Joey Votto Presser on Pressure: First reports

[Rockermann]

From JohnFay tweets:

Votto: I couldn't take it, thought I was going to die.

Votto says father's death led to severe depession, panic attacks, hospital visits.

[GIDP]

I honestly expect him to return to hte DL.

[corwinator3407]

I honestly expect him to return to hte DL.

Why would you expect something like that when he just comes off?

[LouisvilleCARDS]

I honestly expect him to return to hte DL.

Just wondering: did you get the answer you wanted? Do you think the guy is a pansy for not playing now?

[GIDP]

Just wondering: did you get the answer you wanted? Do you think the guy is a pansy for not playing now?

you guys didnt even understand what I was saying in that thread. I was saying I can completely understand why he could be viewed that way.

[REDSEER]

Wow.

Hopefully he has gotten appropriate treatment and is mentally healthy; regardless of how and when he performs on the field.

[Newman4]

I really am surprised that John Fay put that out there. With all the privacy Joey has requested for Fay to say that on Twitter seems a bit out of character.

[CySeymour]

I really am surprised that John Fay put that out there. With all the privacy Joey has requested for Fay to say that on Twitter seems a bit out of character.

Votto held a press conference in Toronto...he wasn't just telling Fay

[REDSEER]

Posted by JohnFay at 6/23/2009 5:10 PM EDT on Cincinnati.com

Here’s Joey Votto’s word-for-word explanation of how he ended up the disabled lsit:


“As some of you know, my father passed away last August. The first day back I kind of put that all on back burner and just played baseball all the way to the end of September. I don’t want to use the word suppress because he was in my thoughts and I was dealing with it on a daily basis. But, as powerful a moment that is to lose your father so young in a way I did suppress it. From August to beginning of spring training, I was pretty severely depressed. I was dealing with the anxiety of grief and sadness and fear. Every emotion you can imagine that everyone goes through.


“I had a really difficult time with it. I was by myself down in Florida. I just was really looking forward to baseball. When baseball started up in February, I kind of did the same thing I did last August and threw it all on the side, threw all my emotions on the back burner and played baseball.


“I got sick in May. I had the upper respiratory thing and the ear infection. It was taking the time away from baseball and recovering from being sick when for the first time all emotions that had been pushing to the side that had been dealing with and struggling with in the winter hit me. They hit me a hundred times more than I had been dealing with.


“I was taken out of three separate games. The first game it was a combination of me being ill. But I could tell there was something going on. I couldn’t recover. I had this feeling of anxiety. I had this feeling in my chest. The second time I came out in San Diego, it was similar. But I was healthy and I felt like I could’ve played.


“The third time was in Milwaukee, and I was totally overwhelmed.


“I spoke to some doctors. They came to the conclusion I was dealing with obviously being depressed and anxiety and panic attacks. They were overwhelming to point where I had to go to the hospital on two separated occasions. Once in San Diego and once – nobody had been told about – but I went to the hospital once in Cincinnati when the team was on the road.


“It was very, very scary and crazy night. I had to call 911 at 3 or 4 in the morning. It was probably the scariest moment I ever dealt with in my life. I went to the hospital that night.


“The days I was taken off the field were little, miniature versions of what I was dealing with by myself. Ever since I’ve been on the DL and even the little bit before the DL, I’ve been really struggling with this in my private life. I’d go on the field and try to do my best and play well. I had my spurts when I’d play well. But going out on the field . . . I couldn’t do it anymore because I was so overwhelmed physically by the stuff I was dealing with off the field.


“It finally seeped its way into the game. I just had to put an end to it. I really couldn’t be out there. It’s difficult to explain what I was going through. I couldn’t do it. I physically couldn’t do my job. That’s what I’ve gone through.


“I’ve been talking and seeing some doctors. They’ve been a great help. And speaking to people in general – I spoke to my team last week – and letting people know what I’ve dealing and how difficult this grieving process has been. My father was young, and I’m a young man. I really wish I hadn’t lost my father so young. I’m the oldest brother. I feel like I’m responsible for my family. Maybe I have proclivity for depression or whatever it is.


“But I was dealing with some pretty abnormal circumstances – the combination of being a major league ballplayer, a young ballplayer and also dealing with my father and my family.”

[CySeymour]

I tell ya, I'm not sure I would have been able to handle it if I were 25 and lost my dad...I would have been a wreck. God speed, Votto.

[Newman4]

Votto held a press conference in Toronto...he wasn't just telling Fay

My bad. It didn't sound right if that's all there was to it. Thanks for the correction.

[Red in Atl]

I hope all the stupid rumors will finally be halted. It's absolutely pathetic what people do to other people in the public eye. Is the Cincy community really that obtuse?

I find it quite sad, and it shows me why I lelt the strong need to leave soutwestern Ohio right after college. I'd rather close a door and open my mind, than sit around and see how I can belittle anyone.

I think that Mr. Votto has just shown an entire city that it's OK to be human no matter what you do. And it's OK to love your family and hurt when your father dies. Baseball is a game, family/friends are your life.

I think he probably has grown more in the last year than he even knows yet, and it will make him a better person.

My prediction: 3 for 4 tonight, with a double, a HR and 4 RBI's! Take that rumor losers.

*When speaking of the rumors, I was speaking about stuff I read in other places than Redszone. I'm glad you guys kept this place classy, and just let Joey deal with what he was dealing with the last few weeks.

[CWRed]

Love Joey Votto. If he never gets another hit but he could live a complete and healthy, and happy life...that would be my wish. Having gone through some similiar things when my dad passed away I can understand his feelings and couldn't be prouder to have him playing on my favortie team.

But here's also hoping he plays in Cincy the next 10-15 years and leads them to a championship. All with a smile on his face. :jump:

[foxfire123]

Oh Man. To have all that emotional pressure dumped on your shoulders all at once, and of course trying then to be the Big Tough Man and not allowing the emotions to show or to have a proper grieving process, no wonder he's having issues now.

Am I being too totally female/mommy now to want to give him a big hug and pat on the back and tell him that everything will eventually be ok?

Thought so. ;)

[xavr1]

[QUOTE=Red in Atl;1902094]I hope all the stupid rumors will finally be halted. It's absolutely pathetic what people do to other people in the public eye. Is the Cincy community really that obtuse?

I find it quite sad, and it shows me why I lelt the strong need to leave soutwestern Ohio right after college. I'd rather close a door and open my mind, than sit around and see how I can belittle anyone.
QUOTE]

I cant agree with your condemnation of Cincinnati. I also left when I graduated college, but decided to move back after 5 years living in other, more "open-minded" cities. And while you are right that Cincy is more conservative, traditional, and yes, close-minded in some matters, I dont think the city's response to the Joey Votto DL situation was "obtuse," at least relatively speaking.

In fact, I would venture to say that much of Cincinnati stood firmly behind Votto during his stint on the DL. Think about how much worse it could have been for him, and indeed WOULD HAVE been for him, in a bigger city. You think fans in NYC or Boston would have just idly sat by while ARod or Jason Bay recovered from "stress-related" mental injuries? Absolutely not! There would be riots in the streets.

I think Joey got the support he needed from Cincinnati. Of course there were some A-holes calling him a wimp, but that is to be expected ANYWHERE (even the "open-minded" cities you moved to after college). Sports fans are passionate about their teams and their players. The city of Cincinnati did right by Joey Votto during this affair. We are fortunate to have such a great player and man on the Reds. And he is fortunate to have the support of our city. Trust me, he would NOT have had the same support elsewhere.

[LouisvilleCARDS]

you guys didnt even understand what I was saying in that thread. I was saying I can completely understand why he could be viewed that way.


"That is what im trying to say, if it was related to the inner ear they would have saved Votto a bunch of trouble by saying it was inner ear. Instead they said it was stress and now it makes him look bad. Either its because of stress and he deserves to look bad, or they just made a huge mistake. "

"The idea of someone playing baseball and bailing for "stress related issues" could really tick some fans off."

"In this case the fans were just left in the dark and yes I find it pretty easy that people think his excuse for not playing is a joke and I completely understand if people want to trade him. "

"If you didnt expect people to say suck it up and stop being a sissy I dont know what to say. "

Yeah man, you made it perfectly clear what you meant.

[GIDP]

Like I said you didnt even understand what I was saying. I was taking the side of the people calling it.

Sorry if you didnt understand it.

[LouisvilleCARDS]

Like I said you didnt even understand what I was saying. I was taking the side of the people calling it.

Sorry if you didnt understand it.

Backtrack all you want, you said yourself he deserves to look bad because its of "stress." Guess he deserves the small few making him look bad, because he was having anxiety attacks and depression over his fathers death?

Your choice of wording was obviously conveying your own feelings. "Bailing", "sissy," "a joke"? You obviously didn't like the reason, and now you're backtracking because it was everything that practically everyone else here pointed out. You could have easily said, "I get some fans frustration over the uncertainty of why he left." Instead, you basically made a veiled attack on him as a sissy and a joke. You can say I didn't "understand" but at the time you posted that stuff you obviously felt the same way from what you said and the words you used.

[GIDP]

Thats fine dont believe me.

[GIDP]

Its not like the stuff you quoted didnt support exactly what im saying anyways.

[LouisvilleCARDS]

Whatever you say dude. Maybe some of the others who were in the thread (i.e. practically all Reds fans) could explain it to you. You said he deserves to look bad, I didn't make that up, you said that. What exactly does that mean? So backtrack all you want, we all know what you meant.

[GIDP]

It actually wasnt stress, but then again its all you have to cling to so just keep reading what you quoted and only read the bold parts.

[LouisvilleCARDS]

LOL okay dude. Everyone knew "stress" was a PR reason, and a ton of people including myself explained the severity of anxiety and depression and the fact his father's death last year affected him a great deal. But yet, you ignored all those responses and refused to believe it, as if he took time off because the guy couldn't get past the last level in Super Mario Bros 3 or something. Then went into a rant about how you could never do that at your job and how he doesn't deserve to get paid.

I give you credit, you left yourself an out by saying "I can easily see how people think he's a sissy, balied out on his team, and want him traded." Saying "I can easily see" pretty much is saying you sympathize with those people.

I mean how would it look if I used that in another context, what would you think? "I can easily see why serial killers think that way and why they would do it!" "I can easily see how people commit hate crimes against blacks!

Doesn't exactly sound right does it? Basically, I think you weren't patient and made judgment before the actual reason came out, and instead of being lenient and waiting and seeing, you made clear what you thought of him leaving. And now once it came out that it was a pretty good reason - which most everyone thought in the first place - you have to backtrack on how harsh you were on the guy. Why can't you just admit you made a mistake and shouldn't have judged him based on what the listed DL reason was?

[GIDP]

I didnt refuse to believe it. If you read what I was saying as a defense of why some fans could be reacting the way they were about it I think its pretty easy to see exactly what I was doing.

Just look at it that way and I think it will help you understand what POV I was trying to take with my post.

[BurgervilleBuck]

Speaking personally, I can empathize with Votto. My mother died in Feb 2007 and I'm still having problems dealing with it. It's not to the extent of Votto's depression but I've definitely have had days where I just can't get out of my own way. My work ethic dropped completely to the point where I just didn't care and as for home, I did nothing much beyond sit & watch TV or goof off on the computer. Depression is a sledgehammer to the gut and it will incapacitate you.

Good on Votto for speaking out. To me, the Puritan work ethic and overscheduled world we live in makes instances like losing a family member just a bump in the road. We're men and we're supposed to get over these things mach schnell. Unfortunately, some of us need a little more time and that bothers some people. Feelings about death and illness that are not dealt with will manifest themselves in other ways. Sometimes, getting back in the ol' routine isn't the best bet. Time heals all wounds.

Good luck, Votto.

[gilpdawg]

The one thing I hope is, after the announcement today, is that every idiot and moron who called WLW or Homer and trashed this young man, and every imbecile who made comments on websites (not this one, we did a good job here for the most part) ALL feel like total CRAP right now. You should feel bad. You had no idea what this guy was going through and you did your typical "Joe Lunchpail" reaction. I can sympathize with the guy. I lost my father at a very young age, even younger than Joey. My mother lost her mother over 3 years ago and she's still not right. She functions ok, sure, but she's not the same person I used to know. You just don't know how something like this is going to effect somebody.

[RedlegJake]

Guys, lets keep individual posters out of this. Calling out individuals doesn't serve a purpose - the people who used "sissy" and "wimp" don't need to be reminded of it. They were wrong - and that's a privilege allowed each of us from time to time. Let Joey's own words vindicate him - if they don't nothing will reach them anyway.

[Rockermann]

RedlegJake.. thanks for 'correcting' the thread title. I intentionally used 'presser' as slang for 'press conference', though your correction works just as well. :)

[bounty37h]

you guys didnt even understand what I was saying in that thread. I was saying I can completely understand why he could be viewed that way.

You argued it more then enough to make most thinking people feel that you were saying that it was your feeling, but tried to pass it off as "seeing how others could see it that way".

[RedlegJake]

RedlegJake.. thanks for 'correcting' the thread title. I intentionally used 'presser' as slang for 'press conference', though your correction works just as well. :)

oops...thanks for correcting my correction! That's what happens when you start editing other people's work. And you taught me something I didn't know before Rockermann - that's pretty neat.

[GIDP]

You argued it more then enough to make most thinking people feel that you were saying that it was your feeling, but tried to pass it off as "seeing how others could see it that way".

Not my fault.

[Rockermann]

... And you taught me something I didn't know before Rockermann - that's pretty neat.

Yeah? You mean about 'presser' or something else? Not sure I'm following ya.

[RedlegJake]

Yeah? You mean about 'presser' or something else? Not sure I'm following ya.

Yeah, I didn't know presser was slang for a press conference. It made your original title completely sensible once I knew that.