During the 8th inning of NBC's Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, former Cincinnati Reds great Joey Votto was asked why he's never visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
"Well, I've been busy playing baseball, first and foremost," Votto responded. "Second of all, it's just not something that - I don't know I almost feel presumptuous going there to take it all in. I don't know. I don't have an answer for you. But I can tell you that the thing that -"
"Would you go if you're inducted?" Votto was asked.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Votto replied. "I want to say this: I'm a fan of stars. And I love the Baseball Hall of Fame. And it's almost like a sacred ground to me. As I get to watch Paul Goldschmidt tonight, who's
gonna be ... probably (a) first-ballot (Hall of Famer). Bryce Harper, across the way, a clear Hall of Famer. What did I miss without getting to see Aaron Judge tonight? It's the thing I love the very most about this game."
Votto added that his favorite players to watch as he grew up were Nolan Ryan and Pedro Martínez (when he thought he was going to be a pitcher) and later Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds (as a left-handed hitter).
"I learned from Todd Helton," Votto added. "I tried to copy Manny Ramírez and Albert Pujols. And then when it all came down to it, once you get to the league, you end up finding yourself. And I hit like myself. But I was always in awe of every great hitter in the league."
Earlier in the broadcast, Bob Costas asked Votto whether he might be underappreciated having played in Cincinnati without winning a World Series.
"Any Philly fan knows the Cincinnati Reds because we were no-hit on this field vs. Roy Halladay in 2010," Votto responded. "So they may know me, but not for the right reasons."
"That was really fun," Votto tweeted after the game, his Sunday Night Baseball debut as NBC analyst.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joey Votto explains why he's never been to Cooperstown, Hall of Fame
