MLB has been testing players for PEDs for several years now, I don't know exactly how many, but for this discussion, let's go with 8 years. Ryan Braun's urine sample tested for a level of testosterone that was THREE TIMES higher than ANYONE had ever tested for. While you consider this, don't forget, this would include any player who has been caught, and has served a suspension under this program.
What do you suppose was the recorded speed of the most egregious speed limit violator on I-90 over the last eight years? I'm sure the actual speed was much higher, but since we play nice here at Brewerfan, let's say that fastest speed was 100 MPH.
If a driver passed you on I-90, going three times faster than the fastest speed recorded in the last eight years, or in this case, 300 MPH....do you think you would have suspected this fella was speeding even without the help of law enforcement? Yes, of course you would...you would notice that this car was moving much faster than all of the other cars, even the naughty cars...you could see that for yourself, even if no one ever showed you a reading of the car's speed.
OK, so we're supposed to believe, that while Ryan Braun got no bigger, or stronger, or faster, or had any changes in mood or demeanor, he somehow DID have three times more testosterone in his body than any other MLB player has had in their body over the last eight years.
Not only do I find that completely implausible, I doubt it's scientifically possible.
Testosterone is intensely powerful, it produces a swift and measurable result, which is precisely why cheaters use the stuff. It completely defies logic to think that someone could cram THAT MUCH of the stuff into their body with no outward signs of it...in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it caused something on the level of cardiac arrest or stroke.
I realize, challenging the positive test result in itself would put the player in an almost "no win" situation, because the player bears the burden of proof...you'd get a highly scientific version of "is too, is not"...you'd also get a 50-game suspension. This is why Braun's team chose to attack the testing method, or in this case the chain of custody...and guess what, an independent arbitrator upheld the appeal...for reasons none of us have heard yet.
The bottom line is, for me, it is the test result itself that made me believe this was a "not guilty." Anyone with any understanding of hormone therapy would know...you simply cannot put a "fly me to the moon" level of testosterone in your body, without showing outward signs of it...testosterone is much more powerful than that.
Narveson declined to address what he knew about the specifics of Braun’s defense, but dismissed the idea that a technicality settled the case. He has a particular education on MLB’s testing policies because of his work with the union.
“If somebody mishandles a sample, that’s not just a technicality, that’s an error,” Narveson said. “I don’t know all of the details so I don’t want to comment too much. Put it this way: This isn’t the first time we’ve had issues with the people [in charge of testing] in Milwaukee. There have been other issues with timing.”
Once again, his teammates don't even know all the details. The only people that do know all the details are Braun, his legal team, the collector, Shyam Das and anyone else who was in the room during Braun's appeal. Why is anyone here acting like they know what happened?
