If only life and sports were so clear cut
“Don’t do the crime / If you can’t do the time.” The catchphrase may have its beginnings with Robert Blake—who knows something about both, and with some changes sneaks into Bob Dylan’s “Heart of Mine.” More to the point, I (Evander) wish to address a possible discrepancy in viewpoints in two of my recent blogs. “Way, Manny!” Ramirez did not have the lawyerly presence of Ryan Braun. Ramirez tested positive and has paid a serious price, which undoubtedly will hurt his chances for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame when his incredible career is closed. Braun, on the other hand, has made a shambles of Major League Baseball-testing regulations. You see, he did the crime but did not do the time. His “press conference” of self-exoneration was a farce. Performance-enhancing steroids, and related substances and procedures, are deathly in their long-term and unpredictable impacts on quality of later life.
Right Off the Bat 
“He did the crime?” I’m not a lawyer and don’t know the legalities, but what “crime” are we talking about and where is the proof? If by crime you mean he “took” a banned substance, that may actually be true on a black-and-white level. Should the reason he tested positive — for example, If it was for a medical condition– make a difference? Or is it like an Olympian who test positive because his/her asthma medication contains a banned ingredient and that’s just just tough luck, give back your medals and/or records?
With all dues respect, I just think there are too many unanswered questions to damn Ryan so definitively. I have not read every official word on the subject (is it even available or are there still “confidentiality” issues (what a joke)? In a sense, I would have preferred he NOT get off on the technicality; I would have liked to see the whole situation settled so he doesn’t have a cloud hanging over his head.