His trip down memory lane had nothing to do with being a teeny-bopper heartthrob, an '80s-'90s-style bad boy or even one of the new stars on Spike TV's upcoming miniseries "The Kill Point."

It was the Red Sox, the Celtics and the New England Patriots that brought former New Kids on the Block guy Donnie Wahlberg, and his sports-filled mind, to Connecticut Wednesday.

"I really wanted to be a sportscaster," said the oh-so-charming, Boston-born Wahlberg, who spent the day at ESPN as a guest on "First Take" with Jay Crawford, "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd and ESPN News.

"I do some sports broadcasting," he said, readjusting the blue Red Sox cap he prominently wore during the shows.

Wahlberg kept the mood pretty relaxed, chitchatting about his favorite Red Sox players ever (Jim Rice and Pedro Martinez) and offering a prediction that this could be the year that three New England teams - the Sox, the Celtics and the Patriots - win championships.

Hardly the foul-mouthed, Molotov-cocktail-throwing tabloid figure of his earlier years, Wahlberg said his goal has been to stay out of that kind of news.

"I don't want to be a household name anymore," said the 37-year-old father of two. "If you are, you have to put up with [everything] that goes with it."

He never misses the singing gig that launched his career and never sings any of the group's songs - not even in the shower.

"That was then, part of my past," he said. "I'm an actor now."

In "The Kill Point," Wahlberg, who has appeared in several TV movies and drama series, including "Band of Brothers" and "Boomtown," plays Horst Cali, a quirky chief negotiator who tries to coax an Iraq-veteran-turned-bank-robber, played by John Leguizamo, out of a hostage situation. The miniseries is scheduled for September.

And as far as today's version of tabloid headline-grabbers like Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton?

"They are young, drunk and rich," he said. "What else would you expect?"