Braun's Lawyer Fires Back at Drug Collector, Says Braun Was "Properly Vindicated" Ryan Braun, it appears, does not want to talk anymore about the collector who took his urine sample last October that ultimately turned out to be positive. Last week, after having his 50-game suspension for that positive test overturned by a three-person panel headed by an independent arbitrator, Braun said the collector and the collection process "made us very concerned and very suspicious about what could have actually happened." While casting doubt on the collector, he also maintained that he put nothing in his body that would have produced the positive drug test, which showed very high testosterone levels. The collector, Dino Laurenzi, Jr., who Braun did not name but who was ultimately discovered, has since hired a powerful New York lawyer. On Tuesday, he issued his own statement absolving himself of any wrongdoing. The public spat prompted Major League Baseball to defend the veracity of its drug testing program. On Thursday, David Cornwell, Braun's lawyer, said in a statement that Braun's winning appeal "was based on the evidence and the plain meaning of the words in baseball's Joint Drug Program. The collector's attempt to relitigate his conduct is inappropriate, and his efforts will only be persuasive to those who do not understand the evidence or the rules. Ryan Braun was properly vindicated. The entire story may not be known because the commissioner's office and the players union, which each have a seat on the three-person panel that absolved Braun, would have to agree to make the arbitrator's decision public, and they appear unlikely to do so. VARITEK SAYS GOODBYE Jason Varitek officially announced his retirement, ending a beloved 15-year career with the Boston Red Sox. Varitek made the announcement Thursday night at the team's spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla. Many of his teammates, his parents, Red Sox ownership and his wife and three daughters attended. Varitek, 39, says he grappled with the decision for a long time. The Red Sox offered him a chance to come to camp on a minor league contract, but he declined. He said that "the hardest thing to do is walk away from your teammates." Varitek, a catcher and the team's captain, helped lead the Red Sox to two World Series titles. He caught a record four no-hitters and played in three All-Star games. POSTSEASON EXPANSION NEAR Baseball's new collective bargaining agreement specified that an expanded postseason format must be in place by March 1 to take effect this season. The deadline came and went without an announcement, but only minor details remain for the plan to be put into place. One baseball official, who was granted anonymity because the details have not been completed, said the playoff field would expand to 10 teams, as planned, this season. Each league will now award a wild-card berth to two teams, who will meet in a one-game playoff immediately after the regular season. The new format places added importance on finishing first, because the six division winners will not have to participate in the one-game playoff to advance to the division series. At the same time, it gives two extra teams an opportunity to win a championship while still keeping the playoff field smaller than it is in the N.F.L., the N.B.A. and the N.H.L. "I think it's great for the game to have, essentially, a Game 7 to get into the playoffs," said Ryan Zimmerman, the Washington Nationals" third baseman. BURNETT TO HAVE SURGERY Pirates pitcher A. J. Burnett will have surgery Friday to repair a fractured right orbital bone. Burnett was injured Wednesday at the team's spring training facilities in Bradenton, Fla., after a bunt attempt caromed off his face. He flew to Pittsburgh late Wednesday to be further evaluated. There is no immediate timetable for his return. Burnett, a 35-year-old right-hander, was acquired in a three-player trade with the Yankees last month and was expected to be the No. 1 starter on a team looking to improve on a 72-90 record last season. SIZEMORE INJURES HIS BACK Grady Sizemore, the oft-injured Cleveland Indians outfielder, is expected to miss 8 to 12 weeks with a lower back injury. The Indians said Sizemore had a micro discectomy Thursday in Miami. Sizemore, who re-signed with the Indians in the off-season, will return to spring training in Arizona "in the coming days" to further his rehabilitation, the club said. Sizemore, 29, was limited to 71 games last year, hitting .224 with 10 homers, 32 runs batted in and 34 runs. Hoping to bounce back with a healthy season, he was injured while fielding ground balls early in spring training. Before that, the Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff said Sizemore had been doing well in his rehabilitation from knee surgery and appeared on track to begin the season on time. CARDS AND MOLINA STRIKE DEAL Catcher Yadier Molina agreed to a five-year, $75 million contract that kicks in next season and will keep him in St. Louis through the 2017 season. The deal makes him the second-highest-paid catcher in the majors. The deal could top $90 million over seven seasons with Molina due to make $7 million this year and a mutual, $15 million option for 2018. The deal trails only that of Minnesota's Joe Mauer (eight years, $184 million).