I would say that I was never missing. When I left live I continued to play regular SIM the whole time and I could always be found in the forums or sitemail. For me the first guy to give up under frustration was phoenix9799 and the best Live Player I ever saw was Manowar.
Two points to arvid. #1: He was indeed the guy that plucked me out of the free exhibition fi9elds and convinced me to play Live leagues with his Single Season Twist League #2: I had a good run, but calling me The King is hyperbole at it's finest.
Sadly, it seems that Live has not changed much except that there are fewer players on and less frequently.