The title speaks for itself. I'll have a little recap afterwards, but for now let's get straight to the interview!

1) Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. In your CAL signature it says you’re the “Network Operations Manager”. What exactly does that mean, and what are your responsibilities within CAL?

I think my first thought was "wow, someone really wants to know what I do?" :)

Basically, I keep the CAL (and related) infrastructure going. We currently have several dozen servers, 4-5 web sites, 3 forums, 10 mysql databases, about 3-4 Terrabytes of disk space, and various custom applications that need care and attention from time to time, and that responsibility falls to me. I couldn't do it all without help, of course, so I have a small staff that helps me with forum maintenance, server monitoring, and other items. We're all volunteers, so it takes a lot of patience, geekiness, and knowledge.

It's a lot of behind the scenes work, so the only time most people probably see us is when something breaks :)

2) There’s been a rumor floating around that CAL is going to sever ties with the CPL. Is there any truth behind that?

I doubt it. CAL and CPL staff are pretty tightly integrated, so there's a lot we do for each other.

3) There were some big changes announced for Season 8 of CAL-Invite. What are your feelings about the changes themselves and the upcoming season?

Well, I'm guessing you mean the tourney and the return of some of our staff - it's great to see that people are working hard to continually improve the community's enjoyment of gaming, and that people are willing to put in that time. I think people tend to only focus on the top 5 teams in a game and forget that there are thousands of other people that enjoy gaming just as much (but aren't as recognized). CAL's biggest strength as a free league has always been as the center of these communities.

4) How long have you been a CAL admin, and what are some of the other positions you’ve held?

I was hired around November 2002, but it's a bit of a gray area. I initially started working for a server admin association called UnitedAdmins as their "League Liason", which meant I had to socialize with CAL and other leagues to get UA products working in their divisions. When UA started to fade a bit, I was asked to join the initial CAL AC team to help process the growing number of disputes in the league. As my active gaming hours faded with work, I started helping out our development team on the web site overhaul (if anyone remembers, we released this in July 2004!) This was a lot more up my alley since being a system administrator was part of the my day job responsibilities, and eventually through various staff changes and revisions, I arrived at the position where I am today. CAL's grown a LOT in that time, and it's been my goal to get the infrastructure to grow with it.

Good thing Barry only hunts virtual campers, because this person doesn't look too coherent.

My first classic love has always been Counter-Strike. It started with a "borrowed" version of Half-life 1.0 in college in 1998, and eventually once someone on our floor said "hey, look at this new mod", I've been with it ever since. I even ran a server for 2-3 years back when running your own CS server made you one of only about 1000 or so people with a stable broadband connection. I don't really play it much anymore, but it reminds me of how communities start.

Currently, I'm a bit more into the BF series of games. I've been playing Dcon, the recreation of the Desert Combat mod for Battlefield, usually just to see how many things I can make explode at once. I also hunt campers :)

Other than that, I dabble a bit in everything. I'm pretty bad at RTS games, but that doesn't stop me from playing C&C3.

6) If there was one realistic change you could make to CAL as a league, or one game division specifically, what would it be?

I'd love to reduce staff turnover. I know that sounds like consultant-speak, but it's true. CAL staff are some of the hardest working people I've ever seen, even more so than paid staff in the business world sometimes. I'm constantly amazed by the amount of time and effort that goes into managing and running a division - handling disputes, answering questions, and finding new ways to make playing the same game exciting every time. Makes my job look easy by comparison!

The problem is, it's easy to get burned out. After a while some staff just find they don't have the time or enthusiasm anymore, and they disappear or quit outright. It's very frustrating, because we've lost some very good people this way. New admins have to be trained, they have to learn how to handle new situations, and it results in less than optimal service (especially since CAL is such a large league).

With that in mind, it would be nice to find a way to retain staff. Keep them coming back, keep them interested, and it results in a better league for everyone. Being a CAL staff member used to make you part of your own little sub-community (3 AM Monopoly, late night Ventrilo chats about random amusements, etc), and it's sad that it's not that way anymore.

7) If you were stranded on a deserted island with only one game (console or PC) to play until you were rescued, what would it be?  (And, on a side note, who do you think would be most likely to rescue you?)

I think I'd have to pick the original Tecmo Bowl. That game was the least realistic adaptation of football ever, but you can pick it up every time and be entertained. The person to eventually rescue me would be either Andrew or Picc (CPL Developer and Assistant Network admin, respectively) since they'ved saved my butt so many times in the past.

8) I’ve been informed that you’re quite the joker. Do you have a favorite joke or a funny story to share with us from your gaming career or your admin experiences?

Well, I think one of the fun things about the Internet is the ability for people to take you seriously when you're pulling a prank on them. For example, in the past we've had a slightly undercover tradition in CAL to create some sort of April Fools' joke every year. It hasn't been quite the scene it used to be (sadly it seems most people offend a bit too easily these days, causing us to be a bit less ambitious in our plans), but we do try to do something each year.

For example, a couple years ago amid the turmoil of the initial switch from 1.6 to Source we decided to create a fake "WoW" division and say that all the remaining 1.6 teams were being forced to switch to it and compete using their World of Warcraft characters. We even registered an IRC channel! (#caleague-wow) Since some of our admins were serious WoW addicts, this gave us an internal joke as well (we made a fake team with all the known admin addicts on it).

Long story short, since everyone was a little up in arms already about being told to switch games, they fell for it - hook, line, sinker. I've never seen so many emails and PMs asking if they could see the rules for the WoW-I league, how it would run, and why couldn't people just play 1.6. The real kicker is that now WoW is apparently going to be an actual competitive event elsewhere - who saw that coming?

9) What are some of your interests outside of gaming (do you go to school, have a family, play sports, etc.)?

Now that I'm out of grad school, I think I'm done with education for now. I've always thought about teaching, so a PhD is a possibility, but I don't think I'm ready just yet. For now I'm content to be a corporate drone and pay the bills, since it's a pretty flexible gig that allows me to help out with CAL items occasionally during the day.

As far as sports, it's on my list for the year. Rec sports are the way to go for most big cities - I've been in flag football/softball/street hockey/etc leagues and had a lot of fun (and minimal injuries) doing it. Being on the west coast now, I think it's actually a crime not to get out there and enjoy the weather!

I'm also definitely a "foodie", as my friends put it. One of the easiest nights out with friends is trying some random unusual type of food - sushi, Ethiopian, etc For a kid from the midwest who hated his greens growing up, I think I've tried just about every type of cuisine there is.

I'd stick with the INT -- the Manning Face is less painful than a Harrison tackle.

10) If you could:

a) Hit a homerun off Roger Clemens
b) Intercept a pass from Peyton Manning
c) Beat Michael Jordan in a game of HORSE
d) Deagle ace compLexity
e) Beat Ryu in an arm-wrestling contest

Which one would you pick, and why?

I think intercepting Manning would be interesting, though I think technically I'm supposed to be a well wisher for the Colts. How about a touchdown pass from him? Especially if I got to flatten Rodney Harrison in the process - I'm not much of a Patriots fan!

I did scout Ksharp once at a LAN 5 years ago, does that count? :)

11) What event are you looking forward to the most in 2007 (CGS, CAL-I ss8, WSVG, etc)?

I'm curious to see how the whole year plays out. I think the CGS will be entertaining, but I'm always skeptical about people throwing big money into things - they want big results, and if they don't get them they'll move on to "the next big thing". I think the new game makeup of the other events will be interesting - I think it will allow for a more diverse group of newcomers and shake up the status quo. I think the same game every single year gets a bit stagnant, but that's just me.

12) Counter-Strike has been the primary game for CPL for as long as I can remember. Their recent announcement about the 2007 World Tour says they're leaving off traditional titles in favor of two games from their new lead sponsor, Sierra. What kind of effect do you think this will have on the CPL LANs, specifically with their game choices and attendance/popularity?

From what I've seen of WIC, it actually looks pretty cool. I think it might attract a newer/less "set in their ways" audience who has previously been disinterested in older titles. I think if it plays as well as it looks (and those lucky folks who have a pre-release copy insist it does), I think it will be an enjoyable tournament. Plus, I'm always a firm believer in the externals of the event - getting to see the latest gadgets, winning prizes, and hanging out with people I don't see very often.

13) Now that DirecTV has the exclusive broadcast rights for CS there's been an emphasis on other titles, specifically from the WSVG and now the CPL World Tour. Do you think it's possible for these events to flourish and grow despite focusing less on the most popular multiplayer game in history?

I think there's space for everyone. Video games have a large, large audience and I think history has shown that if a game is supported well by its developers that a community will develop around it.  As long as there's a chance to have fun and win prizes and/or "swag", you'll see people there.

I dunno, he looks a little shifty to me. Maybe it's the tie.

My sense of humor is pretty Simpsons-Futurama oriented. The Space Pope is a side joke from the Futurama series (if you haven't seen it, shame on you!). I tend to pull out a Simpsons joke on the forums if it applies to the current situation, so it fits with the theme.

For example, thinking of CAL as working for Hank Scorpio makes it a bit more thematic.

Clearly everyone should go and watch a few seasons so they can keep up!

15) Lastly, of course we would all mourn if the Space Pope were to pass away, but who in the community do you think would make a good Space Pope II?

I would nominate the benevolent General Krug. All Hail Krug!

Recap

If I’m camping in a Battlefield server and some guy seems like he has a personal vendetta against me, I should say, “Hi Barry” just in case.

I need to brush up on my Futurama, because I have no idea who General Krug is, but neither does Google. I figured Krug was the kind of name that would make a good picture, and I couldn’t find a single pic on a GIS or any references in a regular search. It’s pretty impressive when you can stump Google.

On a general note, this is the first interview in a set of three.  Check back here the next two days for interviews with a CAL Operations member and the Counter-Strike: Source Game Manager. There’ll be more insights into the CPL announcement, the QC department, CAL-Invite, and some more bizarre questions about things like Space Popes.