EL MAQUINO

My original piece explained how PED testing is conducted and that Braun only failed one half of the test that checks for testosterone levels without failing the other half that tests for actual drugs.  I thought this is what happened and blamed ESPN for taking down Braun’s reputation with a false report that pinned him as a PED user.  Turns out, that might or might not have been the case.

It was reported shortly after I wrote that piece that it was reported that Braun’s urine sample may have been inaccurate because the guy charged with transporting it to the lab (presumably for the second half of that test) kept it in his fridge because FedEx was closed; and now there’s dispute as to if the sample tested was Braun’s at all.  Depending on who you ask, this made the sample illegitimate, which is the defense Braun’s lawyers used to get him off the hook of a 50-game suspensino Cards fans would have liked to see go through.

So, ESPN may well have been right when they said Braun used PEDs (though their handling of the story was less than admirable) and MLB may have every right to “vehemently disagree” with the decision carried out by three judges, one from them, one form the Union and one third party.

So really, frustratingly, we don’t know if Braun took something or not.  I think evidence like other clean tests leans to his innocence, but it is up in the air and we may never know if his 2011 MVP year was really legitimate.  But this opens up a big door that Baseball should close off immediately.  Whether he was clean or not, Braun’s fellow players know they could take performance-enhancers and get off on a legal technicality, and word is they are trying to change the system as we speak by taking the third-party arbiter out of it.

All this better explains why Braun was never very emotional in his own defense and why MLB said in a statement, “As a part of our drug testing program, the Commissioner’s Office and the Players Association agreed to a neutral third party review for instances that are under dispute.  While we have always respected that process, Major League Baseball vehemently disagrees with the decision rendered today by arbitrator Shyam Das.”

Braun will speak on this today.  I’ll update this afternoon.