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Votto: Winning mindset is 'biggest bunch of bullsh-- I've ever heard'

Joe Robbins / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Warning: Story contains coarse language

If you ask Joey Votto, who noted this winter that "something has to start changing" for his perpetually disappointing Cincinnati Reds, a winning mindset won't help his team return to the playoffs in 2018.

That's because, according to Votto - a five-time All-Star and former National League MVP - the notion itself is patently ridiculous.

"(A) winning mindset is the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard," Votto said Monday during an appearance on MLB Network Radio. "You win, and then that breeds that sort of winning energy - you like each other more; you're excited to get to the ballpark more.

Winning, he explained, is what happens when good teams play at a high level. That's pretty much all there is to it.

"They start telling stories about the subtleties of the interactions amongst teammates, and all of the different things - the magic, you know, voodoo sort of tricks that the manager and the players have - but really it's just a collection of really good players playing really well," he said. "And then you get to the playoffs and then you go from there. But I definitely do not believe in that, and I'm not sure there's ever been any sort of proof to say otherwise."

Incidentally, the Reds haven't gotten to the playoffs since 2013, when they lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League wild-card game. Since then, through no fault of Votto's, the Reds have only once finished better than dead last in the NL Central, averaging a mere 69 wins per season over that span.

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