Joey Votto
I would not be where I am now without the efforts of so many Canadian baseball people and the fans of Canadian baseball.
I'd rather quit and leave all the money on the table than play at a poor level.
I love to play at a really high level.
My teammates have been very supportive, and I feel lucky because of that.
I was really happy with the 2,000th hit, because before the at-bat, I wanted to make sure my uniform looked good, my socks looked good. I made sure that way, if there's a highlight, I at least look my best. It was a really good at-bat. I was very happy, because the pitcher was throwing very tough pitches that at-bat.
There's nothing more fun than standing at the plate and hitting the ball really hard, see the ball go over the fence. It's really a satisfying feeling. It always makes you feel like you're doing your job.
Hitting is very challenging, you never get it solved.
I look forward to batting practice. I look forward to practice work.
I kind of want to go play in the Caribbean Series to be honest. I'm not even kidding about that.
I'm very fond of coming to St. Louis.
The people in St. Louis have been great to me. Fans have been great.
When I was younger, I was like, 'I'm working now, and you go work.' That was all I knew, because I was trying to keep my head above water. Now I'm more willing to say, 'Let's do our work side by side and cooperate.' That's really difficult to do in this sport sometimes because it can be so individualized.
I feel lucky that I was able to sign a contract for an extended period of time with a no-trade clause. I don't take that lightly. I also understand that there are gonna be ebbs and flows, and peaks and valleys.
I'm always ready to be attacked.
My teammates, my friends, the ones that I shared great times with, faced prejudices that I never did and when they shared their experiences... I did not hear them.
I was raised in Mimico, a small neighborhood just outside of Toronto, Canada. One of the most culturally diverse cities in the world.
In 2002, the Cincinnati Reds selected me with the 44th pick in the Major League Baseball draft. At 18 years of age, I began my professional career, traveling around America on buses, growing up in clubhouses that were predominantly divided between white Americans and Latinos.
I go back to Toronto each off season and feel renewed every time I cross the border to my home and native land.
I never want to be apologetic for anything I say.
I think people do things and say things emotionally when they make it personal.
I'm proud to wear a Reds uniform, and I look forward to doing that until the last day of my Major League Baseball career.
I'm all about neutralizing talent and making things fair, and evaluating a player based on what he does all the way around.
I think the smart teams are chasing those well-rounded players, making that well-rounded lineup, having that well-rounded team.
I'd like to continue to reduce the amount of balls I swing at outside the strike zone. I've been told I have a really low number, one of the lowest percentages in the game, but there's no reason it shouldn't be the lowest.
I'm not trying to do something in particular each at-bat, I'm just trying to get the most out of that at-bat, do something that helps the team in the long run.
There are some instances where I don't have an opportunity to do anything but walk. There are instances where I get pitches to hit and I can hopefully do something good with it, and I try not to give anything away.
There's only a certain percentage of the strike zone that you can do extra-base hit, barrel damage with the ball. Just because it's in the strike zone doesn't mean you have to take a cut at it.
He would watch every single Reds game. He was the first one to teach me how to play baseball. I played catch with him on a daily basis when I was really young. He was a big fan. He was just in love with what I did and me. He was a great father to me.
I've got some teammates telling me I can play for a long time, ooh, boy, I don't want to play for a long time.
Almost all the great players I admire performed well deep into their 30s and their 40s, almost all of them, and I don't think I'm any different.
Great players have bad years.
I know the feeling of being in a city - and a team winning a championship - as a young person, and then seeing the impact in the community, seeing the excitement for days, for weeks, for long stretch of time, and how special it can be.
I've been in a Reds' uniform, in Cincinnati, owning a house here, part of the community. I cross paths with tons of people. Every time it's about 'let's win, let's keep going, let's win a championship here.' And the support has been tremendous. And I want to be a part of the team that gives that back to the community.
I'll be disappointed if I retire and I am not part of a championship club here in Cincinnati specifically.
I want to be excellent at my craft.
I appreciate some of the attention and the accolades, but I typically shy away from it.
Each and every day, I think about the importance of earning my paycheck and playing well.
Randy Johnson had a tell. If he thought you knew what was coming, he would hit you. So that was his tell. That's probably, that's a tell. That's a tell from Randy Johnson. He'd hit you, happily.
I came out of a Canadian high school where the hardest people were throwing was in the 70-mph range - 70-75 mph, maybe. I found that getting to pro ball was overwhelming.
I think that I've proven when healthy that I'm a healthy part of the team.
I'm part of the entertainment industry.
My goal is to play as often as possible and help the team in any way, shape or form I can.
I come into camp every year with the hope and expectation of playing every game I'm available, every game that is available to me.
If I'm on the field not performing well, it's because I'm not performing well, not because I'm not healthy.
Initially when I got called up, I thought it would change my life. And it didn't. Then when I won the Most Valuable Player, I thought I'd be a Beatle and I'd be overwhelmed and not be able to leave my hotel room. I don't say that with arrogance, I say it with unknown.
If I go out to dinner in Cincinnati, I know everyone's eyes are on me, or at least the people who recognize me. Eyes are on me, judging me, and I can't relax. I can't be at ease. I don't like that feeling.
I love talking baseball. I think it's an interesting subject, I think it's something I'm familiar with. It's something I can constantly learn about, I do like talking with the fans and I do like talking with everyman. I really enjoy it.
I don't perceive a lot of the things that a lot of people perceive as negative as a negative - and the inverse, I don't think a lot of the things people think are positive are positive, necessarily.
I spend most of my time thinking about - whether I am making the minimum or a big number, salary-wise - how can I be competitive as long as I have an opportunity to play.