Hey Brauny - The shadows are gone pal. There's nowhere left to hide. You've been standing behind your lies, your shiny glittery dragon t-shirts, your bush baby eyes and your gelled up hairdo for far too long. You got caught... again. Only this time you weren't able to weasel your way out of it by blaming it on "procedure" or "chain of command". MLB caught you red-handed in the Biogensis scandal and you served a 65-game suspension, which makes me wonder - what color are his hands now? Hopefully white. Clean. Free from all dirty foreign objects and scuff marks. I think he's ready to turn the page and move on from this debacle. But the real question is - are the fans ready to let it go? Or will they rain down a chorus of boos like if Gary Sheffield announced on the field during a game that he wanted to come back to the organization and retire as a Brewer. I would love to be there that day just so I could lose my voice in the loudest and longest boo of my life. And I've booed dogs and children on the scoreboard at Miller Park. I can boo with the best of them. But back to Braun.
Look, we all know what he did. But what about what he is going to do now? He's already apologized for "mistakes" and expressed his regret for "transgressions" or whatever mumbo jumbo PR speak he concocted. But love him or hate him you have to agree with me on this - if Ryan Braun doesn't put up MVP-type numbers we aren't going to make the playoffs. We need Braun more than we need the truth about what he was taking and how long he was taking it. Assuming that his thumb is healthy (and whatever malady is gone that kept him out of the lineup last year) he is still one of the best hitters in all of baseball. A top 5 player for sure. His power numbers might fall off a bit (not because of steroids), but because he's not going to get pitched the same. No one respects Ryan Braun anymore. And why should they? The National Media has slammed him. The visiting crowds revile him. The Hometown Fans are divided. You know what will shut all of them up? His performance on the field and him passing every single god damned drug test this season. But even that won't be enough for some people.
I'm going to give you my take on the whole Ryan Braun PED thing just in case you didn't read my 2013 Season Recap here on the blog. To sum it up I think he was hurting real bad by leg or oblique injuries or whatever and realized that the Brewers had a legitimate chance to win the World Series in 2011. He was willing to do whatever it took to stay healthy and to make the pain go away so that he could help his team win it all. The reason why I feel that way is that I had some back trouble in early August of 2013 (Braun was suspended on July 22nd, 2013) and I was in the most pain of my life. I could barely walk, it hurt to sleep or sit down and doing the basic things in life (like putting on my shoes) became a 20 minute endeavor complete with tears and screams of pain. Despite all of this my Doctor would not prescribe me the proper pain medication to help me deal with the agony.
On August 13th I fell to one of the lowest points in my life. Literally. And this is coming from someone who has dealt with depression, self esteem issues and lost a best friend and brother who was only 24 years old - I fell off of the couch while trying to get up and I laid on the floor unable to move. I don't know how long I was down there but it felt like an eternity. I couldn't summon up the courage or the strength to push through the pain and pick myself up. I was nowhere near my phone so I called out to every God or deity that I could remember by name. At that moment I would have done anything, no matter how illegal, how much my friends and family would be disappointed by my actions, no matter what the cost, the long term repercussions, no matter what the outcome; I would have lied, cheated, stolen or done whatever it took to feel normal again. I can't even fully describe how I felt. It was as close to rock bottom as I've ever been. I don't know how serious Braun's injury was or what he felt like. But if he was anywhere near where I was (or worse) I can completely understand why he did it. That doesn't make it right. But I understand.
It's time to move on. I drove through the desert in Arizona and decided to randomly stop off to the side of the road when it felt right. That's when I filmed this entry. Check out my 9th video, which covers Rightfield for the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers, recorded in the middle of the desert off of Highway 93 in Arizona:
There's nothing that I love more (besides Sage) than taking a drive. Sometimes I have a destination in mind and sometimes I just drive until I don't feel like doing it anymore. When life gets me down, when my troubles become too much to deal with and when I need to get away, I go for a drive. And just like that I am relaxed. I am free. I get centered. I decided to drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas and the drive through the desert was the best part of my entire trip. I had the windows down, the music up and I meandered down this two lane road with some of the most beautiful scenery surrounding me. And then I stopped and recorded this video. This was my favorite thing about doing these videos. For the most part I didn't plan them. I went somewhere, hit record and started talking. The result of which is what you see here. I hope you are having as much fun with this as I was.
Ryan Braun #8 - .304 batting AVG, .369 OBP, 32 HRs, 108 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, a smooth transition to right field, able to deal with the deafening boos on the road and MVP-type numbers despite not getting any MVP votes. You dug your own grave pal. (editor's note: this prediction was made prior to 4/4/13 when it was announced Braun's right thumb, the same one that put him on the DL last year, is still a serious problem. All of my predictions are made based upon perfect health because I need them to come true for the Brewers to succeed).
And here's another picture of Sage. Why? Because I'm fucking in love with her, that's why! You got a problem with that pal? Big fucking deal. You want to bitch and moan about the things I talk about on here then start your own blog about how I'm obsessed with some girl I've only seen on internet and TV commercials. Make fun of how sad and pathetic I am. I encourage you to do it. I want you to do it. Because then it makes it real and I can wake up and put some effort into getting a girl who is more in my league (if she even exists because every girl is way too hot for a guy like me). Just look at her! That smile! Those eyes! The beautiful flowing hair. That body. And that voice too! Have you ever heard her speak? It's like a piece of classical music that tugs at your emotions and brings a tear to your eye. And I know I don't know her and it could all be an act because of the job, but she seems like she truly cares about these teams and Wisconsin Sports. Who doesn't love a chick who is into sports? I'm into chicks who are not into sports. I'm into chicks that are into other chicks. I'm into chicks who don't like being referred to as "chicks". Hell, I'm even into chicks who aren't into anything at all. But I'm definitely into chicks that let me be into them, if you know what I mean. See what I did there? Classic Iceman. I'm sorry. I'm drunk.
Some final thoughts on Braun before I leave you today. I didn't really even mention that he moved from leftfield to rightfield. Some people think that's a big deal and will probably want me strung up in the town square for glossing over the move, but I don't think we should be concerned over it. I get that leftfield is different than playing right. I get playing 1st is different than playing 3rd. Each position in baseball brings its' own unique quirks. But if you are a true athlete you can adjust to any new environment and learn on the job based upon speed, instinct and arm strength. Braun possess a lot of talent and ability. He will be just fine. But can he deal with the knowledge that he probably will never again be an All-Star? That it's very unlikely that he will never get into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown even though his numbers say otherwise? Can he live with his mistake? Can he even stay healthy for an entire year? I don't know. I doubt he even knows. Some of those questions will be answered this season. Some of those questions will be answered at the end of his career. And some of those questions will never be answered. I'm OK with that. Quit asking questions. Just play baseball.
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