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Viva Murillo!

For a couple of teams in each league, week 16 is the most important game of the year: It decides the league champion and determines who gets the money, the trophy and the bragging rights until next year. It’s a big week and I hope you’ll be there.

Unfortunately, most of us won’t be. In fact, some teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention headed into week 14. So what do you do then? Ignore your roster and focus on your winning franchises? Dutifully submit a lineup and wish them well as you log off the site for the last time in 2007?

I say take a good look at your schedule, because you might have a pretty big game coming up. If you play a buddy, or a guy who needs a win to make the playoffs, or—best of all—a buddy who needs a win to make the playoffs, this is your Super Bowl. You should prepare like it’s the biggest game of the year.

Maybe I’m idealistic, but your responsibilities in the league aren’t over yet. You signed up for a full season, and the season isn’t done. You owe it to the league to look over your options, pick up guys from the waiver wire (using your priority as a lower-ranked team) and set the best lineup possible. That’s your job, and you should do it in week 14 just like you did in week 4.

But there’s more to it than that. While making the playoffs is the best accomplishment, keeping someone else out is a decent second. And keeping a buddy (and hated rival) is actually a pretty close second. If you can’t be in the post-season, why should your friend make it? Drag him down with you, and trash-talk him for months. Isn’t that better than folding your tent and sulking away?

The best part is that the teams who need to win are expecting you to be absent this week. The playoff-bound teams have a good shot at their waiver favorites, and the ones on the bubble want you to hand them a victory. Maybe that’s what they would do if they were in your position; maybe they’re quitters. Maybe the league has a history of the also-rans slinking away and letting the top teams fight it out. That doesn’t matter. This is your team and I say to give them your very best this week.

You have nothing else to lose and nothing to gain but some bragging rights. Look at college football: Teams play rivalry games for silly things like oak barrels and hatchets and whatnot. They’re not in the national championship hunt, but if they win that one game they’re celebrating like they’re undefeated. That’s how good it feels to knock down a rival. That could be you this week.

Like most of you, I know what it’s like to be on both sides. I’m in a playoff fight in one league, and have been eliminated in another. My opponent in the first league is also battling for a post-season spot, so it will be a good game. But in the other league, my opponent is one of three teams vying for two wild-card spots. Since I’ve been kicked out of the race, in some leagues he would get an abandoned team, an easy victory and a good shot at the playoffs.

But he won’t. He’s not going to the playoffs—at least, not without a fight. He’s going to get an opponent with new waiver wire players and a carefully-chosen lineup. He has the misfortune of facing a pretty good team (out of the playoffs but still in the hunt for the total points lead) and an owner who doesn’t dole out cheap wins just because his team is out of the playoffs.

I only wish I knew the guy better. Then he’d never hear the end of it. Good luck this week.

Feel free to explain your playoff/non-playoff scenarios below. You can also reach Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@gmail.com.

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