Braun Gone!

That's us, Lyin Braun. We're all haters.

Not a home run call, but close.

Ryan Braun, aka the Hebrew Hammer, aka Juices Maccabee, aka until now, Lyin Braun, is ....

Outta here!

Bud Selig's suspended him for the rest of the year over Biogenesis ...

And, as you'll note in the story, he's not appealing.

Given that 65 games is more than 50 games, this also has to be seen as a tacit admission of previous juicing.

OK ... if he acted that quickly ...

What about A-Rod?

He has to be facing an even longer suspension, and with even less support from fellow players.

Stay tuned. 

And, Bartolo Colon and others, like Nelson Cruz, who would affect the playoff races? 

I mean, the Brewers are out of it, and A-Rod's now on the DL.

But, with all the statements we were hearing that nobody's going to act right now, etc., well, is that true or not?

Or did Bud actually kind of do Ryan and the Brew Crew a solid, for not fighting? Let Braun sit the rest of this year, since they're not going anywhere anyway, and start clean (heh, heh) at spring training. 

===

Meanwhile, here's another question.

Assume with me, if you will, that Seling was doing the Brew Crew, and even, a bit, Braun, a solid by implementing the suspension now.

Is he getting anything back? Like Braun helping decipher Biogenesis rccords, the ones he claimed originally showed only that Anthony Bosch and Biogenesis were serving him as a consultant?

In other words, did Braun "roll over," rather than A-Rod being the first to do that, as I thought?

And, given what a lot of current, as well as former, players are saying now on Twitter, will they be surprised that Braun might be a bit of a rat in all this? 

===

If Braun's a rat, it wouldn't surprise me.

Because, right now, he's still being a dick.

Buster Olney says what he should be doing:

His first call must go to Dino Laurenzi Jr., the collector whose character and work he called into question when he made his now infamous statement in February of 2012, after he won his appeal.  

But, his first public pronouncement, as a press release, and his first public apology, say Laurenzi's name nowhere near either his lips or his agent's lips and keyboard.

And, Buster, I've got Kemp's MVP award to sell you if you think Braun actually will make such an apology.

Or, if you're Jeff Passan, per an anonymous quote, he's an asshole: 

If he could lessen his penalty by volunteering – keep it to 50 games for violating the league's Joint Drug Agreement and 15 more, one person deemed it, as an "asshole tax" for criticizing the drug program and putting Laurenzi through hell – and ensure a return in 2014, when his Milwaukee Brewers might not stink like they do now, even better.

Or, per Passan himself:

He is a cockroach. And on Monday, he went splat.

Sounds about right.

But, which one of the three is he? Select your answer on the poll at right.

Or, even worse than any of those, Bob Costas and Dan Patrick say ... he's ...

"Lance Armstrong"!



Give it a listen.

That said, sorry, Bob and Dan; I can't accept using the problem with roiding to boost the idea that Pete Rose should be in the HOF.