Bartolo Colon

[Swangin]

If people like Braun, who have a TON to lose by using PEDs, then there is truly something wrong with the way they are doing it,

Guys like Colon they're just trying to get by, they have everything to gain by cheating, those guys will always exist

Its the Brauns that truly have something to lose, the goal should be to have a system where those guys never feel its worth using PEDs

And it should be done with testing and not with documents

As far as fear, I guess they thought players would be feared from using by testing for more and putting the suspension in place. Like I said, there are more advanced testing that has just been put into place very recently. They have to go with it for a while to see how things go. And maybe this will change things going forward. It's just not realistic to put some fantastic testing policy that catches everyone, and testing everyone 24/7 and putting a punishment of one and done in place. It's not that simple, and it shouldn't be the case anyways

 

[jta4437]

As far as fear, I guess they thought players would be feared from using by testing for more and putting the suspension in place. Like I said, there are more advanced testing that has just been put into place very recently. They have to go with it for a while to see how things go. And maybe this will change things going forward. It's just not realistic to put some fantastic testing policy that catches everyone, and testing everyone 24/7 and putting a punishment of one and done in place. It's not that simple, and it shouldn't be the case anyways

My point was simply that players in their mid 20s who are already good, should never feel like PEDs is a reasonable option, if you're some mid 20s guy on the fringe (between AAA and the majors), then yeah I could see why guys like that would use to gain a competitive edge, or a guy like Colon near the end of his career would use to squeeze out a couple extra years (and money)

But it needs to eventually get to where the Brauns don't use, b/c they think its not worth the risk, maybe thats where we are getting now, who knows

 

[jta4437]

Braun did get tested, and failed. If not for the technicality the testing WOULD have busted him

I was talking about the other players, who didn't get caught with a test

And had that test counted last year, he wouldn't be serving a suspension this year, and wouldn't have had 15 games added on

 

[Swangin]

I was talking about the other players, who didn't get caught with a test

And had that test counted last year, he wouldn't be serving a suspension this year, and wouldn't have had 15 games added on

I gotcha. I just honestly feel things are a lot cleaner than they were in years past. How long it took them, how they didn't care in the late 90's I get all that, But today and moving forward I see improvement. For reasons I have given, better testing is out there, (at least the threat of it) people are being suspended, current players are being a lot more vocal about it, numbers are changing. But I never expected the league to be clean, so maybe my expectations aren't as high as some. But I do feel things are being done, I don't think it's totally being ignored which was the case once upon a time.

I know everyone wants solutions and answers right away, but I think if NFL or some other organization got hit like this it might put things in a different perspective. Let's not forget with any business in the world no matter what it is, improvements and change comes with cost as well, and that always plays a role. Even if MLB wants to totally clean the league, it is a process, and an expensive one at that.

 

[jta4437]

I gotcha. I just honestly feel things are a lot cleaner than they were in years past. How long it took them, how they didn't care in the late 90's I get all that, But today and moving forward I see improvement. For reasons I have given, better testing is out there, (at least the threat of it) people are being suspended, current players are being a lot more vocal about it, numbers are changing. But I never expected the league to be clean, so maybe my expectations aren't as high as some. But I do feel things are being done, I don't think it's totally being ignored which was the case once upon a time.

I know everyone wants solutions and answers right away, but I think if NFL or some other organization got hit like this it might put things in a different perspective. Let's not forget with any business in the world no matter what it is, improvements and change comes with cost as well, and that always plays a role. Even if MLB wants to totally clean the league, it is a process, and an expensive one at that.

Back up to previous statement, I agee, it will never totally be clean, you will always have fringe guys, young and old, who will use to gain a competitive advantage, b/c its the only way for them, if they get caught, "so what?" in their mind

You have the young guy who might have a contract that he made a few million off of as a result and wasn't languishing in the minors, and the 38 year old who should've been done, squeezes out a couple decent years at the end and also pockets a couple extra million, those guys will always exist

You can't test everyone everyday, its just not feasible, but it should be a big enough threat that the good ones feel its not worth it, all I'm saying,

Also the need to be constantly on lookout for new types of masking agents and designer steroids, be proactive, don't wait for it to fall in your lap

 

[scotsman1948]

players have been given until 6pm Sunday to settle their cases or suspensions will be handed out on Monday

 

[RevSader]

The drug and testing policy didn't happen until about 6 years ago. HGH became more popular and they now put that into the testing process as well. If you wanted players to be tested 24/7 and MLB to have the most advanced testing policy on planet earth the day after steroid talk became such a huge conversation than ok, I don't know what to say.

I'm simply saying there are now rules put in place, there is more advance testing, how good it works, I don't know. But I know by simply having it in place it will cut down on a lot of use itself. And the more players that are against it, the more it will cut down. In the late 90's it wasn't a big deal, and people wouldn't talk out against it. You have players today on their twitter ridiculing Braun, no way something like that happens even 10 years ago. I look at numbers, and there isn't these huge gaps between players from one year to the next. I don't know the actual numbers, but yeah, it seems to be cleaner to me.

If you are wanting a totally clean sport that will probably never happen.

Testing began in 2003, and the first suspensions took place in 2005. They have since revamped the testing, but they've been testing for 10 years now.

 

[romeo212000]

players have been given until 6pm Sunday to settle their cases or suspensions will be handed out on Monday

Link?

 

[scotsman1948]

Link?

Players facing Biogenesis-related suspensions, including Rodriguez, will have until 6pm EST to settle their cases, tweets Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. Otherwise, the league will (as previously reported) move forward with suspensions, with an announcement coming Monday.


that was posted at 5:05pm and then 3 hours later this was posted:

There is no 6pm deadline for players to accept suspensions, according to a report from Teri Thompson, Bill Madden, and Michael O'Keefe of the New York Daily News. The trio explains that 50-game suspensions are likely (as expected) for all involved players except for Rodriguez. As for A-Rod, with negotiations apparently stalled, the Daily News reporters say that MLB appears to be leaning away from a lifetime ban. Echoing this morning's reports, the league reportedly believes that a suspension in the 200-game vicinity would be "more palatable to an arbitrator."

 

[ESPN Refugee]

If people like Braun, who have a TON to lose by using PEDs, then there is truly something wrong with the way they are doing it,

The thing here is no doubt Braun's reputation is probably tarnished forever for some people but we're a really forgiving society and the day he starts hitting home runs again and the Brewers get good then I think just about all will be forgotten. And I maintain that other than reputation he didn't lose anything. His big money contract kicks in next year and his contract like all other baseball contracts are guaranteed. Braun got smart, accepted the suspension when his team sucked and he wasn't getting paid as much as he is going to and he'll be back next season. So I really don't think Braun is losing much other than a little reputation for the short term in a society that is very forgiving and forgetting.

 

[RevSader]

The thing here is no doubt Braun's reputation is probably tarnished forever for some people but we're a really forgiving society and the day he starts hitting home runs again and the Brewers get good then I think just about all will be forgotten. And I maintain that other than reputation he didn't lose anything. His big money contract kicks in next year and his contract like all other baseball contracts are guaranteed. Braun got smart, accepted the suspension when his team sucked and he wasn't getting paid as much as he is going to and he'll be back next season. So I really don't think Braun is losing much other than a little reputation for the short term in a society that is very forgiving and forgetting.

He lost his deal with Nike. While I don't think he will cry over that, because he has 110 million left to earn, it hurts his earning power. I hope he goes down in the annals of history as a liar.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

He lost his deal with Nike. While I don't think he will cry over that, because he has 110 million left to earn, it hurts his earning power. I hope he goes down in the annals of history as a liar.

If Braun starts producing again then Nike will sign him again like they did Tiger Woods. Yes he's a scum and I hope he's tarnished forever after throwing that poor FedEx driver under the bus but with the way society is, I don't think it's out of the possibility that much will be forgotten if/when he starts producing again.

 

[PDay8810]

If Braun starts producing again then Nike will sign him again like they did Tiger Woods. Yes he's a scum and I hope he's tarnished forever after throwing that poor FedEx driver under the bus but with the way society is, I don't think it's out of the possibility that much will be forgotten if/when he starts producing again.

That's funny. I'd bet he'll have an asterisk with his name from here on out and nothing like the Tiger situation. I could be wrong but the Nike money does hurt and any future revenue endorsements opportunities outside the greater Milwaukee area will be lost. Most of all Cooperstown won't have him.

Opinions vary but I'd bet that

 

[DT LUNA]

He lost his deal with Nike. While I don't think he will cry over that, because he has 110 million left to earn, it hurts his earning power. I hope he goes down in the annals of history as a liar.

I believe you are as right as can be.

 

[WilltheThrill]

If Braun starts producing again then Nike will sign him again like they did Tiger Woods. Yes he's a scum and I hope he's tarnished forever after throwing that poor FedEx driver under the bus but with the way society is, I don't think it's out of the possibility that much will be forgotten if/when he starts producing again.

Nike doesn't want Braun setting a bad example for all of the children who make their shoes.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Nike doesn't want Braun setting a bad example for all of the children who make their shoes.

Maybe so but there is still plenty of time for him to recover and we're just a really forgiving society. If he produces they'll all be coming back again at some point IMO.

 

[pegasusredleg]

Nike doesn't want Braun setting a bad example for all of the children who make their shoes.

Nice shot at Nike's exploitation and hypocrisy.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Maybe so but there is still plenty of time for him to recover and we're just a really forgiving society. If he produces they'll all be coming back again at some point IMO.

I think you missed my point.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

I think you missed my point.

Aaah LOL you know I didn't even ready it properly and understood it completely different. They're still in the news I saw a story about them a few months back.

 

[Windingmywatch]

Nike doesn't want Braun setting a bad example for all of the children who make their shoes.

Nominating this post for one of 2013's 100 best posts. High grades for cynicism, cleverness and its a 1-liner.