.  I suspect that negotiations have been going on with the all those accused so that one big suspension announcement could be made, rather than dribbling them out constantly.  This also gave teams a heads up on finding replacements, like the Giants apparently got last year over Melky Cabrera. 

Unlike Melky, these guys getting suspended, didn’t fail a drug test.  But by not fighting the suspension, this implies another deal has been struck.  So, they’re guilty, but without physical evidence of having done the crime.  MLB is all but acknowledging that their testing program is unlikely to catch anyone who’s being careful.  Is MLB now going to concentrate on finding sources rather testing?  Or is the Player’s Union going along with this on an assurance that this will be the only time suspensions are handed out based on this?

Then there’s the Alex Rodriguez situation.  He’s been caught up in this.  No surprise there.  But then again, he’s never been caught on a drug test.  He’s also owed tens of millions of dollars by the Yankees and frankly not worth it.  Oh, here’s MLB coming to their most popular team’s rescue with a suspension to get them off the hook for some of that.  “Best interests of the game,” indeed. 

Little wonder A-Roid is fighting it.  He’ll be able to play for the rest of the season waiting on his appeal.  If he wins or gets a much reduced suspension, the Yankees will be paying out the majority of his salary and crime just paid, big time.  Given MLB's deal-making and seemingly arbitrary time of suspension, this case seems likely.  If he loses, after a season and a half suspension, he’s almost certainly finished as a player, though not as a litigant trying to get the rest of his salary.  I wonder if the Los Angles Angels can figure out a way to show that Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton also need to be suspended.  Part of me is suddenly almost talked into supporting this. 

Of course, A-Rod and Braun’s suspension times are not in accordance with MLB’s own rules on the subject.  This goes right along with delayed suspension announcements and cutting deals over suspensions.  In other words, all but arbitrary rules.      

So, MLB is doing basically the right thing, but the wrong way and for the wrong reasons.  If this is all a one-time thing and future suspensions go back to being based on actual tests, then maybe it was for the best.  If this is a harbinger of things to come, the game will be completely soiled.  There’s going to be labor strife.  If an association accused player (as opposed through testing) is suspended and the player fights it in court, the game will be dragged through the mud.  And MLB, please quit now, before you’re seen as manipulating the game with biased suspensions being done to help the owners, or worse, effect competition in the league.