TMZ Sports - Page 50

Delino DeShields Jr. -- the MLB prospect who's face went viral after taking an 90 mph fastball to the grill -- says the swelling has FINALLY gone down and he looks and feels like a human again!!

"Everything is pretty much back to normal. I feel good," DDJ tells TMZ Sports ... "I don't have any lingering effects. Nothing bothers me."

The 21-year-old was hospitalized after suffering a facial fracture on April 18th during a minor league baseball game while playing for the Houston Astros Double-A team.

But DeShields recovered ... and has already returned to the diamond.

"It felt great to get back. I hit a homerun in my first two at bats."

In case you were wondering, Delino is also back to eating solid food -- and tells us his first "real" meal was chicken wings ... boneless, of course.

As far as the pitcher who fired the face-breaking fastball, Delino says he has not spoken with him since the accident ... and says he's totally OK with that.

Seems like Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford is gonna be OFF THE HOOK in his alleged water bottle squirting attack ... TMZ Sports has learned his accuser is backing down in a big way.

We broke the story ... L.A. Kings fan Clark Wong filed a battery report with the LAPD after Crawford allegedly sprayed him with water during Game 4 of the NHL Playoffs earlier this week.

Now, law enforcement sources tell us ... officials have reached out to follow up with Wong, but have not been able to reach him and he's not returning calls.

We also spoke with Wong who told us he no longer wants to pursue the case.

A new report by the L.A. Times that the L.A. Clippers have been sold to ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion is not true ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources familiar with the negotiations tell us ... Shelly Sterling is in a meeting now -- at the time of this post -- negotiating with Ballmer and several other prospective buyers who have made offers.

We're told Shelly is currently reviewing documents, but no agreement has been struck with anyone.

Our sources say, however, a deal will be finalized by end of business Friday ... and Ballmer is definitely in the running.

She already dunked on LeBron ... now Michelle Obama is getting screamed at by Richard Sherman in a spoof of his epic NFL sideline rant ... in the hopes she can convince kids to eat succotash.

Mrs. O recruited the Seattle Seahawks star -- along with Russell Wilson and Earl Thomas -- to appear in a video to promote her Let's Move initiative ... encouraging kids to eat healthy and exercise.

In the video, Sherman whips up a salmon and succotash combo -- and breaks into Erin Andrews screaming mode to brag about the meal.

"WE THE BEST CHEFS IN THE GAME!!!"

It's kinda funny ... especially the last scene at the end. Still, nothing compares to the original.

We knew it was coming ... we saw it from a mile away ... but our TMZ photog still fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book last night ... courtesy of Jadeveon Clowney.

The 1st pick in the NFL Draft hit up Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills with some friends last night ... and though he wasn't talking much, he still felt like screwin' with our guy.

It all started when we tried to talk about the HUGE contract he's about to sign (his friend made it clear he hasn't put the pen to paper yet) ... and that's when the local flower lady stepped into the picture.

Don't wanna get eaten by an alligator during your stint in Florida? Great, neither do we ... but Blake Bortles says he had a VERY close call with a scaly beast while growing up in the Sunshine State.

The Jacksonville Jaguars QB was walking through LAX with fellow Jaguars rookie (and L.A. native) Marqise Lee when we asked if they were worried about gator attacks in their new city.

Lee kinda laughed it off ... but Bortles -- who grew up in Central Florida -- revealed that he DID come face-to-face with a gator ... and had to act fast to avoid becoming lunch.

The clip is great ... Bortles and Lee get along like old friends (which is great for Jags fans) ... and Blake even weighs in on a Twitter rival who's kicking his ass when it comes to followers.

He may seem guilty as sin ... but in America, Aaron Hernandez is supposed to be presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty ... a point solidly made by NFL rookie Eric Ebron.

The Detroit Lions tight end -- the 10th pick in the NFL Draft -- was at LAX yesterday when we asked if he'd be afraid of going to nightclubs knowing there are people out there like Aaron Hernandez who are willing to kill over a spilled drink.

And that's when Ebron made a great point ... Aaron pled NOT GUILTY to the charges -- and in our criminal justice system, he's afforded the presumption of innocence.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver tells us ... making the decision to ban Donald Sterling from the league for life was "very difficult" ... but it's business -- and it had to be done.

Silver was out in NYC yesterday when he began talking to TMZ Sports -- which he says has consistently shocked him.

Guitar legend Tom Morello is pissed ... telling TMZ Sports he's sick and tired of the Chicago Cubs perennially sucking ass -- especially because the future doesn't look bright either.

Morello -- a founding member of Rage Against the Machine -- grew up in Chi-town and says it makes him sick to his stomach that his Cubbies are having yet another terrible season ... but it's par for the course.

FYI -- the Cubs lost AGAIN last night ... bringing their record to an abysmal 19-32.

The woman who won Chad Johnson's VH1 dating reality show was arrested this week -- after cops say she stabbed her boyfriend in the chest with a knife ... TMZ Sports has learned.

32-year-old Rubi Pazmino -- who beat out 84 women on "Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch" back in 2010 -- was taken into custody at their Chicago apartment on May 25th after a verbal argument with her boyfriend allegedly turned violent.

Officials believe Pazmino grabbed a kitchen knife and plunged it into her BF's chest -- causing a 3 centimeter puncture wound.

The boyfriend was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Pazmino was arrested for domestic battery. She was later released after posting bond, which had been set at $90k.

With his "Basketball Wife" filing for divorce, Charlotte Hornets guard Jannero Pargo hit up a famous L.A. chicken joint this week with a brand new lady friend ... a chick who's been connected to a bunch of high profile NBA stars ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

Pargo strolled into Roscoe's Chicken N' Waffles with Sandrina Smith -- who's reportedly hooked up with huge basketball stars like Dwyane Wade and Lamar Odom.

You may also remember Sandrina as Andray Blatche's "not" girlfriend when they hung out at Crustacean a few months ago (hilarious, btw).

TONSIL HOCKEY IS A NO-NO when it comes to the big wedding kiss ... so says engaged MLB superstar Andrew McCutchen who tells TMZ Sports he'll be following Kim & Kanye's tongue-less lead when he takes the plunge.

The reigning National League MVP was out in NYC Tuesday when we asked him about kissing etiquette at the altar -- which, apparently, is a super-controversial topic (people in the TMZ newsroom are pretty fired up about it).

But Cutch says there's no debate about it -- when it comes to swapping spit, ya gotta save it for AFTER you head down the aisle.

WHAT WILL THE RELATIVES THINK!?!?!?

Detroit Lions superstar Calvin Johnson had to do some serious downfield blocking when his girlfriend allegedly threatened to "molly wop" a supposed baby mama earlier this week ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Aaron Hernandez decided to KILL TWO PEOPLE because he was mad one of them bumped into him at a nightclub and spilled his drink ... this according to prosecutors.

He may have only had a few brief encounters with her, including the time she visited him in prison -- but Mike Tyson says Maya Angelou had a profound impact on his life ... and he'll always be grateful.

After learning of Angelou's death, Tyson told TMZ Sports ... "We lost one of the greatest constellations to the human universe."

"I had the pleasure to meet Ms. Angelou on a few occasions and each time was very enlightening. I was intrigued and would ask her about the greats from her era such as Billie Holiday, Malcolm X and Fats Waller. These people were just book novels, interesting reading to me but real people to her."

"I'm just very grateful for the times I shared with this phenomenal woman, even though they were brief."

Angelou famously visited Tyson at the Indiana Youth Center in 1994 while he was serving time for a rape conviction.

After the visit, Angelou told people her encounter with Iron Mike had an impact on her life as well -- saying, "it changed the way I thought about a number of things."