BruisedCrew

Peralta did not admit his mistake until he had no choice. When his name first came up in connection with Biogenesis, he said that "anyone who says I took PEDs is lying".

This. I thought when it happened, I don't know if Rickie gets to that. And just totally impressed with Scooter. His approach on his hit to left field was fantastic. What a great game! You mean the one hopper 2 steps to his left, 25 feet on the OF grass? Anyway, I'm worried that K-Rod closed. I'm worried that Overbay started. I'm worried that RRR brought Rickie off the bench to face a tough righty and the crowed booed him off the field. I'm happy for 1-0. Baseball. Hooray! Actually RR brought Weeks off the bench to face a lefty and, when he was announced, the Braves made a pitching change. At that point there were no lefties on the bench.

Henderson's velocity is down so KRod is the closer for now.

Didn't he have a good couple of days to start last season... before he got hurt in about the third game and missed the next couple of weeks?

I agree with you, and would add this to it. Braun has nothing to gain by trying to answer some of those questions about what happened in the past. First, people who are not inclined to give him any benefit of the doubt aren't going to believe him anyway. Second, anything he might say about his past could adversely affect him in terms of the lawsuit against him, any other actions that might be brought in the future, or further sanctions by MLB. Finally, telling the whole truth would likely involve other people. If he has been taking PEDs for years, but only tested positive once, that just subjects the MLB drug testing program to more ridicule. I think the key statement from this event was when Braun said that digging into those past events would not be productive for him, the Brewers, MLB, or anyone else. I completely agree with him, and the sooner people accept this and move on, the better off everyone will be.

I blame it on Ron Roenicke's aggressive base running philosophy. It is now affecting other teams.

Tiger fans are not real happy with Prince Fielder these days.

In July I would have said no, but now I think we will probably renew our weekend 10 pack. Having games set on the calendar makes it easier to attend games with our adult daughters, and it's fun going to one game every 2 or 3 weeks and knowing where our seats will be.

Is Max Scherzer still lobbying for lifetime bans for PED users now that his team's only run was driven in by one? Does he refuse to shake Peralta's hand, or does his self righteousness only apply to guys who play for other teams?

I'm pretty sure that it was never said that Braun was going to call all season ticket holders. In fact, when the story first came out there were some objections to the Brewers providing him with phone numbers, so that may have put an end to it. If you really want a call, maybe you should send something to the Brewers specifically giving them permission to give Braun your number and asking them to pass it on to him because you want him to call you. It could be fun to see what happens.

This comment really fascinates me because it highlights how different people have different standards for what is going to upset them, and what they consider despicable conduct. Although it is on a much less public stage, I would guess that a lot of us who have worked in large corporations or attended competitive schools have witnessed first hand what people will do to advance themselves, including pointing fingers at others or stepping over them, or doing whatever else it might take to advance or protect their careers. Essentially that's what athletes do when they take PEDs to gain a competitive advantage. I guess we all have to decide for ourselves what conduct we find more reprehensible, but cheating on the people closest to us and hurting them deeply and personally ranks pretty high on my list. I think you kind of answered your own question (if there was a question?). When I watch a sport I want to believe that each player is playing under and following the same set of rules. I want to know that player A is better than player B only because of his work ethic and natural abilities, not because of something he is doing that is not within the rules of the game. While I agree with you that cheating on a spouse and hurting a loved one is a serious lapse in moral judgement, so is cheating in sports and generally an athlete does not cheat on their spouse in order to gain a professional edge. In your examples regarding the corporate world, people step on others and sometime may even cheat on their spouses in order to get ahead or an unfair advantage over their colleges. In many ways it's the equivalent to taking PED's in sports. I wasn't really raising a question but making an observation. I was also expressing surprise that someone could understand why an athlete might cheat on his wife, but couldn't understand why an athlete would take PEDs. I think all sports fans would like to think that everyone is playing by the same rules and that nobody is using banned substances to enhance his performance. But, unfortunately, that seems like an ideal that doesn't exist, if it ever did. Unless you believe that Biogenesis has been the exclusive provider of PED's to major league baseball players, there are almost certainly other players who were, and most likely still are, using PED's. And the Biogenesis case has proven that passing drug tests does not mean that a player isn't taking PEDs. So, if we want to enjoy following the sport, we have to accept that the playing field isn't always level and move on. As for the rules of the game, those rules (as contained in the Players Agreement) say that a player gets suspended for 50 games if he is caught using a banned substance. So, Braun and the other players who have been suspended have served their punishments and, by the rules of the game, are allowed back in. From the standpoint of the rules of the game, as far as we know, what Braun did is no different than what Peralta, Cruz, Melky Cabrera, and many others did. The stuff relating to lying and "throwing others under the bus" bears only his personal character. In that regard, should we hate Braun as a person any more than Tiger fans hate (or don't hate) Peralta because of his cheating and less highly publicized lying, or Miguel Cabrera for his past personal indiscretions?

This comment really fascinates me because it highlights how different people have different standards for what is going to upset them, and what they consider despicable conduct. Although it is on a much less public stage, I would guess that a lot of us who have worked in large corporations or attended competitive schools have witnessed first hand what people will do to advance themselves, including pointing fingers at others or stepping over them, or doing whatever else it might take to advance or protect their careers. Essentially that's what athletes do when they take PEDs to gain a competitive advantage. We probably also all know people who have cheated on their spouses and developed elaborate lies to cover their tracks. I guess we all have to decide for ourselves what conduct we find more reprehensible, but cheating on the people closest to us and hurting them deeply and personally ranks pretty high on my list. Regardless of where we rank someone's conduct on the reprehensibility scale, we also have to decide how we're going to let that conduct affect us going forward. If you're attitude is "I'm never going to another Brewer game as long as that lying, cheating scumbag is on the team", that's your right. If you want to boo as loudly as you can every time Braun appears on the field for the next several years, that's your right too (although you will probably find out quickly that the people sitting near you will think that you're a bigger jerk than Braun is). Or, if you want to find another team to root for (one that is made up entirely of players with impeccable moral character who have never taken PEDs) you can do that too. Or, you can stop paying attention to baseball and all professional or major college sports entirely. My expectation is that over 99% of the population will eventually get over this and go back to following baseball they way they did before Braun and Biogenesis came along. The reaction of Tiger and Ranger fans to the returns of Peralta and Cruz is pretty good evidence of that.

Yeah, the difference with Tiger Woods is that his "scandal" involved all personal matters and had nothing to do with breaking the rules of golf (although some have accused him of bending the rules a few times this year ) Edit: Oh...and he also didn't hold a press conference where he vehemently denied everything. What I think some people fail to see is that there is a difference between issuing a small statement denying accusations and holding a press conference where you lie and throw people under the bus after you were lucky enough to beat the system on a technicality (and yes...it was a technicality). Also...as a long term 20 game season ticket holder, I'm still waiting for my call from Braun. I'm beginning to wonder how many calls he made and if he called just enough people in order to get the story out there. I do see the distinctions between Braun's situation and the situations involving other professional athletes who cheated and/or lied. But, for the most part, when you look ahead several months and years, in my opinion they become what lawyers call "a distinction without a difference". Braun's case was unique because of the leak of his positive drug test. He HAD to have some kind of press conference to address that, and he had to offer something in the nature of an explanation as to how he could have tested positive. Since his successful appeal was based on how his sample was handled, it was inevitable that that would focus on the collector and the collection process. Without knowing exactly what evidence was presented at Braun's hearing, and how the collector appeared as a witness, it is very possible that the hearing DID raise questions about what exactly the collector did and what his motives were. There were reports at the time that the collector was a terrible witness, did not look anyone in the eye, and had trouble answering even the most simple and direct questions. But, my main point is that, ultimately, none of this will make a difference. Although Braun's circumstances are a lot different in many ways than those of Tiger Woods, Mantei Te'o, and others, they all have one important thing in common. That is that for some period of time, their indiscretions subjected them to a torrent of media censure and ridicule. But, in today's world, the media and the bloodthirsty masses eventually move on to something else and today's pariah becomes, literally, yesterday's news. There are going to be some people who are going to try to hang on to the hate as long as possible, and will justify it by telling themselves that Braun's case is different than everyone else's and that he is a more despicable human being than Tiger Woods, Melky Cabrera, Jhonny Peralta, Nelson Cruz, Barry Bonds, Andy Pettite, etc. But, in the end, the vast, vast majority of people will get over it and will react to Braun the same way they do other athletes. In other words, if he produces, fans will love it (if not him) and if he doesn't produce, they will reject him.

I don't think we have to forgive, forget, or start with a clean slate. It's just a matter of moving on. It's probably better to move on. . .and it's certainly more fun. But I have a lingering bitterness that might still be there in April. I think that will be true for the vast majority of Brewer fans, including me. But, time does heal a lot of wounds. Just ask Tiger Woods.

I don't think we have to forgive, forget, or start with a clean slate. It's just a matter of moving on.

Based on the lack of media outrage no one seems to care. Apparently his PED use isn't tainting the record book and corrupting impressionable youth. Yea I know Cervelli and all his adamant denials with press conferences and such. Plus being a former MVP and one of the best players in the game. Oh, wait... He didn't have to address the leak of what was supposed to be confidential information either. But, I get that some people's indignation is a function of how much ESPN focuses on the issue. How much do people remember or care about Melky Cabrera and his phony website coverup attempt? And how about Yankee fans cheering for Rodriguez as he tried to help them push into the playoffs?

Fans also lose their indignation about a player who uses PEDs and lies about it when that player helps their team win. Witness Tiger fans welcoming Jhonny Peralta with open arms and cheering wildly when he produces big hits for them. I suspect that there will be plenty of teams out there who will be willing to put their principles aside when Peralta hits the free agent market.

And I think that's silly. Go inside if you have to, intentionally walk him if you want, but there's no need to risk injuring a guy because he's good. Eddie Matthews hit four homers in a game once (almost five I believe) and the opposing team drilled him in the head causing him to miss significant time. That's just moronic. For the record, that was Joe Adcock that hit the 4 HRs and a double against the Dodgers in 1954 and then got beaned the next day.

BTW, Tiger fans are showing that fans can easily get over a player taking PEDs and lying about it as long as he gets big hits.

I'm pretty sure the padding with the yellow line on top is the home run barrier, not the fence above and behind it. If the ball was going above the padding (which it looks like it was) there can be no fan interference even if a fan reaches over the fence and touches the ball. Edit: they are showing some replays now that make it look really close as to whether the ball was over the padding when the fan touched it. A tough one to overturn.

I would try Segura to see if taking the winter off will bring him back refreshed and able to hit something like he did the first part of last year. If he isn't effective, then maybe Gennett if he can keep his average up to offset the lack of walks that keep his OBP down, or Weeks if he is used in a platoon AND can stay out of the horrendous slumps. If they don't work out, even Gomez could be tried at leadoff. If the Brewers are fielding a lineup with a bunch of right handed power hitters (Braun, Ramirez, Davis, Lucroy, Gomez, Hart or other 1B) you might as well put the fastest of the bunch at the top of the order. I would start out with Segura Gomez Braun Ramirez First Baseman Lucroy Davis Gennett/Weeks Pitcher and then tinker based on who is hitting and who is slumping. When Aoki plays he would hit first. But, I agree with the previous poster that I wouldn't worry about having Aoki as the fourth outfielder because both Davis and Braun are injury prone and the fourth outfielder will get his chances to play. It's only in the offseason that a team can play the same lineup every day and can get by with just 5 starting pitchers.

If the Brewers are serious about this, I'd like to see them try to get a decent, left handed hitting first baseman (hopefully better than Francisco) instead of resigning Hart. The lineup is pretty frighteningly right handed.

I'm not sure of the source of this stat, and won't try to totally explain it, but I suspect that Trout gets more value for baserunning than Gomez because of things other than stolen bases. A total analysis of baserunning impact would include a runner's ability to take an extra base on balls in play (such as taking 2 bases on a single or 3 bases on a double) and how often he gets thrown out on the bases in non-base stealing situations. At a quick glance, Gomez was thrown out 10 times in these situations compared to only 5 for Trout, so that would negatively affect Gomez's numbers. Trout also took an extra base 59% of the time compared to only 44% for Gomez. So, by these measures, Trout would be considered a better baserunner. Personally, I take some of these stats with a grain of salt because the ability of a runner to take an extra base is often affected more by the type and location of the hit than the ability of the baserunner. Considering that the Brewers led the league in infield hits, the opportunities for runners to take extra bases may have been affected by that.

Putting stolen bases/caught stealing aside for a moment, the Brewers did have more runners thrown out on the bases (according to Baseball Reference) than any other major league team. They had 65 thrown out compared to a league average of 55 per team and a low of 43 (the Mets). So, if your perception is that the Brewers had a runner thrown out on the bases every 2-3 games that would be about right. But, the reason this didn't cost the Brewers that many runs compared to an average team is that all teams have runners thrown out on the bases. Plus, not all runners thrown out on the bases cost a team runs. To use the simple example of the hated contact play, take a runner on third with one out, which seems to be the most common situation in which the play is used. If, instead of trying to score, the baserunner had held at third, the team would be left with a runner at third with 2 outs and, depending on the next hitter, the team would still not score a run something like 70-80% of the time. So, 10 runners thrown out at home on the contact play may cost the team roughly 2-3 runs. Other situations in which runners are thrown out (such as those in which there would not be an out at another base) are more costly, but put it all together and 10 extra outs on the bases costing 7 runs or so seems about right. Over the course of the season, those 7 runs or so may translate into 1 more win. In other words, the runners getting thrown out on the bases have an almost imperceptible impact on the team's record, compared to the value of getting a lot more runners on base in the first place. As for stolen bases, according to Baseball Reference, the Brewers had the fewest basestealing opportunities in the NL this year. An opportunity is defined as a runner on first or second base with an open base ahead of the runner. That's a reflection of an offense that simply didn't put a lot of men on base. Even with those reduced opportunities, the Brewers led the NL in stolen bases by a wide margin with 142 SB's compared to a second best of 118 and a league average of 84. They also led the league in runners caught stealing at 50, compared to a league average of 33, and their successful stolen base percentage of 74% ranked 5th in the league, slightly above the league average of 72%. My rough conclusion from all of this is that the Brewers may have hurt themselves a little by being aggressive on the bases in non-steal situations, but probably helped themselves a little by being aggressive stealing bases, even though they had a lot of runners caught stealing. But, like I said before, it is my opinion that the total net result of the baserunning outs that fans often get upset about had very little, if any, effect on the team's overall record.

It is easy to understand if you look at how those players performed in May, especially the pitchers. Lohse 6.51 ERA, Gallardo 5.97 ERA (throw in Peralta's 7.71 ERA for good measure.) Are you saying that poor performances by those veteran players, including the fact that Ramirez and Braun were at much less than full strength with injuries, was Roenicke's fault?