Hungry?

Want some cereal?

Exciting news for Cincinnati Reds fans, and especially fans of MVP Joey Votto, Kroger stores in Cincinnati and Dayton will be the only grocery store in town where customers can pick up a box of the new cereal branded for Cincinnati Reds All-Star first baseman Joey Votto. In commemoration of this exciting launch, Votto is introducing his very own cereal at a press briefing at 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, April 3 at the Kroger Marketplace located at 130 Pavilion Parkway in Newport, KY. The cereal is called “VottO’s” and is now on sale exclusively at Cincinnati-area Kroger stores and online at www.plbsports.com.

VottO’s is a honey nut toasted oat cereal packaged in a 14-ounce limited edition collector’s box featuring custom artwork of the 2010 NL MVP and 2-time NL All-Star. The artwork was done by Celebrity Sports Artist Kevin-John. Fans can purchase lithographs of the artwork featured on the front of the box at www.plbsports.com. Joey’s cereal is the latest athlete-endorsed food product from PLB Sports. Earlier this spring PLB Sports launched Justin Verlander’s Fastball Flakes in Detroit.

“Kroger and the Cincinnati Reds are long-time partners and friends, “said Sukanya Madlinger, President of Kroger’s Cincinnati/Dayton division, “Being the only grocery store in town where you can purchase a box of VottO’s is really exciting for Kroger as it further solidifies the relationship we’ve spent many years building. We’re proud to offer a quality product that pays homage to one of our hometown sports heroes.”

In addition to the 2010 NL MVP Award and his back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2010 and 2011, Joey also added a NL Gold Glove Award during the 2011 season. The Toronto, Ontario native also was awarded with the Lou Marsh Award as the 2010 Canadian Athlete of the Year.

The idea that Joey Votto might have a cereal named after him never once crossed my mind. A mutual fund? Yes. Some type of health food? Sure. A line of collectible coins from The Franklin Mint? Absolutely.

VottO’s, though? Nope, didn’t see that coming.