Major League Baseball Could Sue To Challenge Ryan Braun Decision

Shyam Das is an independent arbitrator who was appointed jointly by the players’ union and Major League Baseball. He issued a decision on the Ryan Braun case. You can get fancy when you explain the decision -- “chain of custody”, and all that -- or you could explain that a vial of Braun’s urine hung out at a courier’s house for a weekend. Das made his decision based on that. Glad that’s ov …

Wait a sec. It’s not over. Not at all. Even though the jointly appointed arbitrator issued a ruling based on the language of a joint agreement, Major League Baseball still feels wronged. Or something. So they’re thinking this isn’t over. From ESPN.com:

Sources said MLB is livid and is evaluating the possibility of suing in federal court to have Das’ decision overturned, but that they did not expect a decision to be made until after Das issues his written report within the next week or so and MLB lawyers have a chance to review it. There are very limited grounds by which either party could sue, but sources said MLB officials believe Das’ ruling was based on a faulty reading of the policy.Best-case scenario: MLB proves Braun used performance-enhancing drugs and suspends him. Worst-case scenario: The decision stands, allowing Braun to avoid suspension. If it seems like the “best-case” and “worst-case” are the opposite of what baseball should want, well, welcome to the mad tea-party of baseball and performance-enhancing drugs. Happy unbirthday!