All Eyes on Ryan Braun

All Eyes on Ryan Braun

 

Opening Day 2014 will mark the first time since last July that Ryan Braun’s name will appear on a Brewers lineup card. Braun will face a tremendous amount of scrutiny and pressure this season, (well deserved by the way, as he brought all of this on himself) and many are wondering not only how he will react but what type of player will we see. There’s no question Braun is talented and has the ability to be the player he was before, even if those stats and numbers were somewhat inflated by PEDs. He can return to being a premiere player in this league but his road to redemption will surely be a tough task. Before getting into what to expect from Braun statistically we will first look at what he needs to do to repair his image.

Since the first day of news breaking about Braun failing a test this whole saga has been a complete and utter fiasco. From Braun’s outright denial to his lawsuit and overturned suspension to his lies about why his name appeared in books belonging to Anthony Bosch about payments, the circus was in town and Braun was the clown entertaining the masses. Braun would eventually admit to making mistakes and not being perfect, however, there was no true admission of guilt, just an apology and acceptance of his punishment which would turn out to be the remainder of the regular season. Friends, teammates, and the Brewers front office felt slighted and lied to as they stood by Braun and pledged his innocence throughout the whole process. This was no ordinary player caught in a cheating scandal. This was one of the top 3-5 players in the game and an MVP Award Winner. Braun’s actions brought unwanted attention on both him and the game. By not accepting blame from the beginning and getting out in front of the mess, Braun ruined his name in the sport. Guys like Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi do not walk around with the stigma and scarlet letter of cheaters because they came clean and admitted doing so. We as a public are very understanding and forgiving when it comes to the truth. Be open and honest about it and all is forgiven. Lie about it left and right only to admit guilt later, or even worse, keep defending your innocence (Hello A-Rod and Bonds) and forget it, you’re done as far as the public is concerned.

Braun will face a hard time in his own clubhouse; never mind what he will go through on the road with opposing fans and players. He will say he’s strong enough to handle it and will zone out negativity but we all know that’s a lie. He will hear every boo and every insult and it will make him press to prove people wrong. In addition to that, this Brewers team is not nearly as strong as previous clubs they’ve fielded so Braun’s numbers will take a dip from that also. With a weaker offense around him, mediocre pitching, and competition from St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, this will be a lost season for Braun and the Brew Crew.

This summer in Milwaukee they will be witness to a soap opera and a swarm of media thanks to the black cloud hanging over them. The fans just need to hope that cloud is passing through and not a sign of the heavens opening to unleash a downpour on the city and the rest of the team.

 

We will be back tomorrow with a look at Jose Abreu and the impact he can have on the White Sox. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @changingspeeds for all our coverage of the national pastime.