Owner Profile: dizzlebob

It's been almost two years since we started playing this game together. I think it's way past time to introduce ourselves to one another. I have assembled a list of questions that will hopefully bring out some interesting tidbits about each of us and reveal how much, or how little, we all have in common.

I'll go first. Then, periodically, I will ask each of you to answer similar questions. I expect it to take 3 or 4 seasons to get to everyone so be patient. I think I'll start next season with our season 7 champ (watch people start tanking games so they don't have to answer dumb questions) and then hit up any new owners we get. We'll just go randomly from there but if you have something interesting happening like a wedding or birth, let me know and I may move you to the top of the nonexistent list. I will also probably write some kind of intro for everyone that will look something like this:

Dizzlebob has been in Hunter since it's inception. He has taken a few free teams in other worlds but he pretty much just plays in Hunter. His Studdabubbas are never very good but they somehow made it to the World Series in the 2nd season where they lost to Washington in 7 games. The Studdabubba's made the playoffs only one other time, in Season 5. So, it's no surprise that dizzlebob had time to answer dumb questions while the playoffs were in session.

Is Dizzlebob your real name?
No. My real name is Jack Kelley (I'm the pretty one). Dizzlebob is just a silly made-up name from my high school days which, for the record, was 20 years before Snoop Dogg started his izzle speak.

What are your vitals?
I'm a 39-year old white guy with a lovely wife and 3-year old daughter. I have lived in Pittsburgh all of my life. I work at a graphic design firm on the South Side as a graphic artist. I have a bachelor of arts degree from California University of Pennsylvania.

What are your favorite real-life sports teams or players?
Like most Pittsburghers, I'm a huge Steelers fan. I live and die with them. I hate going to games, though. I don't like the crowds, the drunks, the weather, or the sight lines. I would much prefer to sit on my couch and watch the games on my beautiful TV. Also, if I cry over an outcome I don't get taunted by the dude behind me when I'm at home. But I'm not really a baseball fan. Having a minor league caliber team playing in the big leagues like we have in Pittsburgh isn't my idea of great competition (but it is an inspiration for my Studdabubbas). I'll watch a game if the Pirates happen to be on TV but losing gets old after 13 or 14 years.

Why WIS?
I guess I'm a gamer. I love games that let me escape from stupid, boring life. It started when I bought an Odyssey 2 gaming console back in the late 70s. I also used to play with my dad's old strat-o-matic football game. In high school, we gathered almost weekly to play Dungeons & Dragons (I'm making myself sound pretty cool, huh?). Then, I discovered fantasy football in the late 80s. I've been the commissioner of an ongoing league since 1993. I always have some sort of football video game franchise going and have for probably 10 years, now. The Gridiron Dynasty game is what attracted me to WIS but Hardball Dynasty was what hooked me. The game planning and coaching wasn't fun for me but the player management part is what I really enjoy. HD is the perfect game for me...and I don't have to roll dice anymore.

What's the deal with the nickname Studdabubbas?
I was just looking for a creature that was indigenous to Western Pennsylvania. Old ladies with babushkas is all I could think of.

When you aren't WISing, what do you do?
I coach girls volleyball at a local middle school. I listen to alternative pop music (Fratellis, Hot Hot Heat) and I have a rather large collection of 80s goth and alternative music (Oingo Boingo rocks!). But mostly I watch my TV. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was probably my all-time favorite show but I'm currently really digging Lost.