A host of free agency signings has meant baseball’s been in the headlines quite a bit the last week or so, especially with the LA Angels signing Albert Pujols to a $254 million contract. However, the publicity was all negative on Dec. 10 when it was reported that 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers had failed a drug test.

The 28-year-old Braun helped Milwaukee to a franchise-best 96 regular season wins in 2011 along with the National League Central title, which was their first since moving from the American League in 1998 and their first overall title since back in 1982. Braun hit 33 home runs and 111 RBI and batted .332. He also stole 33 bases and beat out Matt Kemp of the Dodgers in the MVP voting. Braun was selected by the Brewers in the first round in 2005 and was named 2007’s rookie of the year. He’s also won four Silver Slugger Awards and played in four all-star games. His career stats are 161 home runs along with 531 RBI and a batting average of .312.

There have been contradicting reports though as to what caused the outfielder to test positive. ESPN said he failed due to a performance-enhancing drug (PED), but other sources said that wasn’t the case, that something else triggered the reading. It’s believed Braun underwent a urine test in October during the playoffs and it showed that his testosterone level was high enough to result in a positive test. Another test was taken, which showed the high level was caused by a synthetic substance.

The confusion at the moment is whether or not he was using a PED. But either way, whatever it was in his system is a violation of Major League Baseball’s steroid-testing policy. If he’s found guilty, he’ll be suspended for 50 games for violating the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Policy. At the moment, Braun said he’s appealing the test results and requested to take the test again. He’s keeping mum on the subject for the time being until more results and information can be gathered. MLB Players’ Association and MLB officials aren’t making any comments either.

The only person doing any official talking about the incident was one of Braun’s spokesmen. He released a statement which said the there’s some unusual circumstances in the case and Braun in no way intentionally violated the drug policy. He added that Braun will eventually be found not guilty when all of the information is gathered.

Also, Mark Attanasio, owner of the Brewers, said that MLB hasn’t contacted the club regarding Braun’s test results, and Braun deserves the right to appeal it before he should be judged. He said he supports MLB’s drug-testing program and its process of review and feels people shouldn’t jump to any conclusions or speculation until all of the facts are in.

In the meantime, his full support is with Braun. But he made it clear that he’s against prohibited substances because of the negative effects they can have on a person’s life and body. He said he supports drug testing because it’s the right thing to do, not just because it’s MLB policy.

Ryan Couture cracks a wide smile and laughs out when asked if he ever gets the better of his famous father during the few opportunities he gets to train with Randy at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. “No,” he says when he regains his composure, “I don’t think I ever will, probably.”

As Ryan speaks it is clear he refuses to live in his father’s shadow and does not even dream of living up to that legend at this point in his young career. He is focused and humble. Randy Couture is not always able to be at the gym to mold his son into a future champion, but when he is there Ryan says they do have a good time training together. As Ryan Couture prepares for his Challenger Series match-up tonight with Lee Higgins, Randy is filming another movie. Though they train in the same place from time to time, they live in different worlds when it comes to fighting, and Ryan is very comfortable with that.

Ryan considers living up to his father’s legendary status in the sport someday as too big a goal to focus on at this stage of his career. His mission is simply “to be the best fighter I can be.” The large, expansive Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas is home to many of the world’s most famous MMA fighters. Ryan credits the trainers, coaches, fighters, atmosphere, and facility for bringing him this far into the sport of MMA.

His dad never tried to talk him out of following in his footsteps, Ryan maintains. “He’s always been real supportive just of me doin’ what I wanna do and what makes me happy,” he said. He’s been a fan of the sport for over a decade, since his father started fighting and he took an interest in his career. Around 5 years ago the 20-something Captain America’s son got into training in MMA as a hobby. As the old story goes, Ryan recalls, “The more I did it, the more I loved it.”

His ultimate goal in the sport has a nice one-day-at-a-time ring to it. “I just want to continue having fun and growing and improving as a fighter and see how far I can take it,” he explains. Already, Ryan seems to understand the schedule, routine, and structure of training camp is important. So is the constant need to explore new and proven techniques and how to blend them all together. Like most fighters, he lives for fight night when he gets to see “all that work pay off.”

The passion Ryan has for MMA is due to the fact that the sport offers “a variety of different challenges, both physical and mental.” He thrives on learning something new every day and “pushing myself to the limit.” He’s found a quick home in Showtime’s Friday Night “Challenger Series” put on by Strikeforce and featuring up and coming fighters like his 2-0 opponent Lee Higgins, who won both of his first two fights by submission. As for his own favorite submission move, Ryan favors the triangle choke.

Ryan really appreciates the exposure offered by the Strikeforce and Showtime collaboration. He likes the fact that the Challenger Series allows fighters to “cut our teeth” on a bigger stage than they would be on if they were having to fight on a variety of regional and local shows. It’s clear Ryan’s still ready for a long career when he affirms his plans to stick with the sport through thick and thin. The 28-year old MMA prospect promises to fight “as long as my body holds up.”

Ryan is confident in Strikeforce’s future and has no real desire to enter the ranks of the UFC. “Oh, I got no plans there,” he said when asked if he’d like to end up in the UFC. “I’m really happy with Strikeforce.” If all goes well and he continues to up his game he knows he may have a chance to fight for a title in Strikeforce someday, and the thought of that is enough to keep him motivated. He is inspired by the “homegrown approach” of the organization and the Challenger Series cards he fights on.

HIS OPPONENT

Lee Higgins is a tough, slick, talented fighter. Even Ryan agrees he’s a formidable foe. “He’s real aggressive, and I’ll be expecting him to bring the fight to me,” said Couture. “I’m looking forward to a good challenge.”

Higgins is not intimidated by the name of his opponent at all. “I can’t and won’t allow myself to get caught up in the hype of fighting a fighter with a very famous last name,” he said at a recent press conference. “Sure, there is extra motivation but I am not going to put any more pressure on myself. So, I have to treat this as just another fight. Besides, I’m fighting Ryan, not Randy. I’ve watched his tapes and broken them down. I’m ready to fight the fight. There is no pressure. If anything, the pressure is on Ryan. I’m looking forward to a great, exciting fight.’’

HE KNOWS WHAT HE’S GETTING INTO

Even though he looks the picture of health and seems confident, quiet, and established, Ryan Couture is smart enough to know there’s a long road ahead. It could be full of incredible obstacles and impossible odds. Talking to him you get the feeling he’s prepared for any scenario that might unfold for him in MMA. It’s clearly a measure of the good parenting he’s had, and having a famous father has done nothing but help in this case.

No matter how much pressure might be piled on his shoulders by the press, the fans, the coaches, or even his own father, Ryan isn’t bothered by any comparisons that might be made between him and his dad Randy.

“I think people expect a lot of things from me and they pay a lot more close attention to me than they would if it wasn’t for him, but I don’t resent that at all,” Ryan maintained. “I knew that’s what I was getting into when I started doing this.”