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Diamondbacks: Don’t blame us for AZ immigration law

Protesters are expected to be at tonight's Diamondbacks-Marlins game at SunLife Stadium, but the group arguing against Arizona's controversial new immigration law is barking up the wrong tree: the D-Backs ownership has already spoken out against the law. In other news, Bud Selig makes a fool of himself while discussing the issue.

Protesters are expected to be at tonight's Diamondbacks-Marlins game at SunLife Stadium, but the group arguing against Arizona's controversial new immigration law is barking up the wrong tree: the D-Backs ownership has already spoken out against the law.

It's hard to say how many protesters from the Florida Immigrant Coalition, the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami, the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, the ACLU, the National Immigration Law Center and the NAACP will actually show up — after all, how many folks go to a Marlins game on a Monday night? — but there will probably be enough to make an impact. The reason the Diamondbacks are being targeted: team owners have contributed to Republican causes in the state, and the law was backed by and signed into law by Republications.

The D-Backs acknowledge the contributions but take great pains to distance themselves from the law. When passed, the team issued this statement after the players union came out against the law:

"We…share the same concerns of the impact Arizona's immigration law will have on Major League players. However, we believe the federal government should act swiftly to address the immigration issue once and for all. We certainly are well aware of the struggles our state has due to federal inaction on illegal immigration. The fallout of recent state legislation has a direct impact on many of our players, employees and fans in Arizona, not to mention our local businesses, many of which are corporate partners of ours. Unfortunately, this whole situation is sad and disappointing for all of us who are associated with the Arizona Diamondbacks. We remain hopeful that this situation can be resolved in a manner that does not cause harm to our great state."

In other immigration-law news, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig continues to brush aside requests to move the 2011 All-Star Game from Chase Field. In typical Bud fashion, he manages to sound like a complete ass while doing so:

"Apparently all the people around and in minority communities think we're doing OK. That's the issue, and that's the answer," he said. "I told the clubs today: 'Be proud of what we've done.' They are. We should. And that's our answer. We control our own fate, and we've done very well."

Apparently Bud missed out on Saturday night's Civil Rights Game, where Frank Robinson had a few choice words about how minorities — specifically, black managers — are treated in baseball. If he had. he would not say all the people in minority communities think the game is doing OK.

RELATED STORIES: Arizona immigration issue impacts baseball

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