Wood vs. Wood #133

Last time 1987 came out on top, 7-3. Who will win this time?

Felipe Alou poses a follow-through for the photographer. Just a bit of the bleachers is visible behind him, other than a clear blue sky. Alou may be best known for being part of one of the all-time great baseball families. Two of his brothers and one of his sons had long major league careers; another son managed the Mets and is now the Yankees' third base coach. Alou deserves recognition for his own significant baseball accomplishments, though. In a 17-year playing career for six teams, mostly the Giants, Braves and Yankees, he hit .286 with 2,101 hits, 206 HR and 852 RBI. With the Braves he twice led the NL in hits. He later had a 14-year managerial career with the Expos and Giants, winning 691 games. He is still with the Giants as a special assistant to the General Manager.

Jose Oquendo poses in his warmup jacket at the Cardinals spring training headquarters. The building in the background, which to me always looked like a house, appears on many Topps Cardinals cards and stickers of this era. Oquendo started his career with the Mets before being traded to the Cardinals, for whom he has played or coached for the past 37 years. Best known for his versatility, he played every position in 1988 (though not all in the same game). He spent the bulk of his career at second base and shortstop. In 1,190 games he hit .256 with 14 HR and 254 RBI. After retiring as a player in 1996, he took a minor league managing job with the Cardinals. In 1999, he was back in the majors as Cardinals bench coach, and later served as their third base coach. He is currently the team's minor league infield coordinator.