Braun's sincerity shines through for him and Brewers Nation

Ryan Braun showed passion, sincerity and a touch of emotion we aren't used to seeing from the Brewers left fielder Friday afternoon at Maryvale Baseball Park. All the more reason for not only Brewers fans, but baseball fans across the country.

I'm not going to go over the entire statement, but there were parts where the words and body language Braun displayed made him very believable with what he was saying. This was the NL MVP out of the element by which I know him by and he did himself so well on the mic. If you were one of the haters he mentioned during the statement, you had to take notice and eat some crow (that Aaron Rodgers talked about Thursday night on Twitter).

The line that stands out the most to me came quickly as Braun got to the point. (Transcript)

"If I had done this intentionally or unintentionally, I’d be the first one to step up and say, ‘I did it.’ By no means am I perfect, but if I’ve ever made any mistakes in my life I’ve taken responsibility for my actions. I truly believe in my heart, and I would bet my life, that this substance never entered my body at any point."

The emotion in the man's voice when he said those words gripped me. Watching this unfold, beyond me being a huge Brewers fan, I could not help but believe the words he was saying.

Just moments later, he took aim at some of the haters and rumors...

"Despite the fact there have been many inaccurate, erroneous and completely fabricated stories regarding this issue, I’ve maintained the integrity of the confidentiality of the process. There’s never been a personal medical issue, I’ve never had an STD. Many of the stories that were erroneously reported by the initial network continue to live on, and it’s sad and disappointing that this has become a PR battle and that people continue to leak information that’s inaccurate."

Have to love him putting the four-letter network on notice and dispute the STD rumor that circulated all over Twitter and Facebook in the last three months. With all the details Braun gave out on the entire process, I'd say he did quite well for himself in trying to get back his good name today.

There were times I looked to notes to guide him through what he wanted to say, but there were others where he ditched the sheet and spoke from the heart. That's very endearing to a public that will break down his every move throughout the season. Like he said, there will always be doubters.

The last line he delivered may have set the tone for the next step in the process for Braun.

I’ll try to answer all of your questions, but please respect the fact that I can’t get into many details of the process because it’s supposed to be confidential, and because of potential ongoing litigations and the fact that I am considering all my legal options. There may be some questions I can’t answer."

So we got a lot of details, but still don't know what was in the test. Either way, the Brewers have their MVP ready for the season. As great as I thought he was before, after today and the way he handled this turmoil, he has even more respect from me. It's something one can take into their own lives. That is what we take from our sports heroes isn't it?

Could Braun be exonerated? Hope sweeps Brewer Nation!

 The day started off great for Brewers fans today when the team hoisted and bolted into place its 2011 NL Central Division pennant (or banner if you want to call it that. Then the media world gave us a gift I would have to say gave everyone in Brewer Nation hope.

That hope came from the Dan Patrick Show on DirecTV and Fox Sports Radio. It's known Ryan Braun had his hearing last week in his appeal for his positive drug test and DP had a chat with someone "close to the situation"

As Tom Haudricourt says on his blog on JS Online, Patrick says "Ryan Braun may be exonerated here. he may be found innocent. And judging from all the information I was told, there's a good chance that he should be."

Now this isn't set in stone, but the minute any one of us as Brewers fans gets any idea or hope he is going to beat this thing after believing what Braun has said about the test as "BS" someone comes along and says no one has every beaten a positive test with an appeal. Well, I cannot remember a time when a player's positive test was leaked before the appeal was heard. So, my answer to that is how do we know? Truth is, we don't.

I'm going to go along with what Dan Patrick said and use him for a minute as a spring board to show some validity in what he said. A guy of his profile taking what he has heard and was told in a discussion has to show that the chances of Braun beating this rap are greater than we could have thought. It would be unprecedented.

I have not written on the matter in this space before, but I've gone back and forth on the idea that Braun could win a libel suit with ESPN. I have not wavered on the idea that this should not have leaked. Especially if he beats it. Had it not been leaked, we would have never found out about it in the first place and wouldn't think anything of him being in New York other than to accept the MVP award.

A simple Google search shows a lot has been written about this today and rightfully so. Patrick saying this and making his case on why he believes it to be true is a large step in what was believed to be an open-and-shut case that would have seen Braun out for the first 50 games. I was coming to grips with that idea and ready to see the team struggle offensively without him in the lineup. But this could give us all hope.

Isn't that all we wanted anyway? Isn't that what we were looking for? It's like Steve Urkel when Laura Winslow told him his chances were 1 in a million his response, "So you're saying there's a chance?!" Well, consider me Urkel and consider this my chance.

Fate of Brewers season doesn't entirely lie with Braun

With Ryan Braun finally getting his day to appeal his positive test for a banned substance, the National League MVP and the Brewers can finally start to put the final pieces together for the 2012 season. Will the Brewers have their superstar left fielder or not though the first two months of the season? We will find out shortly.

Maybe it's the optimist in me and believer that this season will be just as special as the last, but part of me thinks the Brewers can hold the fort down while Braun is away and keep the National League Central crown within reach if he is out for the worst-case scenario of 50 games. Don't get me wrong, Brauns .332 batting average, 33 home runs, 111 RBIs and 33 stolen bases will be hard to replace in the top third of the lineup on top of the loss of Prince Fielder, but for 50 games and 57 days, the Brewers can weather the storm. Here's how.

When Rickie Weeks went out in August last year, fans, myself included, feared things could go south, but the pitching emerged to carry the team to the NL Central title. That will have to happen at the start of this season. All five starters return and all have something to prove.

Yovani Gallardo is ready to prove he is a true ace, even if he's not the pitcher on the staff with a Cy Young Trophy in his trophy case. As good as he was in the playoffs last year, is the level I expect to see Gallardo all season. He was inconsistent at times last year letting his pitch count get the best of him and force him out of games early. I'd expect to see that as a point of emphasis from the start of Spring Training.

Zack Greinke, you know the guy who does have a Cy Young, wants to put the rough spring from last year behind him and I expect him to come out of the gates strong. While Gallardo was shining in the postseason last year, Shaun Marcum was busy flipping his glove in disgust as he lost all three starts in awful fashion. (Can't forget the glove flip in Phoenix!). The kicker on top of it all for Greinke and Marcum is both are free agents after the season and are auditioning for big money elsewhere.

Randy Wolf is in a similar boat in the final year of his three-year deal. Last year he was the guy that was the most consistent pitcher during the season, but got little to no run support in some of his best outings. Finally Chris Narveson is back in the five-hole at the back of the rotation and has to prove himself to a point to maybe earn a chance top step up on the rotation with possibly two or three of the other guys leaving the rotation after the season.

As for the offense, the thought with filling the shoes of Prince was not to drop it all on one guy, but to spread the load throughout the lineup. That has to be the mindset of Corey Hart, Weeks (who should move up to the No. 3 spot in front of Aramis Ramirez) and everyone including the new guy Nori Aoki.

Only time will tell how things unfold, but the pieces are in place for the Brewers to be at least within shouting distance of the top of the division if Braun is out for 50 games at worst or (what I'm hoping for) a 25-game ban. The pitching is the key to the team, especially the starters out of the gate.