BLOG WISER HOT SEAT: MARK HEDEGORE (CO-FOUNDER OF DIRT LOCKER)

by Rupert and Stan, Ghosts of Wayne Fontes

Just like that, it’s another Friday and another Blog Wiser Hot Seat. We have another budding sports web entrepreneur this week. This week, we chatted with Mark Hedegore, one of the brains behind the new fantasy sports site, www.dirtlocker.com. This is not just your everyday ordinary fantasy site though, Dirt Locker is a fantasy game whereby owners draft players and score points based on who stirs up the most trouble. That’s right, the guys who make the most noise, score the most points. We thought it was a great idea, so we decided to dig in and investigate this new site directly from the source.

Ghosts: Thanks for joining us today on the Blog Wiser Seat, Mark. It’s a pleasure to have you.

Mark: Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Ghosts: We really think you have a great idea with Dirt Locker. Would you care to expand on where the idea was developed and how it came to fruition?

Mark: My partner and friend Todd Galloway founded Fafarazzi.com, fantasy leagues for celebrity gossip, and was having a lot of success with that. He was able to quit his IT job and was looking to grow his business. Todd noticed all his male co-workers and friends did all day at work was play fantasy sports. He also noticed there was more news off the field, than on and had the idea to do a sports gossip fantasy league. Todd, being more of a computer guy, wanted the perspective of a sports nut and approached me with his idea. I had recently quit my job as a financial analyst and was looking for a way to permanently escape the cube farm.

Todd and I both hate the corporate world so we had a lot of motivation to get our new project off the ground. While in development Todd was drunk at a wedding, hitting on a cougar. There was another guy hitting on the cougar named Jon Sistowicz. Todd started talking to Jon and found out he was a smart computer programmer. We got Jon to help out with the technical stuff since I’m computer illiterate. After that, it didn’t take long for Dirt Locker to start taking shape.

Ghosts: Given the feedback you have received up to this point, do Dirt Locker players seem impressed with the game play? More specifically, can players actually learn to excel and develop skill at this type of fantasy or is it more a game of luck?

Mark: Our friends are surprised that a couple of goofy beer guzzling 20-somethings could come up with such a nice website. The users must like it too because they are spending a lot of time on the site and they are inviting their friends.

It is definitely a game of skill. You have to stay up on what’s going on in news and on sports blogs to win.

Ghosts: In your professional opinion, who is going to break out in 2008? Any chance of Peyton Manning screwing up that golden boy image?

Mark: I think there are a lot of DL future stars out there, especially in the NFL. DeAngelo Hall has serious potential, Matt Leinart has trouble controlling where his penis lands, and I predict Joey Porter will talk more trash than he can back up. However, I don’t envision Peyton getting in trouble, but at this point nothing surprises me.

Ghosts: Does anyone ever get up in your grill about perpetuating the paparazzi element of sports? A lot of sports fans are getting fed up with the de-emphasis on sports news and increasing emphasis on sports gossip (i.e., Tom Brady’s baby or the overabundance of Pacman reporting), where do you guys stand on this topic?

Mark: No one has got up in our grill yet. However, I’m sure it will happen one of these days. I feel for the sports fans that are fed up with the off the field stuff, but I think the real blame is on the athletes. They are role models looked up to millions of kids and many of them (not all) act like complete morons. They have it all- money, talent, fame and how do they handle it? They knock up nine different women and get caught smoking weed.

Ghosts: Since the blog community did not exist when most of were growing up, what sports scandal from our past do you think would be the most interesting to see covered in today’s Internet sports world? I think personally, I’d take the George Brett pine tar incident, but getting to the bottom of MJ’s gambling would be a close second.

Mark: Lawrence Taylor and his drug addiction would have been interesting. In general, a lot more athletes and would be known for drinking, drugs, and womanizing instead of athletic glory. We would have much different memories of our favorite athletes if they were under the same amount of scrutiny as they are today.

Ghosts: Have you quit the day job yet?

Mark: I quit my job at the cube farm. I was a financial analyst for a really big company and the job made me want to kill myself every morning. It was a lot like the movie Office Space. Now I bartend and work on Dirt Locker.

Ghosts: What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?

Mark: Looney Toons. Bugs Bunny was my favorite.

Ghosts: If you could dump anyone from the sports media on a desert island never to be heard from ever again, who would it be and why?

Mark: Bob Costas. He is such a condescending, know-it-all bastard! Can I say bastard on this? Has the guy ever actually played a sport? He just reads books about sports all day then regurgitates all his knowledge to the viewers. Dishonorable mention to Stephen A. Smith, everyone that calls football games on CBS, and Sean Salisbury.

Ghosts: What if any sports jersey’s do you own and/or proudly wear?

Mark: I own two jerseys. A Cleveland Indians jersey with no name on the back (in case my favorite player gets too expensive for the Indians to keep) and a number 11 Ohio State Jersey. I got that in honor of Cleveland native Anthony Gonzalez who is now with the Colts.

Ghosts: With the news of Travis Henry hitting the airwaves yesterday, how many REAL Fantasy teams is he going to kill versus how many Dirt Locker teams he’s going to save?

Mark: Surprisingly, Henry isn’t scoring all that many DL points right now. He is a solid DL player, however he is getting overshadowed by Bill Belichick, Mariano Rivera, Terrell Owens and Reggie Bush. I know he is killing some traditional fantasy teams.

Ghosts: Do you play actual Fantasy Football? And if so, who is your stud that is going to carry you to a title?

Mark: I used to, but don’t have time anymore. Between DL and bartending I have my hands full. Every fantasy league I know of is being won by some girl that randomly picked players she thought were cute or are from a city with good shopping. It’s been a crazy year in the NFL and everyone is messed up.

Ghosts: What’s playing on your iPod/MP3 player right now?

Mark: Linkin Park, Incubus, The Rolling Stones, Bone Thugs In Harmony, The Killers, Nappy Roots, The Notorious B.I.G. and Fallout Boy

Ghosts: Having stumbled upon Epic Carnival, what’s your honest assessment? Be honest.

Mark: Epic Carnival really stinks. It might be the worst sports blog. Just kidding, obviously I wouldn’t use your articles for Dirt Locker’s scoring if I didn’t think the blog was good.

Ghosts: Are you a regular Sports Blog reader and did that help to shape your direction with the idea for Dirt Locker?

Mark: I wasn’t before we starting researching DL. I love it now. The articles are so much fresher than what you get on some big sports website. I’ve become a big fan.

Ghosts: Obviously, if you don’t read a lot of blogs, this would be a dumb question, but what are some of the regular blogs you seek out or get feeds (it can totally be non-sports related).

Mark: Deadspin, Kissing Suzy Kolber, Armchair GM, With Leather, and Yardbarker just to name a few. I read about 20 blogs a day now.

Ghosts: Name one guilty pleasure babe, you’ve got a major crush on. For us, it’s always somebody much too young to name in public, but I think Amanda Bynes is 18…now!!!

Mark: Is Hayden Panettiere 18 yet?

Ghosts: Best Arnold movie…Predator, Commando or Running Man?

Mark: I don’t like Arnold. I guess I’ll go with Predator.

Ghosts: OK, it’s Friday, you’re tired…we’re tired and that’s about all we have. Thanks for your time and efforts, best of luck with the site.

Mark: Thank You. All the best gentlemen.