Ryan Braun Won: A Culture Of Deceit - The JareBear's Blog

The JareBear's Blog

Ryan Braun Won: A Culture Of Deceit

Posted on July 25, 2013 at 11:06 AM.

I take back what I said, Ryan Braun is not an idiot. In fact, I think he might be the smartest guy in the world. If you examine the case and the "repercussions," you will find that facts clearly point to a huge Braun victory in the long run. This is not a case of the "system" working. This is a case of "steroids" paying off.

Ryan Braun was told that his suspension "might be 50 games, might be 500 games." He basically plea-bargained with MLB. MLB rules dictate that a first time offense is 50 games, a 2nd offense is 100. With the understanding from Braun and his team that they won't appeal it, MLB somehow finds a middle ground and suspends him for 65 games, the rest of this season. His huge 104 million dollar extension is not voidable under current baseball rules. Knowing this, Braun basically figured out a way to only lose 3.4 million out of a total pot of 150 million. In poker, we call that "losing the minumum."

Sure, 3.4 million dollars is a lot of money, but due to legal technicalities there is absolutely, as of right now, nothing Milwaukee can do to stop him from being guaranteed 150 million dollars, something like 110,000 dollars each game he plays (my math could be off, but it's in that ballpark) to be paid to him from the start of 2014 season thru the 2020 season. I can't be the only one that sees the grave injustice here. CHEATING PAID OFF. He cheats his way into an NL MVP, follows that NL MVP with a huge contract payoff that was based on artificially enhanced performance, and after this season he won't have to worry about losing a dime of it. That's insane.

The New York Yankees are in the same situation with A-Rod, and all you have to do is just check any MLB news website to see they are doing everything they can to keep him off the field and dump the money they owe him anyway they can, which they probably can't, but man, they are trying. Keeping him in the minors won't fix the problem though, that's just a band-aid over a wound that needs surgery. Now, you can bet, in the very near future all contracts will be negotiated with language that protects teams from having to pay players that test positive for PEDs, which will undoubtedly be fought tooth-and-nail by the MLB Players Association. Until that happens, until MLB win the right to protect themselves, there is no deterrent.

Until you truly TAKE AWAY THE MONEY, professional athletes will continue to, and always, cheat. Look at Melky Cabrera. An average player his whole career, decides to juice, gets signed by the Giants, gets popped mid-season for PEDs, still gets a World Series ring, still gets a big day from Toronto. Where is the deterrent there? How did he lose?

Will Melky Cabrera and Ryan Braun ever get into the Hall of Fame? No. Are they tainted forever? Yup. Does it matter? NOPE. They are fabulously rich men. They cheated, they got paid, they won.

Oh, and Von Miller....

Von Miller.

Wow man.

Really bro?

People need to be aware of the specifics of this case. A lot of untrue information is being spread around. This is now his first offense, this is his THIRD. Yes, THREE times in THREE years. Recreational drugs are not handled the same as PEDs. They are, somewhat understandably, much more lenient in this regard. Von's first negative test was his rookie year for "weed and amphetamines," his second test is unknown at this point, but we know there was a second test because per NFL policy:

"A first time offender receives a 90 day review. A second time offender receives a fine and is put into 'the program.' A third time offender is fined and suspended for the equivilent of 4/17 of a season. "

Von, you a Ricky Williams fan or something? Put down the pipe bro. Your team is supposed to win the Super Bowl. I mean, that's what everyone said last year too, so who knows.

Comments

# 1 jmik58 @ Jul 25

Nice perspective on it. I read something similar (was posted in the Daily Ten a few days ago) about Game Theory helping to explain why players still use PEDs. The risk of getting caught and the severity of punishment (or lack of) is nowhere near the monetary gain that can be achieved. In other words, the reward blows away the risk completely.

# 2 Jimbo614 @ Jul 25

Here's the thing about A -Rod;
A=Rod has still never failed a test.
For All the testimony, all the talk, A Rod still hasn't tested positive for anything.
He wasn't tested for what he's accused of taking.
That makes for an extremely difficult court case for Baseball.