Grading The Brewers: Ryan Braun

Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Where to start?

Honestly, Ryan Braun doesn’t deserve to be graded. He’s not even worthy of a failing grade. When Braun was suspended, I blasted him in an open letter and now I’m supposed to critique  him even more. How fun for me.

He is a cheater and a liar and a damn good baseball player but his talents became moot when he was benched by Major League Baeball for 65 games. I’ve lost respect for him.

Even though Braun played in 61 games in 2013, hitting .298 with nine home runs, I felt like he was a ghost. He didn’t make an impact on the team and when he did play, he was slowed by injuries. It was just a blah type of season for the Brewers left fielder (until the suspension, of course). But seriously, does anyone care about his performance? No. The only thing people think about when they hear the name Braun is that he is a fraud. And they are right.

I’ve written 166 words already. 166 words that Braun doesn’t deserve. If you think I’m being too harsh, go talk to Dino Laurenzi Jr. or speak to Shyam Das who was put out of a job because of Braun.

Am I ever going to forgive Braun? Perhaps. But he won’t receive my forgiveness through his play on the field. It’ll be the way he handles the media and fans when asked about the lies and the drug use that’ll be most important to me. If he refuses to answer the tough questions, then I will refuse to forgive him.

I’m not the only one who will have a tough time forgiving him. Because of his performance-enhancing drug use, Braun will never have a plaque in Cooperstown, unless every single baseball writer has amnesia and completely forgets about his malfeasance. As if that’s going to happen.

Instead of continuing to write, I’m going to make like Braun and sit this one out.

Grade: Unacceptable