This is interesting. Jon Amato’s boycott Arizona MLB push is making some waves.
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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.
But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.
Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.
The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.
Nothing worth doing is easy.
… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP
If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.
They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.
Second rate reporter says what?
Bark louder, little dog.
Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.
I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.
It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.
Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.
When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?
You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.
We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.
Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.
JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?
Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.
So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.
When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.
“Squeaker” McCarthy
Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.
Zifnab
Is that a tingle I feel, going up my leg? Perhaps the faint whiff of Aqua Velva?
Oh wait. Wrong Hardball.
Culture of Truth
and New York wants an ice Super Bowl bowl.
Why not?
skippy
good for john.
Culture of Truth
NY Post:
The Mets have worn the Los Mets jerseys in select games since 2006, have a Spanish language website, losmets.com, and in 2005 hired Omar Minaya as MLB’s first Hispanic general manager, some activists have called on them to register a protest as the Suns did. According to a team official, the Mets will wear “Los Mets” jerseys during two home games this season as previously scheduled, but will not don the uniforms for either of their two series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Bill E Pilgrim
@Culture of Truth: I hope those uniforms have pockets for ID, that’s the main thing. I can just see “Officers explained that they saw a latino man running suspiciously in a field and detained him for questioning, and when he couldn’t produce proof of citizenship…”
jibeaux
I put it at “unlikely, but wouldn’t it be awesome?”
If the law has already cost Arizona $10 mil or so, moving the All-Star Game would make it, oh, another $150 mil more.
Vamonos!
Sue
Can players individually refuse to play in the All-Star game, or are they contractually required to play if chosen? All it would take would be one or two big names bowing out.
How about an advertiser’s boycott?
Persia
@Culture of Truth:
I think they should. With an extra button that says ‘go ahead and arrest me.’
Napoleon
@Sue:
I don’t know but the manager of the White Sox has already said he will not go if he is chosen to be on the AL staff (other then by virtue of his team making the WS).
Eric S.
@Sue: Players frequently do not participate in the game siting either injury or the need for rest. I think they typically do show up to the venue though.
jibeaux
For what legal nitpicking is worth, even if they are contractually obligated to go — which I don’t know — they can still refuse to go. As a remedy for breach of contract, forcing someone onto a plane is frowned upon.
Silver Owl
I’m seeing things on my facebook feed supporting the boycott and some saying boycott “LA not Arizona” too. It’s getting attention with the average citizens too.
The Grand Panjandrum
If this isn’t good news for John McCain, then nothing ever will be!
Q: What’s the best thing to ever come out of Arizona?
A: I-40.
SiubhanDuinne
Tangentially related, Tim James in Alabama expands on his “American English only” position:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe-W4K6JVAw&feature=youtube_gdata
(Funny stuff, safe for most work.)
Steve Finlay
My employer has a “diversity council”. I sent the council this e-mail. If you work in an employer that has an official policy about diversity, feel free to plagiarize.
“(name of employer’s) respect for and acceptance of diversity is a valuable quality, and one which all of us as employees can strongly appreciate. It enriches and improves our workplace, as well as enabling (name of employer) to attract the best possible employees regardless of ancestry or background.
In alignment with our commitment to diversity, I am asking the Diversity Council to present what may be a challenging recommendation to the (name of employer) executive. This proposed recommendation is:
That (legal name of employer) and all its subsidiaries will NOT purchase any travel, hospitality, event-related or other services in the state of Arizona, until such time as the recent changes to Arizona’s immigration laws have been revoked; and further that (legal name of employer) will inform the state of Arizona in writing of this policy.
The reasons for this position, which is clearly a boycott, should be obvious. The recent Arizona immigration law will clearly be racist in its application. Not only that, but it also is a direct attack on basic individual rights which are nothing less than the foundation of civilization and of the rule of law. By taking this position, we at (name of employer) can demonstrate the strength and integrity of our commitment to diversity and to the fundamental principles of justice.
stuckinred
@Napoleon: Yea but if Ozzie is the manager by virtue of the Sox winning the pennant he will go.
Ash Can
@Napoleon:
@stuckinred:
It may not be a bad thing for Ozzie to be there. One thing he would not do is keep his mouth shut and his opinions to himself, so in the event this law actually does go into effect (it seems to me it doesn’t go into effect until 90 days after signing) and is still in effect at the time of the 2011 ASG, he’d be a very good bet to stir up some pretty good shit.
SiubhanDuinne
@stuckinred:
hahahahahahahahahahaha, stuckinred made a funny
/I should talk Braves fan
bago
Base-runners with a button that said “You just know I’m going to steal” would be hilarious.
Joel
If I’m a GM in the majors, I’m talking to Gerardo Parra’s agent. Juan Guitierrez’s, too.
AxelFoley
@jibeaux:
Vamonos! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!
Oops, got carried away. My niece watches Dora the Explorer and that song is catchy.
eemom
speaking of Arizona, conservatives everywhere are snickering over McCain’s “build the danged fence” ad.
What’s truly amazing is the emmessemm bobblebots like Milbank and Tweety who continue to express surprise that the guy who would have put Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency has NO PRINCIPLES AT ALL. No Virginia, there isn’t a Maverick.
r€nato
OT: If you want to have a good laugh, go to your local newspaper’s website and read the comments on today’s story about Hawaii’s governor signing into law the bill which allows the state to ignore repeat/duplicative requests for Obama’s birth certificate.
AxelFoley
@bago:
ROFL!
geg6
@SiubhanDuinne:
Get real. The Pittsburgh Pirates are and probably will forever be the worst team in baseball. At least as long as the Nuttings own them, that is.
You know it’s bad when the fans are cheering for them to break the record for most games lost in a season. Last year, they broke the record for most number of losing seasons in a row. At least they hold a record for something!
Let’s go Bucs!
Jim C
In 1979, the St. Louis Cardinals’ shortstop Garry Templeton was chosen as a reserve, despite the fact that he thought he had a far superior season than the starter chosen. He lit the sportswriting world ablaze with his epigram, “If I ain’t startin’, I ain’t departin’!”
And he didn’t go.
Joel
One other thing, players can definitely sit out of the allstar game, for whatever reasons they choose. Typically that reason is injuries or rest, and it’s far more common in the NBA, but MLB players can definitely sit out if they choose. A lot of them have a financial incentive not to (because their contracts include allstar bonuses). That is part of the reason for higher participation rates. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.
ChockFullO'Nuts
According to Pew, voter turnout in 2008 was White, about 65%, Hispanic, about 49%. That gap will not get the job done. Republicans calculate that an energized base on their side trumps Hispanic population growth, especially when Hispanic voters appear to be reluctant to get out and vote. And when Hispanic reaction to SB1070 is to go on tv (as one was doing about ten minutes ago on CNN, from a studio about 5 blocks from where I sit) calling the Arizona lawmakers “nazis” …. that kind of silly rhetorical nonsense is not going to get Hispanic voters to the polls. That’s dumb blogspeak, not a message that is going to pump up Hispanic turnout.
Clear messages about what Dems have to offer those voters in terms of candidates and policies might get the voters out. Heated rhetoric, it seems to me, is more likely to make Hispanics run away … to your state … than to run to the polls here and try to effect a correction, especially when the Republicans are organized and message-oriented, while Dems and Hispanics are disorganized, leaderless and without a clear and effective set of messages to voters.
Combine that with Mormon and machine GOP control of the legislature, and a gerrymandered district map that ensures the GOP hold on the statehouse, and I don’t think the politics here are going in the right direction.
Also keep in mind that Arizona is leading a charge here. Other states are learning from what is happening here and planning to follow suit. Republicans think they have a winner in the vacuum of leadership around border and immigration issues. This fight could be coming to a theater near you.
Also, those of you in the Phoenix area can come to the Drinking Liberally session tonight at George and Dragon on Central. At least one Dem senate candidate is expected to be there to talk about how we might unseat the evil John McCain.
kommrade reproductive vigor
And the fRighties will declare baseball is Un-American in 5…4…3…
DanF
I’m having beautiful visions of George Will crying in his Wheaties at the injustice being done to sacred game of baseball.
MattR
(link)
SiubhanDuinne
@geg6: @geg6:
Oh yeah? Oh YEAH?? I don’t see Pittsburgh mentioned in THIS article: Atlanta is No. 2 on Forbes’ ‘miserable sports cities’ list
Seattle tops the list. Then, it’s Atlanta, followed by Phoenix, Buffalo and San Diego.
Cleveland, Washington, Kansas City, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Houston round out the list of ten.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-is-no-2-525763.html?cxntlid=sldr_hm
mistersnrub
Palin dissed my high school because they decided not to send our women’s basketball team to AZ. She said, “Keeping the girls’ basketball team off the court for political reasons? Those are fighting words.” Damn straight them’s fightin’ words! This time it’s PERSONAL Palin!
(BTW, there is a sizable Hispanic population of students at HPHS. I assume a few are on the team)
Roger Moore
@Sue:
Players aren’t required to play if selected. A few players every year will bow out because they want to rest nagging injuries or spend more time with their families. Some players have already threatened to boycott the game if selected.
jibeaux
@AxelFoley:
I like “I’m the Map”. For those without kiddos, the complete lyrics are:
Which just means I unnecessarily let a complete lack of creativity be a barrier to a carrier in show bizness.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
@DanF:
Fixed.
AxelFoley
@mistersnrub:
Did she complain about the schools that wouldn’t air President Obama’s address to students earlier in the school year?
Bill E Pilgrim
@SiubhanDuinne: That was pretty funny but the real guy has a far stronger accent, which was one of the funniest aspects of the original for me.
“Hah. Here in Alabama, we spu-aeke Anglush.”
I could hear Lucy in my head saying “That’s English?”
Nothing wrong with regional accents, but getting so high and mighty while speaking in such a thick one was just extra comedic.
QDC
@jibeaux:
The backpack, of course, carries the map.
Still beats Wonderpets.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
@SiubhanDuinne:
I feel sorry for the Bucs and I say that as a Nats fan.
The comparison between ownerships, ie, Bucs and Stillers, shows how shitty ownership dictates the franchise.
eemom
@ChockFullO’Nuts:
I don’t live in Arizona, but I’m curious, since I would SOOOOOO love to see McCain go down: wouldn’t the best chance for that be if Hayworth won the primary? Do y’all have an “open primary” system there where you can pull a Rush Limbaugh and vote for Hayworth? (I think it was Rush who recommended that tactic to republicans in ’08).
edmund dantes
OT, but truly chilling video to watch.
Link to story and video
Different version
Cop is on trial for assault with only a max of 11 years. Guy is paralyzed from the shot. Luckily he survived.
Ash Can
@SiubhanDuinne:
Atlanta? Whose team is the Braves? Who made 14 consecutive appearances in postseason play through the 1990s into the aughts? Which stands as not only an MLB record but a pro sports record? And which is part of a record of one world championship, 5 pennants, and 16 playoff appearances since only 1966?
Forbes is on crack.
valdivia
More interesting–to me–and something very little attention is being paid to: Univision is taking the lead in making immigration a huge issue with the hispanic community. They are having a town hall on friday during prime time and a poll commissioned by them is coming out too. something to keep an eye on.
Cacti
As a huge MLB fan, I can almost guarantee that Bud Selig will not move the All Star game because he’s a giant tool box.
Now, teams moving out of the Cactus League OTOH, that may gain some traction.
ET
@SiubhanDuinne:
Wow he is going to be in trouble with that. I spent 4 years at UofA in Tuscaloosa and some of the native borns barely speak English……
If Selig doesn’t cancel I wonder, will Hispanic players just say “fuck that shit” and sit the game out? considering how many players (and those that would be close to getting picked for this) are Hispanic it could make for an interesting game. And those that do decided to go better bring ID to show.
Ash Can
@mistersnrub: I saw that. I wonder what Palin’s BFF Mark Kirk has to say to his North Shore constituents about that today.
Roger Moore
@AxelFoley:
No. See, when the President asked to talk to school students, that was politicizing the schools, so the anti-Obama backlash was about protecting our schools from politics. Refusing to go to Arizona is adding politics to a completely non-political situation, so speaking out against it is still fighting against politicizing our schools.
Martin
@Persia: Actually, they should wear buttons that say “If you don’t try and arrest me, I’ll sue the state. Either way you lose.”
A. N. Ymous
Hi:
I’m anonymous because I’m so embarrassed. In the last 3 or 4 years, I’ve bought 10 acres (beautiful hill with live oak, agave, yucca, fox, mule deer, quail, and 40 and 50 mile views) and spent close to $50,000 on building a winter camp in, (wait for it, ba-da-bing) Arizona!
My district out there actually elected a Democratic congresswoman!
Now I feel like a fool. What do I do? I’m 40,000 away from being able to move in and 3 years away from being able to sell. Not to mention that I’ve busted A** building the thing.
We were so pleased to have found a hill side overlooking the Sonoran desert, with trees and everything, which are really unusual in teh desert and all. Here in WV it gets SO Bleak in the winter, sleet, freezing rain, cloudy every day. In AZ the winters are cold up where our property is (5500 feet!) but the sky is blue and the sun shines all day every day.
Now what?
Yech! Screwed by the Rs again!
Me, in WV
someguy
As has been noted, this issue isn’t going to go away until the general attitude in the U.S. changes from “enforcement now, enforcement forever.” Immigration restrictions are racist, period. So it’s nifty to bash Arizona for having a law that looks a lot like Federal law, but you may want to keep in mind that Feds and a fair number of state & local jurisdictions do exactly the same thing, on the down low.
And as for baseball… if they had any nuts whatsoever, the teams would refuse to play the D-Backs. Nobody in pro sports has any nuts though, so expect to see lots of handwringing, followed by some empty gestures.
Ps. None of the players want to play in the All Star game anyhow. It’s three days they could be spending at home, or with three prostitutes and six cases of beer.
Mark S.
@Ash Can:
They are going by making the playoffs a lot but not winning many championships. I would think Cleveland would top the list by that criteria, but they are counting those NFL titles they won in the 50’s. They should factor in how recent those titles were.
I’m also surprised Phily didn’t make the list.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
@Ash Can:
Forbes probably remembers that during that time frame, oftentimes Atlanta had trouble selling out playoff games.
Not a reflection on the franchise’s longstanding excellence.
@Cacti:
This.
The only way he’ll move the game is if it appears that holding it there will reflect poorly down the road on his tenure as the
Head Tool, Commissioner. That might happen if enough interest groups and the sports “intelligentsia” combine with every Latin player in MLB to say “this is wrong, we’re not going”.Bud’s very concerned about how he’ll be viewed by baseball history.
geg6
@SiubhanDuinne:
Well, of course Atlanta sucks for sports and Pittsburgh would never make a list like that just on the “strength” of the Pirates.
Not when we have the Steelers, the Penguins, and the Pitt Panthers. ;-)
Corner Stone
@QDC:
I want to meet the demented twist that created Max & Ruby. That may be the most disturbing kid show I’ve run across.
Max is clearly a sociopath.
Max Peck
The whole point of this stupid law is to create a controversy heading into the midterms. My state is getting ripped so the Republicans can ride a wedge issue. Politics fucking sucks. The law doesn’t address the problem and we’re getting ridiculed and bankrupted to boot. To top it off I’m surrounded by idiots who don’t realize their anger is being used. They think they’re finally being heard.
stuckinred
@Ash Can: Yea and they draw what now? Atlanta sucks cept for them Dawgs over here in Athens!
jibeaux
@ET:
I’m not especially optimistic about this either, only because professional athletes are notorious for ranking money, money, and money as their top three interests. They do not tend to want to take controversial stands, even correct controversial stands. But I’m hopeful that at least some will.
Mark S.
@Cacti:
Selig is a tool. The funniest thing was watching how uncomfortable he was when Bonds was breaking the home run record. Bud didn’t mind when all those roided up players were putting asses in the stands after the lockout.
Cacti
@Ash Can:
I’d say it’s based on the fact that between the Braves, Falcons, Hawks and Thrashers, there have been 138 professional sports seasons in Atlanta, and 1 total championship to show for it.
jibeaux
@QDC:
Well, when they work together they’ve got the right stuff!
I’m actually a fan of PBS offerings. Word Girl is a very good little show, and Curious George is adorable.
Cacti
@Max Peck:
Boycotts aside, this law will cost the state a ton of money to enforce. Sending the undocumented to jail for 6 months a pop is going to be very costly…
And this in a state that already can’t afford to keep the crappers open along the highways, and is 49th in education spending.
YellowJournalism
@mistersnrub: I would personally consider it an honor that I would have done something that goes against everything Palin stands for.
A Guest
@Corner Stone: Unlike, say, Tom, Jerry, or Wile E. Coyote?
jibeaux
@A. N. Ymous:
I’m not entirely clear what your options are. It sounds like, regardless of the legislation in Arizona, that it’s a vacation property in limbo right now. Clear it up a little?
geg6
@comrade scott’s agenda of rage:
Exactly. I wish a coalition of Rooneys and Mario Lemieux would just offer the Nuttings whatever it would take to get them the hell out of town and bring some decent ownership to that club. The Pirates have never had good ownership, but, man, the Galbreaths look like geniuses next to the Nuttings.
phoebes-in-santa fe
@mistersnrub: Just curious, what highschool in what state are you referring to?
YellowJournalism
@Corner Stone: My mother-in-law used to blame that show every time my nephew did something bad. She kept blaming this “Max”, and I had no clue what the hell she was talking about, having never seen the show, so I kept wondering why my sister-in-law was letting my nephew go around this “Max” kid if he was such a bad influence. MIL finally explained it to me one day, and I realized the show had absolutely nothing to do with my nephew’s behavior. Because of this, the show holds a special place in my heart. And yes, Max is a bit of a sociopath, but his Grandma rules.
And I still say for freaky, there’s nothing that beats In the Night Garden, from the makers of The Teletubbies. There’s some messed-up things goign on in that show. I swear an episode dealing with dirt blotches transferring from one character to another was a metaphor for STD’s. Those Brits are fucked up.
Corner Stone
@A Guest:
Absolutely no contest.
Have you ever seen that little bastard? And his developmentally slow sister who’s left in charge of him seemingly 24/7.
Persia
@ET:
I hope all the Japanese players boycott too. They have accents, after all.
les
@SiubhanDuinne:
Since 2002, 12 MLB teams have started 11wins, 23 losses or worse. 7 of them were the Royals. I win!!!11!
Original Lee
@Steve Finlay: Done, with some editing to make it conform more to my style of writing. Thanks!
BenA
@Corner Stone:
If you had a sister like Ruby you’d be a a sociopath too.
Dr. Squid
Feh. Way to jump on that bandwagon late.
Amato’s a smarmy, gas can carrying hack.
mistersnrub
@phoebes-in-santa fe: Highland Park High School in Illinois.
Dr. Squid
Every show has the same plot. Older sister scolds little brother when he wants to have fun. Has fun anyway. Message: girls are humorless stick-in-the-mud harpies.
At least Wonder Pets has some sense of humor. The duck’s a smartass sometimes.
Dr. Squid
For truly screwed up, I give you Kai-Lan.
One of her best friends is LuLu. A pink rhino that floats around by a helium balloon tied to her horn with a neat little bow.
Do NOT watch while smoking something.
SiubhanDuinne
@Cacti:
Yes, that’s exactly it and was the point of the Forbes article (not that you could tell from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s scare headline).
Allan
Give Arizona back to Mexico. I wonder what that would do to Cindy McCain’s net effective tax rate? But at least poor Arizonans would finally join the first world and have access to health care.
YellowJournalism
@Dr. Squid: The koala bear friend with the unhealthy panda bear obsession is stranger. They got to meet a family of pandas in China, and I was disappointed one of the pandas wasn’t wearing koala slippers.
phoebes-in-santa fe
@mistersnrub: That’s what I figured out after reading some of the comments. I graduated from that HS in 1969 and lived in HP til I moved three years ago.
There is a large Hispanic population at the schools in Highland Park and Highwood, due to the large immigration to the area by Hispanics from Mexico and South and Central America.
ChockFullO'Nuts
@eemom:
I think this article addresses your question.
As far as I know Arizona law permits the “semi-closed” primary, where independents can vote in a party’s contests.
Frank L
In the Night Garden beats them all – it’s like TeleTubbies on acid
mclaren
Let me get this straight:
Cops murder innocent people, no outrage.
Cops murder innocent dogs, people go apeshit.
Both political parties condemn AZ for their anti-immigrant law, nobody cares.
Major league baseball starts a boycott movement against AZ for their anti-immigrant law, everybody goes apeshit.
Did I just land on Bizarro World?