MT. VERNON, Ill. --- Even before the minor league baseball season has started, the Southern Illinois Miners have already experienced a major victory. The Sports Biz blog on CNBC.com, authored by Darren Rovell, played host to the second annual minor league baseball logo contest this spring. Rovell seeded the logos, with the Miners at number 3, and then left it to the public vote in this single elimination challenge.

A total of 64 logos were in competition for the championship title, and the Miners made it to the top, rising victoriously above the competition, including the Carolina Mudcats, Grand Prairie AirHogs, and Augusta GreenJackets. It was the Wichita Wingnuts, however, that the logo, "Big John the Miner," faced in the final playoff.

It got off to a rocky start, with the Wingnuts leaps and bounds ahead of the Miners in the polls. Friends and fans of the Miners rallied, however, eventually bringing the Miners to a victory over Wingnuts, with a final score of 55% to 45%. More than 700,000 votes were cast throughout the entire tournament.

The victory of such a young logo and organization – it‘s only a year old – is a testament to the loyalty of the Southern Illinois fans. Throughout the community, friends, families, and sponsors were rooting on the Miners. Rent One, the organization‘s primary partner, encouraged customers, employees, and friends to vote for the team‘s logo throughout the CNBC.com challenge. And in the final competition, the fans‘ dedication truly paid off.

"The Miners‘ victory just shows how supportive the Southern Illinois community is. The fans really came out to help their team win the title," Rent One president Larry Carrico said.

As the second ball season approaches, the Miners have a lot to live up to. In the past year, they‘ve broken attendance records with 259,392 fans cheering them on during the 2007 season, they have the second highest team batting average in their league, and now they‘ve won the CNBC.com logo contest.

Southern Illinois fans can look forward to the Miners beginning their season May 21, with their first home game on May 24 at Rent One Park. For more information on the Southern Illinois Miners, or to purchase gear featuring the award-winning logo, visit www.southernillinoisminers.com.