Sir Sidney Excommunicated From Texas

Former Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson was designated for assignment. Texas general manager Jon Daniels said Ponson, who was 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA, was sent away "for disrespecting teammates and club personnel."

Right-hander Sidney Ponson, who seemed to have his career back on track, was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers in a surprise move prior to Friday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Texas general manager Jon Daniels was vague about the reasons for the decision, saying Ponson had been dumped "for disrespecting teammates and club personnel."

"I'm not going to get into details other than to say that we're clearly trying to put together a team here in the true sense of the word … and based on recent comments and other such things, it was pretty clear that he didn't want to be part of that," Daniels said.

"That's not something we're going to tolerate. We want guys who want to be here, guys who are going to pull for their teammates and be proud of the organization."

Texas has 10 days to trade, release or outright Ponson to the minors. Daniels said Ponson had done nothing illegal and hadn't violated any club rules.

Ponson cleared out his locker and left the stadium several hours prior to the start of the game against Tampa Bay.

The Rangers signed Ponson, 31, as a minor league free agent on March 10, and the Aruba native began the season with triple-A Oklahoma. He was called up by the Rangers on April 26, and had been one of Texas' most successful starters, compiling a 4-1 record and 3.88 ERA for a pitching staff that began Friday last in the majors with a 5.09 ERA.

"The last thing you want to do is lose a starter who's given you reasonably consistent, quality outings," Daniels said. "But some things are more important than that."

Ponson's checkered career has included stops with six big league teams, four in the last three years.

Nice. Glad to see you've overcome your problems, Sid.


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