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There's precedent for overturning a positive drug test in baseball. And oddly, the man who did it is a former college and minor league teammate of Ryan Braun.
Dec 14, 2011 - Brendan Katin once outhit Ryan Braun for half a season.
Who? Yes, Brendan Katin, who had a higher OPS than Braun when they were teammates on the 2006 Brevard County Manatees. (Of course, that's mainly because Braun got called up halfway through the season to Double-A Huntsville, where he mashed for a .954 OPS and 15 HR in 54 games).
Katin and Braun were also teammates at the University of Miami and are now connected in yet a third way. In 2007, when Katin was at Huntsville himself, he was told he had failed a drug test. Like Braun, Katin says he knew he was clean and appealed, hoping to avoid the mandatory 50-game suspension:
In Katin's case, his first sample came back with a high level of testosterone.
"They assumed I was on something," he said.
In 2007 in the Minor Leagues, players would submit two urine samples -- marked "A" and "B." Katin was notified that he tested positive for high levels of testosterone, and he said the "B" sample was then tested for synthetic drugs. It came back negative. Now, if a player has a high level, Major League Baseball will automatically test for synthetic drugs before contacting the player.
Sounds similar to Braun's case. Two months later, he was exonerated. Why did Katin's test create a false positive?
He never got an explanation for the high levels of testosterone, but said it may have been caused by having a few drinks the night before the test.
I am not a doctor, and I don't know if this is true or not. But it does raise the point that there could be several different explanations of what Braun has called "highly unusual circumstances".
Which is why, again, I caution everyone not to rush to judgment on Ryan Braun; his appeal could work and he'll be exonerated. If so, the court of public opinion will need to acquit him, too.
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I agree that it’s foolish and irresponsible to rush to judgments on Braun, wasn’t his second test for synthetics positive? Seems the circumstances are very different.
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by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Dec 14, 2011 6:01 PM EST reply actions
It wasn't a second test, it was a further examination of his first test. The second test was negitive but it was at a later date.
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by Flanyboy on Dec 15, 2011 3:02 AM EST up reply actions
I was
under the impression we had for Braun
Sample one
Test one – positive
Further test for synthetic – positive
And then Braun asked for a second test, and we’re unsure if that’s from the first or second sample, but it came back negative.
My point was Braun’s former teammate had a negative result on the “further test for synthetic” while Braun tested positive for synthetics. To me, that’s a significant difference and one that’s concerning for Braun.
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by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Dec 15, 2011 4:17 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Elevated testosterone is decidedly not caused by having a couple of drinks of alcohol. That is laughable. The chances that Braun will be exonerated are slim to none. The anti-doping agency tested the sample and proved it was synthetic testosterone. There is no way that this can be attributed to eating too many oysters or some garbage.
This is worse than the Bonds case, in that what Bonds was accused of taking wasn’t even banned by MLB at the time, and besides, there is NO forensic proof he ever took anything. Braun took a substance that was expressly banned by MLB.
But Bonds isn’t a media (which includes SB Nation) favorite, so the treatment of the pretty boy will no doubt be different. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, given that Selig is obviously very close to the Brewers organization.
My guess is that stories like this one will start rolling out to assist in Braun’s public image rehabilitation campaign. I wonder what the odds are that he is stripped of his MVP title. Long odds, I would assume.
by ExPFCWintergreen on Dec 14, 2011 7:21 PM EST reply actions
I highly doubt they would strip him of his MVP title. If the appeal doesn’t work I don’t think these articles will do much to help him. The main thing he has going for his public image is the fact that he hasn’t been a complete asshole to everyone he’s been around (see: Manny Ramirez and Bonds).
by fishmicmuffin on Dec 14, 2011 8:42 PM EST up reply actions
What's laughable is that everyone is rushing to judgments and making rediculous headlines on their articles when absoultely NOTHING has been realsed by the MLB.
Maybe we should actually wait for something official before crucifying someone.
Oh and whoever leaked this info DID violate HIPAA laws… yea but apparently that doesn’t matter.
I like to consider someone innocent until proven guilty you know.. and considering nothing has been released by anyone officially I will wait for the MLB’s verdict. One thing is for sure. This entire process probably has made players a lot less satisfied with the testing policy and if I was a player I would be pissed. Having someones case leaked before a decision has been made should be a crime. Sure Braun might be guilty but if he or anyone was innocent and something like this was leaked they would never recover from it and it could cost them millions of dollars. There is a reason this process is suppose to be confidential and those leaks should be punished by the league even if Braun is guilty.
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by Flanyboy on Dec 15, 2011 3:00 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
From
a law student, HIPAA holds less validity than you think it would and the medical community would like it to, at least in a court of law.
I agree though that many people (not you Al) are rushing to judgments.
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by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Dec 15, 2011 4:18 PM EST up reply actions
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