Not So Brewenfreude for Ryan Braun and Other Bullets

ryan-braun-failNo podcast today, as we had to push recording back to later today. But it’ll be worth it, as we’ve got another great guest lined up …

  • Ryan Braun’s name popped up last night in a very Brewerfreudian way. That clinic out of Miami, where Tony Bosch was allegedly distributing performance-enhancing drugs to MLB players, among other athletes? Well, Yahoo reported that Braun’s name popped up on one of the lists out of that clinic. J’accuse! Well, it isn’t quite as sexy as it first sounded, if you believe Braun, that is. The Brewers star says the only reason his name is on a Bosch list is because he used the guy as an expert when he successfully appealed a PED suspension last year. Query why Bosch was “known to” Braun’s lawyers as a good expert on these matters, and query whether it’s just a coincidence that one of Bosch’s biggest alleged connections is to the University of Miami baseball program, where Braun spent his college days. In any event, that’s all we’ve got right now – coincidence, innuendo, suspicion, and that positive test in 2011.
  • I suppose, if nothing else, it’s got to be a distraction for Braun and the Brewers. Of course, all Braun did last season after the whole positive test fiasco was put up MVP-caliber numbers once again, so maybe he’s undistractable.
  • Theo Epstein did a couple of radio spots yesterday, and I covered the ESPN Radio version in depth, in case you missed it. He also hopped on with Mully and Hanley on the Score, and BN’er Mike helpfully passed along the audio. Theo hit on many of the same topics in both interviews, but added a few thoughts in the Score piece. Among them: Anthony Rizzo is going to have to do the adjust-to-adjustments thing this year; this year’s scouting season hasn’t even gotten underway yet (the amateur seasons haven’t started), so there’s a long way to go before the Draft; Theo did say he expects the Cubs’ draft to be pitching-heavy once again this year; the Cubs have been up front with Alfonso Soriano that, if a great trade offer came along they would have that conversation internally and with him, but that hasn’t happened yet this offseason; and Theo said essentially the same thing about Carlos Marmol.
  • Jeff Samardzija is happy that HGH testing is coming to baseball.
  • A profile on Cubs outfield prospect Matt Szczur, who recognizes just how important the 2013 season is going to be for his future in the organization.
  • Recent Cubs minor league signee Yeiper Castillo pitched in the Caribbean Series last night, which was televised, and if Harry Pavlidis is to be believed – and he is – Castillo didn’t look at that impressive.
  • Want to design a commemorative logo celebrating Wrigley Field’s 100th anniversary next year? Well, the Cubs are looking for you to do just that.
  • For those interested, BN’er John tabulated the team totals from Keith Law’s top 100 prospect list yesterday, and among the results – the Cubs and Reds had four guys on the list, while the Pirates and Cardinals had five (the Brewers had just one). The Twins and Padres were the only teams with more than five, with seven and six, respectively. The Cubs had more prospects in the 26 to 50 range (3) than any other team. No team had more than two in the top 25 (Indians, Twins, Mariners, Marlins, Mets, Cardinals, and Pirates).
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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