Bracket Contest Winners!!!

Well, the grueling contest is finally over.  It only took 2 months from the first entry to the final vote.  The winner is:

2009 Bowman Draft Pack - A2 Wolverine

He beat out Dipayan Banerjee and the 1999-00 Finest Basketball pack by a vote of 10-6.  Congratulations A2 Wolverine, you are the winner of the following:

Of course, you also get the Wild Card packs, though the contents have been revealed, and I took the cards that were on my wantlists (none of it was too special).  You will also get some other random stuff, and some items that fit your collecting needs.  So, A2 Wolverine, send me an email with a list of the things you collect and maybe point me towards your want lists.

Dipayan Banerjee, congratulations on being runner-up.  Send me an e-mail with a list of the things you collect so I can put a small package together for you. 
To get back to the voting, I'm sure plenty of you would like to know who wins the bonus voting prize.

Congratulations Night Owl.  I'll put some kind of package together for you.  Send me an e-mail so I can get your address. 

Bonus entries were given for anyone who gave their reasoning behind their votes.  I found it to be quite enlightening. Here are some of the comments (anonymously, of course):

The baseball turned basketball vote:

"At first I figured I would never pick basketball over baseball especially with an auto on the baseball side but...I have to go with the hoops simply because of the star power in that pack. I am not a big basketball fan...yet I still know all the players in the pack while the baseball pack didn't move me with the player selection."

The economist:

"...I also think that looking objectively it's [Bowman Draft] also the pack that generated the most value."

Score this one 5-0:

"Autos are great. I like Trevor Crowe. I can't stand Charles Barkley or Tracy McGrady. There's a wide variety in the cards (ie. gold, chrome, WBC chrome, auto, rookie card, etc.). Baseball wins over basketball every time."

Baseball fan:

"I can't vote for basketball"

I think this may have been Charles Barkley's vote:

"Hard to beat 5 certified stars... and one of them is Barkley... winnah winnah... chicken dinnah"

A sore loser who wants to act like they didn't lose as bad:
"That pack beat me in a previous round."

The best reason:
"Reasoning? Fact. Baseball is better than Basketball. Baseball. Basketball. Battlestar Galactica. And a clean looking auto from a baseball pack beats darker basketball card any time (perhaps it is the scan, but the cards do look dark). Although I'd like to see each of the actual players from both packs go at it in a rumble. Yes, I know that the basketball players are 10 years older, but it would be fun. Maybe just have them do an American Gladiators thing so they don't get hurt. If it was a true tire irons and bike chains rumble I might have to go with the basketball players. But this is cards. Baseball. Thanks for the incredibly difficult and confusing contest that I had absolutely no chance in. I enjoyed it."


There are two truths I take away from the whole voting experience:

Baseball > Basketball
Auto > No Auto