If you follow Jeremy Guthrie on Twitter, it probably took only a few Tweets from the Orioles pitcher for you to realize that he is a huge fan of the Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block and boy bands in general. This week, Guthrie joined Jimmy Traina on the Hot Clicks podcast on SI.com to discuss his guilty pleasure.
Traina introduced Guthrie on the podcast by telling his online audience that he was only having Guthrie on the podcast because he is a major-league pitcher who is also a boy band fanatic. Guthrie playfully took exception to that description, saying sarcastically that there "is a long and healthy line" of such MLB pitchers.
"Ever since I was in fifth grade I enjoyed hearing 'Step by Step' and 'Hanging Tough,'" Guthrie said. "The difference between me and everyone else is that I still like it, you know. I never grew out of it."
Guthrie has been giving away tickets on Twitter to Sunday's Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block concert at 1st Mariner Arena. "Touching lives," he called it. Unfortunately for Guthrie, he can't make it to the show because the Orioles will be in Oakland.
"I would love to go myself," Guthrie said, later lamenting that his "darn day job gets in the way all the time."
The Orioles pitcher, who is 2-6 despite a 3.45 ERA, said that even though he has seen the Backstreet Boys in concert only once, they are his favorite boy band ("Siberia" is his favorite Backstreet song).
"They have the best songs. I think they sing unbelievably. My favorite songs growing up and getting older have been their songs," he said. "The music they put out was just that good."
Don't worry, Guthrie didn't just gush about the Backstreet Boys during the interview. He also talked about Bieber fever -- "I contracted it in January of 2010" -- his sneaker collection and what his Orioles teammates think about his eclectic taste in music.
Before you call for Guthrie's man card to be revoked, give him credit for being open about his hobbies. That's more courageous than pitching to Adrian Gonzalez with the bases loaded if you ask me.