There could be some history made on Friday night in Buffalo.

There could be some history made on Friday night in Buffalo. Ito Smith Falcons Jersey . Mike Hessman of the Toledo Mudhens needs one more homer to break the all-time International League career home run mark. Before you say "big deal" as I was tempted to do, you should know who Mike Hessman is and how he made this journey over a long and varied career. First off he was born in Fountain Valley, California, and grew into the dimensions of a true slugger. He is 65" and 215 pounds. He was chosen in the 15th round of the 1996 MLB draft by Atlanta. He made it to the "Show" with the Braves in 2003. He had a long looping swing and struck out too much and generally over a short-lived big league career, the 3B/1B also seemed to be stuck behind better players such as Chipper Jones. Besides Atlanta, Hessman also made pit stops in Detroit and with the New York Mets between 2003 and 2010, hitting .188 with 14 home runs. Over time Hessman became a fixture in the International League. Now 36, he has slugged 258 homers in the "I" to tie the late Ollie Carnegie, who spent the bulk of his career playing in Buffalo. Carnegie played his final season with the Bisons in 1945. These two were a study in physical contrasts. While Hessman is 65", Carnegie was only 57" and weighed 175 pounds. Surely the Major League home run record is more impressive and more prestigious. Babe Ruth broke Roger Connors career mark of 138 back in 1921. The Bambino ran that total up to 714 by 1935, and that mark endured until Hank Aaron broke it on April 8, 1974 at Atlanta against Al Downing and the Dodgers. So Babe Ruth held the career home run record for 53 years. Carnegies mark of 258 has stood since the year he retired as a player in 1945. If you do the math, thats 69 years. Oddly enough Carnegie never played in the Majors, largely because he didnt start playing pro ball on a regular basis until he joined Buffalo at age 32 in 1931. Before that he played mainly semi-pro or amateur ball and held down a regular job. Nowadays 258 home runs doesnt sound like all that imposing a number. But remember today, its all about player development. If you dont make the Majors by your mid-20s or maybe late 20s if youre lucky, youre going to be out of a job. You have to have a special talent and be a unique individual, as Mike Hessman must be to stick around until the age of 36. Hessman had a bit of a scare about a week ago. He had to have some tissue removed from his nose and his forehead. Luckily it proved to be non-cancerous. He missed three games this week waiting for the swelling on his face to go down, then went 0-for-3 at Coca-Cola Field on Thursday afternoon. Friday night is the series finale at Buffalo and it would only seem fitting that he would hit his 259th homer in the city where Ollie Carnegie spent the bulk of his career and is enshrined in the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. When Hessman ultimately does break this record, he has other mountains to climb. He is also third on the all-time list of homers hit in the minors. Buzz Arlett is number one with 432, Nick Cullop has 420 and Hessman checks in with 403. Scoring Big Pitching and defence may win championships, but you cant deny the fact that the Blue Jays offence could carry them a long way. Theyve scored 311 runs in 61 games and slugged 87 homers, tops in the American League in both categories. You can add the total home runs for the Royals and Yankees and get 77, 10 fewer than the Jays, or the Rangers and Red Sox and get 85, still two less than the Blue Jays. In the runs scored category, the Jays have rung up 57 more than the second-best team in their division - Baltimore (254) - and then you drop off to Boston and the Yankees at 240 and Tampa Bay at a paltry 228. Boston was the runaway leader in runs scored in the American League last season with 853 and ultimately won the World Series. Im just saying. Unusual Moments This is something that happens so rarely in baseball, yet it happened twice in the last week. The Angels Garrett Richards and Clevelands Justin Masterson both struck out the side on nine pitches. Another oddity came on Wednesday when the Phillies 35-year-old shortstop Jimmy Rollins struck out four times in a game for the first time in his career, earning the famed "Golden Sombrero". The opposing pitcher though was Washingtons Stephen Strasburg, so well cut Rollins some slack. Rollins incidently is up to 2,226 hits now for his career. He needs nine more to pass Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt as the Phillies all-time hits leader. Since the Phils are having such a dismal season, the feeling is growing that Rollins will waive his 10-and-5 rights and will agree to a trade once the record is broken. The Tigers would be a perfect fit. The Atlanta Braves lead the National League East. Yet strangely enough, they have been held to 0 or 1 runs in a game a Major League-high 18 times. At the Draft If youre wondering why the Blue Jays used their ninth-overall pick in the Draft Thursday night to take a pitcher who just had Tommy John surgery in May, consider this. Veteran baseball writer Danny Knobler has seen Jeff Hoffman out of East Carolina pitch and said this of him: "He could be Justin Verlanders brother". Say no more! Brandon Fusco Falcons Jersey . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season. Falcons Jerseys . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. http://www.atlantafalconsfootballstore.com/authentic-deadrin-senat-falcons-jersey/ .com) - Patrick Reed poured in a 19-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Monday to defeat Jimmy Walker and win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.BOSTON -- Andre Williams had already rushed for more than 2,000 yards heading into Boston Colleges regular-season finale. Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was being investigated for sexual assault, and his Heisman Trophy stock was falling. For a few days, it looked like the BC running back might have a chance to bring home college footballs most prestigious individual honour. Then, Florida prosecutors decided not to bring charges against Winston, removing what was seen as the last impediment to his Heisman candidacy. And Williams was injured in the season finale against Syracuse, finishing with 29 yards in the game -- far short of the almost 190 yards per week he was averaging this season. And that might have been the end of his Heisman chances. "I was more worried about how it was going to affect our bowl chances," Williams said this week after he was announced as one of six Heisman finalists to be invited to the award ceremony on Saturday. "The only opportunity we really missed is being able to get that eighth win against Syracuse. I really wasnt worried about Heisman polls." The nations leading rusher with 175 yards per game and only the 16th player in FBS history to surpass 2,000 yards in a season, Williams was already at a nearby mall shopping for clothes for the Doak Walker Award ceremony when he learned in a text from associate athletic director Barry Gallup that he was a Heisman finalist. Williams won the Doak Walker, which is given to the nations top running back, on Thursday night. Now, he has a side trip to New York for Saturdays Heisman ceremony. "I just feel blessed to have the opportunity to go to the ceremony and be around these other great athletes," Williams said. "Whoever wins it, congratulations to them, because its a monumental achievement." There was a time when running backs routinely brought home the Heisman. They won 11 straight from John Cappelletti in 1973 until Boston Colleges Doug Flutie interruupted the streak in 1984. Justin Bethel Falcons Jersey. . Bo Jackson and Barry Sanders were also good enough to get their names on the trophy along with the quarterbacks and receivers in the 1980s, and four more rushers -- including Ricky Williams -- claimed it in the 90s. But as teams grew more pass-happy in the new millennium, the Heisman has been almost exclusively a quarterbacking prize. Only Reggie Bush and Mark Ingram have broken through against a steady stream of quarterbacks -- 11 in 13 years. Winston is expected to make it 12 of 14 during a season in which he is on pace to break the NCAA record for passer efficiency rating (190.1) and has already set records for yards passing (3,820) and TD passes (38) for a freshman. Williams said he doesnt feel the need to carry the ball for ball-carriers. "I love being a running back. I love representing running backs," he said. "I dont necessarily think its unfair that its been quarterbacks high up in the Heisman contention lately. That position is hard to play. Its hard to be good at it. With the trend toward teams playing spread offences and throwing the ball more, thats one of the things behind it. You have to have a good quarterback." But BC coach Steve Addazio said he would like to see the Heisman voters reward Williams, a senior who served as a teaching assistant for freshman seminar and is writing a novel in his spare time. "Hes a well-rounded guy," Addazio said. "Hes a guy who values and cherishes his education, his opportunity to play major college football, and being part of a team. Hes got a lot of different interests just like a typical college student would have. Hes not just all focused on football. "I think he represents what Boston College stands for. ... If thats the criteria: outstanding football player, a dominant football player, great integrity, a tremendous person and an outstanding student athlete, theyre really important. In this case thats what he stands for." China Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Jerseys NFL Cheap Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Stitched NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys China ' ' '