The "silly" raise was my best guesstimate of an amount that would get the big stack out (he tended to call every 300-400 bet with anything), but get the small stack to come over the top of me (because I thought he may be frightened off if I went all-in). I agree that in a normal tourney, the big stacks all-in move would have been a great one - "come on, you're in 2nd at the moment, have you got the guts to call me and risk finishing 3rd?". But in this one, top 2 took the gold, and I would have thought he would have been better leting me and the small stack duke it out, rather than keep getting in the way when I had a hand to attack small stack. Of course, when he went all in the small stck folded in a shot, hoping of course that I called and got beat. In reality though, I imagine he had pocked aces - I was dealt 7 pocket pairs in the last 2 2hour plus P'stars tourneys, and ran into a bigger PP 3times (one of which I got past).
Nate - I said the Big Stack shafted me, because, as I put above, he continously got in the way calling with junk when I tried to isolate small-stack heads up. He then took 600 of my chips in a move that didn't really help him much (though of course it doesn't matter to him who got 2nd slot). Finally, after doing that, he called all-in with K5 with bad pot odds todouble up small stack and bring him level with me. again, maybe i'd have done the same (small stack was very active / desperate), but i think i'd have waited for a bit better hand.
and saw FIVE QQ KK or AA) (i.e in 40 or so hands). Random? You tell me.