They don’t call him Mr. Seven Seed for nothing.
No 10 – #7 Rich Calderon over #1 David Hightower, 1,067-965 (Quarters, 2007) After 14 weeks of football, no team in league history had a better record than David at 12-2, so he had that going for him. Rich finished the season 6-7, but had just knocked off the scoring champ in the quarters, so he had that going for him. Yet, it was Dave’s boys who failed to show up in the semis, producing his lowest scoring game of the year, sending Calderon to his first and only title game. With the win and the earlier one against Don, Calderon became the only person to ever beat the scoring champ and top seed, when the two were not the same team.
No 9 – #7 Don Vozzola over #1 Molly Coomer 1,499-1,296 (Semis, 2008) Molly was the top seed, a 10-game winner, who rode into the semis on a nine-game winning streak. Don, entered the contest on a two-game winning streak, but that was just his first since week two and three. No competition, right? Maybe not. You have to look deeper at the numbers. Molly may have won nine straight, but she got plenty of help. Her opponent’s had failed to score 1,000 in a record eight-straight games. In the semis, Don broke 1,000. In fact, he scored 1,281 and ended Molly’s season.
No 8 – #8 Rich Calderon over #1 Robio Murray 1,953 – 1,535 (Quarters, 2003) Wait, this is a No 8 seed over a No 1 seed…a number one who was also the top scoring team in the league, how could the game not be ranked higher? Don’t get me wrong, I was that good, but Calderon was not the typical No 8 seed. Let’s take a look back, shall we? Both teams struggled out of the gate, Calderon started 1-3, I started 0-4. However, I turned it around after a month, winning nine of my last ten, including a 2,119-1,490 win over Rich. Calderon would lose two more, falling to a league worse, 1-6. He too turned it around though, winning five of his last six and squeezing into the final playoff spot. While it was not shocking that I won the scoring title as the top seed, Rich was actually third in the league in scoring. In fact, I actually predicted a Calderon win. Sadly, I was right. Rich won 1,953-1,535. It was the most points scored by a losing team in the post-season.
No 7 – #8 Rob Masterson over #1 Richard Burrier 1,452-917 (Quarters, 2006) Like the game above, the seeds didn’t really tell us the whole story. Masterson was the last team in the playoffs, but in reality he actually outscored Burrier in the regular season by 667 points. Yet, Burrier was still the top seed and headed into the post-season hot. He had entered the playoffs on a eight-game winning streak, scoring over 1,300 in six of the games, breaking 1,500 four times. Masterson had only cracked 1,500 three times all season. In the quarters though, Burrier would have his worst game in nine weeks, failing to break 1,000. Rob knocked off the No 1 seed, 1,452-917. It was the third time in four years the No 1 team failed to escape the first-round.
No 6 – #8 David Hightower over #1 Don Vozzola 1,239-1,136 (Quarters, 2005) In 2005, Don took the number one seed thanks to a 9-4 record, never losing two in a row, failing to break 1,000 only once all season. He was a respectable 5th in scoring, 1,212 more points than David Hightower. Dave on the other hand, did everything he could to miss the playoffs. He started the season 1-3 and ended it on a three-game losing streak. He only snuck in because he outscored Calderon by 95 total points. When these two met back in week eight, Don whipped him by over 600 points. This one should have been easy for Don, right? Nope. Don again, failed as a high seed, losing a tight one, 1,239-1,136, becoming the second No 1 seed to fall this early.
No 5 – #7 Rich Calderon over #2 Don Vozzola, 1,604-1,436 (Quarters, 2007) Don was the defending champ and the league’s scoring champ. Calderon was below .500, outscoring only three other teams all year. For Don though, payback was going to be hell? Just the previous year, Don was only 9th in scoring, but as the 7th seed, somehow managed to win three in the row in the post-season on his way to his first title. That run began by knocking off, Molly the scoring champ in the first round. In 2007, the shoe was on the other foot for Don. Rich ended Don’s dreams of a repeat, 1,604-1,436.
No 4 – #7 Don Vozzola over #3 Robio Murray 1,617-844 (Finals, 2006) You know, there’s a lot of Don on this list. As the decade came to an end, Don’s struggles in the post-season were well-known. He was 0-4 heading into the 2006 playoffs. However, this year, he took a different approach…as the underdog, thanks to losing five of his last seven games, back-flipping into the post-season. I, on the other hand, only had a 7-6 record, but I won four out of my last five (with three weekly high scores), taking my division, finishing second in scoring. Once in the post-season, Don the Underdog worked. He defeated the scoring champ (Molly), followed by Bob to reach the finals. I also cruised, scoring over 1,800 and 1,400 respectfully. On the surface, this should have been no competition, but in reality, Don had some solid match ups and a hot Ron Dayne. He crushed me, as I had my worst scoring playoff game ever.
No 3 – #6 David Hightower over #2 Robio Murray 1,436 – 1,075 (Semis, 2001) It was a miss-match all the way. David was 22-23, averaging less than 1,100 for his three-year career. Hell, he hadn’t won two in a row in 22 weeks. I, of course, owned the league. I, Robio, was the dynasty. I was 37-12 in my career. I averaged around 1,400ppg. I was the two-time defending champ, undefeated in the post-season (7-0). No one expected Dave to win. Hell, no one wanted Dave to win. Everyone wanted No 1 Jason vs. No 2 Robio in the finals. Too bad. I had my worst game in three months, Dave had his best week in six weeks. Hightower handed me my first playoff loss ever, 1,436-1,075. Of course in the finals, David laid an egg, failing to break 1,000, losing 1,273-920.
No 2 – #4 Griff Coomer over #1 Rick Mullin 1,398-1,313 (Semis, 2000) Rick was the next great team. A year after I took the top seed, the scoring title and the championship, Rick easily took two-thirds of the yearly triple crown, with 11 wins and a scoring title. He also became the first team to go undefeated in his division (6-0). Griff wasn’t a bad team. He was the No 4 seed, so he was the best non-division winner in the league. He finished 4th in scoring and even beat Rick in week eight. But that win had more to do with Rick having his worse game of the season. He only scored 1,061 in that 84-point defeat. Rick wouldn’t have another bad game like that, would he? No, he wouldn’t. He actually had a good game, but Griff just out did him again, this time with a 85-point win. Two wins, neither by more than 100 points. Rick became the only No 1 Seed and Scoring champ to not win the title in Robioland’s first three years.
No 1 – #7 Don Vozzola over #5 Robio Murray, 1,216-1,041 (Finals, 2008) It shouldn’t have happened, even Don would admit this. It happened in 2006 and that was all right. Upsets happen, but not like this one. Some history first. Don’s team wasn’t very good (7th in scoring). Fortunately for him, there were a lot of really bad teams and he faced those teams seven times (four teams that missed the playoffs and one game against the league’s lowest scoring team). He finished the season 6-7, as a week thirteen win against the league’s worst team put him in the playoffs. As for me, I was the hottest team to ever enter the playoffs…maybe not in wins and loses, although I was a decent 6-3 heading into the post-season party. I was the league’s top scoring team (most points scored in the league since 2005). Most amazingly, I produced the league high score in all of those last six wins. I was flaming to say the least. In the post-season, I didn’t slow down. I score over 1,600 in the quarters and 1,700 in the finals. I was scorching. Don, on the other hand, was doing fine. He broke 1,500 to take down the No 2 seed, but only need 1,281 to beat No 1 Molly. Heading into the title game, did anyone really give Don a shot? In reality, he had no shot, that is until I made two costly switches to my lineup based on match ups. One decision by itself would not have made a difference. Two though, cost me. Don beat me for the title for the second time in three years, in the greatest playoff shocker in league history.
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