If you're not ready for this step yet, then perhaps you'd like to go back to denial, anger, bargaining or depression.

After a week to discuss, react and grieve over the Braun situation, I think it's time to move on. The situation sucks and it likely will continue to suck, but there's not much to be done about it. All we can do as a fanbase is sit back, wait for the results and hope for the best. It's possible we're witnessing a situation that we'll never forget and one that will have a lasting impact on the player and this franchise, but it's also true that it's not the end of the world.

Obviously, we're all still hoping for the best here. We're hoping that whatever's happening behind closed doors will lead to the charges against Braun being untrue and this situation turning into a massive false alarm. But I think it's time we accept the fact that it's possible that won't happen. And if the charges turn out to be accurate, then we'll have to deal with the punishment and the aftermath.

At the end of the day if Braun receives the 25 game suspension he's rumored to be facing, it's possible this really won't be that big of a deal in the grand scheme. Until this mess unfolded I had almost forgotten that Mike Cameron served a similar suspension in 2008. Cameron, of course, wasn't a player of Braun's caliber, but the team was able to patch the hole for a month and still make the playoffs for the first time in decades. This situation isn't really all that different. As Jordan pointed out yesterday, this is still a pretty good Brewer team and there's reason to hope for big things.

So that's where I'm at. I'm both disappointed and hopeful, but I'm ready to move on. Are you?

Now that we're done with denial, anger and bargaining it's time to move on to this, probably the most difficult step.

No matter what comes of this positive test and the appeal, this franchise and its fans have suffered several wounds that will never heal:

• Even if the BBWAA decides not to act regarding Braun's NL MVP (which would be the correct decision), the award will always be seen as somewhat tainted.
• Even if Braun is cleared of all charges, we now know exactly what opposing fan trolls and other morons are going to use as ammunition against the Brewers for roughly the next decade.
• Unless the best possible outcome takes place, the Brewers are probably going to play a significant portion of their 2012 schedule (less than a third, but probably more than an eighth) without their best player.

Frankly, if those are the only issues we have to deal with then we'll have hit the best possible outcome.

There's really nothing about this that doesn't suck. So, if you'd like to talk about how much things suck, this is the place.

We were in denial on Monday and got angry yesterday, so it's time to move on to the next step, bargaining.

Admittedly, it's a little harder to write something about this concept than it was to discuss denial or anger. With that said, there have been conversations that can be used as examples over the last few days. In yesterday's anger thread, for example, a discussion broke out wondering if Braun would rather be suspended for using performance enhancing drugs or publicly admit to having an embarrassing medical condition. (That conversation stemmed from pure speculation, by the way, not a statement about Braun potentially having a disease.)

I'd rather not have another conversation about that today, but I will ask this: What would you give to have this whole situation go away, and have the Brewers open the 2012 season at full strength with Braun in left field?

Just like yesterday, before we start I need to remind you that the rules laid out in the BCB Omnibus Posting Guide still apply here. If this thread devolves into namecalling or shouting matches, I reserve the right to close it down and spend the rest of the day dealing with a different kind of grief.

Ok, it's probably time to stop denying this is happening and move on to the next step.

I feel like there's a fair amount of anger/frustration to be let out regarding this situation, and especially the way it's been handled. At the moment, here's a collection of people I'm unhappy with:

• I'm really frustrated with whoever leaked the Braun test to the public, and the media (Outside The Lines, most notably) that went public with results that aren't official yet in what's supposed to be an anonymous and confidential situation. Because they couldn't wait for a point where the full story was available, they've found Braun guilty in the court of public opinion. And because they couldn't wait until the people involved could speak for themselves they've also subjected us to days of "I heard from a source close to (person)," and probably months to come.
• I'm angry with people like friend of the site Phil Dawson, who have jumped to conclusions and assumed Braun's guilt before any of the facts have become available. If these allegations are true then we'll have plenty of time to discuss how disappointed we all are in Braun. Until we're certain, though, I'd rather not say something I might end up having to apologize for later.
• I'm frustrated by the people who administer the drug program. Braun found out he tested positive in October, but we likely won't know until sometime in January what the repercussions will be. How are the Brewers supposed to handle an offseason when they're spending four months of it not knowing the status of their best player?

I thought I'd have a longer list, but as it turns out this more or less blankets most of my anger at this point. How about you? What are you angry about today?

Before I let you open fire, I should remind you that the rules laid out in the BCB Omnibus Posting Guide still apply here. If this thread devolves into namecalling or shouting matches, I reserve the right to close it down and hang my head in shame for thinking this was a good idea.

Like many of you, I've spent most of the last 48 hours trying to come to terms with what's happening with Ryan Braun. While we still don't know the specifics and it's possible we never will know everything we want to know, we can say pretty unequivocally that Braun's reputation and the Brewer organization have taken what might be the most significant publicity hit in franchise history.

As long as we're going through all of this, I guess it makes sense for us to go through all of it together. So this week, as a community, we'll take a look at the stages of grief over our loss as a fanbase.

I was away from home when I heard the news for the first time on Saturday, and in the grand scheme that's probably what kept me from breaking something. Being out for the day gave me several hours to process the news mentally before I got home. By the time I got back I didn't really want to think about it anymore: I took a few hours to have a drink on the couch and watch the Badger game I had DVR'd earlier in the day. It was good to spend a few hours in a place where I could pretend all of this hadn't happened yet.

So that's where we're at today. In this thread, I don't want to talk about Ryan Braun. Talk about whatever other Brewer-related things you'd like, but I think we could all use a break from the news and an opportunity to think about something else for a while.