Bemused by Braun

By now, you've likely heard that defending National League MVP Ryan Braun had his 50-game suspension overturned by a panel of arbitrators earlier this week.  Baseball's drug agreement states that "absent unusual circumstances . . . specimens should be sent by FedEx to the laboratory on the same day they are collected," but according to the Associated Press Braun's sample was collected on a Saturday and not sent out until Monday because the sample collector "[thought] it would be more secure at home than at a Federal Express office during the weekend."  The video below, via the Washington Post, has the rest of the basics:

For the most part, I'm happy with how this all played out.  The baseball fan in me wants to see Braun out on the field for as many of the Brewers' 162 games as possible - he's one of the sport's best players, means more to Milwaukee now than ever before with Prince Fielder leaving town this off-season, and is by most accounts a hard worker and a likeable guy.  I'm also a stickler for rules, and if the MLB's drug agreement states that samples have to be sent out to the lab on the same day that they are collected, then shame on the drug collector for not following proper protocol.  As many (including Aaron Rodgers) have pointed out, we are fortunate to live in a society where people are innocent until proven guilty, and if MLB's evidence won't hold up in court then Braun shouldn't be subject to punishment.

At the same time, everything here just seems a little too "convenient," doesn't it?  Although MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred stated that he "vehemently disagrees" with the arbitrators' decision, it doesn't take a master conspiracy theory enthusiast to raise an eyebrow over this.  Sure, other MLB players have been forced to serve 50 game suspensions for drug infractions before, but none of those guys were coming off of MVP seasons or as critical to their team's success as Braun is.  There's no doubt that having Braun in left field for the Brew Crew on opening day will be a boost to Major League Baseball; having him exonerated on what U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart called a "technicality of all technicalities" - on the opening day of Spring Training, no less - just seems a little fishy to me.

The unfortunate thing is that we'll never know the truth, and from here on out I'll be caught in the grey zone of wanting to believe Braun's story but not being sure if I can.  Whereas casual fans will likely forget this entire ordeal before the first real pitches are thrown in April, I will forever wonder whether o nrot one of baseball's most likeable young stars is (or was, depending on how you look at these things) a cheater.  If Braun is truly innocent, he has unfortunately had his reputation damaged and has only a technicality to thank for ensuring that justice was served.  If Braun is guilty, however, a careless error by a random urine sample corrector just cost MLB the opportunity to make a big statement in its fight against PEDs.