Jose Bautista

Describes motivation process for creativity with emphasis on intrinsic motivation by Corey K Katir

Jose Bautista and J.P. Arencibia each hit two-run home runs, Drew Hutchison won consecutive starts for the first time and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 4-1 Thursday night, sweeping their two-game series.

Edwin Encarnacion is swinging a hot bat, which could give Toronto a scary lineup once Jose Bautista and Adam Lind wake up.

He Will be 90 in October and his speech is impaired, but if you donat stretch a bit to hear what Ralph Kineras saying, youare making a mistake.

Thursday afternoon on SNY, Kiner said David Wrightas extraordinary hitting this season is the result of standing closer to the plate, thus Wright is far more likely to identify low, outside breaking stuff that he fished for and missed in the past.

And, not that Kiner was going to tell us, but he is an expert on the subject. Consider:

With Pittsburgh in 1946, his rookie season, Kiner led the NL in home runs (23) and in striking out (109).

The next season, Hank Greenberg, his Hall of Fame career with the Tigers over a four seasons lost to WW II military service a was sold to the Pirates. Greenberg, who would become best man at Kineras wedding, began to mentor Kiner.

That year, 1947, Kiner went from 23 HRs and 109 strikeouts to 51 home runs and 81 strikeouts. He more than doubled his homer output while significantly reducing his strikeouts.

In 1949, Kiner led the league with 54 home runs, striking out only 61 times. In 1951, he hit a league-leading 42 homers and drove in a league-leading 124 runs a striking out just 57 times, half as many as his rookie season.

Wright is hitting .411 with 21 strikeouts this season, which puts him on pace for just 89 Kas in 150 games. At this rate, he will have his fewest strikeouts by far a fewer than his career-low 97 last year, while playing just 102 games.

Kiner also three times led the NL in walks, and a as he suggested during Thursdayas Reds-Mets, vis a vis David Wright, reaching first base a even when theyare pitching around you (Kiner, like Wright, rarely had a fearsome hitter batting next) it is preferable to striking out.

So when Kiner speaks, stretch a little. With all the nonsense now regularly pumped into our sports broadcasts, he knows what heas talking about.

aYankeeographya should be more well aReda

One more for old timeas sake:

Though we understand why YES predicates its aYankeeographya series on both the availability of footage, preferably color, and recent popular subjects, the positioning of YESa latest honoree, David Wells, as a Yankees great a ahead of so many from the distant past a should gnaw at fans with a genuine sense of team history.

For example, Charles Herbert aReda Ruffing, 1905-86, may be the most forgotten or ignored of Yankees greats. He not only was a superb pitcher a as a Yankee from 1932-46, missing three years to World War II, his pitching record was 221-117 a he was a tremendous hitter, six times hitting over .300 for the Yankees.

As a Yankees pitcher, he hit 27 home runs. In Game 2 of the 1937 World Series, Ruffing beat the Giants, 8-1, and went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. In 10 World Series starts for the Yankees, he was 7-2 with a 2.63 ERA.

He also became a Hall of Famer a and entered the Army at age 37 a despite losing four toes on one foot in a mining accident when he was a young man.

Yet, YES seems to have never heard of him. There is footage of Ruffing, photos, newspaper clippings. His son Charles, who lives near Philadelphia, is available to tell his fatheras story.

Wells twice became a Yankee, and pitched very well, but totaled just four seasons as a Yankee. Ruffing won 20 or more games for the Yankees in four consecutive seasons.

* Reader Matt Costello, Hartford, Conn., was in the gym Wednesday morning where, sans audio, he watched ESPNas Top 10 Plays from the night before, which included three Heat scoring plays/slam dunks. Not yet knowing who won Game 2 of Pacers-Heat in Miami, he reasonably concluded the Heat won.

Only later did he learn the Heat lost.

He had forgotten that on ESPN, context counts for nothing. Had the Heat lost, 125-6, but all six points came on reverse slammer jammers, those three baskets would have made the Top 10.

* Nets point man, marketing strategist and part-owner Jay-Z last week said he fully supported President Obamaas reversal to support same-sex marriages. Discriminating against gays, Jay-Z told CNN, is ano different than discriminating against blacks. Itas discrimination, plain and simple.a

Agreed.

Of course, CNN didnat dare ask Jay-Z why his rap songs have included hateful, vulgar references to homosexuals, including a Spanish slur for gays (not to mention violent, unprintably crude slurs of blacks and young women).

Yeah, I know, itas acultural.a Good for business, too. But be assured: Despite all the hateful lyrics he raps about women, gays, African-American men a how he makes his living a Jay-Z stands strongly against all forms of discrimination.

Nike was right for Pryce

Canat Make It Up Quote of the Week comes from ex-NFL defensive end Trevor Pryce, Clemson man, who appeared on Dan Le Batardas ESPN2 show. Asked what he most misses about football, Pryce said:

aThe thing I miss most is my Nike deal.a Freebies from Nike ais the greatest perk of the NFL. Forget the paycheck, free Nike stuff … Nike will give you a secure website and you get to pick whatever you want.a

Pryce added that every time his team lost aand I was depressed, Iad just get like 10 pairs of sneakers and some socks, and Iad feel better about myself.a

After retiring, Pryce said he was denied access to that Nike site. aThe saddest thing Iave ever seen in my life.a

* With Jays on first and second Thursday, none out, Jose Bautista batting, a 3-2 count, John Sterling went into a spiel as to whether the base runners would be off on the pitch. Next heard from Sterling was, aStrike three, swinging!a Were the runners going? He never said.

* Monday, here, I wondered why FOX play-by-player Rich Waltz, during Mets at Marlins, would report, aAnother big crowd here on a Saturday afternoona when it was obvious that so many of the better (expensive) seats were empty. Readers provided the answer: Waltz also calls Marlinsa telecasts.

* Obviously, James Dolan and John Tortorella attended the same charm school.

* Stanley Cup Lookalikes: Seth Jonas submits Devils coach Peter DeBoer and the late Andy Kaufman.

* Good question from reader Mitch Bompey: If that was a live, overhead view of Times Square NBCSN presented during Game 2 of Devils-Rangers, where were the 4-year-old pedestrian plazas? Or did they roll them up for the night to again allow vehicular traffic?

* No matter what you may read on Twitter under my name, or whatas Tweeted in response to something Tweeted under my name, I do not have a Twitter account. Never had one, nor have I ever Tweeted.

phil.mushnick@nypost.com

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