Joseph Daniel "Joey" Votto (born September 10, 1983 in Etobicoke, Ontario) is a Canadian Major League Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds. He plays first base.

First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team. A first baseman is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest first base, and is responsible for the majority of plays made at that base. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the first baseman is assigned the number 3.

Also called 1b, first base, first sacker or cornerman, the first baseman is ideally a tall player with good flexibility and quick reflexes. Flexibility is needed because the first baseman receives throws from the other infielders, the catcher and the pitcher after they have fielded ground balls. In order for the runner to be called out, the first baseman must be able to stretch towards the throw and catch it before the runner reaches first base. First base is often referred to as "the other hot corner" — the "hot corner" being third base — and therefore, like the third baseman, he must have quick reflexes to field the hardest hit balls down the foul line, mainly by left-handed pull hitters and good right-handed hitters that possess the ability to hit to the opposite field. Such prominent examples of first-baseman include: Lou Gehrig, Albert Pujols, Tony Perez, Keith Hernandez, and Don Mattingly.

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. They are members of the Central Division of the National League.

The franchise originated in 1882 as a charter member of the now-defunct 19th Century major league called the American Association. The name "Reds" was inspired by a previous, unrelated club called the Cincinnati Red Stockings, recognized as the first openly professional baseball team. The current Reds joined the National League in 1890 after spending its first eight years in the Association.

The Reds are managed by Dusty Baker.

Since 2003, the Reds have played their home games in Great American Ball Park, a baseball-only facility built next door to their previous home, Riverfront Stadium, which has since been demolished.

The Reds have enjoyed sporadic success over their 125-plus years. They won the AA's inaugural season in 1882, and did not win another championship until 1919. They were also competitive in the late 1930s, and from the late 1950s well into the 1970s. Their most recent World Series championship came in 1990.

Category: Image - :2004 WorldSeries Trophy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The Commissioner's Trophy from the Boston Red Sox's 2004 World Series win.

:For other events named "World Series", see World Series (disambiguation).

The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's postseason each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Classic or simply The Series.

The World Series is played between the champion clubs of the American League and the National League, which collectively include 29 clubs based in the United States and one club from Canada. The "modern" World Series has been an annual event since 1903. Baseball has employed various championship formulas since the 1860s. When the term "World Series" is used by itself, it is usually understood to refer to the "modern" World Series exclusively.

The World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff. Best-of-seven has been the format of all the modern World Series except in 1903, 1919, 1920 and 1921 when the winner was determined through a best-of-nine playoff. The Series winner is awarded the World Series Trophy, as well as individual World Series rings. The Series winner also receives a larger proportion of the gate receipts than does the Series loser.

The New York Yankees, of the American League, have played in 39 of the 104 Series through 2008 and have won 26 World Series championships, the most of any Major League franchise. For the National League, the Dodgers have appeared in the Series the most at 18 times (9 each in Brooklyn and Los Angeles), but have won the Series only 6 times (once as Brooklyn, five times as Los Angeles). The St. Louis Cardinals have represented the National League 17 times and have won 10 championships, which is the most for any National League team.List of World Series The Chicago Cubs have the longest streak of not winning the World Series, with their last championship coming in 1908.