Blog has room intellectually for explanation that doesn’t involve Ryan Braun incurring strict liability (or as baseball players say: ‘guilty until proven innocent’) for having banned substance in his system — but hasn’t heard it yet. Nor does Blog ever expect to.

So let’s leave that aside and talk about issue that has exploded all around Braun case and has been hiding in plain sight:

Braun’s Hail Mary appellate victory has brought cheating apologists out of woodwork, where they have resided over past five years or so, apparently biding time and waiting for opening to attack baseball’s drug program.

First, a caveat: I believe doping should be allowed in professional sports. — Jere Longman of the NYT yesterday

Not necessarily singling him out here, for there are many out there. But he’s very current and admirably blunt. So let’s be blunt:

These folks WANT steroids in game. They want athletes to use them and they want athletes to get paid to endorse them — since that’s what athletes would do, were steroids legal.

They want kids to buy them and try them, which is what kids would do in far greater numbers, were steroids legal.

They want to put clean players at a competitive disadvantage, forcing clean players on bubble of success either to start drugging or find a new career.

And they want coaches and trainers to become drug pushers, who tell young people that “you’re good kid, but you got to be better … and here’s how you do it.”

The Braun conflagration has emboldened them. So take Blog’s advice: If you’re talking to someone who is defending Braun, you might want to ask them whether part of reason they’re defending Braun is because they think steroids should be legal.

Also feeling bold these days are guys like Chris Narveson, the Brewers’ union representative. According to this story Narveson “was playing golf with fellow starting pitchers Yovani Gallardo, Randy Wolf and Shaun Marcum when he got the news” of Braun’s absolution.

I don’t want to comment too much. But put it this way: This isn’t the first time we’ve had issues with the people [in charge of testing] in Milwaukee. There have been other issues with timing.

It’s TESTERS who are at fault, according to Narveson. Ha. This is too rich. Narveson, NYT guy above and so many others clearly see this as a wedge to attack baseball’s testing program.

Braun, too, couldn’t leave well enough alone. He attacked the tester as well, leading to this line from Mike Lupica:

Braun made it clear on Friday in Arizona that he wants everybody and anybody to be on trial except him.

Blog is glad to read that MLB doesn’t appear to be taking this lying down.

Owners apparently are among few in baseball who haven’t forgotten finger wagging, lying, pretending not to speak English and horrible death of Ken Caminiti — among many other torpedoes that smashed into hull of good ship baseball over embarrassing expanse of Steroid Era.

MLB itself — so long regarded as greedy overlord — now occupies position of sensible parent trying to protect these greedy little piggies from themselves.

Brewers’ owner, who is in interesting position of having interests on each side of Braun-gate, defended his player Friday using very carefully chosen words. But he also expressed at least one sentiment that clearly was too hopeful:

With this now behind us, we return our focus to the ballpark

Not so fast dude. It’s not behind you. It’s all out in front of you. MLB might have to fight this war all over again. Your star player says system is “fatally flawed.”

Blög öf Tëam: Merry Cliff-Mas
 Harry Callous:  I still can’t believe it
Blög öf Tëam: [Blog] saw that business bubbling up on the Twitters yesterday
  But still couldn’t quite believe it
  Such a FU to Yanks
Harry Callous: Ditto, I thought it was Lee’s agent trying to eek a bit more out of either team
Blög öf Tëam: Cliff was all, where was I happy?
 Smart guy
Harry Callous: Have to respect that
     I think my phone broke last night because of all the texting
  A lot of people staying up past their bed times in the Philadelphia metro area
Blög öf Tëam: Nice. Well they like their Sprotz up in that piece
Harry Callous: Pic
Blög öf Tëam: That’s very profesh
Harry Callous: Yeah, can’t imagine how much time at work that person killed making that
Blög öf Tëam: People, they like the basesballses

Amid various howlings by baseball’s corporate overlords, a pitching and defense-oriented team from San Francisco stumbled into postseason and took it from there.

Many had figured on it; some iteration of “if Giants can just get in, they could do something.”

It showed that teams whose rosters resemble a stratigraphy of current and former All-Stars, Cy Young trophies and hulking home run Kings can be beaten into submission by teamwork, determination and talent.

Of course, every Team must assemble a collection, and Blog by no means seeks to wage “war on success;” point is that some collections are curated with care and grace, while others are curated with brute force.

Postseason must be seen as especially encouraging to fans of Team (with exception, perhaps, of those unable to see past fancy statistical measures to realize that wins derive from far more than just numbers).

Team seems to have assembled core of talent that, perhaps, can realize that losing isn’t written in stone, no matter what SportsYakSphere intones year-in and year-out.

Image via SF Gate

Not that it’s all warm and fuzzy. Mistakes have been made. Bridges have been burnt and new ones must be forged.

“The rally thong is going to the Hall of Fame,” Aubrey Huff told his adoring San Francisco fans the other day. They accepted it for what it was and didn’t take to the airwaves to declare him unfit for their city.

Looking on was former co-voice of Team, Jon Miller, who blessed the many lights that have shone on Bay Area over decades. Miller still has a soft spot for Team. Blog knows this because he often talks of Baltimore when calling various games and, in doing so, continues to acknowledge Team’s existence.

Others are not so kind.

Baseball appears poised to enter into potentially maddening new Fox-ified era with more replays, more playoffs and more attention-grabbing stunts. But core of game has withstood other, more ferocious assaults, and with Steroid issues seemingly under control for moment, Team could very well be in position to succeed on level of pure baseball, which really is only thing that matters.

But it’s going to need help from market.

Blog supposes if you are MLB executive, you are perhaps not thrilled about this matchup…

Image via SF Gate

For whatever reason, it’s entirely possible more people would watch World Series with Yankees or Phillies in it.

But fans of Game without horse in race could not have asked for more:

Two teams desperate to break through and win title — with neither sure it will return to such heights any time soon.

Two teams laden with very human stories, long journeys to dark places and  now, now finally chance to come together and make final run.  

Two teams that looked up to Big Boys of baseball and refused to blink.

If American League had won All-Star Game and handed home-field advantage to these very likeable Texas Rangers, you’d have to give them heavy favor. But National League finally busted its slump back in July and, unbeknownst to them at time, preemptively evened playing field for these loveable ‘frisco Giants.

To Royals fans, Mariners fans, fans of Team and others who, year in and year out, find their senses of hope and futility waging epic battle, this World Series matchup says “It’s possible … if you can. just. get. in!”