Ryan Braun’s successful appeal, NCAA Conference predictions, and the best voting system in sports

By Michael Kelley ’14 and Mick Kowaleski ’14

Photo by Steve Tringali ’13/ The Lafayette

Ryan Braun: INNOCENT

Kowaleski: Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers was recently accused of using performance-enhancing drugs en route to an NL MVP-winning 2012 campaign after a urine sample came back with extremely elevated levels of testosterone. The left fielder stood to suffer a 50-game suspension, and the status of his MVP award would have been brought into question. However, Braun successfully appealed the decision, overturning the suspension and clearing his name.

This is a complete relief. I’m a huge fan of Braun, and the fact that there isn’t going to be yet another stain on baseball’s already-tarnished reputation should be a huge cause of joy for sports fans. It protects the freshly reestablished integrity of the league, despite the embarrassment it causes the MLB for losing this case. I had no reason to suspect Braun was taking substances, as his physique isn’t really the roid rage, Incredible Hulk build that we’ve seen from Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGuire (to name a few). Braun also claims to have passed over 25 tests in his career, and it would be curious as to why this would be the anomaly. Although he cannot explain the testosterone levels, he does not have to—as Braun himself stated, “truth is on [his] side.”

Kelley: I am going to have to go along with my boy Kevin Murphy sitting down there on the couch because I am too a little confused and doubtful here. Braun said numerous times that the testing system was flawed and corrupt, and that the appeal system worked because he could be proven innocent. Quick fact: the arbitration panel did not declare his innocence, but said that there were enough facts to support his appeal. We still do not know if these samples were tainted with or what really happened. Unfortunately, like many of these scandals, we will never truly know what happened.

Second, and maybe I am looking a little too deep here, Braun is taking a page out of Roger Clemens’ book by saying that “we’re in a system where you’re 100 percent guilty until proven innocent.” This is fishy, taking a quote from a Clemens’ interview, one many believe to be full of lies. You know, the one where he went on 60 minutes and repeatedly declared his innocence.

Look, it’s great you like the guy but I am definitely not on that bandwagon, and with these allegations along with the many non-believers, his image and popularity have taken a hit that he will never recover from.

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Predictions (Short and Sweet Edition):

Kowaleski:

ACC—Duke (blech)

Big East—Syracuse

Big 10—Indiana

Big 12—Missouri

Ivy—Harvard

Mountain West—UNLV

Pac-12—Washington

Patriot—Bucknell

SEC—Kentucky

.

Kelley:

ACC-UNC

Big East-Pitt

Big 10- Michigan State

Big 12-Kansas

Ivy-Princeton

Mountain West-UNLV

Pac-12-Cal

Patriot-LAFAYETTE

SEC- Kentucky

Vote for Your Favorite Voting System in Sports: Heisman vs. Pro Bowl

Kowaleski: I don’t know if anybody noticed, but the Oscars were this past Sunday. I can’t speak for everybody, but I didn’t watch. It wasn’t because of the cheese, or the obsession with who is wearing what on the red carpet, or even the cocky fake speeches that I’ve come to know as “humble bragging”. Instead, I concentrate on the main problem with the ceremony: the voting system, which mandates that nomination ballots be mailed to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But who are these members? Answer: mostly over-60 white guys who have worked in the film industry. Including Meatloaf. As esteemed Grantland writer Mark Harris duly noted, the Academy is not America. The results don’t usually reflect what the masses deem the best movie. Who actually saw The Artist?

To address this problem, we naturally turn to sports. The best voting system I believe belongs to awards such as the Heisman Trophy, given to the best college player in the nation. The award, as stated in the Heisman.com website, is determined by “sports journalists across the country who, as informed, competent and impartial, would comprise the group of electors.” They are selected by people who know the industry, who are intelligent but also are backed by their many readers. I’m not saying it’s a perfect system, but they are impartial (unlike fans, who may vote for their favorite player), and they do know who deserves to be recognized. I’m not sure the same can be said for esteemed Academy members such as Pee-Wee Herman, Madonna, and 15-year old Abigail Breslin. She can’t even get into an R-rated movie.

Kelley: I’m going to keep this trend going and keep disagreeing with you if you don’t mind? The selection process of the Pro Bowl is the best system in sports. Currently, the players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players, and the fans. This wide spectrum of voting covers three areas of the sports dynamic, whereas your Heisman voting only covers one, the journalists.

Coaches are around players all the time, and with the coaches who worked for multiple teams, they meet many different players and really get to know what they are like, their work ethic, desire to win, ability to learn, etc. Same deal with the players. And finally, you get to include a little popularity contest for the fans that follow their team passionately throughout the season. It is no surprise that the best players are voted in every year, barring the Ray Lewis selection. He clearly is not the linebacker he once was (evident after watching him get outrun by a fullback this year).