Exhibit A for Alex Rodriguez's defense

So the baseball world has been in a bit of a tizzy over the news that Tony Bosch was going to cooperate with Major League Baseball's investigation of his former Biogenesis of America clinic and the hefty suspensions that could result, also known as "YYYYEEESSSS! THEY'RE FINALLY GOING TO GET ALEX RODRIGUEZ ... (and Ryan Braun, and a bunch of other guys)!"

Hell, it's so bad, I'm not even sure Yankees fans have had A-Rod's back, although their fondest wish in that regard may not come true.

But as the details of the story game out, I started to think people who were assuming the players would have the book thrown at them about 20 minutes ago should pump the brakes a little bit.

After all, any suspension is going to be met with an instant appeal, and given the severity, I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually hit the courts. When it does, Major League Baseball's lead witness will be a guy who only agreed to cooperate if he could be indemnified against liability, have the lawsuit against him dropped, be provided security and have a good word put in with anyone who might charge him with a crime.

However, I understand those things happen sometimes, that bad guys agree to become state's evidence to prosecute a larger crime ...

... but then came this.

When (Alex) Rodriguez rebuffed Anthony Bosch's request for money, believed to be in the hundreds of thousands, the self-styled "biochemist" turned to a strange bedfellow -- MLB.

In the most-charitable explanation, Bosch was desperate, tried to get help from Rodriguez and agreed to take MLB's deal when that didn't happen. In the least-charitable, as Mrs. Last Honest described it this morning when I told her about it, it could be blackmail.

Either way, probably not good for the ol' credibility for a guy who might be viewed as not exactly credible anyway.

To be clear, I think it's entirely possible that Rodriguez, Braun and the other Biogenesis clients were getting performance-enhancing drugs. I am also not a lawyer, nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. I don't even watch a lot of courtroom dramas on TV.

However, if Braun can get a suspension overturned because the person who collected his urine didn't ship it out fast enough, it's possible that a decent lawyer (and A-Rod's and Braun's, at the very least, will likely be far better than decent) can make a certain A-to-B-to-C connection between "witness went to player for money," "player said no," "witness went to Major League Baseball" and that it might actually work.

This Ryan Braun story has now officially ticked me off

I like Bonnie Bernstein, and I always have, but seeing her Facebook post about Ryan Braun's appeal made me want to pull my hair out.

After writing that Braun has always been a good player, so unless he was using steroids from the beginning, he hasn't needed to enhance his performance, she added this: 

"I tend to be a big picture person, and while I don't know Braun personally, everyone I've spoken with who knows him or covers him senses he's a high character guy. He's no dummy , either. With the exception of one 'B' in advanced-placement chemistry, he pulled straight A's in high school. Despite being a blue chip baseball prospect, he chose to attend the University of Miami on an academic, not athletic, scholarship."

Not long after that, I turn on MLB Network to hear Bob Costas, the arbiter of all morality in baseball, talk about how he has heard about Braun being an impressive, intelligent guy.

To which I ask:

What in the orange bloody hell does being a nice, smart or otherwise impressive guy have to do with taking steroids? Or do only jerks do it?

Ever since the Braun story first broke, there has been a concerted interest on the part of some people in the media for Braun to be cleared because he's popular. (For the record, I have nothing against Braun, not like I have against David Ortiz, who also tested positive but has gotten away with it because people like him.)

I've already made the Nyjer Morgan reference, since he's a teammate of Braun's who is wildly unpopular, but old Tony Plush may not be big enough potatoes. Since the University of Miami came up, let's talk about a guy who could have gone there, but didn't, but their baseball field is actually named after him.

Yup, that guy. I believe he wrote a nice check to the university, and they named the field after him as thanks.

Take everything Ryan Braun, his lawyer, his PR guy or anyone else attached to him has said, and attach Alex Rodriguez to it.

He'd be laughed at and ridiculed, and you and I both know it.