Hall of Famer Robin Yount was at Miller Park on Friday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his retirement with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Naturally, The Kid was asked about Ryan Braun and his suspension for a failed test for performance-enhancing drugs.
"In Ryan's case I don't know all the facts but what I will say hopefully all of this that has gone on is just a bump in the road for baseball," Yount said. "I hope this will put an end to this once and for all. I hope the guys who are testing the system realize they can't beat it and let everybody go out there on an even playing field.
"It's very important to baseball that we get rid of this. It's not what we want to focus on as an industry. We want to focus on the game itself. This will pass. There are no players bigger than the game. It's not our brightest moment, but maybe this will make the guys aware they can't beat the system and we won't have to worry about it anymore."
In an interview with the Journal Sentinel during the height of the steroid scandal several years ago, Yount said he would have been tempted to use during his playing days, when they were not illegal and there was no drug test.
"It's just not necessary anymore with drug testing in place," Yount said. "I'm no expert on it, but I would certainly like to believe it's a good enough program where you can't get away with it.
"There was an argument before drug testing that you had to do it to keep up. But I'd like to believe those days are gone. I hope this puts an end to it."
Yount, 57, who played 20 years with the Brewers and later came back as a bench coach, was asked if he felt the hurt the city has experienced with Braun.
"I'm sure," he said. "Let's face it. An organization without your star player gets hurt in a lot of ways. It's just unfortunate. The way I see it, it becomes a very selfish attitude is what I think you end up finding here. If these guys would realize there's more to it than themselves... they're hurting their teammates, they're hurting the fans they play for because they're paying your salary."
Yount, who also coached with Arizona, said he has no interest getting back in the game because the commitment takes too much time from the other things in life important to him.
Ramirez closer: Third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who has been on the disabled list since July 7 with left knee tendinitis, is getting closer to returning to the Brewers lineup.
"He ran and took BP again (Friday)," manager Ron Roenicke said. "It's hard to predict when he'll be back, but he's getting closer to it. He feels better all the time and he's anxious to get back in the lineup. I know that."
Roenicke was asked about the next steps for Ramirez.
"It's really about the pain," he said. "It's thepatella tendon that's bothering him. It's the first step and trying to stop after he's running. Anytime you put a load on that tendon it's sore. But that's getting better all the time. Hopefully he's getting to the point where he doesn't have pain anymore."
Estrada update: Right-hander Marco Estrada, who has been on the DL since June 5 with a hamstring pull, is scheduled to get one more rehab start after Friday.
By Thursday, the Brewers should know if he is ready to rejoin the team or stay in Arizona for more work.
Roenicke was not ready to say that Estrada would go back into the rotation when he returns.
"I think first we need to get him pitching well," he said. "We filled in OK with the starters we have, but I want him to pitch well. He knows it's important for him to finish out the season."
Lucroy back behind the plate: After making his MLB debut at first base Wednesday night at Chicago, catcher Jonathan Lucroy was back behind the plate against the Nationals.
"The real reason Luc was at first base (Wednesday) was that he came into my office," Roenicke said. "He knows he hits Edwin Jackson well. (Wily) Peralta was pitching that day and (Lucroy)knew 'Maldy' (Martin Maldonado) was going to catch. He wanted in the lineup, which was great."
Lucroy committed an error that did not hurt the Brewers in the 6-1 loss.
"I think he did OK at first," Roenicke said. "I was fine with him. I don't know how much he'll be there. I think we'll only get him there when it's a matchup. If there's a pitcher he hits really well and we need him in the lineup, we'll do it. Most of the time, we'll have him back there catching."
Part of the problem is that Juan Francisco, who was back at first Friday night, is struggling offensively and defensively.
"Francisco, hopefully he continues to get better offensively," Roenicke said. "The first base part is a lot of confidence. When he dropped a couple of balls, now it's in his mind.
"We need him to relax a little bit and become more confident in what he does. He's got good hands. He shouldn't have that problem. When you make a mistake, mentally it gets to you."
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