July 12, 2011, - 12:58 am

Pro Baseball Players Learn to STFU on Arizona Immigration Law

By Debbie Schlussel

Remember when so many big-mouthed pro athletes, particularly from Major League Baseball and the NBA, spoke out against Arizona’s immigration law?  Well, they’ve learned that it’s better business to shut their pieholes on politics. The best part is Adrian Gonzalez back-pedaling on the Arizona law. Love it.

stfu

Adrian Gonzalez Learns a Lesson in Shut the Bleep Up!

Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, inundated with letters from immigration support groups, discards them.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, barraged with phone calls and requests for a boycott, ignores them.

Michael Wildes, an immigration attorney, has called for baseball to back immigration rights at the All-Star Game but gets the indifference.

Puente, a human-rights organization, is among the groups scheduled to protest Arizona’s anti-illegal immigration law Tuesday outside Chase Field. Luis Avila, president of Somos America, Arizona’s largest immigrant-rights coalition, has asked players to wear white ribbons in support. Their outcry has been met with silence.

Gonzalez was among several players who attacked Arizona’s immigration initiative, SB 1070, a year ago, saying he would consider boycotting the All-Star Game if it wasn’t moved out of Arizona. Gonzalez, born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, not only plans to play — voted as the American League’s first baseman — but also remain silent on the issue. He told USA TODAY he will decline to answer all questions on the subject in today’s news conference.

“What I said was misinterpreted,” Gonzalez said, “especially the way the question was asked. At the time, I didn’t know much about the law. I still don’t. It’s not something I’m even going to get into.”

The bill makes it a misdemeanor for non-U.S. citizens to be in Arizona without carrying citizenship or immigration papers. Several key passages were struck down in federal court, but critics still say it still encourages profiling.

I love the smell of backpedaling by morons. And since they are, indeed, changing their tune, I can only guess the mounds of letters in support of illegal aliens were trumped by a larger reaction from Major League Baseball fans in support of Arizona’s law (and against athletes spouting off on it). MLB often quietly conducts polls on what makes its fans tick. And clearly Gonzalez’s statements ticked them off.

Make our borders secure. And keep Major League Baseball out of our borders.

Does Bud Selig ask Arizona Governor Jan Brewer how to run a major sports league? Don’t tell Arizona how to protect its citizens.

Oh, and by the way, when it comes to Muslim illegal aliens–a number of them Islamic terrorists–coming into the U.S. through Mexico, I don’t need a baseball player to tell me anything.  When his family gets blown up, then he can make comment.  Until then, Shut the [Bleep] Up!




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15 Responses

“Oh, and by the way, when it comes to Muslim illegal aliens–a number of them Islamic terrorists–coming into the U.S. through Mezico, I don’t need a baseball player to tell me anything. When his family gets blown up, then he can make comment. Until then, Shut the [Bleep] Up!”

Wow. This is why Debbie is the queen of the political blogs. Excellent article.

DS_ROCKS! on July 12, 2011 at 1:04 am

Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez makes millions playing American baseball in the United States of America. Without American baseball what do you think he’d be doing in his beloved Mexico, especially Tijuana?…selling chicklets to American visitors maybe?

theShadow on July 12, 2011 at 1:17 am

I never thought I’d say anything good about the yankees, but after reading your post….I’m glad a yankee won this home run derby contest over that guy.

Squirrel3D on July 12, 2011 at 1:54 am

    Gee whiz, Sguirrel–Ya know, while you were busy searching for your nuts the Yanks were winning 40 pennants and 27 world series.”…Never…say anything good about the Yankees?” Hell–we Yankee fans are crying all the way to Cooperstown.

    shegundala on July 12, 2011 at 11:30 am

Debby you are one good woman!!! Telling it liKe it is.

bobby99 on July 12, 2011 at 2:09 am

I think professional baseball is gradually coming to the conclusion that have more funds and noise than actual followers. Most people do not go to sporting events with the intention of participating in a political rally. Also, groups like Puente tend to downplay or ignore the fairly obvious connections between illegal immigrants(Mexican border) and the drug cartels that make their journeys feasible. In addition, the relationship frequently does not end when the illegals cross the border. Illegals represent an amorphous group of people whose origins, attitudes, as well as their general state of health is a huge question mark. Not even a cursory screening process occurs when people sneak in. Finally, people aside from the HIspanics are crossing our border with Mexico to the south, and I.C.E. seems to be practically oblivious to it.

Worry01 on July 12, 2011 at 3:33 am

It not justice.

Dan K. on July 12, 2011 at 5:13 am

Nothing wrong with backpedaling if you confess your mistake. If you backpedal to avoid heat, you’re a coward. Maybe Gonzalez fits the later.

Truth on July 12, 2011 at 8:28 am

The STFU poster is one of my all time favorites. I’m glad DS uses it.

Now to take the modern model of the guy in the helmet and put about two divisions of them (locked and loaded) along the border.

Alas there is no political will to do that–in the present administration nor previous administrations. Nor in Congress.

99.5 percent pure wimps.

RA2216 on July 12, 2011 at 8:51 am

I think it was more Selig telling the players union and the players union telling their players to STFU

Brian Cuban on July 12, 2011 at 9:30 am

So Adrian Gonzalez wasn’t aware of the exact bill of SB 1070, it’s ok if he disagree’s with the bill, but if your going to start to demagogue about the bill that was passed a year ago in order to PROTECT Arizona’s state border from Mexico’s border, then I lost respect for you.

I like MLB games, but truthfully I prefer NCAA Baseball a tad more over the MLB, just like I prefer NCAA Football a little over the NFL and I definitely prefer NCAA Basketball (both mens and womens) over the NBA and WNBA! I believe that all sports players from all levels of sports should keep their mouths shut about politics and leave it to themselves in their private lives. And I for one DO NOT believe in censorship, I believe in freedom speech/freedom of expression, etc. as the next person, but for once, leave politics out of sports! It’s kinda like people who are religious mixing their religious beliefs with their political thinking.

“A nation is defined by its borders, language & culture!”

Sean R. on July 12, 2011 at 11:51 am

Perfectly economical use of words and space. Well said.

Not Ovenready on July 12, 2011 at 12:49 pm

The facts are that Adrian Gonzalez probably has developed more leads on illegal immigration violators, scams, fraud, and intelligence than your average ICE/HSI agent, and probably the whole SAC office!

QTD on July 12, 2011 at 1:03 pm

Gonzalez will be MLB’s RBI leader this year. RBI meaning “Racially Biased Ignoramus”.

CornCoLeo on July 12, 2011 at 7:34 pm

Bah. Red Sox… should anybody be surprised? How many Curt Schillings can they have in one century?

Brian R. on July 13, 2011 at 2:15 pm

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