The MLBA has finally issued a statement on Arizona's Gestapo like immigration law:
New York, NY, Friday, April 30, 2010 … The following statement was issued today by Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Michael Weiner regarding the immigration law recently passed by the state of Arizona.
“The recent passage by Arizona of a new immigration law could have a negative impact on hundreds of Major League players who are citizens of countries other than the United States. These international players are very much a part of our national pastime and are important members of our Association. Their contributions to our sport have been invaluable, and their exploits have been witnessed, enjoyed and applauded by millions of Americans. All of them, as well as the Clubs for whom they play, have gone to great lengths to ensure full compliance with federal immigration law.
“The impact of the bill signed into law in Arizona last Friday is not limited to the players on one team. The international players on the Diamondbacks work and, with their families, reside in Arizona from April through September or October. In addition, during the season, hundreds of international players on opposing Major League teams travel to Arizona to play the Diamondbacks. And, the spring training homes of half of the 30 Major League teams are now in Arizona. All of these players, as well as their families, could be adversely affected, even though their presence in the United States is legal. Each of them must be ready to prove, at any time, his identity and the legality of his being in Arizona to any state or local official with suspicion of his immigration status. This law also may affect players who are U.S. citizens but are suspected by law enforcement of being of foreign descent.
“The Major League Baseball Players Association opposes this law as written. We hope that the law is repealed or modified promptly. If the current law goes into effect, the MLBPA will consider additional steps necessary to protect the rights and interests of our members.
“My statement reflects the institutional position of the Union. It was arrived at after consultation with our members and after consideration of their various views on this controversial subject.”
Good for the players to speak out over this issue. Like so many athletes before them, they refuse to put themselves in the middle of a political debate, but this one really has consequences for them. I think the pressure we've all been putting on baseball so far is working. Keep it up.
I've also contacted the Angels' owner, Artie Moreno, who is from Arizona for comment and so far he is ducking me.
Here's more reaction from MLBers since non-U.S. players don't even bring their "papers" with them:
“There’s no distinguishing characteristic between an undocumented alien and someone who’s here legally,” said Glen Wasserstein, a partner with the Immigration Law Group in Washington. “How do you possibly have reasonable suspicion? Everybody of Hispanic orientation will be scrutinized.
“Why would you bring your passport and visa with you?”
Currently, players don’t. One major league executive said his team’s director of minor league operations collects the passports of foreign players and keeps them in a safe at the team’s minor league facility. The policy is in place so the teenage players don’t lose the paperwork, which includes a P Visa that the government issues to “internationally recognized entertainers or athletes.”
Nice, they don't even carry their "stinking papers." Also there's a push to have MLB move the 2011 All Star game out of Arizona until they change the law.
Remember, the NFL forced Arizona to recognize MLK Day in order to host a Super Bowl.
The league gave Arizona a provisional bid to host the Super Bowl in 1993 with one stipulation: Make Martin Luther King Jr. Day an official state holiday. Voters, put off by the request, rejected the plan. The NFL yanked the Super Bowl and didn’t return until 1996 – by which time the King vote had passed.
MLB is just pissed of because it's no longer the national pasttime. In fact, it now ranks number three behind football and racial profiling.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
having said that, I think it's pretty hypocritical of the MLBPA to take an aggressive stance on this. Major League baseball has for years turned a blind eye to immigration infractions, not the least of which is the lying by Latino players about their ages. If these players DID have to produce real birth certificates and passports, the truth about their ages would come out. What does it matter? Just ask the thousands of American ballplayers who have been passed over by pro teams for Latin players with the same skilss, but "younger", thereby more valuable.
Never made it to the bigs, huh big guy.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
Yeah, that's true. And probably didn't deserve to. But I'll explain what happened. Out of high school, I waa drafted by the Pirates, went to workout, and was told that I could sign, but the team had several catchers who were my age but better players. I met them, and they were definitely older than I was was, but claimed to be 17. I played at a Divison 1 college for 4 years, and when I went back to the Pirates, they said they liked my skills, but they had several catchers as good, and they were younger. Only they weren't. So I basically out screwed out a chance twice. Lying about age has been an accepted practice of Latin ballplayers for many years, and is just recently receiving the coverage it should. A recent example is Miquel Tejada a couple of years ago.
who was two years older than his stated age
however, mlb clubs are doing a better job on checking on records now
you couldve gone to an independent league...
nobody else drafted you?
my original point is that the MLB was being hypocritical with their press release.
I was drafted in 1969, and my choice was a college scholarship or to sign with the Pirates, who had already told me that they liked the Latin players better. After 4 years of college, I was told I was "too old" at the ripe old age of 22. Of course, there were plenty of Latin ballplayers claiming to be 17-18 who were really 21-22.
but lots of teams are drafting guys from university now...shortens the time they need in the minors
22 is not old for a catcher, although im sure they wouldve preferred you to be 20, as catching messes up legs and knees
nobody else drafted you in all those 4 years?
really, you couldve tried out for an indy league for a couple of summers...not great money, but scouts everywhere
and selig is a crook...so of course the mlb is hypocritical
This was 1969. Things are a lot different now. You're right, more players are being drafted from college these days. One reason is that there are a lot fewer minor leagues these days, with college kind of taking their place. But those players have the disadvantage of having to compete witrh foreign players who don't have to play by the same rules.
sure you are. "[H]aving said that" equals 'but.'
And try as I might, I could not find links that back up your claim about MLB.
me-oww!
I Googled this article 30 seconds ago.
http://www.bookofodds.com/Daily-Life-Activiti...
you could have easily included that link in your OP, since it only took you 30 seconds to find.
me-oww!
OP?
:P
me-oww!
But out of respect, I will.
Thanks. OP = Original Post or poster. Google actually works pretty well when used properly. When I wrote the first post and submitted it, I immediately went to Google, suspecting that someone would ask for verification. As I said, it took about 30 seconds, so I actually had it copied and ready to paste about the same time you put up your post. Timing
Try Googling Lying about age and Major Leagues
I already Googled. Not going to do it again.
me-oww!
Did you at least click on the link I provided?
you'll see i did. Not wanting to google and regoogle claims others have posted has nothing to do with open mindedness. It has a load to do with time wasting.
me-oww!
I read C&L everyday, and agree with probably 99 percent of the ideas posted here. I personally think its a "waste of time" to post my agreements with all the things I like. Whenever I dare to take an opposing position, tho, I'm attacked, often by you. What's up with that? Isn't a liberal, or progressive, which I claim to be, supposed to be open to different ideas?
Well if they make big bucks for some team owner, what's the big deal?
Just another one of the hundreds of unintended consequences of a knee jerk law written and signed by a bunch of racist reactionaries.
"Someday somebody related to some of these sufferers, these victims, these collaterally damaged souls, may try to kill you. And I have to tell you, I think you’ll have it coming." - Christopher Cooper
I'm just saying tha Major League baseball players SHOULD have to prove their age and idendity to make the millions that they do in the U.S.
Pro sports needs more integrity at all levels, in all sports. I didn't pursue a pro cycling career because of the bad money/drug scene in Europe that I witnessed directly while working for a Anglo-American pro team in 1970.
There's a facebook group called:
....... "Change the Law or Move the Game"
This is in reference to the All Star game scheduled to be played in Arizona.
Join - and don't leave the site without signing the petition.
*
They'd probably move it to Texas.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
Like I said before, there are enough local causes to cancel the season. We could boycott baseball because it is an elitist sport that is dominated by money, greed and has lost most of its meaning as a competitive sport...
You know what would be a great idea?
Wait until some prominent jerk-ass in AZ wanders into a county where the local sheriff doesn't like this law ... then ask to see their papers.
Most people don't carry birth certificate with them. Would be funny to see the governor or another supporter of this law deported ... y'know, since it isn't all about racial profiling ...
its my understanding that an American citizen has the absolute right to refuse to provide identification while in the U.S. So what's going to happen when Hispanic appearing American citizens are detained for exercising their constitutional rights?
So what's going to happen when Hispanic appearing American citizens are detained for exercising their constitutional rights?
1) Some GOP Politician will make some stupid ass statement regarding a person's personal appearance, and then retract it and replace it with an apology that's even more repulsive.
2) Rush Limbaugh will attack the ACLU.
3) The GOP will haul out Bobby Jindal as proof that they are not all racists.
4) Michelle Bachman will blame all of this on the census.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
the USSC in Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada that stop and identify laws are legal if they require reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. About half the states have them. Here is a link to a site that lists them.
"reasonable" and "criminal". There is absolutely nothing at all reasonable about suspecting everyone who isn't white and middle aged and driving a high end car may be an undocumented resident. And yet that's exactly what Arizona's Nazi law does. I'm all for taking away their statehood and returning them to a territory and taking away their rights as a state if this is the way they're going to shit on America.
it's reasonable suspicion that "everyone who isn't white and middle aged and driving a high end car may be an undocumented resident."
I can't think of any laws off hand that list what is reasonable suspicion for a certain crime. RAS is determined through the courts. For instance an anonymous call can't be used by itself to determine RAS. But if a LEO stops a car and smells a strong odor of MJ it is. The smell of alcohol in and of itself is not RAS for a DUI or Public intox but it is for Minor possession of alcohol.
And can you show me where in the Constitution it grants the Feds the power to take away their statehood? I know about the parts to admit a new state but nothing in there about kicking them out.
A prominent, wealthy non-illegal citizen is going to get rounded up in all up this chaos and it's gonna cause a big uproar.
Many, many latin players are in the league and I am sure have faced some discrimination of sorts. Some of it had come from the black American players, that are upset that Major League Baseball, they feel,is not putting enough money into recruiting American blacks. Truth is, many American blacks are more into football and basketball now. I am
black and have researched the issue.
not from the teams and certainly not from the fans
yes, the mlb has fallen way short in shoving the amount of money into inner cities that they have done into south and central america...but rules are different here in the states....you cant set up a baseball academy here and get away with what they do in south america
also, getting into the majors isnt the same as getting into pro basketball or football
in baseball very few go right from hs or college into the pros...you gotta pay your dues in the minors...and blacks know this
so if im a 2 or 3 sport guy, im gonna go for the sports that pay the most dividends the quickest
Here is a link to a pretty convincing study that tries to explain the decline of African American baseball players in the MLB.
http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~sauerr/seminar_pap...
It basically says that the number of American black players started to dwindle when the Majors found out they could get around labor laws by scouting and hiring underage players from Latin American countries.
I'd like to see the DBs move to Las Vegas for a few seasons.
If they don't , I agree they should have to show proof of age , I have heard the stories , have no idea how wide spread the problem is , it's in the minors / farm teams mostly from what I gather .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
Here's a link I posted earlier.
http://www.bookofodds.com/Daily-Life-Activiti...
In fact I saw a story on this a long time ago , I may be be mistaken but I believe it was on "60 minutes" , a long time ago as I said .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
I can see it now , a team comes to play the Diamondbacks in Arizona and a quarter of the visiting team is arrested and shipped south .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
i hate that sob
A Day without a Mexican? The economic fallout in Arizona should be interesting to watch. Having lived there for several years at two different times, I am quite sure that the people who are screaming loudest about this being a concept long overdue will feel the crunch probably sooner than later. Then they'll blame President Obama. Oh, and Clinton too. Not necessarily in that order.
How about "A Day Without a Baseball Player."? Kind of a boring movie. Seems everyone made it through their day just fine.
nt
every time you throw a little mud , you lose a little ground .
and they don't carry their papers they are breaking federal law.
8 USC Sec. 1304
(e) Personal possession of registration or receipt card; penalties
Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.
I thought this was about those Italians who snuck into the country after WWII to escape the wrath of the Italian people against the Mussolini supporters. Like that Joe Arpaio guy. And why hasn't Arpaio been arrested under this law yet? Has anyone seen his birth certificate? Passport? Green card? No they haven't! He sure doesn't look or act like a natural born or naturalized citizen to me. What's he hiding?
Make him show his birth certificate.
Wouldn't that be sumthin if he couldn't?:)
Ya know, lost or burned up in a fire or sumthin.
Hey, it could happen.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
that's THEIR law, not ours. there's a border between the 2 countries and a different set of laws that makes that suggestion illegal here. This is a Nation of Foreigners and Immigrants.
me-oww!
Everybody is bitching about the Fed Gov not enforcing the existing law.
Think Bush unfunded tax cuts. 8 years. Think Bush as Gov of Texas. Put it all together, and what do you have?
What is your conceptual, continuity?
Arizona senate bill 1070
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