Hack Wilson	vs.	Juan Gonzalez
	(AP)		(Allsport)
	CF/1923-1934 .307 average 244 homers 1,062 RBI NL MVP 1930 Led NL in HR 1926-28, '30 Six 100+ RBI seasons Hall of Fame 1979 Complete Wilson profile		RF,DH/1989-present .294 average 340 homers 1,075 RBI AL MVP 1996, '98 Led AL in HR 1992-93 Seven 100+ RBI seasons AL Rookie of the Year 1990 Complete Gonzalez profile (Stats through 1999 season)

	Whether it was drinking whiskey, pounding hot rivets with a sledgehammer, or driving runners home with his mammoth home runs, Hack Wilson did it and did it well. Described by Bill Veeck as 'an oddly built, stocky little barrel of a man, with clothes hangers in his shoulders and watermelon in his gut,' the 5’6" 195 pound Wilson hit a whopping 177 home runs and drove in 707 men between 1926-30, including a major-league record 190 in 1930. He generated tremendous power from a muscular upper torso developed as a teenager while working for a locomotive company; his nickname came from an uncanny resemblance to the wrestler George Hackenschmidt. Sadly, Wilson's career was cut short by an alcohol problem which robbed him of his mighty swing and eventually his life.		Playing in an era where the pristine home-run swings of sluggers Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., and Sammy Sosa grace the covers of sporting magazines, Juan Gonzalez's penchant for bringing men home tends to be overlooked. 'Nobody talks as much about RBI,' remarked Gonzalez in a recent Baseball Weekly interview, 'I concentrate more when I see men on base.' In 1998, Gonzalez had amassed 101 RBIs at the All-Star break, raising speculation that he could top Hack Wilson's single-season record set in 1930. Although he couldn't keep up his historic pace in the second half, Gonzalez still led the AL with a career high 157 RBI's while winning his second MVP award. Gonzalez’s inability to stay healthy over a full season and his tendency to press at the plate when his teammates are struggling are seemingly the only pitfalls which might derail 'Juan Gone' in his quest to carve his name in the RBI record books.
	HITTING		HITTING
	Wilson, whose main asset at the plate was his whiplash bat speed, was often described as 'a lowball hitter and a highball drinker.' His 56 homers in 1930 stood as the NL record until Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa broke it in 1998, but he was most famous for his ability to drive in runs. Batting cleanup in a lineup which included such stars as Kiki Cuyler, Riggs Stephenson, Gabby Hartnett and Rogers Hornsby, Wilson rarely came up with the bases empty. He led the NL in RBI in both 1929 and 1930 -- the latter being his breakout season. That year, he hit .356 and fanned only 84 times, knocking in a record 190 men. In the 67 years since Wilson’s extraordinary feat, only Lou Gehrig and Hank Greenberg have surpassed the 180 RBI mark.		If it's thrown in the strike zone, more often than not Gonzalez will hit it and hit it far. After missing the entire month of April with an injury, Gonzalez still managed to smack 42 home runs in 1997. Despite missing a great deal of time due to various injuries, Gonzalez is one of only fifteen players to wallop 40-plus home runs in four seasons. He's most effective when runners are on-base; Gonzalez tends to lock in at the plate and zone in on a pitch to drive. The results have been extraordinary. But his Achilles heel throughout his career has been his propensity to chase breaking balls diving away from the plate. In 1997, he had three times as many strikeouts as walks.
	DEFENSE		DEFENSE
	Playing long before sunglasses became the norm, Hack’s inability to shield his eyes from the sun turned a routine fly ball off the bat of Mule Haas into a three-run homer during the seventh inning in Game Four of the 1929 World Series. Haas’ 'shot' helped spark a 10-run outburst, helping the A's take a 3-1 series advantage en route to their fourth World Championship.		Injuries have limited Gonzalez’ time in the outfield the past few years and have robbed him of the range necessary to catch up with balls hit in the right-centerfield gap. When he does get to the ball, his strong throwing arm can cut down runners daring to stretch singles into doubles.
	BASERUNNING		BASERUNNING
	Not amazingly fast, Wilson was adequate on the basepaths. He stole 52 bases in his 12-year career.		Quick for a big man, Gonzalez has the speed to steal 20 bases a season, but fear of injury has made the Rangers reluctant to give Juan the green light on the basepaths.
	LEADERSHIP/CHARACTER		LEADERSHIP/CHARACTER
	Hack’s incompatibility with new manager Rogers Hornsby in 1931 and his penchant for drowning his sorrows in beer led to his rapid decline. In '31, he drove in just 61 runs. Teammates complained Wilson was sleeping in the outfield -- balls sailed over his sagging, tired, body. Without his former ally, Joe McCarthy, in the dugout, Wilson turned violent and engaged in several brawls with both teammates and opposing players. Brief stints playing in Brooklyn and Philadelphia didn’t keep Hack from the bottle. He eventually took his own life at the age of 48.		Gonzalez, considered by many to be a 'me first' player, didn’t help his cause when he fumed over an official scorer’s decision on May 6 to call a two run base-hit an error, robbing him of 2 RBI. Annoyed, Juan made rude gestures at the official scorer’s box. Later in the same game, while his teammates celebrated a three-run HR which cut a six-run Yankee lead in half, Juan launched into a tirade from the top steps of the Ranger dugout. The next day, after the scorer reversed his call, changing the error to a hit, Gonzalez apologized. 'I’m sorry I did it,' he said, 'But at the same time, there is a lot of pressure. I’m trying to do my job, get RBI.'