Wood vs. Wood #184

Last time, 1962 cruised to a 7-2 triumph. Who will come out on top this time?

Haywood Sullivan strikes a catching pose for the Topps photographer. I'm not sure of the location. Sullivan came up with the Red Sox and had a few brief stints with the team in the late 1950s. He was traded to KC before the 1961 season and had more playing time as a catcher and utility player. He retired in 1963 after hitting .226 with 13 HR and 87 RBI in 312 games. The next year he took a managing job in the A's organization, and in May of 1965 he was named the manager of the big league club. That only lasted one season, and in 1966 he was named VP of Player Personnel for the Red Sox. Sullivan is credited with being one of the key architects of the surprising 1967 pennant winners. However, his long stay in Boston in a variety of roles including GM, CEO and part-owner eventually led to more controversy than success. He left the Boston organization for good in 1993, going into real estate and owning a marina. He died from a stroke in 2003.

Bobby Bonilla strikes a hitting pose in front of the red seats of Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Bonilla was a Pirates prospect who was selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft before the 1986 season. He made his big league debut with the White Sox but was traded back to the Pirates during the season. Bonilla developed into a big star with the Pirates, with four straight All-Star appearances from 1988-1991. After the 1991 season he signed a huge free agent contract with the Mets, but struggled mightily in the 1992 season. The Bronx native had a very hard time with the New York media and fans, famously wearing earplugs on the field to drown out the Shea Stadium boos. He actually rebounded to have good seasons in 1993 and 1994. In 1995 the struggling Mets shipped Bonilla to the contending Orioles, beginning the next phase of Bonilla's career. Between 1995 and 2001 Bonilla played for the Orioles, Marlins, Dodgers, Mets (again), Braves and Cardinals, serving as a useful component to these contending teams, winning a World Series with the Marlins in 1997. Overall in 2,113 games he hit .279 with 287 HR and 1,173 RBI. Today Bonilla continues to earn over $1M a year from the Mets thanks to his famous deferred contract, and is involved in a variety of business and charitable endeavors.