ST. LOUIS -- Jon Jay played collegiately at the University of Miami with Ryan Braun and considers him a friend. But Jay was completely behind MLB's decision to suspend Braun for the rest of the season.
"I applaud Major League Baseball," said Jay who, as the Cardinals' players union rep, was obligated to talk about the suspension. "Stuff's getting done, stuff is getting resolved. That's what everyone wants, players, fans.
"(There's) a sense of relief from players that stuff is getting done and people that are trying to cheat and not do things right are getting punished for it."
Few other Cardinals wanted to offer a reaction. Holliday said he was not talking about Braun and David Freese said little. Manager Mike Matheny, who does not often talk about anything non-Cardinals, did not specifically address Braun's suspension.
"There's always going to be guys trying to push the limits or think there's something that's not going to be detected," Matheny said. "Guys are always looking for an edge. A lot of guys have been led in a bad direction, think they can get away with something like this."
Matheny said he sees firsthand the effort being made by MLB on a regular basis.
"It seems like the guys are getting tested every other day," Matheny said. "I see the lab technicians in our clubhouse. They were in until like midnight the other night because somebody got stage fright.
"There's no getting around it. Sooner or later, even if something new slips through the system, it won't be long before they're caught and they have to deal with that hanging over their heads the rest of their lives."
Matheny pointed out that clean players are affected by the cheaters at the negotiating table because their stats are measured the same way. Still, he does not think it would make a difference if more players spoke out as strongly against PED users as former Cardinals Skip Schumaker, who said Tuesday night that Braun deserves a lifetime ban.
"It's each guy's individual decision," Matheny said. "It's their career."
You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @stanmcneal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.
