Matt Kemp's having a conflicting week. On Monday, Kemp was taken off the 15-day DL, learned that Ryan Braun, who narrowly edged him for the 2011 NL MVP award would be suspended for the season, belted a homer and then tweaked his ankle.
On Tuesday, speculation shifted to Braun's MVP award and whether it should be retroactively issued to Kemp. On Tuesday Kemp sounded off about Braun's betrayal and what should become of the 2011 NL MVP trophy.
Via USA Today:
Asked Tuesday whether the award should be taken away from Braun, Kemp responded: "I mean, yeah, I do." He paused and added, "I feel like it should be, but that's not for me to decide, you know?"
Kemp said people feel betrayed by Braun.
"I'm disappointed," Kemp said. "I talked to Braun before any of this happened. We had conversations and I considered him a friend. I don't think anybody likes to be lied to, and I feel like a lot of people have felt betrayed. That's not just me, that's the whole Brewers organization, a lot of his teammates. I think a lot of people feel that way."
Jack O'Connell, treasurer for the Baseball Writers' Association of America quickly put an end to that talk. ''The decision was already made. He won it,'' O'Connell said in an email Monday.
The visceral reaction to Braun's lying and cheating is to strip him of his MVP award and nine-figure deal, but this is the logical decision. If an example were made of Braun, A-Rod, and Ken Camniti's MVP award would also have to be stripped.
Ryan Braun's integrity is long gone, but at least he retains his 2011 NL MVP trophy.
