Bobby Valentine has apologized to Kevin Youkilis for comments he made Sunday, in which he questioned the third baseman's physical and emotional commitment. "I don't know if he accepted my apology. It was sincere," Valentine said. "The last thing in the world I would want him to think is that this was anything but an answer to a question that seemed like the question was jabbing at him. I was just trying to smooth it over. I guess I didn't." Valentine said he thought Youkilis had visited his office wanting to talk about his sore groin muscle, but instead brought up the comments. Youkilis was not in Monday's starting lineup. Earlier Monday, Youkilis told reporters he was "surprised" and "confused" by Valentine's comments. "Everyone here knows I go out and play with emotion," Youkilis told reporters. "The only time there has ever been a question is because I've been too emotional."