The enhanced ‘Hammer' – Still Most Valuable?

Matt’s Take:

What does it mean to be the National League’s Most Valuable Player?

To me, it means you are the best of the best and you play the game with honesty and integrity — neither of which seem to be evident in the NL’s reigning winner, Ryan Braun.

The California native and Milwaukee Brewer outfielder is just the latest name in a long line of those trying to cheat the system — those trying to cheat Major League Baseball and its fans.

While the rest of the sports world is mourning the loss of Penn State legend Joe Paterno and salivating at the thought of a Super Bowl XLII rematch between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, Braun has smugly accepted his MVP trophy under a cloud of suspicion.

Did he take performing-enhancing drugs or didn’t he? That’s an answer only the right-handed home run hitter can answer. But what we do know is that he tested positive for high levels of testosterone.

I believe in the concept of innocent until proven guilty, but when it comes to baseball, does that rationale actually apply?

Not really.

While Braun did in fact have a monster season and did deserve to win the Brewer’s first MVP award since Robin Yount won his second in 1989, he might have done it dirty. And that’s all that matters.

Unfortunately, you are guilty until proven innocent in today’s game.

If in fact Braun is guilty of juicing or taking PED’s, the only right thing to do is to strip him of his accolades and condemn him like the rest of baseball has done to the likes of Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Jose Canseco and Roger Clemens.

Baseball was once a game of innocence and joy. Now it’s just a game of greed and falsity.

Ryan Braun might be its latest victim.

Andrew’s Take:

Can you hit a baseball out of Miller Park? I know I can’t.

You could pump me full of every available performance-enhancing drug (PED), surround me with the best hitting coaches around and the ball will still always flounder.

Ryan Braun doesn’t have that problem. Presence of PED’s or not, this Milwaukee Brewer’s outfielder was born to hit bombs.

On Saturday night Braun accepted the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award for the National League’s 2011 season, amid controversy about the honesty of his success.

In December, the Daily News reported that Braun had tested positive for “insanely high” levels of testosterone. Upon word of the results, the slugger took another test that came up negative.

Since then, the Braun camp has maintained innocence, saying that the levels of testosterone were not caused by a drug or steroid, but by medication that was taken for a “private medical issue.”

Should I believe Braun? Probably not. Do I really care? Not at all.

Ryan Braun is not a successful baseball player because of anything that he has taken.

If he was “enhancing,” it’s not the stuff that produced 18 combined MVP’s for Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada, Jason Giambi, Jose Conseco, Mo Vaughn, Juan Gonzalez and Roger Clemens. Stand all those juiced-up monsters next to Braun and you’ll be able to see the difference.

I’ve been to Miller Park, dozens of times. It’s huge. It’s not a playground designed for homers like Minute Maid in Houston or AT&T in San Fran. It takes a man to knock it past the wall in Milwaukee, and Braun does it as much as anyone, because of his natural ability.

No one else is giving up an MVP for much worse crimes, and taking Braun’s would do nothing. He deserves the award.