What was Joey Votto thinking?

[irv]

Unbelievable comments coming from a Pro, who, if it weren't for CDN baseball, wouldn't be playing in the bigs like he is.
http://torontosun.com/sports/basebal...3-fd11978666b9
https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-native-jo...ball-1.1086441

[packs]

I can understand his perspective. Like a lot of people, he doesn't want to be defined by where he's from. I'm from New York. I've spent much of my adult life in New York City. I have nothing positive to say about it either.

[KMayUSA6060]

The comments may seem "unbelievable" because we live in a PC world with PR-obsessed athletes. These are honest comments that stem from raw, honest feelings. I personally love it.

[Snapolit1]

He apologized for the comments and separately said a lot of crappy things about the Reds organization. I think it's just a guy at the breaking point playing for an organization circling the drain and under stress and he's losing it.

Terrible place the Reds are in. Great baseball history and no one is coming to see what they are putting on the field.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

The comments may seem "unbelievable" because we live in a PC world with PR-obsessed athletes. These are honest comments that stem from raw, honest feelings. I personally love it.

I think the comments were idiotic but yeah at least he spoke his mind unlike so many of the guys who just do robo-speak and never say a damn thing.

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

He apologized for the comments and separately said a lot of crappy things about the Reds organization. I think it's just a guy at the breaking point playing for an organization circling the drain and under stress and he's losing it.

Terrible place the Reds are in. Great baseball history and no one is coming to see what they are putting on the field.

Why pay the money to go to the ballpark when they can watch their toilet at home for free?

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

Why pay the money to go to the ballpark when they can watch their toilet at home for free?

I get that . . .to a degree. As bad as my Mets have been over my 50+ years, I can't recall them not pulling a million fans a year. (Maybe in the 70s) . I love the game itself and usually no matter how lousy your team is there are things to be interested. Prospects. Guys having good runs. And there is always beer and food.

The Cardinals seem to draw fans through thick and thin. The Knicks sell out every game and they are dreadful forever. Ditto the Jets in football.

[packs]

You have to remember the Jets sold PSL's so every game is artificial sold out.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by packs

You have to remember the Jets sold PSL's so every game is artificial sold out.

Last Jets game I went to year before last against the Seahawks, the stadium looked pretty full.

A lot of Jets tickets end up on the secondary market, but I don't think it's hard to move them. A lot of fans who can't get into Giants games, will take a Jets ticket if they can, even if they aren't Jets fans.

As for whatever Joey Votto said. We over-analyze every little thing nowadays, and like I just read somewhere else, for better or for worse, "The Internet Never Forgets".

Sometimes people just say stupid shit. Some people say stupid shit every once in awhile, and some people say stupid shit every damn day. Decide for yourself if a single comment or two is enough to dismiss somebody entirely.

[packs]

From what I read his comments about Canada stem from him being universally ignored by organized Canadian baseball his entire amateur career.

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I get that . . .to a degree. As bad as my Mets have been over my 50+ years, I can't recall them not pulling a million fans a year. (Maybe in the 70s) . I love the game itself and usually no matter how lousy your team is there are things to be interested. Prospects. Guys having good runs. And there is always beer and food.

The Cardinals seem to draw fans through thick and thin. The Knicks sell out every game and they are dreadful forever. Ditto the Jets in football.

The Cardinals are a decent comparison - Midwest city - but you can't compare NY to Cincy. Completely different markets. I'm from NEO, and Browns fans have been punishing the franchise for its poor decisions by not attending games. That could be what Cincinnati is doing.

[bbcard1]

Joey Votto is a crazy diamond, but a diamond to be sure.

[irv]

Originally Posted by packs

From what I read his comments about Canada stem from him being universally ignored by organized Canadian baseball his entire amateur career.

Votto, who played for Canada at the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics and won the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s athlete of the year in 2010 and 2017, distanced himself from his home country

Votto said he is “terribly ashamed” of his comments and called them “ridiculously selfish and short-sighted.”

I get the fact he is frustrated never having won a WS and his team currently in the toilet, but I guess he forgot his roots and where he learned and got good, pro good, before he was drafted.

He apologized, as he should have, so its water under the bridge now, for me anyways, but, imo, he won't live this one down.

“People aren’t going to love that I say this (but) I don’t care almost at all about Canadian baseball,” Votto said. “When I say that … I wasn’t raised inside of Canadian baseball really. I played on a local team but as an 18-year-old I was drafted."

[Neal]

Originally Posted by packs

From what I read his comments about Canada stem from him being universally ignored by organized Canadian baseball his entire amateur career.

Agreed

He had a hot flash and boom .... everything is on the record nowadays.

He's human, had some bad memories come back in a flash, and his apology was more than adequate imo

[irv]

This story is still big news up here. I am obviously not in the circle, but when you have the even hockey execs speaking about it, you know it has upset a lot of people.
Like all stories, it will eventually disappear and be forgotten about somewhat, but I think Votto is going to be hearing about it for a while yet.
http://torontosun.com/sports/basebal...jays-clubhouse

[Marckus99]

Good for him.
Fuck everyone else’s “feelings”.

- Mark

[packs]

Originally Posted by irv

Votto, who played for Canada at the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics and won the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s athlete of the year in 2010 and 2017, distanced himself from his home country

Votto said he is “terribly ashamed” of his comments and called them “ridiculously selfish and short-sighted.”

I get the fact he is frustrated never having won a WS and his team currently in the toilet, but I guess he forgot his roots and where he learned and got good, pro good, before he was drafted.

He apologized, as he should have, so its water under the bridge now, for me anyways, but, imo, he won't live this one down.

“People aren’t going to love that I say this (but) I don’t care almost at all about Canadian baseball,” Votto said. “When I say that … I wasn’t raised inside of Canadian baseball really. I played on a local team but as an 18-year-old I was drafted."

He was left off the Olympic team, not picked for Team Canada and passed on by the Blue Jays while he was an amateur. 2009, 2010, 20013 and 2017 appearances / awards were given during his professional career when it wasn't too hard to believe in Joey Votto. Like I said, maybe he's resentful of being dismissed when his name didn't mean anything. I'm only pointing this out because some people can't believe a guy could have negative feelings about where he's from.

[KMayUSA6060]

Do the Reds play in Toronto this year?

Edit...

Answer: No. Bummer.