TMZ Sports - Page 50

Samuel L. Jackson knows his way around a golf course -- which is why he didn't hesitate when we asked him to finger the BEST famous linksman. You won't believe your ears ... on a couple of levels.

Vantris Patterson is dead wrong ... the UFC does NOT transform athletes like Phil Davis into violent people outside of the octagon ... this according to UFC honcho Dana White.

White just called in to "TMZ Live" to take on the allegations Davis' baby mama made in her nasty custody battle with the UFC fighter -- that the sport has turned him into a monster.

"Phil Davis ... we've never had problems with this guy EVER," White said ... "He's one of the nicest guys I've ever met."

White says he has hundreds of guys who fight under the UFC banner -- and barely ANY of them have issues with violence after the bell rings.

His explanation -- "When you train, every day all day ... the last thing you wanna do is fight outside the octagon."

Danica Patrick is officially SINGLE ... kinda ... 'cause a judge has finally signed off on her divorce from Paul Hospenthal ... freeing her up to marry her new NASCAR boyfriend (no pressure, pal).

A judge stamped the papers last week in Arizona, officially ending the marriage that began in 2005 -- the same year Patrick burst onto the scene as the fourth woman to compete in the Indy 500.

The 31-year-old Go Daddy babe announced the split from Hospenthal back in November. The couple had no children ... but they did have a prenup, according to court docs ... and she footed the bill for court costs.

In recent months, Patrick has been open about dating Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. ... one of her competitors on NASCAR's Sprint Cup series.

Wonder who gets to drive home from the track.

D.J. Fluker -- the 11th overall pick in the NFL Draft -- is 6'6" and 340 pounds ... which is why it's pretty damn shocking that he was forced to sleep in a TWIN SIZE BED during his college career!!

We shot the 22-year-old offensive lineman on his way into the draft in NYC last night -- right before he was selected by the S.D. Chargers -- when Fluker told us that giants like him were treated just like everyone else when it came to dorm living at the University of Alabama.

For the record, a standard twin mattress is 75 inches long ... Fluker is 78 inches long.

D.J. won't have any bed problems any more ... he'll become a multi-millionaire when he officially signs his contract -- he can buy any bed he wants.

10:05 AM PT -- We just spoke to Phil's coach, who told us ... "This is a nasty custody battle, and people are gonna say things that are completely not true ... He's one of the nicest people ... he's a Christian and he's a role model. In fact, he just got back from the Dominican Republic building churches and schools."

And here's a weird one ... Vantris just posted on Facebook that it's all a lie ... saying "Those pictures are not even me ... ." Never mind that she's SAID she filed the same photos ... in court documents.

UFC star Phil Davis has a huge fight Saturday night in New Jersey, but the bigger fight may be May 7 in San Diego, where his baby mama will accuse him of crazy brutality, including violent sex ... and she blames it on martial arts.

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Vantris Patterson claims Davis body slammed her on a couch with such force ... when the couch slid into the wall paint came off. She took pictures (below) which she claims show the injuries.

And Patterson says, Davis -- aka Mr. Wonderful -- would often choke her during intercourse, and when she'd plead with him to stop he'd respond, "Shut the f*** up, bitch."

She says Davis has threatened to kill her numerous times if she ever slept with another man.

Now here's the hook -- Patterson claims Davis' alleged propensity for violence has escalated because of his involvement in the UFC. She says, "I am afraid that the numerous fights have negatively impacted his mental stability," and she can't defend herself because of his "increased strength and attacking ability."

Davis makes his own claims ... that Patterson is the violent one who put a pic of a Glock up on Facebook and wrote, "... His day will come." He also says she texted him, "I can't wait until the day you die so I can spit in ur face [painful and slow]."

As for his MMA training, Davis says he's never used his skills outside the Octagon.

When they're in court on May 7, they're both asking for permanent restraining orders and each wants full custody.

Kendra Wilkinson was in surprisingly good spirits today in L.A. ... smiling and laughing just days after she totaled her car in a nasty car accident.

As we reported, Kendra was hospitalized following the accident over the weekend -- when her tricked-out Audi collided head-on with another vehicle.

Kendra was bruised and battered after the accident, but thankfully, doctors didn't find any broken bones.

Now she's back on her feet -- venturing outside with her husband Hank Baskett -- and told us, the whole nightmare actually has a silver lining ... watch the video to find out.

A 26-year-old Pennsylvania man just pled guilty to trying to extort former NFL star Hines Ward ... but TMZ has learned, he won't get any jail time.

Josh Van Auker pled guilty today to first degree misdemeanor attempted extortion ... after allegedly threatening to release evidence that the former Pittsburgh Steelers superstar paid women for sex. Van Auker allegedly demanded $15,000 for his silence.

He was arrested last October in a sting operation and charged with third degree felony attempted extortion ... but prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge.

Make no mistake about it, Jon Jones doesn't consider Chael Sonnen a "friend" -- even though Chael's been showering him with compliments lately ... in fact, Jones says he can't wait to punch Chael in the face this weekend.

Jones and his team were in NYC yesterday getting ready for the big fight at UFC 159 this Saturday -- when we asked if it would be weird punching a guy who's been so nice lately.

In case you missed it, Chael gushed about Jones to USA Today -- saying he's a "very nice guy" who could've beaten up both Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali in the same day.

Doesn't seem like Jon was fazed by the flattery ...

As for Chael, he was also in NYC yesterday ... bragging about the size of his cojones. Dude's pretty funny ... check out the clip.

Former Philadelphia Eagles QB and soup pitchman Donovan McNabb was put to the test -- when asked to name the best soup of all-time. Get ready ... for the first (and probably last) Soup-er Bowl!

NFL draft favorite Jarvis "Dawg Bones" Jones is getting better footlong treatment than Jenna Jameson ... because TMZ has learned, Subway is giving him free sandwiches ... FOR LIFE!

Jarvis -- a projected 1st-rounder in tomorrow's NFL Draft -- just signed a tasty 6-figure endorsement deal with Subway ... that included the elusive Subway Black Card, which can be used to purchase all the sandwiches the holder wants, and never expires.

Jones -- a 6'3," 241-pound linebacker out of Georgia -- joins a pretty exclusive group of black card holders, which includes Michael Strahan and Robert Griffin III.

According to the experts, Jarvis will probably be selected within the first 10 picks of tomorrow's draft -- and will become an instant millionaire.

Barry Bonds GOT JACKED, SON!!!

Someone -- or someones -- stole Barry's famous home run champion plaque right off the stadium wall at AT&T ballpark in San Francisco last night.

The plaque was originally unveiled at the stadium a few years ago, after Barry smacked his 756th* dinger while playing for the SF Giants.

But a rep for the team says it went missing last night -- explaining, "We're not sure what happened. We're reviewing video, but haven't found anything yet.''

Stealing a home run plaque right off the wall?? That's gotta take some big, giant cojones ... so, obviously the culprit isn't a steroid user.

Just days after his DUI arrest, Al Michaels ventured back out to Hollywood to another fancy restaurant ... but instead of hiring a driver, he decided to take the wheel himself.

TMZ was outside of Toscana restaurant in Brentwood last night when Michaels -- along with his wife -- rolled up in the same black Mercedes-Benz he was driving the night of his arrest.

We broke the story ... Michaels was popped for drunk driving in Santa Monica on Friday after making an illegal U-turn in front of cops. Sources tell us his blood alcohol level was JUUUST above the legal limit.

Kendra Wilkinson is out of the hospital, shaken from a weekend car wreck ... and her tricked-out Audi is in even worse shape ... check out the photos we got.

The former Playmate was hospitalized Sunday after what was described as a nasty head-on crash in the San Fernando Valley. Kendra was bruised and battered but doctors found no broken bones.

Cops tell TMZ ... the person Kendra hit has neck and back injuries.

The initial investigation shows Kendra turned left in front of a car that had the right of way -- in other words, it looks like it's her fault.

The wife of former NFL player Hank Baskett dropped out from the ABC diving show "Splash" ... because she was scared of getting hurt.

Johnny Manziel may still be riding high on his Heisman win -- but insists the trophy is no pothead ... despite a photo circulating on the Internet.

The Texas A&M quarterback was photographed kissing his hardware this past weekend in Vegas, and it looks like Heisman is carrying a big fat blunt.

But Johnny says the photo's a fake! He just tweeted: "ABSOLUTELY PHOTOSHOPPED. People are always out to get me...sorry for kissing my trophy."

Then again ... Johnny football does like to party hard.

So, we've gotta ask ...

Al Michaels cracked a confused sorta half-smile when it came time for the mug shot following his DUI arrest this weekend ... and TMZ has obtained the pic.

We broke the story ... the 68-year-old broadcasting legend was arrested Friday night in Santa Monica when he allegedly made an illegal U-turn in front of a DUI checkpoint.

Michaels was arrested -- and sources tell us his blood-alcohol level was JUUUUST north of the legal limit.

Sources say Michaels couldn't have been nicer during the arrest.

Terrell Owens has no one to blame but himself for losing a fortune ... so says his financial guy.

Owens has sued Jeff Rubin, Edward Rappaport and Pro Sports Financial, claiming they grossly mismanaged his stash ... opening a bank account without his knowledge and then forging his signature, and leading him to really bad investments, including a failed Alabama casino.

Rubin is now firing back ... claiming T.O. was fully aware of everything ... and down with it all. Rubin thinks Terrell is a cry baby who just can't accept the fact that sometimes investments go South.

In a final scold, Rubin snarks ... T.O. was asleep at the wheel by not taking the time to understand what he was getting into and the risks he was taking.