Bunning: Ban steroids users, By: Stephanie Steitzer
Cheaters not fit for Baseball Hall of Fame
Athletes who use performance-enhancing steroids should not be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame, U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning said Friday.
The Southgate Republican, himself a Baseball Hall of Fame member inducted in 1996, said Major League Baseball players who have admitted to using steroids should have their baseball records nullified.
Players "who cheated, disobeyed the rules," are not fit for the Hall of Fame, Bunning told guests at a Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce forum Friday afternoon.
After the forum, Bunning said eliminating steroid use in professional sports is important because an estimated 500,000 teenagers use steroids, likely as a result of seeing the use among professional athletes.
"They looked at the professional world and saw there were very few penalties," Bunning said during a meeting with The Post's editorial board. "If you stop it at the professional level, I think it will filter down."
Bunning's remarks came as the controversy over steroid use in baseball and other sports shows no signs of going away.
San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds is closing in on Hank Aaron's career home-run record as he is under investigation for using steroids. Floyd Landis, an American who initially won the Tour de France bicycle race, was stripped of the title after testing positive for steroids, and five-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones tested positive for steroids this summer at the U.S. Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis.
Bunning, a Major League pitcher for 17 years, has spoken out strongly about steroid use in baseball before. He testified in a congressional hearing last year where he said players who use illegal steroids are cheaters who have tarnished the reputation of the game and should be punished.
He also said if Major League Baseball doesn't crack down on use of the illegal drugs, Congress should consider repealing its antitrust exemption
Congress backed off from passing legislation after Major League Baseball and its Players Union reached an agreement to toughen rules relating to the use of steroids.
During the chamber forum and the editorial board meeting, Bunning discussed his position on a range of issues, from the war on terrorism to the Cincinnati Reds:
Terrorism: Bunning called for Republicans and Democrats to work together to fight terrorists. "This war is a war against fascist, radical Muslim terrorists and it shouldn't be divisive or partisan in any way. The terrorists that struck on 9-11 and earlier this month don't care whether people they attack are a certain race, religion or political affiliation."
Energy policy: As a member of the Senate Energy Committee, Bunning said he is focused on pushing for greater use of ethanol and transforming coal to a liquid fuel. He is particularly interested in helping Kentucky farmers who were formerly dependent on tobacco crops begin growing soybeans and corn for the ethanol process.
The November elections and the Fourth Congressional District race between incumbent Republican Geoff Davis and Democrat Ken Lucas: "If the elections were held today, we would hold the majority in the Senate. I cannot say the same about the House."
Bunning said he expects Davis to beat Lucas, but the margin would be close - between 3 to 5 points.
"I don't think he's in trouble, but I think it will be competitive."
The economy: "The economy is not as good as everybody thinks it is," he said.
Bunning said he believes the Federal Reserve has not succeeded in growing the economy through its continued adjustment in interest rates. "I am not confident in the Fed," he said. "I think they overshot."
The Cincinnati Reds: "A miracle has occurred," he said.
Bunning said he thinks the Reds could win the division title, in part because St. Louis is pitching worse than Cincinnati.
He praised new Reds owner Bob Castellini, although carefully noted that he wasn't disparaging past owners.
"Bob Castellini is as competitive as anyone I've ever met," he said.
