Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost had the opportunity to serve in the same position with the Milwaukee Brewers for some time, giving him a front row seat for Ryan Braun's incredible hitting abilities. Thus when it came out that Braun had allegedly tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, Yost was incredulous and could not believe the accusation. Now that the ruling has been reversed and Braun will not be suspended for 50 games this season, Yost came out with his support.
"It didn't surprise me, knowing Ryan Braun, knowing the type of person that he is," Yost said on Friday. "I read some of the releases [on Thursday], talking about the quality of person he is and the quality of player he is -- those are all true. He's a very smart kid.
"I knew when this came up that they had to have some type of extenuating circumstances, because this Ryan Braun would never take performance-enhancing drugs to further his career. He's too talented, he knows that. It shocked me when it came out. I knew there had to be something behind it, and the result showed ... that there was. Quite frankly, it would have surprised me if they upheld the suspension."
Braun is now free and clear to play this season but for some the damage has already been done. If anything, his reputation will always carry some sort of shadow with it and it will be interesting to see what sort of microscope he's under as the Brewers move forward.