Brauned out

So Major League Baseball has suspended Ryan Braun for the remainder of the season, and he's pretty much admitted his transgressions in the proverbial statement without mentioning specifics.

“I realize now that I have made some mistakes,” Braun said in a statement. “I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions.”

Braun also apologized, the way they all do. But few cheats in baseball have played the con as aggressively as Braun, before and after his failed test in the 2011 playoffs. Like the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, Braun worked hard on his image. He wanted us to think he was pure and always did everything right.

Gag. I've let this simmer all week.

The prospect of Braun being suspended has been the talk for several weeks. During our family breakfast Sunday morning, Braun's alleged wrongdoing were a topic of conversation, too. None of us were sure to make of the situation, considering Braun's denials.

Then, just as we arrived back in The 'Ville Monday evening and were settling in back home, the news broke.

Braun suspended for the rest of the season.

What a letdown.

I can't think of another pro baseball player I've admired so highly since... Cal Ripken, Jr. Until Braun broke into the majors in 2007, I had gone years without turning on a ball game just to watch a single player, the way I did in the days of Yount, Brett, Ryan, Hershiser, Sandberg and Ripken. Braun became my guy for this era. He played the game the right way, or so it seemed, without a lot of show-boating. He never whined -- he just played and produced. He did so much to raise the Brewers.

Even when the allegations of Braun's use of performance enhancing drugs surfaced in 2011 -- and he vehemently denied them, threw the sample collector under the bus (a standup guy from one of our stomping grounds, by the way), and won his appeal -- I trusted and defended him. Like so many others. ... After he won his appeal, I posted a celebratory tweet, and then got blasted for it by the University president -- an avid Detroit Tigers fan -- who believed Braun to be the cheat he really is.

Now, Ryan Braun's legacy is forever tainted.

The Brewers' glorious postseason run in 2011. Tainted.

All the times I've stood up and cheered for Braun. Tainted.

Phoebe's Braun T-shirt. Tainted. 

What a  letdown.

(Updated 09.25.2013) Good reads ... 
a Ryan Braun latest All-Star to get long suspension for PEDs
a Brewers' owner committed to keeping Braun
a Selig, Former Brewers Owner, and Braun Have Milwaukee Talking
a Matt Kemp thinks Ryan Braun should be stripped of 2011 MVP award
a Yanks Voice Support for Rodriguez, and for Efforts to Rid Game of Doping

a Wait ‘Til Next Year: Milwaukee Brewers

World War Braun II: D-Day Plus One

Taking my headline and inspiration from this post at Brew Crew Ball. ... Here we go again is right.

My heart sunk as I scrolled through my morning news emails and saw The New York Times headline. ...

A Report Links Braun to a Florida Clinic
Under Scrutiny by Baseball

Ugh. Say it ain't so.

Prince and stuff

I've read 85 pages in "The Shaping of American Higher Education" -- it kept me up until 1:30 a.m. this morning, thank you very much -- and I've finished the written reflection for my graduate assignment this week -- one of these weeks I'm going to work "peachy keen" into a paper as a tribute to Kates. Now I can write about more pressing issues.

Like -- holy crap -- Prince Fielder signing with the Tigers.

Now, let the record show that I thought when the offseason began, if Prince didn't resign with the Brewers, the Tigers would be the next best fit.

Fairly quickly, the Tigers seemed to be out of the picture, thanks to a notion that Prince refused to play there because of a riff with his father. Whatever. (... Hey, Prince, accept the olive branch already.)

There was little doubt in my mind that he'd sign with an American League team because of the advantages he could give a team in a DH role. I never saw the Yankees or the Red Sox as contenders for his services because they didn't need him. Baltimore seemed like a decent fit. So did Anaheim until they swiped Albert Pujols from the Cardinals. I never took the talk of Seattle seriously.

But Detroit. He would stay in the midwest. Detroit is built on hard-working, blue collar fans -- just like Milwaukee. He could rotate playing first base and DH and be part of a fearful one-two punch with Miguel Cabrera. Prince could help Detroit finally reclaim a world series title and get a deserving Jim Leyland one more before he has to hit the road.

I should also say I did love the ideas floated of Prince signing with the Cubs because of his connection to Dale Sveum, but Theo Epstein never let those rumors persist.

As the process drew on, and the Rangers and Nationals seemed to be the only teams hanging around, I was rooting for Prince to accept a Rangers uniform. The Rangers are now a legitimate contender and I see a lot of the same characteristics in their team make-up that the Brewers possess. ... Not for a minute did I see Prince landing with the Nationals and being happy in D.C. In some ways I felt sorry for him, that the process had drawn on so long, that maybe his big-time agent was calling the shots, and that maybe if he could do it over again he would stay put in Milwaukee.

Then, bam. Tuesday afternoon arrives and the reports come that Prince signed with the Detroit Tigers.

I'm already giddy about the idea of catching some Tigers games in Kansas City.

Meanwhile in Milwaukee ... The Division Champion pennant was hung, and there may still be hope for Ryan Braun. (Watch his acceptance of the NL MVP Award)

(Updated: 01.26.2012) Some good reads ...
a Tigers introduce Prince Fielder
a Were it not for V-Mart's injury, Fielder might have been a Dodger ... As I stated above, I felt the Tigers could have made a play for Prince at any time, but the Victor Martinez injury certainly made things more interesting.
a Determined to win, Tigers make Prince fit
a With echoes of A-Rod, Fielder deal gives Tigers a powerful punch
a Still a 'sad day,' Melvin says
a Prince provided Milwaukee many memories ... These are great. So many good memories. Especially the video associated with No. 3 on the list.
a Start your engines: Prince arrives in Motown

* * *

In other news, Ingrid Michaelson announced a new tour today. That literally circles the United States and never comes close to Kansas City, located quite conveniently in the middle of the country. And she's haunting me with ads for her new album appearing on nearly every web page I visit.

Seriously. Kansas City. Music black hole.

A short time later, those feelings were replaced with pure elation brought on with a Facebook posting by Ben Folds that read:

It's happening fo sho - Day 1 in studio with Robert and Darren through March. #NewBenFoldsFiveRecord

The post was accompanied with a photo of Ben and original Ben Folds Five members Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee rehearsing in the studio.

I nearly cried.

For the uninitiated, Ben Folds Five broke up in 2000. Ben Folds has put out some pretty good records on his own, but it's not the same. ... I was fortunate to see them in concert four times, including one incredible night in Omaha, Neb., during the Reinhold Messner period -- for more reasons than the BF5 performance, but that's worthy of a whole different post. Here's hoping the trio can recapture the magic.

(In the midst of my elation, my friend Laura also reminded me The Shins have a new album due out in March ... This is shaping up to be a great year for music.)

When I got into my car to drive home from work tonight, I cranked this.

Say it ain't so

This weekend has been as close to perfect as they come in the middle of December in The 'Ville. ... The only thing that could have improved it would have been a semifinal football game yesterday featuring our 'Cats. But we lost that opportunity last weekend. 

Friday night, I had my last graduate class of the fall trimester. I was dreading it because of the teaching assignments that are part of each class session. It's not that I don't like teaching; it's the fact that we're thrown a chapter from our textbook at the beginning of the class period, given 30 minutes to prepare a lesson about it and then have to teach it to the class -- and a simple straight forward lecture with the pre-made PowerPoint slides that come with each assigned lesson doesn't cut it. ... In the end, I had nothing to worry about. My friend, Angel, and I were assigned to teach the chapter about leadership ethics, and we rocked it.

Thankfully, for the next four weeks there will be no text to read and no papers to write. Best of all, I can now say I'm a quarter of the way to earning a master's degree.

* * *

Saturday, we slept late. Spent an hour at the church for our Christmas play rehearsal. And spent the rest of the day preparing for the office Christmas party we hosted last night ...

We had a full house. It was one of those great nights where the adults hung out in the living room and kitchen, and we left the kids to terrorize the downstairs play room (We had to break just twice for a crying child. But none of them left with broken bones, so that was good ... ) ... Best of all, there were many, many moments I found myself nearly laughing to the point of tears or laughing so hard I was having trouble breathing. It was a good time.

My world was perfect. Until ...

* * *

As Kates and I started getting ready for bed, I switched on the TV in our bedroom and turned to ESPN. Sportscenter was on, and the anchor had just spoken a set of words I never expected to hear in my lifetime ...

Ryan Braun reportedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

My heart sank.

Since Ryan Braun came up from the minors in 2007, there is no baseball player I've admired more. There's no athlete I've admired more, although Aaron Rodgers comes close. ... On the surface, Braun has always appeared to play by the rules. He's been one of the truly good guys in the game.

So the news that he may have broken the rules, especially after the summer of fun he and the Brewers served up this year, really stings.

For now, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. Reports coming from sources other than ESPN seem to be pointing fingers at the behemoth sports enterprise for jumping the gun on the story without all of the facts. And Braun's side appears to be staunchly protesting the ruling, in a sense that I didn't get with previous accusations ... Even ESPN's reporting last night did seem to have some holes.

I'm praying it's a case of bad reporting.

(Updated 12.13.2011) Good reads ...
aBaseball turned upside down by Braun allegations
aBraun's reputation at stake
aSource: Braun didn't take PED
aBrewers slugger, who won 2011 NL MVP, is appealing finding

Rodgers makes his pitch at Miller Park

I picked up this great post from a news feed today ...

There are no two athletes I admire more right now ...