The Braun Case

Ryan Braun beats the rap:

Ryan Braun, the reigning most valuable player in the National League and one of baseball’s brightest young stars, has become the sport’s first player to successfully appeal a positive drug test and, as a result, escape a 50-game suspension.

In a 2-1 vote, the panel that heard Braun’s appeal agreed that valid questions had been raised about the manner in which the test sample was handled. Braun was tested on Saturday, Oct. 1, as his Milwaukee Brewers team was making its first appearance in the postseason in three years and, according to two people in baseball with knowledge of the case, the test collector first took the urine sample home and stored it in his refrigerator for two days before having it shipped to a laboratory in Montreal.

A few thoughts:

• As a Brewers fan I'm happy about this, but I'm going to try to be objective. It's possible he did cheat, but following protocols is crucial for any program to be taken seriously. If it is indeed true that the courier kept the sample in his refrigerator for 48 hours before sending it in, that's clearly a chain of custody issue. The integrity of the drug testing program relies on the chain of custody being clean. 
• If the suspension had gone through and this news had leaked out later, and it would have, it would have called into question the entire program. By overturning the suspension, MLB actually saves face.
• And rest assured, MLB will be testing the crap out of Braun for the rest of his career. And they should.