Tip O’Neill Award.
Cincinnati Reds player Joey Votto, originally from Etobicoke, has been honoured with the Tip O’Neill Award for the second year in a row.
Torstar/Vince Talotta
For the second consecutive year, Etobicoke's Joey Votto of the Cincinatti Reds has his name on the Tip O'Neill Award as Canada's top baseball player, but this year he has to share the honour.
Votto, a former Richview Collegiate student who played rep ball with the Etobicoke Rangers, was named co-winner of the award this year on Thursday, Dec. 15 along with Milwaukee Brewer's star closer John Axford from Port Dover.
The two faced each other a couple of times this past season with Votto going one for three with a single, a walk, a run scored and a strikeout.
Tom Valcke, the outgoing president and CEO of the Canadian Hall of Fame, which bestows the award, pointed out they were both finalists for the Lou Marsh Award, for Canada's top athlete (which was given to North York figure skater Patrick Chan after Votto won it last year).
"While it is abundantly easy to make a case for either player to win the Tip, it is equally impossible to make an argument that either one of them should not win it," said Valcke, in a press release on the Hall of Fame website.
"After the exceptional seasons had by both of them, one being a pitcher and the other a position player, it came down to exactly that - how do you say no to either of them?"
Asked his thoughts about facing Votto, Axford quipped, in an interview on the Hall of Fame website: "Well, other than that seeing-eye single he hit through the six-hole when we had the shift on...Seriously, Joey just plays so hard, and he is so dedicated. He is a tremendous player, and he's been great for the city of Cincinnati. For whatever the reason, we have really tough battles with the Reds, and it just seems like it's always Joey who comes up in the big situation, and he always seems to deliver."
"Other than if we were to be wearing the Team Canada uniform, this is one day when I can honestly say that I am excited about his success. Just don't ask me on a day that we're playing against him."
Votto was equally magnanimous:
"None of us wanted to hit against John in the ninth inning. He was a huge part of the Brewers' successful season and their division championship. The recognition he is receiving is very much deserved."
Votto had another outstanding year - National League All-Star and Gold Glove winner who finished sixth in the MVP voting this past season (after winning it the previous season).