Deep into the $5 KO

There were 993 runners in the 8PM $5 KO event on Full Tilt last night.  I was one of them and was also one of the last ones standing - finishing 40th for $11 or so plus a couple of bounties.  Man that is one skewed payout structure.  For the first time in a long time, some cards came my way, although that did dry up late.  That leads me to this one hand. 

At the 800/1600/200 level, I'm UTG with 13,508 chips and I look down at 9h 9c.  I thought about it - really there are only two options...fold or shove.  The table was full and had been playing fairly standard, although the player to my immediate right (BB here, with 2x my chip stack) had been quite aggressive, particularly in limped pots.  Two other stacks had me thoroughly covered (42k and 60k in chips).

It's decision time.  What would you do?

One other noteworthy hand from early on in the event.  This is at the 50/100 level.  In the BB I have J6o.  It limps to the SB who limps in and I check.  Flop is Q-high, rainbow and uncoordinated.  We both check.  The turn is a J.  He checks and I throw a 1/2 pot bet (100) out there.  He then check-raises, making it 280 to go.  Huh?

Well, for whatever reason, I do not believe him.  So I call.  And the river brings a 6, giving me two pair.  Well this guy makes a pot-size bet at it and I have to believe he's either got a big ace and missed everything, or he caught some piece of this and is concerned by my call.  Well with my stack size, calling here is NOT an option so I decide to shove.  He calls fairly quickly w/ Q8 for top pair, P.O.S. kicker. 

I double-up on a hand I was ready to snap fold to any pressure pre-flop or on the flop, and he goes of the deep end.  I'm a donk, I'm a tard, etc.  Whatever. 

Was the call of the check-raise on the turn weak?  Perhaps.  For whatever reason, I didn't buy his line, and I sure don't understand his call on the river with a naked Queen.  If I'm going to raise a check-raiser on a later street, don't I have to have a single pair beat?