For God knows what reason, the Rays and MLB briefly resurrected the Backstreet Boys to sing the National Anthem at Game 1 of the World Series, and Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick was as excited as a little schoolgirl.

After we won Game 1 of the World Series, I texted some of my buddies, guys I grew up with back in Seattle. “You won’t believe this, the Backstreet Boys were here,” I told ‘em…

I’m only 24, and as a kid growing up near Seattle, boy bands were popular. I always thought the Backstreet Boys were the best out there, better than ‘NSYNC. I was a freshman in high school when they came out with their big CD, and my buddies and I used to listen. The girls always thought they were cute and I liked their music. They were just good.

Counterpoint: no they weren’t.  To be fair, most teenagers have horrible taste in music.  But it’s our responsibility as adults to feel ashamed for liking trash when we were young.  If you liked Backstreet as a kid and saw them today, your message to your friends shouldn’t be, “Wow!  I saw the Backstreet Boys!”  It should be, “Can you bail me out?  I stabbed that homo with the stupid facial hair.”

This photo of former Saints defensive tackle (and user of horse steroids) Hollis Thomas has existed since February, and it makes me sad that there were seven months of my life that I could have spent enjoying this photo that I wasted looking at LOLcats and reading bloggers’ shitty top ten lists.

Spicing up this dull wardrobe decision is an anonymous (read: almost certainly false, but whatever) email to Baller Alert (via Deuce of Davenport):

This man is obsessed with Spongebob. He sleeps on Spongebob sheets, rocks a Spongebob medallion on his necklace, and watches Spongebob during sex. His room is chalked full [sic] of everything Spongebob, he references Spongebob during his conversations!!! [...]. You can catch him coloring Spongebob pictures with felt markers or playing a Spongebob game on one of his many gaming consoles. He wears Spongebob underwear like they are the latest pair of Calvin Klein’s.

That has to be the only Spongebob outfit like that in the world.  Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of faith in the textile industry.  But I just can’t imagine there was any more Krabby fabric left.

For no reason whatsoever, here's Alex Rodriguez with the new Menudo in the Bronx last week.  This was, I think, at an event to honor Babe Ruth.  Because nothing honors baseball's greatest hero like a retread of a Hispanic '80s boy band.

But wait, isn't that the new new Menudo?  I thought this was the new Menudo.  Meanwhile, Ricky Martin will be at the Tower Records in Des Moines tomorrow if anyone wants to get a picture with him. It's not an official event or anything, he's just kinda lonely.

[Part of an excellent gallery at SI.com] 

ESPN, which famously botched coverage of the 2006 World Cup by hiring announcers who had never called soccer games before, will make amends to the soccer faithful by providing coverage of the Euro Championships this summer.  And it will all be set to the dulcet tones of Coldplay's new album.

Coldplay and ESPN are teaming up on a soccer marketing campaign. The rock [sic] band's music will be featured in promotions for ESPN's coverage next month of the European Championship soccer tournament, the sports network announced Wednesday.

ESPN agreed to incorporate music from Coldplay's new release, "Viva La Vida," into game and studio production. The quadrennial tournament is scheduled for June 7-29 in Austria and Switzerland.

Oh yes, this should win over all those anti-soccer Americans who think futbol is for pussified pretty boys.  Coldplay's gonna change all that.  Nice job, ESPN.  Hey, if it's not too late, maybe Gwyneth Paltrow can endorse the tournament while speaking in an adopted British accent.  Bang-up work from the marketing department.

[Awful Announcing] 

very special ceremony this Thursday, and they're gonna do it the only way TAMPA knows how: with more style than Fashion Week, baby.

The team is going big time for Thursday's official uniform/logo/colors unveiling (4-8 p.m. at Straub Park in downtown St. Petersburg) by bringing in nearly 20 players (including Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and Delmon Young, but not Carlos Pena, who will be on a cruise) plus former stars Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff for the "fashion show" and appearances. … Kevin Costner and his Modern West band will play starting at 6:30.

…Followed by the All-State High School a cappella choir at 7:30 sharp!  Bring the kids!  There's gonna be funnel cakes, and this year the Tilt-a-Whirl passed safety inspection!  Weeeeeeeee!

p.s. Be friends with Costner's band over at MySpace. 

Star Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has turned down the opportunity to appear alongside such luminaries as ZZ Top, Kid Rock, Nelly Furtado, and Gene Simmons in the video for "Rock Star" by Nickelback.

"They wanted superstars from sport in the video too and as Ryan in the band supports Man U they approached Wayne to appear." Apparently Rooney turned it down as "he only listens to hip-hop and thought it would be bad for his street cred", according to the source.

I checked my 2007 edition of Street Cred for Dummies, and there isn't really something you can do where hanging out with Nickelback actually improves your street cred.  You could wear a dress and sing the soundtrack to Cats with Barbara Streisand, and hanging with Nickelback would still hurt your street cred.  Hell, you could play professional soccer and — oh.

[Kickette]