So either RandBall’s official birthday was last Saturday, or it’s tomorrow. I’ve no doubt that the man himself will have a piece to say about the one-year anniversary of the launch. But since this is this week’s Commenter of the Week post, I’m here to celebrate on behalf of the commenters.  And I think I speak for the group when I say: I’m surprised that the first year was this much fun.

You see, while bloggers in the Proprietor role almost always pay lip service to the hoi polloi that form the readership, it’s rare for these types of outlets to be anything more than a one-way conduit.  After all, newspapers are one-way, so it’s hardly surprising that blogs started by newspapers should be more or less completely one-way as well.  And, for the most part, the great sports blogs of the age are organized this way — one man or one group speaks, while the rest of us listen, then discuss among ourselves.

But RandBall did something that is virtually unique among those from the mainstream media: he disregarded the one-way street in favor of a two-way conversation.  By my count, 18 of us have written at least one post for RandBall, and just as many have developed into all-star commenters, ones that — sorry, sir, but it’s true — are just as entertaining to read as Mr. Rand. [Proprietor note: No argument here.]

Think about how surprising that is; of all of the other journalists from the mainstream media, how many have been willing to step out of the spotlight even for a moment? History will record that RandBall was among the first to come down off the pedestal formed by the newspaper masthead, and to engage the readers directly — not just by answering a mailbag, or by highlighting a few comments here and there, but by actually creating a community among the commenters.