If the same deal is offered to Alex, he should take it. Team's not going to the postseason this year anyhow. Just work out for next year.

I'm strangely relaxed about the year. No pressure about making the playoffs.

I expect Alex to be next.

Braun is the Lance Armstrong of baseball. The way that he bullied that collector and tried to destroy his reputation is unforgivable.

Just one of those years

2) Agreed. Alex is next. He's the hood ornament here but Braun, being in his prime was the catch. Because Alex's reputation is already ruined. And I think Rodriguez will take the deal he's offered. I don't think he'll fight it.

4) Alex's only saving grace is that he looks like a prince compared to the dirty bully Braun. I just watched Olney on ESPN and while he often makes me roll my eyes, he made some credible arguments like how Braun cheated the Diamondbacks in the playoffs and deceived gullible Brewer fans, and the Brewer franchise when they gave him that huge contract, and then he bullied Dino Laurenzi Jr. Braun really is the worse of all the known cheaters.

It's a sad coincidence that the Yankees are in Texas tonight where ARod's drug problems supposedly started.

Ouch!

Go Pirates! Just sayin'. : )

Out from the naked eye.

Even though Braun with the ironic name was the bigger "prize" for MLB, ARod will always be the bigger story. While Braun is a far more relevant player at this point, the mainstream media won't go nearly as long or as hard on him as they will on ARod. Sure, they'll all mention Braun tonight, and tomorrow, and in some places (cable news), it may get longform treatment, but when ARod goes down, he'll knock the royal baby, and every other story you can imagine off the front pages.

Even as news was breaking about Braun, the story was ARod. Especially here in the media capital of the world. Braun suspended, what does this mean for ARod, was the immediate reaction.

It's understandable. Braun is a one time MVP from Milwaukee. ARod was chasing Ruth, Aaron, the all-time greats.

Bud Selig may have gotten the headline he was after in all this: Braun Guilty.
But that's never going to sell papers, and get ratings like an ARod "conviction."

Nice catch. Now another D.L trip.

Thankfully, it was Rick Sutcliffe who made the proclamation that it looked serious ...

Nune6 couldn't even get a glove on that one? Ugh.

[6] Nelson Cruz is on the list too, so Texas won't be laughing too hard when it all goes down. I'm certainly not going to say that any of this merits the description of "tragedy" or national shame"; the only ones who should be ashamed are the players, MLB and the media who all turned a blind eye to it when it was happening and then capitalized on the so-called scandal when the tide of public opinion turned against the players. The fans are the ones who should be sympathized because for the most part they had little control over the situation except to deny themselves the privilege of watching major league baseball if it mattered that much.

[14] Well said. "Chicks dig the long ball" was pushed by MLB.

[15] Whew, and I was just about to tell myself, "just shaddup and follow the game... >;)

Nova continuing to pitch well since his return ...

[16] Not much happening game wise.

A hit!

If the Yanks score a run off Darvish today, I will eat my hat.

By accepting that deal without an appeal, Braun just fucked everybody, from A-Rod to Colon, up the ass. What a selfish bastard.

Well, 2 might as well be 20 ...

Rally time.

If we had some boppers, I'd be optimistic

Or that. These guys are shitty.

[21] He may be selfish, but he only fucked people who deserved to be fucked. I can't get too worked up over it.

I'd get mad at Hafner, but by now, it's clear he's got fuck all left in the tank; this one's on Joey Joe Joe refusing to acknowledge that fact ...

[27] Hafner is no Vernon Wells.

[22] And 3 might as well be 300 ...

[26] You think he can come back next year and feel good in a ballpark? You think he'll ever get cheered again? He's fucked himself, too.

What's the marketing pitch? Root for the CLEAN Brew Crew. Ryan's back and not quite better than ever, but at least he's human now! If he doesn't hit it's a shame...but not a sham!

If he had one once of dignity, he would have appealed.

[27] Joe's been dealt some pretty useless cards. And I'm not even going to blame Cashman, this is what a dynasty's end looks like. Complete with boat anchors at first and third.

[30] You think he can come back next year and feel good in a ballpark? You think he'll ever get cheered again? ...etc....

I don't care about any of 'em.

[31] ANY RHB would have been better than Hafner against a LHP in that situation. When you only get ONE chance a game, the least you could do is take your best shot at it ...

Meanwhile, Joba "The Human White Flag" Chamberlain is on to pitch the bottom of the 8th ...

[31] Oh, I can blame Cashman. A dynasty's end can take many forms...there was no need to go out and get Vernon Wells when an number of other dreck was available.

FUCKING Nune5 ... Pathetic.

It must suck pitching well for this line up. Must be what Felix Hernandez feels like all the time. But, hell, he re-upped.

[32] Granted, but the management certainly is counting on his production next year.

Shit, Colon has 13 wins. Without him, maybe the A's aren't in the running.

It will be interesting to see what happens to these guys in the off season.

[30] If he had one once of dignity, he would have appealed.

As I said,I don't care about any of them. But I do find this an extremely interesting position. There was a time when a person who cam clean would have been praised to some degree---call it the George Washington Cherry Tree Syndrome. The guilty party would have been seen as having spared a shred of dignity by actually owning up to his crime or sin or failing or whatever. But by this line of reasoning, a guilty person preserves his dignity only by obfuscation and delaying tactics.

[37] It will be interesting to see what happens to these guys in the off season.

True. My guess is that if they can play, someone will sign them.

Oh, and to reiterate what I've been saying for weeks---and to follow up on an article that RLYW posted earlier today:

SELL.

Gah, Gritty deserved a better outcome in that at bat ...

I am certain I have missed 99% of Gardner's hits this year.

[41] He's had two crazy long ABs the last two games.

Yikes, when Rick Sutcliffe is (correctly) calling out your game calling tactics, you're doing EVERYTHING wrong ...

[38] You're missing a major major part of this situaiton. MLB has paid money to extremely shady characters to provide dirt on their employees. Who have not failed ANY tests that are mandated in the CBA. Would you think the same if your employers acted in this way?

This is no longer a gluten free line up. It's nutrition free line up. When Lyle I your offensive star of the game, it's sad

[45] I guess it would depend if I were guilty or not. Braun obviously is, and I don't have a lot of sympathy for him. Not that I am on Selig's "side"---he's a shit too. BUt really I have very little sympathy for Braun, A-Rod, Colon, or the rest of them. Sorry, but the "game of shadows" era has made me pretty jaded.

Another stellar showing from the awfully offensive offal-like offense ...

[47] So being 'guilty' means it is OK to have your collectively bargained rights trampled on? Interesting way to view things..let's just say I strongly disagree.

[38] Well, my point has merit. He has already lied definitively, even in court, so all he has left, is allegiance to his brethren. You can say "there is no honor among thieves." But at least that's some honor.

Now he's dropping that tired old chestnut that is only used by those who are the most deplorable people on the planet. "My family had been through enough."

Please kill me now.

[45] Also, it's basically the same situation as Lance Armstrong and the TdF, right? Lance never failed a drug test, so by the strict rules of the sport he did nothing wrong. But the governing body suspected he was guilty and so did an investigation that went beyond the drug tests themselves, and he got nailed. Was it fair? Did it follow due process? Was justice served? I have no idea. But everyone pretty much agrees that Lance was cheater and shit, even if he managed to circumvent the drug tests. for me it's the same with Braun, et al. Sure, he defeated the drug testing. But he's pretty clearly guilty, or he wouldn't have folded. Was the investigation just or fair? Who knows. Is MLB a big pile of shit? Yep. Did Braun, et al. cheat and lie. Yep. Am I sympathetic to any of them. Not one iota.

[49]] Sure, why can't one be guilty regardless of one's rights? Those are two separate issues. I can sympathize with the player whose CBA process was violated, but that does not mean he was not guilty of breaking the rules. Moreover, while I can sympathize with the player on one level, it does not mean I have overarching sympathy for the player who cheats. Like I said above, I maintain that I have sympathy for none of them.

[50] so all he has left, is allegiance to his brethren.

Though one might argue that some of his brethren--the Frank Thomases for example---might actually appreciate his gesture.

Anyway, I agree that he's taking a pretty tired stand, including the pro forma sort of apology ("I'm sorry if I offended anyone") that comes only when one is caught. Yeah, they can all jump in a lake for all I care.