Gems of Junk Wax Bracketology: Our champion

After about three months of "Junk Wax Bracketology", our champion has finally been crowned.

You, the readers, voted, and now I'm glad to present the first official "king" of the overproduction era. It was a close championship matchup, but the honor goes to...

#8 -- 1987 Topps #170 Bo Jackson (22 votes)

def.

#12 -- 1991 Topps #760 Benito Santiago (17 votes)

...Mr. Bo Jackson!

He edged out a slim five-vote victory over Benito Santiago to take the crown. He'll forever be immortalized with his extremely special accolade under the "Gems of Junk Wax" tab on this blog.

I can't say I was expecting "Bo" to win it all. I knew he'd advance deep into this thing, but I wasn't sure if he had the following needed to take the title. (For the record, I picked the '91 Topps Carlton Fisk to win the whole kit 'n kaboodle.)

Just goes to show what I know, I guess.

As one of the definite icons of the overproduction era, though, Jackson is a more than fitting champion.

To wrap this whole thing up, I'd just like to once again give a tremendous amount of thanks to all my readers who took the time to vote in this thing.

As I've said before, this tournament was simply another pet project of mine when I started it. (As was the whole "Gems of Junk Wax" theme, for that matter.)

But, thanks to all of you, it transformed itself into a smashing success. It went way better than I'd expected. Keeping my own personal bracket (which you see above) was simply awesome.

So, although I'm happy we've finally crowned a champion, it's still a bittersweet moment.

Running this tournament over the past few months has been an absolute blast. I'm a little sad it's over.

Still, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, after all.

Once I induct 64 more cards into the "Junk Wax Hall of Fame", I'll most definitely be holding a second tournament on the blog.

Looks like I have some work to do in the coming weeks, months, and years around here. I'm excited to reboot the "Gems of Junk Wax" theme very soon.

So, once again, fellow readers, I thank you for your participation in this thing over the past few months. I hope you had fun.

I know I sure did.

The dime box frankenset, Page 4: Numbers 28-36

Compared to many other fellow frankenset-ers, I'm still a rookie with this whole business.

Still, I've already had a historic week in my fairly recent "dime box frankenset" quest.

After weeks of hand-wringing and begging, my frankenset checklist has finally found a proper home inside a binder. As a matter of fact, though, I've had a special binder set aside for these since I originally announced my plans for this little project.

The pages were what worried me. I couldn't find any at flea markets or garage sales. And, given that I'm currently in a cash crunch, buying new ones online wasn't a viable option.

Amazingly, though, I had a big box of 100 brand new nine-pocket pages wind up on my doorstep earlier this week. At first, I didn't know who sent them.

However, the note inside led me to the culprit. Brian from the terrific blog "Base Set Calling" was the one who gave my frankenset a much-needed home. (Plus, I've had a few other generous souls offer to send me pages as of late, too.)

So, Brian, this post (and the rest of my frankenset write-ups, for that matter) goes out to you. I wouldn't have such an awesome way to display my "dime box frankenset" without your help.

Let's get the lowdown on the fourth page from my brand spankin' new frankenset binder.

Completion status: 8/9

Numbers needed: #34

The card: 1995 Pinnacle #28 Derrick May

Why it made the cut...

I've long expressed my love for any card featuring the timeless Wrigley Field ivy.

This shot of a leaping Derrick May is easily one of the greatest pieces I've seen in that department. Plus, the famous "basket" even makes a rare appearance here.

It's just another stake in my claim of Pinnacle's vast under-appreciation around collecting circles.

The card: 1995 Upper Deck #29 Geronimo Berroa

Why it made the cut...

Here, we have one of the better additions to my "at the wall" mini-collection.

Sadly, it doesn't look like Mr. Berroa made the catch, though.

The card: 1994 Topps #30 Kirt Manwaring

Why it made the cut...

While I'm not altogether sure this can be considered an official "play at the plate" card, it certainly features an outstanding action shot.

I love that Topps managed to capture Manwaring in an intense, almost cackling frame of anticipation.

Then again, catchers always seem to get the best action shots, don't they?

The card: 1986 Topps #31 Jamie Easterly

Why it made the cut...

Between the glasses and the neat autograph shot, this makes for a nifty "combo" mini-collection hit.

I wish there were more specs in the bigs these days.

The card: 2010 Upper Deck #32 Kyle Phillips

Why it made the cut...

The Blue Jays tenure of former catcher Kyle Phillips lasted for all of five games in 2009.

Yet, in that extremely short time span, he managed to come away with one of the more epic "broken bat" shots I've ever seen. Upper Deck looks to have captured this shot just moments after his bat shattered.

If only UD could've found a better place to stick that unsightly rookie card logo.

Then it'd be pretty darn close to a perfect baseball card.

The card: 1997 Upper Deck #33 Scott Servais

Why it made the cut...

This is one of the absolute best cards from my frankenset.

Once again, we have Wrigley Field providing a breathtaking backdrop to a terrific moment of action between Bret Boone and Scott Servais.

Upper Deck puts it brilliantly when noting of Servais's effort to "brace" himself for the upcoming play at the plate.

Thanks to UD's innovative "dating" methods, I confirmed the fact that Mr. Boone was indeed out on this collision, the victim of a peg from Cub left fielder Luis Gonzalez. It occurred in the top of the 7th during the Cubs-Reds contest on April 17th, 1996.

Oh, and the Cubs won that game, 8-6.

The card: 2012 Topps Update #US-35 Craig Breslow

Why it made the cut...

At first, I thought this was a "throwback" mini-collection need.

That particular Diamondback logo can be traced back to their World Series days. Still, it was never featured on black uniforms back in the early 2000's.

These are actually alternate jerseys for today's D'Backs franchise. They've been sporting them for the last few years.

Even though they're not throwbacks, I'd still say they make for nice ballpark garb.

That alone earned Mr. Breslow a spot in this frankenset.

The card: 1994 Collector's Choice #36 Wilson Alvarez

Why it made the cut...

Simply a neat shot of Mr. Alvarez teaching the art of pitching to a young fan here.

It's quirky issues like these that make Collector's Choice such an awesome brand in my eyes.

You'll be seeing a lot more of it as these posts roll on, too.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to peruse my awesome new frankenset binder for about the dozenth time.

It's just such a beautiful sight.

A Wrigley Field bonus

Yesterday was an insanely special day.

On an absolutely beautiful Friday afternoon, I was lucky enough to make the trek down to Wrigley Field to catch yesterday's Cubs-Pirates contest.

Seeing as how I hadn't been to Wrigley in almost two years, such a trip was long overdue.

While there's been a few glimmers of hope here and there, the Cubs have had an atrocious season thus far. And, last afternoon, they faced the best team in the bigs with the Pirates. (Who'd have thought?)

Unsurprisingly, the Cubbies took a 6-2 loss. The Bucs were bolstered by Francisco Liriano's second career complete game. (The first was his no-hitter against the White Sox in 2011.)

Still, despite the loss, anytime I can take in a game at Wrigley is nothing short of awesome.

And, as if the day couldn't have been any better, last afternoon's stadium giveaway was the second of four 20-card Topps Archives Cubs sets, given away to the first 10,000 fans in attendance.

My dad trudged through quite a bit of crappy weather to land me the first series. This time around, though, we both got to see the game. And the weather was much, much nicer.

Just minutes after we walked into the hallowed stadium, I ripped open the giveaway pack. The first face to greet me was Dave Kingman, one of my all-time favorite Cubbies.

The '96 Topps design isn't one of my favorites, but I think we'd all agree that this is still one awesome piece of cardboard.

It was definitely a sign of things to come.

Topps once again did a nice job with their set selection this time around.

With the exceptions of '61 and '90, all of these are probably amongst some of the best releases Topps ever put onto the market. The '72 Grace is a particular favorite of mine.

And, although I'm not a fan of the 1990 design, it's hard not to like anything of the late Ron Santo.

The inclusion of Steve Stone was a nice surprise, as he doesn't have many Cubs cards to begin with. It's just the fifth one in my binders at the moment. (All the others are vintage pieces.)

Yes, Topps reused the photo from Kerry Wood's 2012 Topps issue for this Archives set. Still, that's a shot I don't particularly mind seeing twice.

Plus, Sandberg's '62-themed issue is only the second I've found that features the horrendous porn 'stache he sported for a while.

I'm not sure why that thing ever managed to see the light of day.

As far as designs go, I'm giving the nudge to this latest Wrigley Field Archives set.

If we're talking player selection, though, I think the first set slightly outdoes this most recent one.

Seriously, does Jon Lieber really need to be in this set?

The guy did have a 20-win season on the North Side, but I have to believe that Topps could've found a more worthy candidate.

Aside from that, however, I have absolutely no gripes with the second Archives installment of Cubbies. Lieber (and Sosa) aside, it was gem after gem after gem.

Kerry Wood's second card is another masterpiece, featuring a great "tip of the cap" shot on the nice '62 design.

And, again, although I don't like the 1990 design, I still have to give a great deal of props to Topps for that Kessinger.

Sadly, he's a guy you just don't hear too much about nowadays.

He's a North Side legend, though.

The second Archives series closes out with a great shot of "Ryno" (sans-mustache) on the legendary '72 Topps design.

So, if you're counting, Topps managed to squeeze fourteen different designs into this 20-card set.

In chronological order, we have 1954, 1956, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1990, and 1996.

Now that's a fun-filled checklist if I've ever seen one.

And, to top it all off, I received two extra batches of these in-demand sets upon our entry into Wrigley last afternoon. While I don't usually like to sell cardboard all that much, I already managed to get rid of them on the 'Bay for a nice deal of extra National funds.

More than that, though, I'm ecstatic to have the second installment of Wrigley Field Archives in my collection.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to the last two of the four-game giveaway (August 2nd and 30th), but I've already gotten farther with these than I would've ever thought.

They're terrific mementos for a die-hard Cubs fan such as myself.

PWE fireworks

I've long been an avid fan of American history.

Which means that, yes, I'm one of those people who like to point out that July 4th was most likely not the exact day the States gained their independence from England. 

By most accounts, it probably should've been July 2nd.

But I think that's enough of a history lesson for today. Despite its somewhat flawed history, I do enjoy celebrating the 4th each year. And, hey, now that I'm 21, I can enjoy my first (legal) Independence Day "cold one", if I wish.

Of course, the 4th means fireworks as well. I've never been the biggest fan of those. Still, I've accepted the fact that they're an integral part of the holiday's identity.

Much like the M-80s that many hooligans my age seem to light off every 4th of July, quite a few PWEs have been going "boom" in my mailbox as of late.

So, in keeping with the ever-present "PWE Appreiciation Week" festivities, I thought I'd present a few more envelopes of cardboard goodness. (By the way, I've already sent out a couple PWEs this week, and intend to ship a few more within the next few days.)

The first comes from reader Jeff, who, as far as I know, does not yet have a card blog. His envelope was centered around the above '87 Topps Concepcion, a card which was on my "Dime Box Dozen" list for mere hours before being offed.

I can't quite explain how such a relatively common piece of cardboard eluded me all these years. Now, though, I can proudly say I own a complete Dave Concepcion "Topps set". From his '71 rookie to his '88 "sunset", I now have every single base Topps card of his.

It's a proud accomplishment for this low-end collector.

Jeff was also nice enough to include a few of my Opening Day insert needs in this particular PWE.

The "Opening Day Stars" series is quickly becoming one of the more under-appreciated sets in today's hobby, if you ask me.

After the hundreds that saw the light of day in the '90s and 2000's, there's been a noticeable lack of "autograph" shots in checklists these days. As a result, the "Ballpark Fun" Pedroia was certainly refreshing to see.

I was starting to think card companies forgot that players, you know...

Actually signed autographs.

This next batch of "fireworks" actually came courtesy of a couple separate blasts from the same blogger.

Blogger and prolific commenter Ethan is one of the new kids on the block around the blogosphere. However, the guy already has two different blogs.

One is the terrific "Top of the Topps", which has been on my blogroll for a couple months now. The other, however, is the brand spankin' new "Playing with My Cards", which was just unveiled a few days ago. Go and check it out if you haven't already.

Ethan has been nice enough to drop a few awesome PWEs onto my doorstep over the past couple weeks. 

One of my favorite pieces he sent my way was the above Collector's Choice "pitcher at the plate" shot of Ramon Martinez. Given Ethan's Dodger fandom (yes, we have another Dodger blogger in the blogosphere), it certainly made sense.

Plus, it's all the more reason to love the Collector's Choice brand.

One of the highlights from this PWE was Don Sutton's 1989 Score card.

As far as I know, Score was one of the only brands to grant Sutton a true "sunset" issue. The Hall of Famer had an unspectacular 16-game stint with his original franchise in '88 before hanging 'em up for good.

Given my love for "sunset" cards, I'd long wanted to make it a "Dime Box Dozen" need. When its turn finally came up in the rotation, I wondered how long it'd take for a collecting sniper to put a hit on it.

Much like the 1987 Concepcion, it was only on the list for a few hours. Oh, and Ethan threw in a copy of that very same '87 as well. In fact, Mr. Concepcion arrived on the exact same day as Jeff's PWE. 

I'm not the only blogger to have one of those "first world problems" on my hands. (Oddly, his experience involved the only other '89 card of Sutton as a Dodger I've seen.)

Amazingly, I received a third '87 Topps Concepcion on the very same day. But that's another trade for another post.

To loosely quote one of my favorite movies...

"You see what happens, Larry? You see what happens when you put 1987 Topps on your 'Most Wanted' list?"

You get three of 'em on the same day.

That's what happens, Larry.

Against all odds, Ethan managed to knock out another pair of former "Dime Box Dozen" needs.

That puts the count at four "hits" within the span of two PWEs, which is probably some sort of record.

One of the most amazing acts of blogger generosity I've seen resulted in me landing Jimmie Reese's 1991 Studio issue a couple months ago. He was the Angels strength and conditioning coach during the early '90s.

Oh, and did I mention he was ninety years old at the time?

After I posted about the sheer excitement of having a Reese card in my collection, I was alerted to the fact that he had another "coach" issue on the market. Unbeknownst to me, Bowman honored the man in their '91 checklist as well.

Predictably, it eventually wound up on my "Dime Box Dozen" list. Ethan knocked it off a couple weeks thereafter.

The freightening '81 Donruss Hrabosky was a card I'd wanted for a long, long time. It'd been a "Dime Box Dozen" need for a month or so before Ethan purged it off the list.

Just call him "The Hitman", if you want.

Ethan's certainly deserved the label with his recent "Dime Box Dozen" massacre.

The last and final PWE of this post comes from a familiar face around here.

Every so often, Douglas from the awesome blog "Sportscards from the Dollar Store" drops an envelope on me.

One of the more consistent features of his PWEs over the past few months have been hockey takes on some of my most cherished mini-collections. This one, of course, is a ice-themed parallel of my "Award Show" collection.

Here, Boston Bruins center Tyler Seguin hoists the ultimate award in the game of hockey, The Stanley Cup. 

While I don't watch the sport religiously, I was ecstatic to see my hometown Blackhawks take home the title last week. I didn't go to the official parade, but a couple of buddies and I did end up going downtown on the very night the Hawks captured the Cup.

It was, without a doubt, the craziest night of my life.

And I was just a couple blocks down from Wrigley Field the whole time.

But, getting back to the baseball side of things, a couple of my "Dime Box Dozen" needs fell victim to this PWE as well.

Coincidentally, Douglas was the one who first alerted me about Jimmie Reese's 1991 Bowman issue.

And, yes, after wanting the card for about five or six years, two 1981 Donruss Al Hraboskys wound up on my doorstep within a couple days of each other.

It's funny how things work out sometimes.

Given the extreme few "argument" cards out there, it's easy to see why the '95 Score Dykstra was such a desired need of mine. It's probably the most intense dispute I've seen on cardboard yet.

Thanks to the efforts of another blogger, I learned that this shot was almost certainly taken from a Phillies-Marlins contest on May 8th, 1994. Dykstra was indeed tossed due to this argument with home plate ump Angel Hernandez.

A little more research into that particular game shows that he was ejected after being called out on strikes in the first inning. As the leadoff hitter.

So, Dykstra, the very first batter of the game, got tossed.

I can't say I've ever seen that before.

Let's close things out with a baseball player gripping a football.

This Barfield is a tremendous new addition to my scarce "multi-sport heroes" mini-collection. Apparently, Rangers pitchers had some sort of football-themed workout back in the day.

I've seen a couple cards that feature Nolan Ryan with the pigskin.

Such an odd card is a fitting end to a couple weeks' worth of spectacular PWE fireworks.

And, to those of you who enjoy them, I wish you nothing but a great night of kicking back and watching the lights in the sky.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Uniformity, revisited

A few months ago, I wrote one of my personal favorite posts in this blog's history.

In a topic I dubbed "Uniformity", I sought to find which uniforms I associated with a few of the game's many multi-team greats.

As I mentioned last time around, some choices are pretty much no-brainers. I can't imagine many fans associating Elston Howard with the Red Sox, or Roger Maris as a Cardinal. They're both Yankees, first and foremost.

With other guys, though, it's not that easy.

It's a tough call in determining the proper "uniformity" with some of my favorite players. And, depending on one's allegiances, it's a choice that probably differs from fan to fan.

Of course, I'd also like to note my inordinate respect for "one-team" greats once again. The single-franchise tenures of guys like Carl Yastremzski or Joe DiMaggio are part of their legendary status in the game's history.

But, for the sake of this post, let's take a look at another handful of tough choices in the world of "uniformity".

As I've found, they certainly make for some nice discussion.

Frankly, I'm floored that I didn't feature Mr. Nolan Ryan in my initial "uniformity" post.

He may well be the king of this category.

One could very well associate him with three different uniforms. He enjoyed wildly successful stints with the Angels, Astros, and Rangers during his legendary career. (Perhaps a few hardcore New York fans might best view him in a Mets jersey as well.)

For me, it's a tough choice. I was only one year old when Ryan retired in 1993, so I can't say I particularly remember much from his playing days.

However, I think his recent front office affiliation with the Texas franchise has led me to see him as a Ranger. Most clips I've seen of the "Ryan Express" feature him as a Ranger as well.

Plus, given his Southern drawl, Ryan just seems like he was born to play for a Texas team.

And, yes, the guy was in fact born in Texas, to boot.

Chalk one up for the Rangers here.

A lot of the time, I'll associate someone with a uniform they wore during their so-called "best years".

Statistically, the late Gary Carter enjoyed his prime seasons with the Expos in the '70s and early '80s.

But, while I can certainly appreciate his days north of the border, "The Kid" is cemented in my memory as a New York Met.

His persona seemed to fit the perennially great Mets teams of the '80s so well. The fact that Carter was one of the unquestioned leaders of those squads was no coincidence.

To me, the Mets blue fits him far better than any other jersey he wore during his Hall of Fame career.

Last time, the topic of bigger media markets was brought up in relation to the discussion of "uniformity".

I certainly agree with that.

By and large, Reggie Jackson's ten seasons with the A's outweighed the rest of his career. He won three straight World Series titles with the franchise from 1972 to '74, as well as capturing his only career MVP award with the A's in 1973.

Still, although he only spent five seasons with the Bronx Bombers, I'd bet most fans see him as a Yankee.

New York is probably the biggest media market in sports. Given the legendary hot dog nature of "Mr. October", his Yankee days were more publicized than the rest of his career combined. (Including his well-known feud with Billy Martin.)

So, while I don't like admitting it, the media did indeed influence my decision here.

Reggie Jackson is a New York Yankee.

Oh, and by the way, see how much better those '82s look without that intrusive facsimile signature?

It certainly makes for a much cleaner card, in my opinion.

Still, the bigger media markets don't always bias my opinions on "uniformity".

Jim Abbott enjoyed a couple of mainstream seasons with the Yankees in the mid-'90s. A tenure which famously saw him throw the most inspiring no-hitter ever tossed in big league history, I might add.

Prior to his Yankee days, though, Abbott broke in with the Angels in 1989. He did so, in fact, without playing a game in the minors.

Since the Angels were a fairly awful franchise in those days, they never received a great deal of play around the media. As a result, I'm not sure Abbott ever received as much recognition as he probably should have.

Mainstream media or not, Abbott will forever be an Angel in my eyes.

The tale of "Catfish" Hunter is one of the harder decisions I've had to make with this topic.

In fact, Hunter was so closely associated with both the A's and Yankees franchises that his Hall of Fame plaque simply features him in a generic cap.

"Catfish" himself didn't want to choose one team over the other, so he just had the folks at Cooperstown leave the hat blank.

The aforementioned media bias could well come into play here. Hunter played on the legendary A's teams of the mid-'70s, spending ten years with the franchise before signing with the Yankees in 1975. (He'd win his only Cy Young award with the A's as well.)

But, as I said, we all know how big that New York media scene is. It's surprising to learn that "Catfish" only spent five years with the Yanks. It seemed like a lot longer.

For some guys, a single herculean feat can sometimes tip the scales one way or another in this discussion. Like, say, a perfect game.

Hunter's perfecto against the Twins on May 8th, 1968, pushes me ever-so-slightly into associating him with the A's franchise. At the time, the Twins featured greats such as Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva, making his feat all the more amazing.

I wouldn't argue with anyone who sees him as a Yankee, though.

No matter how you look at it, the "uniformity" of Mr. Hunter is a tough call.

Greg Maddux broke in with the Cubs in 1986.

He won the first of four straight Cy Youngs with the Cubbies in 1992. And, as shown here, "Mad Dog" notched his 300th career victory with the hometown team in 2004.

Still, I'd bet most fans out there see Maddux as an Atlanta Brave. I mean, the guy won three straight Cy Young Awards with the team. He posted a staggering 1.56 ERA in 1994, right when hitting in the game was nearing its eventual mid-'90s peak.

And that's not even mentioning his only career World Series title in '95.

So, yeah, the Atlanta accolades are certainly there.

I'm a little biased, though. After living around the Chicago area for my first 21 years of existence, I tend to give the nod to most hometown guys in this category.

So, contrary to what most other baseball fans would tell you, Greg Maddux will always be a Chicago Cub to me.

But that's just one man's opinion.

Gems of Junk Wax Bracketology: The championship

Here we are.

It's the moment you've all been waiting for.

The championship.

Before we get the ball rolling, I'd just like to once again say thanks to everyone who has taken the time to vote in this tournament. What started as a little pet project of mine has turned into a definite success in my eyes.

And it's all thanks to my awesome readers out there.

For the championship, I've decided to extend the three-day voting period a bit. In order to not have the closing polls interfere with the upcoming 4th of July festivities, polls will instead be closing this Friday, July 5th, at 11:59 PM.

Make the most of your extra day to vote!

So, without further ado, it gives me great honor to present our long awaited championship matchup.

#8 -- 1987 Topps #170 Bo Jackson RC

VS.

#12 -- 1991 Topps #760 Benito Santiago

I'll admit, I thought we were going to have an all-'91 Topps matchup here in the final round.

I had a feeling Mr. Santiago would take down the '87 Topps Mitchell, but I thought the famous "play at the plate" '91 Topps Fisk would eke out a victory over "Bo".

As it happens, I was wrong. Instead, we have a tremendous 1987/1991 Topps matchup on our hands, most likely the two best Topps releases from the overproduction era.

Honestly, I'm not sure what else I can say about this pair. I feel like I've said it all before.

Both Jackson and Santiago, however, are certainly deserving of spots in this tournament's championship round.

The ultimate champion, however, well...

That's up to you.

Whoever comes out on top here will be the official "King of Junk Wax".

Well, the final poll of the tournament is now on the sidebar.

Happy voting!

Gems of Junk Wax Bracketology: Victors from the Final Four

The long awaited day is finally here.

Well, almost.

Tonight, voting to determine the ultimate king from "The Gems of Junk Wax" will begin. It should be an absolute blast.

For now, though, let's take a look at who you'll be deciding between in tonight's championship polls.

Here's who emerged victorious in last week's "Final Four" voting.

#8 -- 1987 Topps #170 Bo Jackson RC (18 votes)

def.

#9 -- 1991 Topps #170 Carlton Fisk (15 votes)

I'll admit, this one was a bit of a surprise to me.

After all, I was banking on Mr. Fisk to win the whole darn tournament. It's certainly one of my personal favorite "gems" of the overproduction era.

I thought it'd be close, but I expected Fisk to emerge victorious here.

How very wrong I was.

Voting was indeed neck-and-neck, but "Bo" eventually pulled out a slim three-vote victory.

Since many of today's collectors grew up cherishing '87 Topps, I can certainly see why. Jackson is definitely the face of that particular checklist, if not the overproduction era as a whole.

Given all that, I guess a championship appearance in this tournament seemed like destiny for Bo Jackson.

#12 -- 1991 Topps #760 Benito Santiago (18 votes)

def.

#8 -- 1987 Topps #653 Kevin Mitchell RC (15 votes)

I had a feeling Mr. Santiago would go deep into this tournament.

I just didn't think he'd make it this far.

From the looks of it, Benito Santiago's glorious 1991 Topps issue has quite the following amongst collectors. It far exceeded my expectations.

And, with an 18-to-15 victory over the magnificent '87 Topps Kevin Mitchell rookie, he successfully secured a spot in the championship round. (Coincidentally, both matchups ended in 18-to-15 vote decisions.)

So, thanks to your voting, we're looking at a "Bo" vs. "Benito" pairing in the long awaited championship round.

The polls will commence tonight.

Until then, let's give a big round of applause to both of our championship contestants.

They certainly deserve it.