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The Problem with MLB's Drug Prosecution
Ryan Braun admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs and will be suspended for the remainder of 2013 which amounts to 65 games. Dodger fans rejoiced, the man who stole Matt Kemp's NL MVP award in 2011 was finally caught and all is well.
But let's take a step back for a minute.
Braun fell under the Biogenesis clinic investigation, an anti-aging clinic in Miami (where else?) that was known for providing drugs to Manny Ramirez, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon and Everth Cabrera. MLB and its investigation arm tried to go hard against Tony Bosch to bring him down. The DEA refused MLB's request to investigate Biogenesis and its proclivity for prescribing illegal drugs.
With the government not taking action, MLB decided to sue Bosch in civil court to obtain the players' records. The cash-strapped Bosch couldn't fight the frivilous lawsuit, decided to help MLB and turn over the records and here we are.
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See the problem?
If MLB is taking this strong-armed approach to punish 20 players, what's to stop your employer from doing the same? Sure our health records are confidential even to employers, but what if they decide to put the screws on just to find just cause to fire you? Sure, Bosch is a fucking scumbag and most doctors have the integrity to do that.
But say you are poor and go to a cheap clinic because of a health problem. Your employer doesn't like you, but your job performance is spectacular. So they apply some pressure to get your medical records, and voila, you get fired.
Sure it sounds far-fetched, but in this world we live in where our civil liberties are stripped for the sake of "righteousness" (a.k.a. profit-margins for the corporations), why can't our medical records become public? After all no one thought the government would ever spy on us without our approval. Edward Snowden made sure to debunk that myth.
It's bullshit how the multi-billion dollar MLB strong armed their way to this. Sure they got one of the guys they had a target, but what precedent does this set for other cases?
Meanwhile the Dodgers went up to Toronto and treated just torched the Blue Jays. There's no way to put it politely.
The Dodgers won 14-5 with the Blue Jays committing five errors. A.J. Ellis had his first four-hit game of his career plating five runs. Even Skip Schumaker got in on the fun with a three-run homer in the seventh inning, the first home run of the season for my fellow UC Santa Barbara Gaucho.
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Ryu Hyun-Jin made it 5 1/3 innings giving up four runs — not a great outing, but it was 10-2 by the time he came in to pitch the sixth.
After the ninth inning collision at the plate on Sunday, Matt Kemp was not in the lineup. X-rays taken after today's game were negative according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times. Jose Dominguez after completing the sixth inning looked in pain as he came off the field. According to Hernandez Dominguez felt something in his quad.
Dodgers Scorecard: (click to embiggen)
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Blue Jays Scorecard: (click to embiggen)
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