Joey Votto Asks All His St. Louis Uber Drivers If They Know Who Albert Pujols Is So That He Can Tell Them He Beat Him For MVP In 2010
YAHOO - There’s nothing quite like trolling St. Louis Cardinals fans — you know, the self-appointed “best fans in baseball” — with some receipts. And the Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto holds one of the sweetest trump cards of all.
When they both played in the National League, Votto and former Cardinals icon Albert Pujols dueled for individual supremacy. Yes, Pujols almost always came out on top in that head-to-head battle … but not every time. In a fun Q&A in The Athletic on the eve of Pujols’ 3,000th hit, Votto notes that he’s “told many a St. Louis Uber driver” that it was Votto, not Pujols, who won the 2010 National League Most Valuable Player.
“Do you know Albert Pujols?” Votto says he asks the Uber driver.
“Oh yes, of course,” comes the inevitable reply.
“Well,” Votto says, “I beat him for the Most Valuable Player. He came in second to me.”
Pleading your case to random Uber drivers. You’ve got to respect the petty of Votto.
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me or follows me on Twitter over the past couple of days that there is nothing I love more than being petty. Holding grudges, being petty, it’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. What is life without the drive to argue with people? It’s the lifeblood of existence. And what’s the point of huge personal accomplishments if you don’t rub it in everyone’s face remind everyone about it every chance you get? What happens if they forget. Can’t have that. You worked too damn hard for it, for it to just be forgotten days or weeks or years later.
Which is why I love Joey Votto, and why I love Joey Votto’s signature Uber move. Every ride he gets in, he says “for Joey right?” followed by hey, ever heard of Albert Pujols?
Yeah, I beat him in MVP voting in 2010.
Destroyed him actually.
Back in 2010, Votto wasn’t just a winner, he was a dominant one. He captured 31 of 32 first-place votes (Pujols got the other one) for a season in which he had a WAR of 7.0 and a slash line of .324/.424/.600. Bottom line: Pujols got the MVPs in 2005, 2008 and 2009, but Votto got the most recent one, and he now holds bragging rights in St. Louis forevermore.
Winning Most Valuable Player in the greatest baseball league in the world. If that’s not something you can remind every stranger on the street or in a moving automobile as often as possible, what the hell is?
PS,
My favorite SI issue ever.
See that story in the top right? “Five Year Old Slugger”? A young Kmarko was quoted in that article. I made his parents upset by blogging that I could strike him out with 3 pitches including an 87 MPH heater on the black. It was like my 3rd week on the job. Dave was so mad he wasn’t mentioned.