It's not often that we get to recognize the good guys in the sports world.  It's even rarer that it's someone we can relate to.

I was saddened yesterday to learn that Jamie Mottram and the other fine folks who've manned AOL's Sports Bloggers Live since its inception will no longer have the opportunity to do so, as the show will move from its former home in Dulles, VA to AOL Studios in New York, NY and be re-launched with a new crew and new format in early 2007.  The show, found at SportsBloggersLive.com, has been at the leading edge as sports blogs and podcasts have exploded in popularity over the last two years.  More importantly, Jamie was the pioneer who saw an opportunity to let everyday sports bloggers go on the air, promote their blogs, and be heard by a nationwide audience.  And to a good chunk of the blogging community, that exposure has been extremely rewarding.

On a personal level, I credit Jamie and the SBL crew with getting me hooked on sports blogging some two-and-a-half years ago.  It was on AOL that I first started blogging (sorry FOX), and Jamie (then a leader of the AOL Sports Community) who gave me my very first comment.  Looking back, my writing was completely irreverent, nonsensical, and totally off-base, but I never forgot that the fact that someone actually recognized what I wrote, and decided to keep it up.  Man, am I glad I did.

In late 2004, around the same time that I first started dabbling in internet radio, Jamie launched and served as the primary host of Pigskin Bloggers Live, which -- you guessed it -- gave football bloggers a chance to voice their thoughts.  The format was so successful that PBL quickly grew into SBL to accommodate other sports and opinions, helping a number of everyday bloggers reach new heights with their own writing, including myself.

As SBL continued to grow, it attracted more and more star power.  Just about anyone who's anyone in the sports world graced the airwaves (and podwaves) at one point or another on the show.  And from the humble beginnings from which I know SBL came, I think that's pretty damn impressive.  Regardless of being affiliated with AOL, SBL and its crew did a fantastic job of bringing the everyday fan's perspective to life. 

So, while SBL may live on in 2007, there's no question that it'll be without its founding father -- the guy that brought everything together and had the foresight to recognize sports bloggers as people with voices, not just keyboards.

On behalf of bloggers everywhere, Jamie (and everyone else at SBL), I thank you for your efforts and contributions to the sports blogosphere.

But keep at it.  There are more and more of us with each passing minute.  We're counting on you to come up with something else!