One might argue that he shouldn't have said that to begin with, but I have no problem with the statement itself--because it's the truth. Certainly, every player should play his best at all times. But the reality is that it is much harder to get up for a meaningless game (both physically and psychologically) than the excitement of being in a pennant race. Think about your own life. How much easier is it to jump out of bed in the morning and be happy and really productive at work when things are going great in your life? When things are going bad, you still get up, and you still go to work, but it's that much harder to maintain the same type of attitude and production. Again, probably not the thing you want to hear from Sori because some things are better left unsaid. But he spoke the truth.