We've now reached the Sweet Sixteen and the match ups are getting much harder to call...or are they? Little bit more explanation going on here.
4. CC Sabathia vs. 9. Ray Lewis
Swagger:8-10
Ray Lewis might be old, but he is still that same bad dude he was 10 years ago when he won the Super Bowl. I think CC Sabathia looks goofy on the mound, but his swagger comes in his flame throwing arm and his strikeout nature. Ray Ray wins this by a landslide, I mean how can you beat his intro dance?
Skills:9-10
Again, even at his age, Ray Lewis is a monster, an absolute monster. His ability to still command a defense and annihilate a quarterback are invaluable. CC can gas it, and has some solid off-speed stuff, but I'm not sure he's gonna go down as one of the greatest QBs of all-time.
ESPN Underhype:7-5
CC doesn't get any love from the ESPN crews even though he headlines the league's most popular team's rotation. Ray Lewis still gets a decent amount of hype from ESPN, but neither are overhyped. CC wins here because somehow he is still under appreciated for what he did in the '08 playoffs helping the Yankees win the World Series.
Greatness Factor: 9-10
If Ray Lewis is the greatest linebacker of our generation, and is pretty close to being the greatest of all-time. He's got one big ole Super Bowl ring that is mostly because of his leadership on defense, a defense that is considered one of the greatest of all-time. CC has a ring as well, but still needs to add to his Yankee allure for us to give him a perfect 10.
2. Tim Lincecum vs. 11 Patrick Willis
Swagger:7-10
Patrick Willis is the meanest looking linebacker in the NFL. His visor combined with his abusing hits makes him the most intimidating in the league. Lincecum on the other hand is pretty cool cause of his wild release, but the long haired bro is one of goofier greats we see in sports today.
Skills: 10-9
The success that Lincecum has with his wild release pretty much allows him to be the most skilled pitcher in the MLB. Willis has shown leadership and a phenomenal tackling ability but he's still quite young. He'll be a ten in this category before we know it, though.
ESPN Underhype: 3-7
Tim Lincecum does get a ton of love from ESPN, though it's usually not overwhelming. Patrick Willis, on the other hand, received very little credit from ESPN for being the most important cog in the 49ers defensive engine. He almost led them to a Super Bowl and still didn't get the attention Vernon Davis did.
Greatness Factor: 9-8
Lincecum has a ring and two Cy Youngs. Willis is close to getting a ring, and has an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. I'd want to see Timmy have another spectacular playoff run to sure up his greatness factor to a 10, but his ring and award collection puts him slightly above Willis in this category.
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