Before getting into the meat of the discussion today I should acknowledge the fact that its been close to four months since posting anything in this space.  In that time we have seen the Saints win their first Super Bowl, a fantastic Winter Olympics (despite the tragic death of the luger), capped off by the one of the greatest hockey games of my life, the conclusion of a college basketball season I refuse to acknowledge ever happened, the beginning of Major League Baseball, the return of Tiger Woods, and more importantly another Masters championship for Phil Mickelson.

Why, you may ask, have I been silent since January?  Some of it had to do with studying for an insurance exam in early March (I passed).  But since the test most of it has to do with laziness.  My apologies.

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Until yesterday I was no fan of Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver.  This is not because of him as a person.  It is strictly because of the way he chose to run his basketball team.  Over the past six years Sarver has consistenly sold draft picks and refused to sign or resign crucial players.  These penny-pinching decisions have sabotaged the Suns chances, ensuring they were just good enough not to win the western conference.  In the process he has essentially wasted the best years of my favorite player, Steve Nash.

But today and for the foreseeable future Robert Sarver is one of my favorite people in sports.  By now everyone is familiar with the absurd anti-immigrant law in Arizona. Tonight, for Game 2 of their series against the San Antonio Spurs, being played in Phoenix, the Suns will wear their special jerseys that read "Los Suns" in a show of support for the hispanic community that has been targeted by this racist and fearmongering law.  Sarver gave his team the chance to vote on whether or not to wear these uniforms and the team voted yes.  Here is what Sarver said in a news release from the team:

"Our players and organization felt that wearing our 'Los Suns' jerseys on Cinco De Mayo was a way for our team and our organization to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation."

Unlike so many people in the sports world with the platform to speak out who choose not to do so, Sarver has.  And he should be commended.  He did this without knowing the repurcussions it may have on his business and that is a legitimate concern.  Recent polls have suggested that up to 70% of Arizonans support this law and you have to believe that there will be more than a few people in his seats tonight that are among that 70%.  But he felt that  as the owner of a team in a city with a major hispanic population it was the right thing to do.  In his press release he went on to say:

"The frustration with the federal government's failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in the passage of a flawed state law.  However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them."

It is extremely rare to see an owner take such a puclic political stance and that is why I feel so strongly that Sarver be commended.  I am also proud of the Suns players for not shying away from this issue of such great attention, both national and even more local.

I have heard multiple people say today that sports and politics should not mix.  That's just the easy way out for people who don't want to offend anyone on any side of an argument.  That's their choice and it has to be respected to some degree as well.  But athletes are among a rare group of people in this world with a vast platform and they owe it to themselves and the causes for which they believe to speak up when they feel strongly enough.  Does anyone believe it would do real harm to the relationship between fan and team?  Does anyone think that the Suns fans at tonight's game who are in favor of this new law will root for the Spurs because of the Suns jerseys?  I guess here would be a good place to mention that many Spurs players said that had there been enough time to make the jerseys, they would have gladly worn "Los Spurs" across thier chests tonight.

My loyalties to the New York Yankees are well documented and acknowledged.  I accept the fact that some of those guys, though I am not sure who, are Republicans.  My general feelings toward Republicans are also well documented and acknowledged.  Its not going to have an effect on how I root for the Yankees.  Would I rather my favorite players were politically like-minded?  Of course.  But I have friends and family members with whom I vehemently disagree about politics and we get along just fine.  If I find out that Mark Teixeira voted for McCain I'm still hoping he hits a home run in his next at bat.

These are politically emotional times in our country and I understand why high profile people don't always want to speak out.  Lots of money is at stake.  That's why Robert Sarver and the Phoenix Suns deserve so much credit for voicing their opposition to the immigration law.  They said what they believe.  Sounds simple, but never really happens.

When given the chance, sports can help push politics in the right direction.  We've seen it happen before and will again.  All it takes is the for someone to swing at the pitch.

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I do appreciate the fact that there is a major illegal immigration problem in Arizona and why some people in that state would tell me that I have no idea what I'm talking about and to shut the hell up.  It would be a fair point.  All I'm saying to the good people of Arizona is there has to be a better way than this.  There just has to be.

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