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A simple denial would have been the way to go IMO.

A simple denial would have been the way to go IMO.

It worked for Robin Yount when they found out about his decades-long underage white slavery ring.

NEW YORK (AP) There may never be a written decision explaining why Ryan Braun's drug suspension was overturned.

The arbitrator who threw out the 50-game suspension of the NL MVP has been asked by the players' union and management to hold off giving his reasoning while they negotiate changes to their rules for collecting specimens, people familiar with the case told The Associated Press.

If players and owners reach agreement on the changes, the Feb. 23 decision by arbitrator Shyam Das to overturn the penalty for the Milwaukee outfielder could be allowed to stand without any written explanation, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the process is designed to be confidential.

Baseball's labor contract says there should be a written decision within 30 days of an arbitrator's ruling. It appears management has no interest in a decision detailing how collection procedures weren't followed and the union has no interest in getting an explanation of a decision many believe let Braun off on a technicality.

''It's obviously disappointing because people deserve to know what the basis for the case being overturned is, and frankly the athlete should have that right as well,'' Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said Monday. ''Certainly an innocent athlete would want that opportunity.''

Meantime, the sides already have made some changes to collection procedures as a result of Das' decision.

Employees of Comprehensive Drug Testing, who take the specimens from players, are now required to drop the samples off at a Federal Express office on the same day they are collected, provided an office is open in the vicinity. If not, collectors should take the specimens home rather than leave them in a drop box. The prohibition against using drop boxes already was in the drug agreement between players and owners.

''We hope the parties step back and ensure that the rights of clean athletes and the integrity of the sport are safeguarded through the legal process,'' Tygart said. ''It sounds like the changes are toward that effort and ultimately good for clean athletes.''

NEW YORK (AP) Major League Baseball management has fired Shyam Das, the arbitrator who overturned Ryan Braun's drug suspension in February.

MLB informed Das and the players' association of its decision last week. Das had been baseball's permanent arbitrator since 1999, part of what technically is a three-man panel that also includes a representation of management and labor.

''Shyam is the longest-tenured panel chair in our bargaining relationship,'' union head Michael Weiner said. ''For 13 years, from the beginning to the end of his tenure, he served the parties with professionalism and distinction.''

Baseball's collective bargaining agreement says the arbitrator can be removed by the players' association or management at any time with written notice.

The sides will now try to select a successor. If they cannot agree, baseball's collective bargaining agreement calls for them to ask the American Arbitration Association for a list of ''prominent, professional arbitrators.'' The sides would then alternate striking names from the list until one remains.

Das, a graduate of Harvard and Yale University Law School, also has been an arbitrator for the NFL since 2004 and is scheduled to hear a grievance in the New Orleans Saints bounty case on Wednesday.

''It does not impact his role at an arbitrator for our CBA,'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

Das decided in February to overturn the 50-game suspension of Braun for positive drug test following a grievance hearing. Lawyers for the Milwaukee outfielder, the reigning NL MVP, argued that the collection procedures specified in baseball's drug agreement for the urine sample were not followed with Braun's sample last October because it was not immediately left at a Federal Express office.