THE BLOG WISER HOT SEAT: PETE VLASTELICA OF YARDBARKER

by DCScrap, Editor

Today's subject of the Blog Wiser Hot Seat is a man near and dear to the hearts of many a sports blogger. The site that he helped found has provided thousands upon thousands of cherished hits to hundreds of Web sites over the past few years. We are talking, of course, about Pete Vlastelica and the Web site, Yardbarker. Since his service is one that we have used successfully ourselves for some time now and is such a great resource for what's shakin' in the world of sports, we wanted to know a little bit more about the guy and the site that has become such a staple in the sports blogger's diet of daily information gathering and dissemination.

DCS: First off, for those not familiar with Yardbarker, explain what it is and how it works?

Pete: We call it a social media network for sports fans. We manage a network of about 200 sports blogs (including this one), across which we aggregate content and advertising inventory. The hub of the network is a destination site, Yardbarker.com, where fans and athletes hang out, interact, and talk sports. The site makes it easy for fans to publish articles, photos, and videos. And because athletes are fans too, we've added about 30 professional sports stars to the mix, including guys like Baron Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Dontrelle Willis, and Donovan McNabb.

DCS: How did the idea for Yardbarker come about? And when was it started?

Pete: My partners and I kicked off the project in January 2006. We spent about eight months preparing for our alpha launch, and then we completely relaunched the site in March 2007. We like to think of that as day one, because everything that Yardbarker is today really started with that relaunch. The idea for Yardbarker has evolved over the past couple years -- it started out as a sort of Digg for sports, but you'll see less and less of that in the future.

DCS: Did it take long for the site to catch on?

Pete: Has it caught on? That's good to hear.

DCS: What is the hardest part of running such a big venture?

Pete: We're not that big, but our days are definitely full of challenges. If I had to pick one thing, I'd say it's prioritizing the millions of things we'd like to do at any one time. There are only so many hours in a week, and we're constantly making decisions about what everyone on our team should be working on. There's no shortage of cool projects, but in order for a project to get bumped up the ladder, it needs to contribute to our highest-priority business problems. It can definitely be hard to put an exciting project on the back-burner because, say, it won't increase user engagement or revenue, two of our top priorities right now.

DCS: Ever do any blogging yourself?

Pete: I contribute to Yardbarker and I hang out in the comments sections, but I leave the blogging to the guys with some talent. Kind of like with sports and music -- I'm an appreciative observer (though I do rock a pick up game or karaoke from time to time).

DCS: Ever have to kick anyone off of YardBarker? If, so, what's the best story as to why?

Pete: You know, our users typically take care of the dirty work for us. I'm happy with the tone that has evolved on our site -- it's pretty respectful and reasonable. Every now and then someone comes along who insists on abusing the site or other users, but they don't stick around long once our users lay into them.

DCS: What do you think of BallHype?

Pete: I like it. It's really useful for people who like to read sports blogs, and especially for bloggers themselves. I'm a fan of anybody out there who's trying to raise the profile of the new generation of sports content creators. We're all in this together.

DCS: How did you get so many athletes to blog for Yardbarker? And who has surprised you the most of the athlete bloggers?

Pete: It turns out a lot of these guys were looking for something like Yardbarker that they could become a part of. We've worked hard to get the right athletes on Yardbarker first, but now they're starting to come to us. As for who has been the biggest surprise... I'm generally impressed by the personalities of a lot of the guys. Marques Douglas is a really interesting cat. Dontrelle Willis has blown me away with how active he's been on the site.

DCS: Have you personally met these athletes? Got any good stories?

Pete: I've met most of them, and there have definitely been some memorable encounters. Mike Scioscia gave up his office to let us pitch John Lackey on Yardbarker. I saw Derek Mason do a killer Avery Johnson impersonation after playing as the Mavs and losing to Mark Clayton in NBA Live inside the Ravens locker room. Donovan McNabb fed my partners some great BBQ. In general, I've just been impressed by the great guys we get to work with.

DCS: What's the future of Yardbarker? Any new concepts or plans to expand?

Pete: We have a long way to go before we reach our goals. We're focused on rolling out more and more engaging functionality on the site, and getting better and better contributions from the fans and athletes who hang out in the Yard.

DCS: Ok, let's focus on Pete now...

What's playing on the iPod these days?

Pete: I'm digging old school soul these days. Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke. There's a guy out of SF named Darondo -- great stuff. I'm also into the new Kanye West and Jay-Z albums. But I always come back to the White Stripes.

DCS: What is your favorite card in your old sportscard collection?

Pete: Probably my signed 1987 Mark McGwire Topps. I'll never forget getting it signed as he was getting on the bus after a spring training game in Arizona. I've also got quite a variety of 89 Fleer Billy Ripkens...

DCS: I am sure the public is curious... what blogs does the guy from YB read the most?

Pete: Free Darko, Mr. Irrelevant, Fear the Beard, FanHouse, Larry Brown Sports, Lion In Oil, AZ Sports Hub, Sports Biotch, Awful Announcing, Agent Zero's NBA.com blog, and of course everything on Yardbarker. And anything that Doug Sheckler has a hand in. [Editor's note: That's my ass he's kissing. That's right. Eat it, non-me people.]

DCS: What is the single best moment in your life as a sports fan? Could be an actual live game, getting autograph, going to a specific ballpark, etc.

Pete: See above re: McGwire in 1987. And it was pretty amazing to be in Vegas for the Mayweather/Hatton fight a couple weeks ago.

DCS: If your TV could only show one sport, which one would it be and why?

Pete: Baseball nourishes me the most.

DCS: Who would play Pete in the Yardbarker movie?

Pete: Jamie Mottram, if they could get him.

DCS: Will the Patriots go undefeated and win it all?

Pete: Yes, despite the residue it will leave on the universe, I'm afraid they will.

DCS: Thanks again for taking the time to answer some questions, Pete. See you in the Yard!

Pete: No problem Doug, thanks for asking.