O! Ryan Braun!
Despite being the sixth most valuable position player in the National League (per WAR) this year, the third most outfielder, and, easily, the most valuable left-fielder, Ryan Braun is only starting the All-Star game tomorrow night because of Matt Kemp‘s injury.
Also, even with Mr. Kemp being injured, Ryan Braun was not invited to participate in the Spanks & Taters Contest tonight, despite being the NL leader in Spanks/Taters with 24 (Carlos Beltran is second with 20).
Brauny was not included in any All-Star Game promo or other official MLB promo this year, and I guess it’s pretty obvious why. But the fact of the matter is, whatever “happened” in 2011 and before, Braun is almost certainly not using PEDs now (he’d have to be an idiot to do so), and even in the face of incessant taunting of opposing fans and a cold shoulder from MLB, Braun is putting up another MVP-caliber season.
Despite all this, Ryan Braun is still a star. In Milwaukee, amidst a disappointing season that will probably not see a 2011 division title defended, Braun is much more than a star — he’s a constellation.
Thus I present, Orion Braun:
“And his bright junk shall guide us…”-Homer
One of the better NotGraphs pieces lately.
A stellar post, sir.
I scoff at the naysayers that came out of the woodwork when the PED/notPED hit the fan.
I see what you did there.
People seem to think that PEDs have the same effect on a baseball player that spinach has on Popeye.
Right: I don’t think they do, which is why I’m probably a bigger Bonds fan than many (non-SF) fans.
That said — and call me a homer on this if you like — I do believe Braun is innocent.
I could take all the PEDs I want, and I could never hit a home run off a major league pitcher.
You probably could if Jamie Moyer makes it back to the majors.
Apparently Braun lost out the vote to Cabrera in part due to the drug test fiasco. It’s ironic the SF fans were the ones who made him not be elected to the AS game.
No, I think that Braun lost out to Cabrera because Giants fans en masse voted for him. He finished as the top vote getter in the outfield.
How long did you search for a picture of Braun that somewhat matched Orion? Whatever the answer, it was worth every second of the search. Fantastic stuff.
The other night, my housemate said, “Orion Braun,” and I immediately thought of that image of Braun, which is of him after hitting a go-ahead 3-run homer in the game in which the Brewers clinched the NL Central last year. To me, it’s the iconic image of the 2011 Brewers’ season. So it wasn’t really a matter of searching for a random image; rather, it was searching for the best version of this image. Still, it took me a little while: I’m picky.
Thanks so much for the encouragement!
Worth it for the caption, and for inspiring me to pen a parodic verse entitled “O Berkman! My Berkman!”
I will feel bad when I have to close this tab because this post is way too awesome.
Maybe I’ll just keep it open and laugh everytime I see “Orion Braun”
Great piece. Braun’s name should have been kept anonymous in the first place no? That whole media mess never should have happened.
I approve. Didn’t see Braun at the HR Derby (on TV anyway), I wonder if he enjoyed Kemp’s performance?
First Braun replaces Kemp as MVP, and now this?
When will it end? Inquiring minds want to know.
M42 & M43 align a little too perfectly with his chimes.
Orson Welles clapping .gif.
That MVP is looking less stolen by the day, I tell you what.
Don’t be surprised to see Braun end up on the top of the hitting heap in 2012. The only guys in the whole league hitting better (McCutchen and Votto) have BABIP’s 80 points higher than Braun’s. Theirs are above their career averages; Braun’s is below his. The Hebrew Hammer may end up with 40 HR, 30 SB, and a 1.060 OPS while Votto and McCutchen might cool off a little. The Brewers could finish second in their division pretty easily, especially if the above scenario comes to pass since McCutchen and Votto play for NL Central rivals.
Wouldn’t that make for an interesting MVP vote?
To me, the average fan’s dislike of Braun is due to the idea that he stole the 2011 MVP from a presumably worthy Matt Kemp. Indeed, that would truly suck. But what if whatever PEDs Braun took last year did nothing to actually affect his performance? I don’t think his motivation was ever to steal an award. I bet he took something banned because he felt the weight of his mid-market team’s pennant race on his shoulders and he just broke down and make a stupid choice that in retrospect, didn’t even help him, anyway. I can empathize with that mistake much more easily than I can forgive a dirty thief.