Thoughts on the Biogenesis Scandal

More names have come out in documents from Biogenesis:

Yahoo! published images of two records from Biogenesis that include Braun's name, including one list titled "baseball" on which Braun appears with Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera, Cesar Carrillo, Francisco Cervelli and Danny Valencia.

Pretty much all the players mentioned have denied using PEDs, except for Melky. Cabrera, was caught so why deny. I don't think MLB could suspend him again over the same offense.

Ryan Braun's defense is pretty laughable:

"During the course of preparing for my successful appeal last year, my attorneys, who were previously familiar with Tony Bosch, used him as a consultant," Braun said. "More specifically, he answered questions about T/E [testosterone to epitestosterone] ratio and possibilities of tampering with samples.

"There was a dispute over compensation for Bosch's work, which is why my lawyer and I are listed under 'moneys owed' and not on any other list. I have nothing to hide and have never had any other relationship with Bosch. I will fully cooperate with any inquiry into this matter."

Yeah right Ryan, your high paid lawyers are going to go to some shady, damn near almost a doctor, to use as a consultant instead of someone a little more reputable. You make millions, you could consult anyone in the world and you pick this guy. They could talk to the head of the Olympic Anti-Doping agency and get the information you needed from him. Not I'm not buying that one.

And, in the future Ryan, go talk to those high paid lawyers about what your alibi is going to be, before stepping in front of a microphone. They gotta be able to do better than this.

It all did kind of get me thinking. If I was a player, say Alex Rodriguez, but with a couple of extra IQ points, and I was going to go see some shady doctor type with a diploma from Wossamotta U, because I am tired of my cousin sticking me with needles, I'd be a little careful. I'd:

• pay for everything with cash. I saw the Mitchell report. I know that half the names on it got there because they found a cheque with "purchase of illegal steroids" written in the memo line. No way at all do I sign my name on a cheque to any clinic like this.
• use an alias. No chance I got in there and say "hi, I'm Alex Rodriguez". What's the chance that scumbag-almost-doctor knows what Alex Rodriguez looks like? If I'm Alex Rodriguez I go in there and say 'Hi I'm Ryan Braun, I want you to shoot me up with every legal substance you have.' I'd likely use a name that has already been connected to PEDs or use the name of some guy I hated. Probably, if I'm Alex, I say 'Hi I'm Derek Jeter'. If they figure out I'm not who I say I am, I move on to the next scumbag almost doctor.

So, I'm not ready to hang the guys that have their names listed on Biogenesis documents, because, it seems to me there could be a number of different ways a player's name could get on their documents. Well, Braun I'll hang, because his alibi is just so stupid.

On the other end, I can't see MLB suspending any of these players, because, if they do, they are admitting that their drug testing just doesn't work. If I'm them, I maybe make sure the players mention are tested as often as they possibly can be, but suspending them on this sort of evidence announces to the world that the testing program we have isn't worth the paper it is printed on.

I mean, if players can go see a "doctor" as stupid as this guy sounds, and still not get caught by our testing, then there is a real problem.