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Votto: 'I don't care almost at all about Canadian baseball'

Joe Robbins / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Joey Votto, the decorated Cincinnati Reds first baseman who may one day be recognized as the greatest Canadian ballplayer of all time, says he isn't all that concerned about the health of the sport in his home and native land.

"I don't care almost at all about Canadian baseball," Votto said during an apeparance on the Yahoo! Sports MLB Podcast. "I wasn't raised inside of Canadian baseball really … I'm coming up on half of my life being in the United States working and being supported by American baseball."

Born and raised in Toronto, Votto first started playing baseball around age 8, just as the Toronto Blue Jays were blossoming into the dynasty that would win consecutive World Series titles, and grew into a standout player in the Etobicoke Rangers system. He played his high-school baseball at Richview Collegiate, in the west end of Toronto, and was drafted by the Reds in the second round of the 2002 draft despite facing competition, he recalled last year, "where the hardest people were throwing (sic) in the 70-mph range - 70 - 75 mph, maybe."

Still, his formative years be damned, Votto says he has no particular affinity for Canadian baseball, and so he was unfazed when Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton, a British Columbia native, tossed a no-hitter against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre last week.

"As far as Toronto, and Canadian baseball, and the country of Canada, and (Paxton) being Canadian, I don't care at all," Votto clarified. "(Paxton), or the Jays, or Canada, in general, may disagree with that, but I really couldn't give a rats ass about that."

Votto, a five-time All-Star and the 2010 National League MVP, represented Canada at the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classic, but declined to participate in last year's tournament.

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