FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Clad in his grey baseball pants, a red Twins T-shirt and slide-on sandals, Sidney Ponson stood by the fence that enters Fort Lauderdale Stadium nearly three hours before game time Friday and chatted with a few park employees.

It was a very familiar place that Ponson returned to Friday as he continued his push to earn a spot in the Twins rotation. For it was in this same park that Ponson pitched many spring games early in his career as an Oriole.

But the welcome home wasn't exactly warm. When Ponson's name was announced to the crowd as the Twins starter, there was just a smattering of cheers heard amongst a throng of boos. From the reaction, it was clear that there are still some hard feelings held by the Orioles fans toward the pitcher.

And it appears that feeling is mutual.

"They booed me when I was playing there," Ponson said after his start. "Baltimore fans don't have no clue what baseball is all about. The old Baltimore fans in Old Memorial knew baseball, now they don't. The fans booed me the last two years [with Baltimore]. I could be pitching good and give up a run in the eighth and they'll boo me. It doesn't hurt my feelings."

It's certainly been a trying road for Ponson since Baltimore terminated his contract late in the 2005 season, midway through a three-year $22.5 million deal, due to some off the field problems.

The past is something that Ponson has said he would like to forget as he embarks on this chance to earn a spot in the Twins rotation after signing a Minor League deal with the club this past January. But it's one thing that the pitcher himself seems to have a hard time letting go of, as was evidenced by his decision not to speak with the Baltimore media following his start.

There wasn't a reason for Ponson to duck any questions considering the type of outing he had Friday. Ponson delivered in his second spring start as he threw four innings, allowing one run on three hits while walking one and striking out two.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has indicated that the Twins are going to give Ponson every chance to prove he deserves a spot in this rotation. The reasoning seems due to the organization's desire to have a few experienced arms in their rotation rather than rely on their youthful prospects. So even after Ponson got roughed up in his first start against the Dodgers in Vero Beach last Friday when he allowed four runs on seven hits in two innings, the Twins vowed to be patient and see what might develop.

And Gardenhire liked what he saw from Ponson on Friday.

"We just want to see him getting the ground balls and pitching to contact and he did that well today," Gardenhire said. "He attacked very well."

Ponson echoed the sentiment by saying that he felt his ball was down in the zone more this outing and that he was better able to hit his spots, something the Twins hope is a sign he's getting back the sinker he had in '03 when he went 17-12 with the Orioles and Giants. But it's not just the results that are turning around for Ponson as he feels his arm is starting to fully recover from the offseason surgery he had to remove bone chips from his right elbow.

"My arm is 180 degrees better than it was the last two or three years," Ponson said. "I don't have hesitation [in my pitching motion] that I used to have. It's something I did to help my arm. Now I'm doing what I'm supposed to do."

Even with the type of outing that Ponson delivered Friday, he knows that his spot in the rotation is not a given considering just how well many of the Twins young arms have thrown recently. Decisions as to just who will make the rotation have been made more difficult for the club by so many of the candidates throwing well. Still, Ponson isn't concerned.

"That's a good problem for Mr. Gardenhire, don't you think?" Ponson said. "The more good pitchers you have the better. He's going to have a hard time making his pitching staff, him and [pitching coach Rick Anderson]. Like I said, if they tell me I make the team, I'm on the team and if not, we'll see what options we have."

If there is one person that will be cheering for Ponson to walk away with a rotation spot, that's his former teammate, Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts.

Roberts was one of a few Orioles players that Ponson took under his wing during his 12-year stint in the organization. It was Ponson's upbeat personality and demeanor that resonated with his teammates during the pitcher's time in Baltimore. That's why Roberts hopes that after all the struggles Ponson had in '06 when he was released by both the Cardinals and the Yankees, the pitcher can finally find a home in Minnesota.

"I'm sure Sidney is getting to the point where he's realized that baseball can come and go quickly," Roberts said. "If he wants to keep pitching for awhile then he has to change some things. But if he's came out and made the statement that he is [trying to change], then that's what he's trying to do. I hope he gets that chance."