The game is challenging even for the most skilled participants, and confidence sometimes is in short supply. So deception occasionally is required. How else does a .227 hitter stand in the box at twilight, convinced he can handle an 0-2 Aroldis Chapman fastball? Other times, the deception is aimed at an audience. How often have we heard players deny being particularly motivated when facing the team that traded them? Happens all the time. And it's B.S. -- blatant subterfuge.
So it was refreshing to hear Mike Cameron readily acknowledge that the pinnacle performance in his 17 big league seasons was fueled to a great degree by wanting "to make life miserable" for the White Sox, the team that drafted and signed him, and then traded him.