Monday's Frosty Mug

Welcome to Day 2 of the Ryan Braun fallout.

There's a lot that's still unknown about Braun's failed drug test, but a few details did come out yesterday.

• An anonymous source made media rounds yesterday, saying the banned substance for which Braun tested positive wasn't a performance-enhancing drug.
  
• Tom Haudricourt says there's a chance the situation won't be resolved until January.
• Ken Rosenthal quoted the anonymous source as saying "everyone was left scratching their head" when the news broke, and that the results of the test were so unusual that they've "never been seen in the history of the drug-prevention program."
• Maybe this is what the source was getting at -- the New York Daily News quotes a source as saying Braun's testosterone levels were "insanely" high. In fact, Braun's levels were twice as high as anyone who's ever taken the test. The NYDN's source also says there are "chain of custody issues" with the test.
• We may be seeing Braun's side of the case taking shape. From the same NYDN article:

"The argument before the appeals board won't be that the original ratio was so high and doesn't make sense," said the source, "but there will be a defense. It's not something he knew or should have known about."

Speculate away, I guess. More Braun reaction:

• Haudricourt is piecing together parts of Braun's defense strategy.
• David J. Neal of the Miami Herald plays the cynic and says we shouldn't be surprised a baseball player tested positive.
• Jeff Passan of Yahoo spoke to a source that says a false positive would be "almost impossible."
• Tyler Kepner of the New York Times recalls some of the things Braun told him earlier this year in a story that I think reflects how a lot of people feel about the news.
• Columnist Mike Lopresti thinks Braun should be stripped of the MVP, and says the failed test is yet another bad sports story over the past few weeks.
• Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports says the writers should be allowed to revote if they wish.
• Mike from Dodgers blog Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness, meanwhile, says Braun shouldn't be stripped of the MVP.
  
• Danny Knobler of CBS Sports notes that Braun is fighting a battle on two fronts -- not only will he try to prove in arbitration that he isn't a cheat, he needs to win back the fans as well.
• Alex Poterack of Disciples of Uecker sees three different "futures" for Ryan Braun, depending on how the case plays out.
• LaTroy Hawkins, Jimmy Rollins, and Dale Murphy are among the players past and present who have chimed in.
• USA Today has quotes from Reggie Jackson and Joe Morgan, who seem to be presuming guilt.
• Colin Bennett of Reviewing The Brew wants to thank Braun for reminding him to not trust ballplayers.
• Jonah Keri of Grantland joins the "Wait-and-See" club.
• If you want to show your support for Braun on a t-shirt, Miller Park Drunk has you covered.

Getting away from the Braun talk:

• The Rockies are apparently showing interest in Marco Scutaro, who the Red Sox could be looking to trade to get back under the luxury tax. Scutaro's on the books for $6 million in 2012.
• Everyone is still expecting a White Sox firesale, and Jon Heyman says Chicago talked to Toronto about a possible Carlos Quentin deal. Hey, the two sides have already made one deal this offseason, why not another?
• It appears Josh Willingham won't be signing anywhere until Michael Cuddyer does. The Twins and Rockies are interested in both, but Willingham is seen as both teams' "Plan B." Cuddyer's wife just had twins, so we probably shouldn't expect a decision anytime soon.
• The Aramis Watch is still in effect, as Heyman says the Brewers are still talking to him.
• Who knows what this means in the long run, but ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Zack Greinke is no longer being represented by CAA and is looking for a new agent (FanShot). It seems a little odd to automatically assume he wants a trade just because he's switching agents, but I suppose you can't blame Brewers fans for automatically assuming the worst these days.
• Beyond the Boxscore came out with their 2011 Traditional Managing Index results, which basically adds sac bunts by position players to intentional walks given by pitchers to determine which managers are the most "traditional." Ron Roenicke doesn't rate as "traditional" as you would guess.
• The Crawfish Boxes has a look at the blogger-friendly tendencies of new GM Jeff Luhnow.
• Remember former Braves closer John Rocker? He has a book coming out and claims he was unfairly portrayed in the infamous Sports Illustrated article from about 10 years ago.
• If you're wondering how Carlos Gomez and Erick Almonte did last night, you can check the Winter League Notes.

11 p.m. (Central) tonight is the non-tender deadline. Just a reminder of who's arbitration-eligible this winter: Casey McGehee, Nyjer Morgan, George Kottaras, Kameron Loe, Manny Parra, Shaun Marcum, and Carlos Gomez. If I had to guess, most of these guys would be tendered contracts, but the Brewers have surprised us before.

Thanks to Kyle for letting me fill in while he's on vacation. As always, you can catch me at The Brewers Bar and on Twitter at @BrewersBar.

I would say "drink up," but perhaps "drown your sorrows" is more appropriate these days.