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| Ryan Braun's positive test has recreated distrust within in the MLB. |
ESPN.com-National League MVP Ryan Braun, who last season led the Milwaukee Brewers to their first division title in nearly three decades, has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug and faces a 50-game suspension if the initial finding is upheld, two sources familiar with the case told "Outside the Lines."
Major League Baseball has not announced the positive test because Braun is disputing the result through arbitration.
A spokesman for Braun confirmed the positive test Saturday and issued a statement: "There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated."
USA Today reported Saturday night that Braun said of the test result: "It's B.S."
The 28-year-old Braun had to provide a urine sample for testing during the playoffs, and he was notified of the positive test sometime in late October -- about a month before he was named the National League's most valuable player.
The Baseball Writers Association of America, who votes on the award, will not strip Braun of his MVP if he gets suspended.
Braun has opened up the flood gates for another wave of steroid abusers that aren't as glaring as the mammoth muscle men that embarrassingly dominated the MLB in the 90s. Simply put, Ryan Braun does;t look like he uses steroids, and that's scary. Now that a guy of his era(the post steroid era, or so we think) and his size is using steroids, why believe any one is clean? Jose Reyes? Probably doing steroids. Hanley Ramirez? Most likely making love to needles. Jacoby Ellsbury? Might as well change his initials to JMGHE. I'm only kidding, but, not really. The point is the MLB has once again lost my trust. Bud Selig has claimed that Ryan Braun has been tested since the day he stepped onto a minor league diamond, well obviously something went wrong here. I'm not a huge Bud Selig fan, but opinions aside, this issue is all too foggy. How could the NL MVP fall through the steroid cracks? Did the steroid testing agency all of the sudden dissipate for a couple of years only to return on one of the MLB's finest players?
But what is even more disappointing than my rediscovered distrust for the MLB, is the fact that the BWAA won't take away Braun's MVP. Once this appeal is denied, Braun's MVP should be immediately revoked. I really thought we were through with the acceptance of steroids. I thought that things were going in the right direction. Asterisks and award reversals should apart of the MLB's arsenal, not thrown to the way side. Ryan Braun does not deserve the MVP. He was caught using an illegal substance and he should be punished not only going forward, but also looking back.
I'm not carrying a torch to Ryan Braun's house, don't get me wrong, he's not the problem. Major League Baseball was taking, or at least we thought they were taking, several steps toward completely eliminating steroids for the game. Ryan Braun isn't any old player. This isn't Guillermo Mota or J.C. Romero, this is the National League's Most Valuable Player. This is a glaring eyesore for Major League Baseball. Ryan Braun is household name, and his tarnishing of the game could be absolutely devastating. I guess Bud will just have to go back to the drawing board on this issue for the 20th time.
Swing and miss MLB, swing and a miss.
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