Brewer Fever

Yeah, I'm glad to see some Davis supporters chiming in. He's being seriously underrated in here today. Nobody is saying Parra will become the primary LF. Actually that's exactly what multiple people are suggesting with the notion that Davis would be on the move. I'm right there with you on the likely use of Parra that the Brewers have in mind.

I think we posted almost simultaneously. There's absolutely no way that Gerardo Parra starts over Khris Davis. No way. Yeah, I'm glad to see some Davis supporters chiming in. He's being seriously underrated in here today.

I keep seeing people on various locations of this site speculating that the Parra addition might prompt a trade sending out Davis and I'm absolute perplexed by the notion. I just don't see the logic there. I can't be the only one scratching my head at the suggestion.

The team that's close to trading for Peavy is San Francisco.

I think a starter needs to be added which in turn would strengthen the bullpen once Nelson gets shifted there. And correct me if I'm wrong but won't Nelson reach an innings limit before the regular season ends should he continue to make starts every 5th day?

Lemme guess, Olney makes no mention of the fact that Braun is 6th in the NL in slugging percentage.

It is next scheduled to air this Sunday at 7pm.

Not sure how much help it would be, but don't the Brewers have the best pitch-framer in baseball? If anyone can turn some of those called ball fours into strikes he can.

Many young pitchers have initial success in the bullpen while struggling as a starter. And believe it or not, some of them eventually grow and mature into solid starters down the line. Shocking I know.

I'm so glad you mentioned this. Like you said, the early word is he's going to cop to use in 2011. Reading between the lines, it sounds like he's going to blame his use on an attempt to overcome injuries that year. And an admission limited to that is in a word: unfortunate. You really only get one chance to truly come clean and make a sincere, genuine apology. If he takes blame only for using PEDs in an isolated incident to get healthy during a playoff run, he's setting himself up to look like an ass as word of consistent use become more widespread.

Today's developments surely won't be enough to convince some of you how far back Braun's PED usage dates. And they shouldn't necessarily be enough for that matter, since this easily could be an attempt by a disgruntled associate to further damage Braun's reputation. Again, while I am quite comfortable stating and accepting it as fact, I don't expect anyone else to. I'm simply one of many people whispering the realities of the Braun situation so that it won't be a huge surprise as details continue to emerge going forward. Put it this way, this lawsuit is more smoke. And when there's smoke... To state something as fact you must be able to back it up with tangible evidence. Where's yours? Do you have any primary resources that demonstratively prove that Braun has juiced throughout his career? If you don't, what you are stating is your opinion. Your opinion may turn out to be correct, but at this point and time without anything other than your belief, it is most certainly not fact. My sources stem from an inordinate level of curiosity on this ordeal that began when Braun was first outed after the 2011 postseason test. And in truth it dates all the way back to when I read Game of Shadows. It includes tons of research, reading, and seeking out sources that work or have previously worked in MLB. Repeatedly I have stated that I accept his usage going all the way back to U of M as fact, while at the same time realizing that my word won't be enough for many of you. And that's fine. It's fine because I'm simply not going to go back and find articles that I read a year and a half ago, 1 year ago, 6 months, or even weeks ago. Because I'm not willing to do that I'll just have to live with people not accepting what I'm stating as fact. I will give you this. When I wanted confirmation on what I was hearing I sought out a relative who worked in MLB as a scout and later as an assistant scouting director. He not only confirmed that once Braun sprung a positive test it quickly became apparent that he was caught up in the "Miami thing". In other words the connection was immediate and subsequently proven true. He also added that the percentage of players using PEDs is far more than Bud Selig would like fans to believe and far more than the media can prove. The users are just too far ahead of the testers. That is of course unless the user gets sloppy as in Braun's case. He put it at around 50% of players that are using. His sources are people he has regular contact with who are still employed in MLB front offices. That's the best I can give you.

Whew...glad that's settled. I was waiting for someone with the facts to enlighten us all. Today's developments surely won't be enough to convince some of you how far back Braun's PED usage dates. And they shouldn't necessarily be enough for that matter, since this easily could be an attempt by a disgruntled associate to further damage Braun's reputation. Again, while I am quite comfortable stating and accepting it as fact, I don't expect anyone else to. I'm simply one of many people whispering the realities of the Braun situation so that it won't be a huge surprise as details continue to emerge going forward. Put it this way, this lawsuit is more smoke. And when there's smoke...

This kills me. Has any caller or host ever brought up the possibility that any of the DBacks players very well might have been taking PEDs? Once again I'll guarantee there were some who were. And for the audience of this forum's sake, let's just imagine that some of them were.

This is what I don't get. If Braun has been on something since he was in college, shouldn't he have failed a test before 2011? If he did only use in 2011, then it really didn't make that big a difference and he should still be an elite player. The flaw with this line of thinking is the belief that you can't pass a drug test if you are on PEDs. Ding Ding Ding

If you want to know if there was evidence, do a little homework on the matter. Read an article or two. MLB had his doping schedule and his college teammate who turned on him and detailed his use all the way back to U of M. And if you don't want to take the time to read up on the matter, then try some common sense. Braun has MLB's case presented to him when he refuses to answer their questions. Soon after he seeks them out to pursue a deal. What does that tell you? I gotta say I'm taken back by the continued speculation and doubts with regard to Braun's transgressions. It's all out there if you're willing to hear it. Maybe that's what it is. People just don't want to believe its true, so they avoid hearing the facts. Heck, Braun essentially admitted to it in his one public statement. If he was merely admitting to a white lie or two on insignificant details, he would have made that clear. Instead he broadly stated that he's not perfect and made mistakes. Trust me, you're not ambiguous about small mistakes when you're suspected of big ones.

Be careful of setting yourself up for further future letdown, those of you who think Braun started using in 2011 to get over lingering injuries. Please either take a moment to research or accept on its face the connections in this case that date back to Braun's days at the University of Miami. Braun has been a PED user his entire career as a Milwaukee Brewer. I state that as fact. You can choose to take it as a likelihood.

With an assist from Ryan Braun. The decision to take the suspension now is paying dividends already.

I just figure he'll be more careful going forward. If you use them in a manner anything short of complete recklessness you pass all the tests. Just ask the Cardinals. He passed every test in 2012. If you want to believe he was clean last year, then you have your answer of how he can fare going forward. Or you can assume he used them last year just like he has in the past yet passed weekly tests. That's why I'm not worried about Braun the baseball player in 2014.

This is probably true and even drew a chuckle from me. Nonetheless, the first big, game changing hit that Braun delivers next year is still going to draw the same cheer and excitement from me. Kinda like how my feelings towards Brett Favre the football player never changed. Always felt like both Braun and Favre weren't the greatest human beings off the field. Then again I'm not the type who would wait in line for an autograph or drop everything and run over if I saw a famous athlete in public. All that matters is the chance of success for the team, players come and go.

If that were to transpire I'd be far more mad about that than at what took place today. That contract is still a very team friendly one and I have little doubt that Braun will be a franchise player for years to come.

If it helps, it's only really tainted if you believe that no players on either the teams the Brewers beat out for the playoff berth or the Arizona Diamondbacks were using as well.

The chances of competing in 2014 just got a whole lot better than they would have been had the Biogenesis scandal dragged on any longer with regard to Braun.

Whoever convinced Braun to take the leap and get out there first is a very smart man. Two huge positives...1) it ends when the already lost 2013 ends, and even more importantly 2) the announcement of Braun's suspension will be trumped, what 15-20 more times going forward? Sure his name will still be mentioned but it won't hang out there for years as the last big name guy to be suspended. That time frame will be a mere matter of days before the media moves on to the next guy. Just wait for when the player named is an important piece to the playoff race.

I won't criticize anyone for being outraged and for changing their opinion of Braun, but I just can't relate. To me it suggests that you're surprised when a player takes PEDs. My guess is that use in pro sports is rampant. My reaction within seconds was relief at how well this works out for the Brewers given the inevitability of a punishment and how much worse it could have been. I don't idolize pro athletes. I watch them for entertainment. Today's announcement does nothing to further damage the Brewers on-field chances in 2013. It does however clear the path for 2014.

Interesting that someone plays the "there will always be someone who complains" card. Ever dawn on you that there are some people who agree with every move their favorite team makes. It's a natural reaction based on emotion that they don't want to believe the team made a mistake. It happens all the time. A perfect example occurs when fans are against a rumored move, then suddenly find a way to justify it once it's reality. Either reaction,always negative or always positive, is of course wrong. What's also wrong is to label the opposing viewpoint as typical, biased, or patterned. There are moves I agree with and moves I don't. I for one am thrilled the Brewers didn't spend just to spend this offseason and instead opted to see what they have with their young pitching. I have stated as much multiple times on this forum. So don't label me as someone who is always negative. The facts are these...Gomez has a real problem getting on base, has an agent who never promotes signing an extension this close to free agency, (should speak volumes) and the Brewers have a very solid, very cheap, in-house replacement waiting in the wings. Again, that is all based in fact. It's far from flippant, anti-establishment reasoning. And it shouldn't be cast off as such.