There could be some history made on Friday night in Buffalo. 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! Zdeno Chara Bruins Jersey . Midfielder Michael Bradley, one of the teams new designated players, will make his debut, while striker Gilberto could see his first action for TFC in the contest. Custom Bruins Jersey . Gretzky was asked if he believes Montreal Canadiens defenceman PK Subban should be on Canadas blueline in February at the Sochi Olympics. "Im not going to get in the middle of that controversy because Stevie Yzerman obviously knows what hes doing, he won a gold medal in 2010," said Gretzky. http://www.bruinsjerseyshockeyproshop.com/Ray-Bourque-Bruins-Jersey/.ca in a 30 Teams In 30 Days tour of the NHL in preparation for the upcoming season. Phil Esposito Bruins Jersey . - The Washington Wizards are in a great position to make the playoffs for the first time in six years, and John Wall has a lot to do with it. Reilly Smith Jersey . Play hard, play tough and play rough. The philosophy has been a lesson in frustration for opponents.TORONTO -- Its a bye week for Toronto FC but team trainers are still working overtime. Toronto (3-3-0) has had as many as 10 players getting treatment this week. The good news is that star striker Jermain Defoe ran past reporters Thursday, after working out separately from the main squad under bright sunshine at the teams north Toronto training ground. Defender Doneil Henry has also resumed light training after a calf and knee injury. Defoe (hamstring) and Henry have both missed the last three games. Midfielder Michael Bradley, who played in Saturdays 2-1 road loss against FC Dallas, did not practise Thursday. He had a previously scheduled minor procedure on a nerve issue in his foot which has been bothering him for some time. "It just means hes just got to get off it (the foot) for a week," said manager Ryan Nelsen. "This was always planned, to do it at this time when we have a couple of weeks off." Bradley, who did not look himself against Dallas, had missed the previous game against Colorado due to quadricep and groin issues. Midfielder Jeremy Hall is a longer-term injury concern, however, with an Achilles injury. Most of Torontos walking wounded should be back in practice next week with Bradley annd Defoe both expected to be available for selection for TFCs next outing, May 3 against the visiting New England Revolution.dddddddddddd New England (2-3-2) hosts defending champion Sporting Kansas City this weekend. Toronto may still not have a full deck next week but it will be far better than the 11 fit players it had at one practice session this week. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar and defenders Mark Bloom and Justin Morrow are the only TFC players to have seen action in all six games this season. Nelsen has been forced to use 20 different players. Henry, for one, is taking his return slowly. What was advertised as a jarred knee was actually a low-grade medial collateral ligament sprain and calf tear. He has spent a week running and is now testing the leg out by jumping and changing directions. "So far, so good," he said. "I feel good. So hopefully I can start training with the team next week." He had been feeling his knees and ankles for some time but said he was sidelined after his knee buckled while about to pass the ball. After playing four of its first six games on the road, Toronto now plays five of its next seven at home including an Amway Canadian Championship date with Vancouver. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '
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