Andrew SimonThe Daily Northwestern

More and more athletes are writing their own blogs to talk directly to fans.

Although there might be some concern in the sports journalism industry that this will lead to players breaking big news before reporters, it seems mostly like a good thing. After all, it’s a good chance for people to get an inside look at what life is like for a professional athlete, a look even a dedicated beat reporter would not be able to show.

The interesting thing about the fad is the wide array of athletes it has attracted. Take baseball players as an example.

Some of those who have blogs would not surprise you. For instance, it makes sense that Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling – a loud-mouthed player in a major market – would start one. After all, it gives him a forum in which to discuss his favorite topic: Curt Schilling. And he doesn’t have to deal with the media misquoting him or taking his words out of context.

And it also provides him with a place to write a nearly 500-word apology when he goes on the radio and makes slanderous comments about another player, as he did last week about Barry Bonds.

But not all baseball players who write blogs have mouths or profiles the size of Schilling’s. Detroit Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson does one for ESPN.com, and Minnesota Twins reliever Pat Neshek, who apparently has generated a cult following due to his effectively weird side-armed delivery, has a blog too.

While the athlete blog is already taking off, it is hard to say how far it will go. Maybe most athletes will have one sometime soon.

While this does not sound like an appealing prospect, there are some athletes who should have blogs. I took the liberty of writing what part of an entry might look like for some of our more entertaining performers:

n Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson

“I keep getting e-mails about practice. It’s ridiculous. We’re sitting here, and I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re talking about practice. … Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last, but we’re talking about practice, man. How silly is that?”