San Francisco Giants: #SFGiantsMadness Down to the Sweet 16

San Francisco Giants fans sure have their favorites. After a crazy four days that saw quite a few upsets, #SFGiantsMadness ended up with a lot of favorites still finding their way into the Sweet 16.

While the #1 seeds all advanced easily, a #2 seed did fall. Former San Francisco Giants All-Star Matt Williams lost in his head to head matchup with J.T. Snow. The popular Giants went neck and neck, but Snow came out on top 52% to 48% in the voting.

Also, in a blowout, current Giant Hunter Pence defeated former Giants second baseman Robby Thompson 76% to 24% in a battle between a 4 and a 12 seed. Five seed Jason Schmidt also edged out #4 seed Jack Clark, winning 63% to 37%.

The Sweet 16 will begin on Thursday to coincide with March Madness. Here are the matchups:

1 Willie Mays vs 5 Jason Schmidt

Mays is the two time defending champion in this tournament. Schmidt has never made it into the Sweet 16. Mays will be the heavy favorite in this lopsided matchup.

3 Orlando Cepeda vs 10 J.T. Snow

Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda has a statue at the stadium, but fans clearly love J.T. Snow. This matchup may seem lopsided on paper, but Giants fans should make this one intriguing.

1 Willie McCovey vs 4 Tim Lincecum

Two of the most popular Giants of all-time going head to head. McCovey’s legend is unquestioned in Giants fans eyes, even for those who never saw him play. The Willie Mac Award and McCovey Cove are proof of that. However, there are still many Giants fans who fell in love with the Giants all over again the day Tim Lincecum became a Giant. This one might go down to the wire.

2 Will Clark vs 3 Matt Cain

Many Giants fans today grew up watching Will Clark. He has always been a sentimental favorite in this game. Clark has reached the Final Four in this game before as well. Cain has reached the Elite Eight. Only one will do so this time.

The tournament will continue on Friday with the other four matchups:

1 Barry Bonds vs 4 Madison Bumgarner

This might be the most frustrating matchup left on the board. Fans love to hate Barry Bonds on Twitter, but Barry has still found his way to the championship game each year. Will this be the year a current legend takes him down? Hard to ever doubt Madison Bumgarner.

2 Bobby Bonds vs 3 Jeff Kent

Bobby Bonds nearly lost in the previous round to fan favorite Rich Aurilia. Now he will take on Jeff Kent, who despite his detractors, is still a popular Giants player among many fans.

1 Juan Marichal vs 12 Hunter Pence

Despite Marichal’s Hall of Fame career, this could be the most likely one seed to fall. Pence’s popularity is undeniable. Fans have always voted for him in this tournament despite his statistics being nowhere near the competition he faces. Maybe that’s because fans know Pence is worth so much more than the numbers he puts up.

2 Gaylord Perry vs 3 Buster Posey

Buster Posey continues to rise up the rankings in this tournament. Posey will likely be a 2 seed by next season, and this may be the man he jumps. He could do it anyway. Very few Giants have ever been quite as popular as Gerald Dempsey Posey III.

Next: Will Smith Elbow Update

Voting for the Elite Eight will happen Saturday and Sunday. Make sure to go to Twitter and type the hashtag #SFGiantsMadness to find the brackets and vote.