Relegation King of Chicago
Winning is cool...or in Tony’s world, cold. You know what’s colder? Winning when relegation is on the line.
Most people like to win. But not Tony. All jokes aside, Tony’s first couple of years in The League! were actually not…that…bad.
In his inaugural year in 2007, Tony finished in a respectable 5th place. In his next two years, he got even better. Many of us were too young to remember, but Tony actually went to the playoffs in back to back years in 2009 and 2010. The first time he was there the nerves got the best of him as he was quickly one and doned in the first round. In 2010, he made it all the way to The League! championship…a championship in which he scored under 100 points and was blown out by almost 70 points by B Scott. But still, a 2nd place finish nontheless.
Since that 2010 championship bed pooping, Tony has only made it back to the playoffs once - in an equally bed pooping performance. He has managed to remain playoff relevant in a different way though. The relegation playoffs, reserved every year for seeds 9-12, have become his new go to spot. Like bumping into Ronnie Woo Woo on a Saturday afternoon in Wrigleyville, you’re bound to run into Tony if you find yourself in the bottom half of The League! come playoff time. Usually on Relegation Watch by week 5, Tony has pretty much been in the Relegation playoffs 6 of the last 9 years.
His love for the relegation playoffs may seem counterintuitive, but it isn’t as hard to understand when you take a deeper dive.
Tony has been a member of the B League for multiple years now. He regularly has incredible success in this league and rightfully so…it’s like the amateur hour version of fantasy football. Once you put him in the big leagues, he folds like Tim Tebow coming to the pros. The relegation playoffs are about the equivalent as the B league as a whole. The worst of the worst battling it out to see who is the best at being terrible. And Tony thrives in both.
Tony is also more than just a long-standing member of the relegation playoffs. As it turns out, he’s also a founder.
In 2012, Tony finished the regular season in last place. Weird right? At the time, this meant relegation. The history books; however, will tell you that Carmen was actually the one that finished in last place that year, as he went on to lose the consolation playoffs and ended the year in 12th place. This loophole triggered a swift appeal from Tony on the grounds that he was not the true last place team but that Carmen should actually be the one getting relegated. After months of deliberation it was decided that his case held water. He won his case, and the result of this appeal was the birth of the Relegation Bowl playoff system that is still in use in The League! today.
| Year | Playoffs | First Round | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | NORMAL | W | 2ND |
| 2019 | RELEGATION | W | 8TH |
| 2018 | RELEGATION | W | 9TH |
| 2017 | NONE | - | 8TH |
| 2016 | N/A | - | RELEGATED |
| 2015 | RELEGATION | L | 12TH |
| 2014 | NONE | - | 10TH |
| 2013 | RELEGATION | W | 9TH |
Tony’s impressive Relegation playoff performances over the past decade
Home is where the heart is, and Tony has made the relegation playoffs his second home. To his credit, he has made himself quite the contender at the bottom of the standings come playoff time. In the 6 times he has made it to the Relegation playoffs, he has a 5-1 record in the first round. His only loss came in 2015 to The Dope Show, ultimately punching his ticket to his first Relegation Bowl. He went on to lose that Relegation Bowl by 9 points in a close matchup against The Garbage and spent the 2016 itching to come back for another shot at being the best of the worst.
Tony has gone as far as getting relegated, lawyered himself out of getting relegated, and expanded the idea of what it means to get relegated by creating a 4 man enter 1 man leave bottom of the barrel tournament. His love for Relegation cannot be denied. It’s a love so strong it has made him the Relegation King of Chicago.
