Ponson to serve five days in jail

[Pierzynski 12]

District Judge James Mann ordered Ponson to report to jail Tuesday, and he fined Ponson $500, plus court costs and fees totaling less than $60.

Mann noted Ponson had two previous drunken driving charges, one in 1996 in Maryland and one in January in Florida.

 

"In light of this, the court cannot conclude anything but that some jail time is needed," Mann said.

 

Ponson, 29, did not address the court except to tell Mann that he understood the proceedings and he left the courthouse without comment.

 

"Sidney deeply regrets any embarrassment to Peter Angelos, Mike Flanagan and the Orioles organization," Barry Praver, Ponson's agent and attorney, said after the hearing.

 

Maryland Transportation Authority Police arrested Ponson on Aug. 25 on Interstate 95 in Baltimore. Authorities said Ponson was stopped for tailgating. He was charged with driving under the influence and driving while impaired.

 

As part of an agreement with prosecutors, he entered a not-guilty plea Monday. After a statement describing the incident was read in court, Mann convicted Ponson of driving while impaired. The state declined to prosecute him on the second charge.

 

"It's my earnest hope that Mr. Ponson has gotten the message," Mann said.

 

Ponson spent 11 days in jail in his native Aruba stemming from a fight on a beach last Christmas Day.

 

The Orioles released him Sept. 2 for conduct violating terms of his contract.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5160962

[sayitaintso]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5160962

If he would check himself into AA and try to stop drinking so much he wouldn't have these problems.

[hi8is]

thats insane, 2 priors and he only gets fined 560 bucks???

 

i had a first time offence recently, got fined 1700 bucks, 3 days in jail (only served 1... ponson will only serve 2).... have to go to classes for 3 months which cost an additional 800 bucks

 

 

in f***ing sane.... shows how much cheeper everything here in california is.

[AddisonStSox]

You know what? f*** this guy.

 

You have an opportunity to play professional baseball for a living, coming from virtually nothing, and you piss it all away with drinking problems.

 

These guys don't belong in professional sports. I hope he doesn't catch on anywhere.

[RME JICO]

You know what?  f*** this guy.

 

You have an opportunity to play professional baseball for a living, coming from virtually nothing, and you piss it all away with drinking problems.

 

These guys don't belong in professional sports.  I hope he doesn't catch on anywhere.

 

I agree 100%. It kills me to see guys like this or Jamal Lewis making millions after serving jail time for felonies and such. Great role models!

[hi8is]

have to argue the point here guys....

 

 

as a fellow alcholic..... you must not understand

 

 

ITS A GENETIC f***ING DISPOSITION

 

 

its not like they, nor i... WANT to go out and drink the way we do....

 

 

 

its not like they, nor i are saying... HEY KIDS.... DRINK THE f*** UP!!!!!

 

 

 

whats really happening is...... more like..... hey everyone, i have a problem that controls EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE.... and i try to keep it under wraps.... but you know what..... i cant do it all the time just yet.... so i understand i messed up, punish me.... im sorry... and ill keep trying to do better.

 

 

 

just because someone has a serious personal and chemical dependancy problem dosent mean they should be bared from professional sports..... put away in jail for life..... shot in the f***ing head..... or exiled on an island.....

 

people like me and ponson are people too..... and people deserive equal oppertunity.....

 

 

 

 

 

and just for the record..... im not offended at all, just trying to illustrate a point.

[AddisonStSox]

have to argue the point here guys....

as a fellow alcholic..... you must not understand

ITS A GENETIC f***ING DISPOSITION

its not like they, nor i... WANT to go out and drink the way we do....

its not like they, nor i are saying... HEY KIDS.... DRINK THE f*** UP!!!!!

whats really happening is...... more like..... hey everyone, i have a problem that controls EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE.... and i try to keep it under wraps.... but you know what..... i cant do it all the time just yet.... so i understand i messed up, punish me.... im sorry... and ill keep trying to do better.

just because someone has a serious personal and chemical dependancy problem dosent mean they should be bared from professional sports..... put away in jail for life..... shot in the f***ing head..... or exiled on an island.....

 

people like me and ponson are people too..... and people deserive equal oppertunity.....

and just for the record..... im not offended at all, just trying to illustrate a point.

 

My thoughts are perfectly expressed by this week's South Park.

 

Stan: Dad, you don't have a disease! Just stop drinking! Cancer is a disease!

 

What an episode.

[sayitaintso]

My thoughts are perfectly expressed by this week's South Park.

 

Stan: Dad, you don't have a disease!  Just stop drinking!  Cancer is a disease!

 

What an episode.

That was a great episode.

[Steff]

You know what?  f*** this guy.

 

You have an opportunity to play professional baseball for a living, coming from virtually nothing, and you piss it all away with drinking problems.

 

These guys don't belong in professional sports.  I hope he doesn't catch on anywhere.

 

 

Just want to correct this.. Sidney's family is among one of the riches in Aruba. He did.. and I stress the word "did" play for the love of the game for a long time. Sadly.. some demons jolted his path.

[santo=dorf]

QUOTE(hi8is @ Dec 13, 2005 -> 05:59 AM)

have to argue the point here guys....

as a fellow alcholic..... you must not understand

ITS A GENETIC f***ING DISPOSITION

its not like they, nor i... WANT to go out and drink the way we do....

its not like they, nor i are saying... HEY KIDS.... DRINK THE f*** UP!!!!!

whats really happening is...... more like..... hey everyone, i have a problem that controls EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE.... and i try to keep it under wraps.... but you know what..... i cant do it all the time just yet.... so i understand i messed up, punish me.... im sorry... and ill keep trying to do better.

just because someone has a serious personal and chemical dependancy problem dosent mean they should be bared from professional sports..... put away in jail for life..... shot in the f***ing head..... or exiled on an island.....

 

people like me and ponson are people too..... and people deserive equal oppertunity.....

and just for the record..... im not offended at all, just trying to illustrate a point.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From my understanding, there is no genetic link to alcoholism. How many alcoholics had parents who either drank or were alcoholics? Do you honestly believe if someone who supposley has alcoholism in his or her genes would become an alcoholic if they were never around the s***?

 

As for Ponson, he said he'd be willing to close for teams. I wonder if he would accept a middle relief role.

Edited December 15, 2005 by santo=dorf

[Steff]

From my understanding, there is no genetic link to alcoholism.  How many alcoholics had parents who either drank or were alcoholics?  Do you honestly believe if someone who supposley has alcoholism in his or her genes would become an alcoholic if they were never around the s***?

 

 

From my experience.. that is incorrect. The gene present increases the odds of becomming an abuser.

If I had to guess.. I would say the % of alcoholics who had parents who were is pretty close to 100%

No, if you never touched it, you wouldn't become an alcoholic. But if you did, your chances are greater that you would.

[AddisonStSox]

From my experience.. that is incorrect. The gene present increases the odds of becomming an abuser.

If I had to guess.. I would say the % of alcoholics who had parents who were is pretty close to 100%

No, if you never touched it, you wouldn't become an alcoholic. But if you did, your chances are greater that you would.

 

Nature v. Nurture

 

EDIT: You can't possibly tell someone they are incorrect on that subject.

Edited December 15, 2005 by AddisonStSox

[Steff]

Nature v. Nurture

 

EDIT: You can't possibly tell someone they are incorrect on that subject.

 

 

 

Yes I can. And I can specify it with "from my experience".. which means relative to my experience and not a generalization about how the rest of the world may deal with the "alcoholic gene".

[Bubba Philips]

Nature v. Nurture

 

EDIT: You can't possibly tell someone they are incorrect on that subject.

It is too bad Ponson had good stuff . He was a premier pitcher. As far as your discussion on alcoholics I have to go along with the writer who said he had to fight the demon. As far as nature versus nuture it doesn't follow.. In studies, the chances of an alcoholic and a tea totaler's children becoming alcoholics are still 50/50. I'd still sign him to an incentive laden deal but I'd keep my eye on him.

[Soxy]

From my understanding, there is no genetic link to alcoholism.  How many alcoholics had parents who either drank or were alcoholics?  Do you honestly believe if someone who supposley has alcoholism in his or her genes would become an alcoholic if they were never around the s***?

not true. not only are there strong [experimental] studies that can link a genetic/experiential factor to alcoholism they have even identified some characteristic genetic features: for example a variant type of long dopamine 2 receptors are linked with a predisposition of addiction.

 

and you would be hard pressed to find someone with an alcoholic gene that also wasnt' raised around alcohol (unless we're talking adoption).

[Steve9347]

From my experience.. that is incorrect. The gene present increases the odds of becomming an abuser.

If I had to guess.. I would say the % of alcoholics who had parents who were is pretty close to 100%

No, if you never touched it, you wouldn't become an alcoholic. But if you did, your chances are greater that you would.

 

im more a fan of the "nurture" view, rather than nature. if someone has alcholic parents or an alcoholic parent, then obviously this person would be around alcohol often as a child and a teen. this could lead that person to become an alcoholic, too.

 

genes have nothing to do with it, and alcoholism is not a disease. people with cancer don't choose to "drink" their cancer every da... that is an insane concept that is just used as an excuse. im mean, come on, do we call smoking a disease? thats addictive, too.

 

im not trying to offend, its the truth.

Edited December 18, 2005 by Steve9347

[Steff]

im more a fan of the "nurture" view, rather than nature.  if someone has alcholic parents or an alcoholic parent, then obviously this person would be around alcohol often as a child and a teen.  this could lead that person to become an alcoholic, too.

 

genes have nothing to do with it, and alcoholism is not a disease.  people with cancer don't choose to "drink" their cancer every da... that is an insane concept that is just used as an excuse.  im mean, come on, do we call smoking a disease? thats addictive, too.

 

im not trying to offend, its the truth.

 

 

No, it's not.

 

http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/genetics/l/aa990517.htm

 

Studies of laboratory animals as well as human test subjects indicate that genetic factors play a major role in the development of alcoholism, but just how much a factor remains undetermined.

 

Children of alcoholics are four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, but environmental factors could be a factor in many of those cases.

Family, twin and adoption studies have shown that alcoholism definitely has a genetic component. In 1990, Blum et al. proposed an association between the A1 allele of the DRD2 gene and alcoholism. The DRD2 gene is the first candidate gene that has shown promise of an association with alcoholism (Gordis et al., 1990).

 

 

More at link.

 

And another of the many links..

 

Researchers Identify Alcoholism Gene

 

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/87/99...C-9531713CA348}

[hi8is]

my dad is an alcholic.... who has been sober for 25 years.... im 23

my mom's father was an alcholic who had died before i was born

my mom's mother was an alcholic who had quit before i was born

my dad's father was an alcholic who had quit before i was born

 

so growing up, i wasn't around any sort of drug or alcholic abuse.... but when i started drinking, i wasnt like other people.

 

there is something inside of myself that isnt the same in other people.... some people can have 1 drink and walk away.... if i have 1 drink, its the chain in a long line for the day, week, or month.......

 

its a genetic pre-disposition to addiction.... i honestly believe that if i didnt have addicts on both sides of my family, i wouldn't drink like i have.

 

if you think its an excuss.... thats cool, just your point of view.... just telling you mine.

[Steve9347]

my dad is an alcholic.... who has been sober for 25 years.... im 23

my mom's father was an alcholic who had died before i was born

my mom's mother was an alcholic who had quit before i was born

my dad's father was an alcholic who had quit before i was born

 

so growing up, i wasn't around any sort of drug or alcholic abuse.... but when i started drinking, i wasnt like other people.

 

there is something inside of myself that isnt the same in other people.... some people can have 1 drink and walk away.... if i have 1 drink, its the chain in a long line for the day, week, or month.......

 

its a genetic pre-disposition to addiction.... i honestly believe that if i didnt have addicts on both sides of my family, i wouldn't drink like i have.

 

if you think its an excuss.... thats cool, just your point of view.... just telling you mine.

 

hey, i understand... its hard. my dad's father was an alcoholic and drank himselve to death, my mom's mother is an alcoholic (recovering) however, that did not effect my pops, nor my mother, nor myself. i didn't mean to offend, i feel badly for those who suffer through alcholism, but it is a choice.

[hi8is]

yeah, its a choice.... but all im saying is that a genetic predisposition to having an addictive tendency towards chemicals is very real.

[Steff]

hey, i understand... its hard.  my dad's father was an alcoholic and drank himselve to death, my mom's mother is an alcoholic (recovering)  however, that did not effect my pops, nor my mother, nor myself.  i didn't mean to offend, i feel badly for those who suffer through alcholism, but it is a choice.

 

 

Of course it's a choice. Almost everything in life is a chice - save breathing and the like. But to make a comment that genetics have nothing to do with it is irresponsible and ignorant. And IMO offending to those who do suffer from the disease.

[Queen Prawn]

It is a combination of a choice and a predisposition. My father and uncle are both recovering alcoholics. I have to be very careful when I drink because I want one more, then one more and then one more. I know I have the predisposition so I know I have to be cautious when I do drink. I can be over the top cautious with it for many reasons.