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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 30, 2006 Ernie and Pat Bechler are shown with a picture of their son, Steve Bechler, the Baltimore Orioles pitcher who died three years ago in spring training at age 23. His death was linked to the herbal stimulant ephedra. Bechler family plans dinner to raise scholarship money Money gathered at the Feb. 17 event will be used to help a South Medford player By CHRIS CONRAD Mail Tribune The family of Medford native Steve Bechler is putting on a memorial dinner in the name of the late Baltimore Orioles pitcher, whose 2003 death was linked to sports supplement ephedra. The dinner will be held Feb. 17 — the third-year anniversary of Bechler’s death — at JJ North’s Grand Buffet, 1016 N. Riverside Ave., Medford. It’s open to everyone. Money collected at the fundraiser will go to a $1,000 scholarship for a South Medford High School baseball player. Any leftover funds funds will benefit Rogue Valley sports. "We are trying to keep (Steve’s) name alive," parents Pat and Ernie Bechler wrote in a letter to the Mail Tribune. "He showed hard work and believed in himself and his dreams." Scholarship candidates will be chosen by the South Medford High School scholarship committee and Bechler’s parents. Donations are payable to the Steve Bechler Scholarship Fund. Bechler, who pitched for South Medford, was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and left in June 1998 to attend his first spring training in Florida. According to his parents, he took ephedra to lose weight. Advertisement The herbal stimulant was linked to his fatal heatstroke. He was 23. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy said Bechler had a history of borderline high blood pressure and an abnormal liver. The medical examiner pointed out that ephedrine, the active substance in the ephedra plant, played a major role in the pitcher’s death. The incident brought attention to ephedra, which has been tied to more than 150 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes. The Bechlers testified before Congress in hopes of achieving a ban on ephedra. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration banned the supplement. "We want to save other parents the pain we have and still go through," the Bechlers said. "(Ephedra) is in our middle schools and high schools. And it affects both boys and girls." Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail Bechler family plans dinner to raise scholarship money ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement