Nothing But Braun

Braun hugs a teammate after receiving the good news/AP Images

After months of being accused of using PEDs in 2011, Ryan Braun was ruled clean on Thursday by Major League Baseball, reversing its decision to suspend him the first fifty games of the upcoming season.

By Andrew Muckell


Never before had a league MVP been publicly accused by Major League Baseball of steroid use so shortly after receiving the award than in the case of LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. Asked to give a urine sample in October, Braun vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “B.S.” and continued to appeal the decision through February.

Fortunately for Braun and the rest of the Brew Crew, the League overturned the decision, which marks the first time ever that a baseball player was acquitted after testing positive.

This news is unbelievably exciting for Brewer Nation because, as of recently, it was struggling to find reasons to stay upbeat. The National League Championship Series in October against the St. Louis Cardinals was forfeited through errors and untimely hitting, 1B Prince Fielder left town to play for the Detroit Tigers, and the team’s young MVP was scheduled to play only two-thirds of the 2012 season.

Major League Baseball, however, is not so happy.

In making the decision, MLB empowered a three-man board of experts to decide Braun’s fate, and after a 1-1 split between two of the men, arbitrator Shyam Das broke the deadlock, leaning in favor of Braun’s innocence. Afterwards, one of the other panel members, MLB executive vice president for labor relations Rob Manfred, spoke on behalf of the League, stating his strong disapproval of Das.

The circumstances behind the drug test frankly are bizarre with Braun’s urine showing an impossibly high 20:1 ratio of epitestosterone to testosterone, the herpes medication accusations and the tester’s improper collection procedure. Some say this “media circus” will only hurt baseball further, but the more optimistic see the MVP’s cleanliness as a sign of bright horizons.

The timing could not be any better for Milwaukee. The decision to erase Braun’s 50-game suspension came the day before he was expected to report to spring training, so now the talented left fielder can exhale and focus more on what’s important: earning a World Series ring.

"We were able to get through this," Braun said at a press conference on Friday, "because I am innocent and the truth is on our side."

Zack Greinke’s Biggest Year

Zack Greinke/AP Images

After a successful first year with the Milwaukee Brewers, Zack Greinke looks to improve his performance and prepare for what is sure to be a bank-breaking offseason in November.

By Andrew Muckell

For most starting pitchers in the major leagues, a 3.83 ERA over 28 games is more than respectable. For some, like P Zack Greinke of the Milwaukee Brewers, it is a disappointment.

Greinke, a AL Cy Young Award winner back in 2009, finally left the desperate Kansas City Royals after the 2010 season, marking the end of a seven year stint with the disappointing franchise. His impressive performances over the years showed that he deserved to play on a winning team, so he signed a two-year contract with the Brew Crew. For the first time in half a decade, Greinke did not solely bask in his team’s spotlight, residing in a strong pitching rotation containing P Yovani Gallardo and P Shaun Marcum.

Sporting that 3.83 ERA, 16 wins, a strikeout total of 201, and a WHIP of 1.20, Greinke surely was no push over in the regular season. In the playoffs his statistics faltered considerably, but, in his support, it was his first time on the big stage.

In fact, the season marked a number of other “firsts” for the 28-year-old right-hander. It was his first year without the Royals, first time in the playoffs, first time pitching (and hitting) for a National League club, and first time not being his team’s most promising starter. All-things-considered, Greinke was very successful.

Competitive players like Zack do not like to admit this, though. Greinke wants more. He has talent, he has a Cy Young, he has some playoff experience, he has the Brewers, but he still wants more.

This season the Brewers and fans should expect to see a great change in #13’s performance. His unfaltering confidence as a pitcher and as his own agent is going to translate into more wins for the Crew and hopefully lift Milwaukee’s spirits in the wake of the Prince Fielder trade and Ryan Braun allegations. One would think that with the opportunity of free agency waiting beyond the 2012 season, Greinke is going to impress many potential suitors, including the Brewers. If all goes as planned,  2012 will look a lot like 2009.