Senator Jim Bunning is not a Stephen Strasburg fan

Evidently, you’re not being a good politician this week unless you’re commenting on pitchers . Just yesterday, a Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate questioned Curt Schilling’s bloody sock story. And while he later retracted some of his harsh words, he no doubt sent a message that there’s no such thing as “bad publicity”.

But Senator Jim Bunning? Nah, he’s just one of those guys who don’t give a damn. Politico.com quoted him as saying he’s quite disappointed that rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg has used his shoulder injury to hold him out of the lineup.

“Five-hundred twenty starts, I never refused the ball,” Bunning, a Kentucky senator who hurled a perfect game in 1964 and struck out 2,855 batters in his Major League career, told POLITICO. “What a joke!”

Bunning had taken an interest in Strasburg, who like the Kentucky senator is a fire-ball hurling right-hander. The senator has seen the Nationals ace four times and was at the ballpark Tuesday night, he said.

But he clearly didn’t like what he saw – or rather didn’t see – when the youngster didn’t take the mound.

“My arm!” Bunning sarcastically cried as he pretended to clutch his shoulder in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

This isn’t the first time Bunning has immersed himself in controversy. After voting against a bridge loan for auto companies back in 2008, Bunning thought it would be a swell idea to then sign autographs in the heart of UAW country outside of Detroit. Thankfully, someone on Bunning’s staff realized his life would have been in jeopardy and cancelled the trip.

As for his current dilemma with the Nationals phenom–I think it’s fair to say he won’t be having Sunday dinner with the Strasburg’s anytime soon.

Jim Bunning brushes back Stephen Strasburg [Politico]

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