TORONTO – Back in Toronto for his induction to the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto eschewed a prepared speech and instead spoke from the heart.
“I thought it would be a pretty good idea to wing it, kind of come out of nowhere with it, because this is home for me, this is where I grew up and I thought it would be appropriate to just talk to my people, just have a conversation,” he told a large gathering Thursday night at Old Mill. “We’re in a big room and I know you guys are hoping for something interesting or something written, but I can’t give you that tonight. If I end up blowing it – sorry.”
No apologies were necessary, as the 31-year-old, rocking a thick beard, drew laughs and applause during his 10-minute conversation, touching on the support of his parents growing up, the pivotal and ongoing influence of coach Bob Smyth, and the importance of Scott Rolen’s mentorship in his big-league career.
“He’s one of those guys who teaches you the way,” Votto said of the third baseman, a teammate with the Reds for 3½ seasons. “There’s a couple different versions of baseball players. There’s the kind of prima donna superstars, the guys in the middle you can take or leave, and the grinders, the guys that can probably play hockey, the guys that play hurt, no excuses, I’m going to play and perform no matter what and you’re going to have to take me out.
“This year when I was hurt, the conversation I had with two guys I really respect, Scott Rolen and Chase Utley, was you cannot come out until you’re negatively affecting the team, or they take you out. That’s the rule, so you’ve got to keep playing. I don’t think I would have necessarily taken that approach without someone like (Rolen). I played with him, he was tough on me, I learned a great deal from him, and I hope one day he’s a Hall of Famer.”
Votto was limited to just 62 games in 2014 due to a quadriceps injury that twice landed him on the disabled list, and led to some scrutiny from Reds fans. He batted just .255/.390/.409 with six homers and 23 RBIs, and his OPS of .799 was the lowest of his career, well off his previous low of .874 in his 2008 rookie year.
Health problems have been the only thing to slow down the 2010 NL MVP, who is renowned for his work ethic and determination.
While his late father Joseph helped instill a love of the game in him with daily catch sessions – “he was the beginning of my baseball,” said Votto – he credited his mother Wendy for teaching him “to be diligent, to persevere.”
“Everybody thinks that they did it themselves, everybody thinks that 99 out of 100 per cent is them, but that’s another instance of me realizing I’m so lucky to be surrounded by people, and my mom is a perfect example, who taught me how to work hard,” said Votto. “She wants something, she’s going to achieve it. I got that from here and I want to thank her. She doesn’t get enough thanks from me.”
Finally, Votto praised the Etobicoke Rangers under Smyth as “where I really took the steps to get where I’m at.”
He recalled Smyth not thinking much of him when he was 13 years old, and even at 18, when the Reds were set to draft him in the second round of the 2002 draft, “he wasn’t very impressed.”
“Even to this day he’s not that impressed by me,” Votto said. “Constantly, when we have conversations, there’s something else I can do. That man, during my high school years, he wasn’t intentionally there for me every day, but he was. I took advantage of a beautiful ballpark, Connorvale ballpark, I took advantage of an indoor facility now being used by Pro Teach, and Bob was there daily to scream at me, and this was not a nice man. He’s a wonderful man, like a father to me, but in terms of baseball instruction, he was very tough, and I was very, very grateful for him.”
Joining Votto in entering the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame were: Mike Walton, the former Toronto Maple Leafs centre who scored 201 goals in 588 NHL games and 136 more in 211 WHA games; longtime Toronto Marlboros coach Dan Brown, who had seven former players become NHL draft picks in 2012; and Bob Weeks, a renowned golf and curling journalist.
Inducted under the legends category were Turk Broda, the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender; Annis Stukus, the former CFL star and executive; and Ben Kern, the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.
Previous inductees to the Etobicoke Sports Hall include Johnny Bower, Ken Dryden, Paul Henderson, George Chuvalo, Brendan Shanahan and Leo Cahill.