they sid it

ponson pronouncements from around the cardblogosphere:

mo boiler at the birdwatch: "This has at least a little bit of potential to be a decent move. If Ponson gives up the booze and settles down for a while, if he doesn't suck as gloriously as he has the past two seasons (he's only 29, he shouldn't be regressing), and if the undisclosed terms he signed for are around a tenth of what the Orioles were supposed to pay him this season, he might actually be a decent pickup who could eat some innings in a Suppan-esque fashion. And Duncan's history with castoffs hasn't been too bad."

rob h, in a comment to the same post: "The risk here is that Anthony Reyes spends three months in Memphis while LaRussa makes a big show of confidence in Ponson as Sir Sidney sucks. Reyes might be the Cardinals' second-best starter in 2006 and he'll be stuck behind a guy who probably deserved little more than an NRI."

the diaspora: "Given the size of the question mark hovering over Ponson's head, I have a stronger inclination to think that they'll wait and see how he does before shipping out a known commodity like Marquis. If things work out okay, Marquis or Suppan gets shipped out in July for an outfielder. Reyes then assumes a starting role with the added benefit of adjusting to the majors in half a season."

cardnilly with an angle i haven't seen elsewhere: "Sir Sidney fits in the pattern WJ has established over the last several years in that he's an extreme ground ball pitcher -- his 1.82 G/F ratio last year would have been 10th in the majors if he had enough innings to qualify... (His 1.63 mark was 18th in the majors in 2004, and his 1.69 in 2003 was 16th overall. This stat seems to be Walt's equivalent of Billy Beane's OBP, and I'm a little stunned no one has really picked up on it. This is worthy of a post for later...). The watchword is still cautious optimism, though I wish the contract as reported was a little less burdensome -- easier to get away from. Still, it could be much worse."

i bleed card'l red: "I'm bewildered by this signing, I really am. I always thought that one of the things that Jock and Tony looked for in players was character. True, there have been a couple of headcases on the team in the last few years (Tavarez, to name one), but the team, as a whole, has measured up to that image. And now, they're bringing in a guy who literally just got out of jail in his native Aruba for punching a judge."

and from elsewhere:

rotoworld: "More good news for Astros, Cubs and Brewers fans if the Cardinals put Ponson into the rotation and send Anthony Reyes back to the minors. Sure Ponson is the type of pitcher Dave Duncan tends to have success with, but he's not outperforming Reyes."

hot stove report: "he's had his troubles, and been goofed on...but people that have seen ponson are raving about how fit and focused he is since leaving rehab for alcohol abuse...and for the cardinals to take a shot on him, it says a lot, since the cards are known for avoiding players with baggage..."

deadspin: "We know it hasn't been the most productive offseason for our beloved St. Louis Cardinals, and we feared they would, in the face of growing public criticism in the face of a new stadium, make a rash deal just to say they're doing something. But jeez: We didn't think they'd start paying guys by the pound."

baseball musings: "Maybe Dave Duncan can work a miracle. Or maybe the incentives will work. Losing $10 million a year might be enough of a wakeup call for Ponson."

camden chat: "The Cardinals have signed our all-time favorite Oriole, Mr. Hard-work himself, Sidney Ponson to a one-year deal. Good luck with that. . . . .I'm kind of surprised the Cards would take a stab at him, but in the National League he may have a better time of it than he did in the AL. Who knows. I fully expect him to resurrect his career so that all the sports columnists can laugh at us, because that's the way it always goes for us."