Makes me even more ticked off at the Dontrelle Willis social anxiety disorder crap which really cheapens the diagnosis for people with very real and serious issues to deal with such as Votto.

Most of us who suffered from depression have enough trouble getting out of bed. Hitting at all is amazing.

Dusty Baker deserves a tremendous amount of credit for his handling of this situation. For many, one of the most difficult aspects of depression and anxiety is the sense of shame that can accompany it. Society has taken great steps forward in recent years, but psychological disorders remain poorly understood. There is still a large part of the population that takes a sort of “get over it” stance when it comes to these issues. Professional sports has long been an arena where discussion of emotions is frowned upon. “We’re men,” the thinking went (and still may go), “we don’t talk about these things.” Votto had the courage to admit publicly that he had trouble being alone and sleeping at night. He admitted calling 911 because of a panic attack. These are brave steps, and hopefully will be helpful for Mr. Votto’s recovery. The fact that he was able to come forward and talk about these issues will hopefully serve as an example to others suffering with depression, grief, and anxiety that it is possible, appropriate and helpful to discuss these issues. Now we just have to wait and see the response from other players and from fans. Will there be some heartless jerks in the stands who shout things like “Hey, Joey, you miss your daddy?” or other such offensive jibes? I’d like to think that such an action would be inconceivable, but it is sadly all too likely. Which brings us back to Mr. Baker. By taking the lead and handling this all with sensitivity, Mr. Baker—a well-respected, “old-school” style figure—will hopefully be the model that others in and around the sport follow. I know that the manager of the year award has more to do with wins and losses than anything else, but how about awarding it to someone who has shown humanity, compassion, and true leadership? If those are the traits we wish to reward, we need look no further than Mr. Baker.