When Sidney Ponson first reached the big leagues in 1998, the Orioles could see greatness in his future, but they needed a high-powered telescopic lens.
So, in that way, watching Ponson turn into a dominant pitcher this season has been a bit like tracking Halley's comet.
The anticipation has been there for years, with brief flashes on the horizon, and now the comet is in its full glory, visible even to the naked eye.
In a matter of weeks, however, the comet could be long gone.
Orioles bullpen coach Elrod Hendricks pondered that thought recently. At the age of 26, Ponson is enjoying his best season at 8-3 with a 3.80 ERA. But he'll be a free agent at season's end, and many baseball insiders predict the Orioles will deal him for prospects before the July 31 trade deadline.
"I would be disappointed if he leaves," Hendricks said. "I said it years ago, that he'd probably mature when he's 27, 28 years old. It's still a learning process for him because he never had to pitch until he got to the big leagues.
"He was a thrower, which a lot of guys from the [Caribbean] Islands are. You just dominate by blowing balls by people. Now he's got an idea how to pitch."
Ponson is from Aruba and Hendricks from St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands, so they share a kindred spirit. Hendricks has seen subtle changes in Ponson this season, beyond the obvious difference in his won-lost record.
In Ponson's first start, that flash of light disappeared, as the Boston Red Sox pounded him for five runs in a nightmarish third inning. At one point, Orioles pitching coach Mark Wiley went to the mound for a pep talk, and Ponson turned his head, as if to say, "Don't bother. I'm not listening."
Ponson kept firing fastballs, and the Red Sox kept hitting them, until Orioles manager Mike Hargrove yanked him from the game. The coaching staff let Ponson simmer for a while, before pointing out the obvious error in his ways.
"I told him, `I don't ever want to see that again,' " Hendricks said. "I said, `I was embarrassed, and you should be, too.' "
Murray weighs in
Another person who saw the Ponson-Wiley incident was Eddie Murray, the Cleveland Indians' hitting coach who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next month as an Oriole.
Several days later, when the Orioles went to Cleveland, Murray pulled Ponson aside.
