When the preliminary counts came in for the NL first basemen, Albert Pujols was the leading the pack by a-freakin’-lot. However, that was all based on mindless following and an absurd continuation of the expectations of the past rather than an understanding of the present.

All that is a long-winded way to say that Pujols is having a truly shitty May. Let’s compare the true All Star, Joey Votto, to “Prince” Albert for this month so far:

That’s right: Pujols’ SLG is .384 in the month of May. Is that All Star caliber? Is it??

Let your voice be heard, and let it be heard to say that actual performance is more important than a big name. Vote Votto!

You can vote online 25 times per email address.

The level of sarcasm is, of course, up to you. Said sarcasm probably depends on whether you’re asking about his kick-ass performance last night or his crappy 90s grunge music.

Bronson Arroyo will be answering questions in an online chat on Reds.com today at 3 p.m. You can go there RIGHT NOW to get your question in the queue.

Our man Joey Votto was out of the game tonight with a stiff neck…apparently tired from being head and shoulders above everyone else.

Even so, we can take a quick moment to look at the Votto movement on Facebook:

• Joey Votto page
• Vote Joey Votto to the All-Star Game
• VOTE FOR VOTTO!! MAKE JOEY VOTTO AN ALLSTAR
• Vote Joey Votto for National League All-Star
• Vote Joey Votto for NL All Star 1st baseman

Sign up, and VOTE!

You can vote online 25 times per email address.

Today was also the Vote Votto Lunch. Upped Votto’s vote count by a couple thousand, eating into Pujols’ 500,000-some thousand lead. If you didn’t join in today, it’s going on again next Wednesday. See if you can have a couple hundred votes already in by then.

MLB announced the current standings in the NL All-Star voting today, and the best damn first baseman in the league didn’t even crack the top ten. If you’ve been sitting back thinking that his greatness will transcend without you taking action, this should be a wake-up call for you.

Only YOU can put Joey Votto on the starting line-up card for the All-Star game. Vote, vote, vote!

You can vote online 25 times per email address.

Despite the current standings, there’s lots of good news in the Vote Votto movement. Check out the @VoteVotto Twitter account and the #VoteVotto tag. Will someone have already put up a Facebook page by the time I write my Vote Votto post for tomorrow?

One thing that’s definitely happening tomorrow is the VoteVotto Lunch. From one of those MLBlogs:

At 12:30pm ET tomorrow (Wednesday, May 26), join me and several of my Twitter friends as we enjoy a few minutes of our lunch-break voting Joey Votto to the National League All-Star team.

You can vote up to 25 times until July 1, so the plan is to do just that. Click HERE to vote.

Join me (Twitter.com/jamieblog) on Twitter at 12:30pm ET. Report in and let me know what you’re having for lunch, and then check back when you’re finished voting.

Before tomorrow night’s game, I’ll post the Twitter names of those who participated (and how many times they voted). I’ll also post who had the yummiest lunch.

(If you’re not into Twitter, just send me an email instead jramsey@reds.com)

“Vott-o’petit!”