Gems of Junk Wax Bracketology: Victors from the Sweet 16 (Pt. 4)

The "Sweet 16" is officially over.

You voted, and the final two tickets to the "Elite Eight" have been punched. I must say, I was quite surprised with how the polling from this round turned out.

Both matchups proved to be quite exciting fights to the finish.

Let's meet the final pair of "Elite Eight" nominees.

#8 -- 1987 Topps #653 Kevin Mitchell RC (21 votes)

def.

#5 -- 1992 Topps #40 Cal Ripken Jr. (17 votes)

I'll admit, this one caught me way off-guard.

As great as the Mitchell is, I figured the Ripken would still manage to pull off a fairly comfortable victory. After all, anything featuring the "Iron Man" seems to get a great deal of love in this hobby.

But, surprisingly, Mr. Mitchell jumped out to a hefty early lead. And, while the Ripken tried to pull off a comeback in the final hours of voting, the effort proved futile.

The legend that is Kevin Mitchell advanced by a narrow four-vote margin. In fact, it's the second straight round that a Ripken-themed card has been defeated by a 1987 Topps contestant.

Perhaps '87 Topps cards are the "bracket busters" of this tournament.

#14 -- 1992 Stadium Club #520 Wade Boggs (20 votes)

def.

#2 -- 1989 Upper Deck #755 Jim Abbott RC (18 votes)

This may have been the best "Sweet 16" matchup of them all.

The tallies were neck-and-neck for what seemed like the entire voting period. I was starting to think we'd have another tie on our hands.

But, in one of the closest pairings of the entire tournament thus far, the awesome celebratory Mr. Boggs managed to eke out a slim two-vote victory.

I would've loved to see the Abbott move on to the "Elite Eight". As the best rookie card ever printed (and one of my all-time favorite cards ever), I probably would've voted in his favor.

In the end, though, you really can't go wrong with the Boggs.

As one of the craziest cards in existence, it'll certainly make for a strong "Elite Eight" nominee.

And, speaking of the "Elite Eight", I'll be revealing the first two matchups from the next round of voting tonight!

We're really starting to get in the nitty-gritty of it now.