Gems of Junk Wax Bracketology: Victors from the Sweet 16 (Pt. 3)

We're getting closer and closer to the "Elite Eight".

Thanks to this round of voting, two new pieces of the puzzle are in place. One of the matchups from this region proved to be an insanely close battle, the closest we've seen so far from the "Sweet 16".

Let's meet this region's "Elite Eight" nominees.

#8 -- 1987 Topps #170 Bo Jackson RC (24 votes)

def.

#5 -- 1988 Donruss #625 The Ripken Family (5 votes)

Truthfully, I was fairly certain that "Bo" would pull out the victory here.

I just didn't think it would be this big of a blowout.

With Jackson's 19-vote drubbing of Cal Sr., Billy, and Cal Jr., a Ripken-themed card has finally been eliminated from the tournament. They'd been a perfect 7-0 before this round.

"Bo" officially has his "Elite Eight" ticket punched.

Perhaps a trip to the "Final Four" is in his midst.

#11 -- 1991 Upper Deck #175 Fernando Valenzuela (14 votes)

def.

#7 -- 1994 UD Ken Burns Baseball #66 Bill Mazeroski (13 votes)

This proved to be one of the more nail-biting matchups of the entire tournament thus far.

These cards were neck-and-neck for the entire voting period. When I left the house on Saturday night, the tallies were knotted up at an even 12 votes a piece. I was starting to think we'd have a tie on our hands.

But, upon returning home later on, I found that "Fernando" had eked out a narrow one-vote victory over the historic Mazeroski card.

While I personally favored "Maz" in this matchup, I can't argue against the stunning night shot and "multiple-exposure" combo featured on Valenzuela's 1991 UD issue.

He'll have his hands full when he faces off against Mr. Jackson in this region's "Elite Eight" voting.

Until then, though, look for the fourth and final pair of "Sweet 16" matchups later tonight.

I can't wait.