In what will undoubtedly be viewed as a case of sour grapes, the MLB has decided to fire Shyam Das, the arbitrator who overturned Ryan Braun's drug suspension in February.
Considering the MLB vehemently disagreed with the Braun decision at the time it was handed down, Das' firing comes off as petty. While the league is unlikely to admit it, it seems obvious that some ill will has been held toward Das in the wake of the Braun fiasco.
Das, whose vote was the decisive one in the Braun case, determined that there were inconsistencies in the collection and delivery process of one of Braun's urine samples, as it was not dropped off at a FedEx office the same day it was taken. Therefore, the case was tainted, and Das — who worked alongside Michael Weiner and Rob Manfred as part of a three-man panel — overturned the 50-game ban.
But instead of moving on and chalking the February decision up as a bold determination by an "independent" arbitrator, the MLB has decided to pull a typical 10-year-old schoolyard move. Things didn't go my way. OK, well I no longer want to play — or in this case, you're fired.
Das has arbitrated cases for the MLB since 1999, and by all accounts appears to have been a well-respected employee. In fact, he also serves in such a capacity for the NFL, and he'll be hearing a grievance in the New Orleans Saints' Bountygate case on Wednesday.
The dismissal of an arbitrator is by no means shocking since, by terms of the Basic Agreement, either MLB management or the Players' Association can unilaterally dismiss the arbitrator at any time. It's just strange that after 13 years, Das is now being kicked to the curb, just months after a controversial decision that baseball officials were so strongly opposed to at the time.
"Shyam is the longest-tenured panel chair in our bargaining relationship," Weiner, who serves as the union's executive director, told The Associated Press. "For 13 years, from the beginning to the end of his tenure, he served the parties with professionalism and distinction."
Perhaps the league wasn't pleased with Das' overall body of work. Perhaps it wanted Das' undivided attention and felt that his role with the NFL prevented him from providing that. Perhaps the MLB just wanted to "make a change."
Or perhaps there's more to the story, and Das' decision in the Braun ordeal struck such a chord with the MLB that termination of employment became a necessity.
Even if that isn't the case, it certainly seems that way to the general public. And isn't that just as bad?
