Gems of Junk Wax Bracketology: The Sweet 16 (Pt. 2)

I just noticed that this is my 40th post of the month.

That's a fairly torrid pace for me. I haven't hit the 40-post mark since last July. With summer vacation and all, I should be able to at least get close to 40 posts in each of the next few months.

But enough about that. You're probably not here to read about my posting milestones, after all.

We have a superb pair of matchups here, if I may say so. And, depending on how the voting plays out, we could be looking at a historic "Elite Eight" pairing from this region.

Polling for these matchups will close on Monday, June 3rd, at 11:59 PM.

So, without further ado, here are tonight's "Sweet 16" contestants.

#9 -- 1988 Fleer #582 Tim Flannery

VS.

#12 -- 1991 Topps #760 Benito Santiago

Kicking off the festivities is an interesting all-Padre pairing.

Given the impressive following the Friars have here in the blogosphere, I'm a bit excited for this matchup.

The Flannery is one of the quirkier cards of the overproduction era. Surfboards have never exactly been a common sight on cardboard.

Mr. Santiago's 1991 Topps issue, of course, is fairly well-known around collecting circles. It has absolutely drubbed its opponents in the first two rounds of polling, winning by a combined total of 43 votes.

While I expect the Flannery to give it more of a challenge, it's hard to question the greatness of Benito Santiago.

If I've learned anything from this tournament, it's that 1991 Topps is hard to stop.

#7 -- 1991 Topps #455 Walt Weiss

VS.

#11 -- 1987 Classic Yellow #124 Andre Dawson

Mr. Weiss is one of three '91 Topps contestants left in this tournament.

If he and Santiago can pull out the victories in this region, we'll be looking at an all-1991 Topps "Elite Eight" pairing.

While that would certainly be a boatload of fun, he has stiff competition from the beanball-tastic Andre Dawson.

Before voting even started, I had a feeling "Hawk" would be one of the bigger sleepers of the tournament. After all, Classic isn't exactly the most recognized brand in this hobby. And I don't think many collectors even know that unbelievable Dawson card even exists.

So, which is it?

A 1991 Topps "double dip" or a Classic under-the-radar beaning?

That's up to you to decide.

The polls are now on the sidebar.

Happy voting!