Keep Jim Bunning US Senate Button and Jim Bunning pitcher Detroit Tigers card.

Bunning threw a change-up on Saturday night.

We admit a bit of surprise at Sen. Jim Bunning's (R-KY) announcement over the weekend that he indeed intends to run for a third term.

Given his feuds with his fellow Republicans and his relatively paltry campaign fund, the betting was that he would use Saturday night's party event to say he was retiring.

A nice piece on the race tomorrow on Morning Edition by NPR's Adam Hochberg. As it has always been the case with Bunning's political career, you can't escape his baseball connections. Here's Adam's closing graf:

Bunning HAS left open the possibility he could still decide not to run if he can't raise enough money. But the big right-hander never has been one to walk away from a challenge. As a ballplayer, he was known to start games on just two days' rest and was often among the season leaders in innings pitched. Now, as he nears the end of his political career, he seems equally reluctant to hand somebody else the ball.

Tags: On The Ballot