Ryan Braun Responds to Boos with 3-Homer Day at Citizens Bank Park

In a very Barry Bonds-esque performance at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, Ryan Braun was booed and then booed some more. His response? Three home runs.

In the video below, Philadelphia Phillies fans can be heard calling him a cheater from the stands, unwilling to forgive or forget his purchase of PEDs from Biogenesis, denial of said purchase, and the slap on the wrist that followed.

After only three hits in 20 at bats this season, the Milwaukee Brewers right fielder knocked in a career-high seven runs to tie a franchise record in his team's 10-4 victory. He had not gone yard in 98 plate appearances -- the longest drought of his career -- dating back to last summer. However, it was no surprise he ended his homer slump in Philly, where he has 10 longballs in 21 career games.

Brewers Fans Welcome Back Ryan Braun in Opening Day Victory

While most avid baseball fans have a general hatred for players who cheat, get caught, lie about cheating, then get caught again, it seems Milwaukee Brewers fans have found it rather easy to forgive Ryan Braun.

The fired up, sellout crowd at Miller Park on Opening Day gave their right fielder a standing ovation as he entered the batter's box. Braun went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Milwaukee's 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, with his base hit and steal nicely setting up a two-run double by Aramis Ramirez in the fourth.

He was involved in one of the first calls to be overturned under MLB's new replay system as well, when his infield single to lead off the sixth was overturned to an out after the call was challenged by Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. Thankfully, the review took only 58 seconds.

Ryan Braun: The Cheese to Our Macaroni

In light of Ryan Braun's successful appeal and avoidance of a pesky 50-game suspension for a failed drug test, we'd like to present to you Part Four of Nine More Outs' Stadium Shmadium Tour. This time they've headed to Milwaukee to see what it's really like to be a Brewers fan. Enjoy!

[Nine More Outs]

Testosterone Medication Allegedly to Blame for Ryan Braun's Failed Drug Test

We've been waiting a while to weigh in on the whole Ryan Braun deal lately, mostly because we couldn't find a credible source with any real information to cite. Now that a few semi-major news outlets have suggested the Milwaukee Brewers left fielder may have been prescribed a medication containing testosterone which made him fail one random test and then pass the second, we're gonna throw in our two or three cents.

Not that it's any of our business, but I'm sure you're wondering just like us, what possible secret ailments could Braun have that require synthetic testosterone for treatment?

The obvious conclusion for some asinine sports blogs out there is that he has herpes. Of course. First of all, page views and hits will never be so important to us that we would create a rumor that a player has a sexually transmitted disease in the hopes people will visit our site and spread the rumor... kind of like herpes. That would be stupid and irresponsible... kind of like having unprotected sex.

There are many illnesses and issues in which testosterone is used as a treatment and/or cure. Since we're too lazy to speculate, we'll just sit back and wait to see if Braun decides to share the news with the public after his appeal, if this is indeed the case. Either way, he'll most likely be suspended for 50 games to start off the 2012 season; it's still his responsibility to know exactly what he's putting into his body and to make sure it's within MLB regulations.

Herpes. How dumb.

[Big League Stew]

Aramis Ramirez Finalizes $36 Million Contract with Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers finalized their three-year, $36 million deal with Aramis Ramirez on Wednesday, giving their lineup some much-needed pop for the next few seasons. The contract also includes a mutual option for a fourth year, just in case Ramirez isn't actually in the twilight of his career as we suspect.

The 33-year-old third baseman spent the last eight seasons with the Chicago Cubs, his brand new division rival and mortal enemy. However, don't expect him to take out a full-page ad in the Tribune or Sun-Times, or for any Cubbies faithful to be seen burning his jersey on Youtube... he wasn't exactly a deity.

Ramirez was a big contributor to any wins the Cubs did have though, batting .306 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI in 2011. His power at the plate is a welcome sight for Milwaukee, considering the loss of big bats Prince Fielder to free agency (and possibly to the Cubs) and Ryan Braun to an imminent 50-game suspension for suspected cheating. We'll keep you posted on whether or not he wins his appeal, which by the way, will never happen.

This seems like some kind of white flag by the Brewers, since their interest in Ramirez didn't peak (at least not publicly) until the whole Ryan Braun fiasco went down. The veteran might not exactly be a last resort, but he certainly wasn't in the middle of their radar up until last weekend. Is this a signing born in desperation, or will the Brew Crew be happy with their new hot corner?

[ National Post]

Ryan Braun Faces 50-Game Ban for Allegedly Cheating; We Might Take it All Back

We haven't been more disappointed in a ballplayer than we are with Ryan Braun tonight. Honestly, he was one of the last players we'd ever suspect of cheating.

The Milwaukee Brewers left fielder has tested positive for a banned substance and now faces a 50-game suspension. Of course he is disputing the results and referring to them as complete "bullshit." A spokesperson for Braun released this statement Saturday evening:

"There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated."

On the heels of his first 30-30 season, a synthetic testosterone was found in his system in a recent random test. A second administered test was negative, so we're awfully confused by that. If the suspension is upheld, the Brewers are totally screwed early on in the season. Especially after losing the big bat of Prince Fielder to free agency.

Over his first five big league seasons, the reigning National League MVP has averaged 36 longballs, 118 RBI and a .563 slugging percentage. If he is indeed a cheater-pants, we take back everything nice we've ever said about him. If the positive test is just a bunch of BS, then we apologize for finding the douchiest picture possible of him to go with this post.

[Daily Pitch]

Ryan Braun Wins National League MVP, Now a Million Times More Attractive

Ryan Braun became a little hotter back in September when he officially became a 30-30 player. Nothing turns us on more than an impressive stat line.

But now that he's won the National League's Most Valuable Player award, we can hardly contain ourselves.

After helping lead his Milwaukee Brewers to their first division title in nearly 30 years, the left fielder received 20 of the 32 possible first-place votes and 388 total points from the Baseball Writers Association of America. He beat out Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp, his teammate first baseman Prince Fielder, Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton, and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols. Not a lot of chumps, so Braun should feel proud.

Mark Kotsay Face-Plants, Cardinals Beat Brewers in NLCS Game 3

Chris Carpenter was far from his best Wednesday night, lasting just five innings in his St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of their National League Division Series at Busch Stadium.

While Carpenter surrendered all three Milwaukee runs on six hits and three walks, the relief corps came up big. Fernando Salas, Game 2-winning rookie Lance Lynn, Marc Rzepczynski and closer Jason Motte, who struck out three of the four batters he faced for the save, combined to bail out the Cardinals and retire the final 12 Brewers in order. Sadly, none of their jerseys were torn off and shredded to pieces by Nick Punto.

Albert Pujols, Cardinals Tie up NLCS in 12-3 Rout of Brewers

“Sometimes, you’re going to get spanked a little bit.” - Nyjer Morgan

Thanks to five RBI by Albert Pujols and some additional run support from guys like David Freese and Nick Punto, the St. Louis Cardinals evened up the National League Championship Series at a game a-piece with a 12-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Monday night.

After producing just one run in his team's first six postseason games this year, Pujols went 4-for-5 with a home run and three doubles to power St. Louis past Milwaukee. That must have felt pretty good after screwing up royally during Game 1 when he hit into a broken-bat double play representing the tying run in the seventh.

Rickie Weeks nailed a two-run shot in the fourth and Ryan Braun went 2-for-4, but failed to drive in any runs. Prince Fielder did his part with a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth, but unfortunately for the Brew Crew, it was too little, too late. Nyjer Morgan and all of his trash-talk is 0-for-4 against the Cards so far this round.

Both bullpens got a lot of work in after both starters were chased in the fourth inning. Milwaukee’s Shaun Marcum looked just plain ugly out there, coughing up five runs on seven hits and taking the loss. St. Louis starter Edwin Jackson surrendered the Weeks homer along with seven hits and a walk before his exit in the fourth.

The Cards are headed home for Game 3 Wednesday evening with ace Chris Carpenter on the hill against Yovani Gallardo at 8:05pm ET on TBS.

[USA Today]

Brewers Sport their Rally Caps, Beat Cardinals in NLCS Opener

It's pretty amazing the way Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder can turn a game around.

The Milwaukee Brewers rallied in the fifth inning of NLCS Game 1 against their bitter division rivals with huge back-to-back hits by Braun and Fielder to come away with a 9-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Braun launched a 463-foot, two-run bomb in the first inning before adding a two-run double during the huge six-run fifth. Fielder followed up with a homer worth two runs before Yuniesky Betancourt capped the comeback with a two-run shot of his own.

While we were honestly hoping for a few plunkings, maybe a bench-clearing brawl, and definitely some more smack-talk from the two sides, all we got was a small stir-up and an umpire's warning to Tony La Russa after Jaime Garcia hit Fielder immediately after Braun's first inning longball.

Brewers ace Zack Greinke, who made some awkward comments regarding Chris Carpenter and his "phony attitude" on Saturday, hinted that there may have been some heckling coming from the opposing dugout on Sunday:

Will the Brewers and Cardinals Go all Bush League on Each Other in the NLCS?

Remember back in August 2010 when then-Washington Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan was rounding the bases in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals and smashed into catcher Bryan Anderson for no good reason as he crossed the plate? I say for no good reason because he scored standing up and there was no attempt at a play. Not very nice, and I'm pretty sure Cardinals fans didn't forget about that move. In a totally unrelated incident a few days later, Morgan went berserk during the entire series against the Florida Marlins. He separated Brett Hayes' shoulder on a hard play at the plate during one game before charging the mound and taking a swing at Chris Volstad the next night. Yikes.

Fast forward to a year later on August 1, 2011 and Morgan is now enjoying an exciting season with the Milwaukee Brewers, who are holding a two-game lead on the Cardinals. He's just nailed a three-run double to center field off Chris Carpenter, whose abs we'd like to wash our laundry on. Of course, Morgan gets a little excited and maybe a little cocky and does this fist-pumpy thing directly at the Cardinals' dugout. Hilarious, but not cool. Also not cool? Tony La Russa accusing the folks at Miller Park of altering the stadium's lighting to give the opposition a disadvantage. Give me a break.

Diamondbacks Stay Alive Thanks to Rookies Collmenter and Goldschmidt

Putting a rookie on the hill and one in the no. 5 spot of the batting order in a must-win situation is just how Arizona Diamondbacks Kirk Gibson rolls. And apparently it works.

Josh Collmenter silenced the Milwaukee Brewers abusive bats for a second time this season with six strikeouts and two walks, while first baseman Paul Goldschmidt added five RBI, including the third grand slam by a rookie in postseason history, to give the Diamondbacks an 8-1 rout to force Game 4 of their NLDS.

While the 25-year-old Collmenter and his crazy changeup were called up as a reliever back in mid-April before eventually becoming a starter, the 24-year-old Goldschmidt didn't join the team until August 1 when he was called up from Double-A Mobile. Goldy had this to say about the victory:

"It was awesome. Now to be back home and hear almost 50,000 people screaming for us is awesome."

Meanwhile, Ryan Braun, who had been 6-for-8 with a homer and two doubles in the series so far, went 0-for-3 with a walk. Prince Fielder managed only an infield single after being hit by a pitch following Brauny's walk in the first. Brewers starter Shaun Marcum didn't help matters by giving up seven runs on seven hits in just 4.2 innings.

Game 4 begins at 9:30pm ET Wednesday on TBS in a battle of lefties with Randy Wolf taking on Joe Saunders.

[AZ Central]

The Milwaukee Brewers are One Win Away from the NLCS

In front of yet another sold-out crowd at Miller Park, the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-4 Sunday afternoon to give themselves a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series for their hometown fans.

In fact, they're the only team to have a 2-0 lead in the playoffs thus far, with every other series tied at 1-1. Oddly enough, this marks the first time in franchise history that the Brewers hold a shutout lead in a postseason series.

Ryan Braun was at it again for Milwaukee, nailing a two-run homer in the first inning before Paul Goldschmidt answered with a solo shot in the second for the Diamondbacks. Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks then drove in a few runs in the third for a 6-1 lead, but Chris Young and Justin Upton each hit homers in the fourth in fifth, respectively, in an attempt to chip away at Milwaukee's rather comfortable position.

Jonathan Lucroy, who his teammates call "Mr. Squeeze", drove in the go-ahead run with a bunt during the Brewers' five-run sixth that busted the game wide open. Corey Hart, Nyjer Morgan, and Braun each singled to chip right back and eventually earn the win for the Brewers.

Yovani Gallardo, Prince Fielder Lift Brewers Over Diamondbacks in NLDS Game One

Backed by a solid outing by Yovani Gallardo, Prince Fielder capped the run support for the Milwaukee Brewers' 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game One of their NLDS.

Gallardo went eight awesome innings, surrendering just the one run on four hits, walking one and striking out nine for his very first postseason victory. He simply out-dueled opposing pitcher and NL Cy Young candidate Ian Kennedy, matching a Brewers record in K's for the postseason.

Jerry Hairston, Jr. kicked off the scoring with a sacrifice fly that scored Ryan Braun in the fourth before Jonathan Lucroy added an RBI single in the sixth. The very next inning, Fielder smashed an effortless bomb into deep right field to give the Brewers a 4-0 lead.

Jose Reyes Wins NL Batting Title, Leaves Game Early

Jose Reyes is your 2011 National League Batting Champion.

The New York Mets shortstop hit a bunt single in the bottom of the first inning of his team's 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, and promptly removed himself from the game to a chorus of boos in order to keep his 2-point lead over Ryan Braun in the NL batting race intact.

Braun, who would have either had to go 3-for-3 or 3-for-4 to edge Reyes, ended up with an 0-for-4 night instead during his Milwaukee Brewers 7-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nice try pal, but we still totally love you. Besides, at least your team is going to the playoffs. Matt Kemp was vying for the batting title as well as the NL Triple Crown a little bit ago, but he totally blew it.

Anyway, I'm not too impressed with Reyes' leaving the game early just to call himself the batting champ. Something seems super lame about that. Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson (who apparently is a bit testy on Twitter) thinks so as well:

Clayton Kershaw Wants the NL Cy Young Award

Clayton Kershaw has made quite a compelling case for the National League Cy Young Award.

Winning his 21st game of the season Sunday with a 6-2 Los Angeles Dodgers victory over the San Diego Padres, the lefty all but clinched the NL pitching Triple Crown. He leads the league with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts, with just 54 walks on the season and a 21-5 record, tied with Ian Kennedy for wins. What a badass.

Time Machine: Brewers Win First Division Since 1982

It's been so long since the Milwaukee Brewers won a division title, that the last time they did -- back in 1982 -- was the same year that Cal Ripken, Jr. began his streak of 2,632 consecutive Major League Baseball games played. Yep, some of you weren't even born yet.

Between Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun on Friday night, nothing was going to stop the Brewers from taking home the National League Central title... except maybe the St. Louis Cardinals beating the Chicago Cubs. But those Cubbies did what they do best in September: play the spoiler.

Ryan Braun Becomes 30-30 Player, Way Hotter Now

We've always found Ryan Braun rather attractive. In fact, we included him in our Real Top 10 Hottest Baseball Players list from 2009... we're gonna have to update that soon.

But in all honesty, a smokin' hot bat is always sexier than a smokin' hot body. Take Tony Gwynn, for example. Eight National League batting titles makes for a dead sexy bat.

Braun became only the second player in Milwaukee Brewers history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a single season Friday night during his team's 6-3 win over Cincinnati, which also mathematically eliminated the Reds from playoff contention. Double whammy.

Ryan Braun Faceplants, We Die Laughing

There are really no words to describe how utterly hilarious this is. Even Reggie Miller cracked up. So close Ryan Braun... yet so far. If he lands on the disabled list with a bruised ego, we'll let you know.

Bernie is Going to Have a Wicked Hangover Today

What a game. In a game where TWENTY-SIX runs were scored, I'd like to imagine that Bernie Brewer most likely watched the game from his dugout in Miller Park (yes, I know the game was in Cleveland) with the Sausage Race Team, while drinking a case of Miller Lite, drinking a beer for each run scored by either team.

Then toward the end, they realized they were going to run out so they drew straws and made Polish Sausage run out and get them some more. On his walk to the nearest liquor store (don't drink and drive, kids), he passed out in a field, and Bernie and the rest of the Sausages decided to mess with his stuff for not bringing them the rest of their beer.