TMZ Sports - Page 50

We ran into Shaquille O'Neal for 84 seconds in New York City Monday ... and here's what happened:

1) He spoke Hebrew to us
2) He insulted Batman
3) He named the BEST movie he ever appeared in (Hint: It's not "Kazaam")
4) He sneak-attacked Kenny "The Jet" Smith and slapped him in the back of the head.

Again, just 84 seconds ... but it's hilarious.

BTW -- Kenny has now threatened to sue Shaq for $100 million ... so, stay tuned on that one.

Strong men also cry ... just ask Charles Barkley -- who tells TMZ Sports he let the tears FLOW during two emotional movies.

Sir Chuck was out in NYC yesterday when he explained the why two certain flicks got the waterworks going ... and one of his selections isn't exactly your traditional love story.

One more thing ... we asked the former Philadelphia 76er about the famous cheesesteak battle raging in the City of Brotherly Love ... Pat's or Geno's.

Barkley's answer -- well, it was a bit unexpected.

Check out the clip.

Ray Rice and his wife Janay are fully aware of the Ray Rice costumes that have been surfacing this Halloween -- and they're telling friends they're simply praying for the people mocking them.

You've seen the pics -- people dressed up as Ray dragging around an inflatable Janay in an effort to lampoon the infamous elevator attack.

We've spoken with friends and family members close to Ray and Janay who tell us ... the couple is dealing with the unwanted attention by turning to religion.

One source tells us Ray and Janay have said they are "praying for those people."

As we previously reported, Ray and Janay have been extremely involved with their church since the incident ... and were both baptized in March when they decided to become born again Christians.

We're also told Ray and Janay are still committed to the marriage -- and have vowed to maintain their family and rebuild their lives together.

UFC legend Chuck Liddell tells TMZ Sports he was HAPPY to fork over a pair of his trunks to Randy Couture for Randy's Halloween costume -- but says he ain't exactly returning the costume honor.

Liddell was out in Calabasas Monday when he told us Randy went through a celebrity middleman to get his hands on his trunks ... and Chuck obliged because he thought it was funny.

As for Chuck, two mysteries remain -- who will he dress up as on All Hallows' Eve ... and why is his right arm is in a medical brace???

Check out the clip.

The King of the NBA now has a Princess in his realm ... with LeBron James welcoming his first baby girl to the world.

The 4-time NBA Most Valuable Player and his wife Savannah welcomed their 3rd child last week at a hospital in their hometown of Akron, Ohio.

Zhuri James is not the heir to the NBA throne ... LeBron already has 2 boys ... but something tells us WNBA officials are already looking 21 years down the line.

The couple announced the name back in August while on vacation in Greece.

Mazel tov!

More drama for Florida State University ... starting running back Karlos Williams is now being investigated by police for alleged domestic battery.

According to the Tallahassee PD, Williams -- a senior and the team's leading rusher -- is being investigated for an October 25th incident.

Officials say the case has been assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division.

We're told Tallahassee PD was initially contacted by FSU officials, who reported the alleged incident ... but so far, details have not been released.

Officials in the Dominican Republic do NOT believe alcohol was a factor in the crash that killed St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We spoke with reps at the Metropolitan Police Department in the D.R. who tell us ... Taveras was driving "very, very fast" on a wet road when he lost control and slammed into a huge tree.

Both Taveras and his GF were killed in the crash.

Officials tell us an autopsy is currently being conducted on Oscar -- but we're told there was no immediate evidence at the crash scene to lead officials to believe he was drunk behind the wheel.

Officials tell us the weather may have played a role -- because it had been raining around the time of the accident and the roads were slippery.

We're told ... Taveras is not the first person to have lost control and slammed into that particular tree -- another person died in the same exact spot last year under similar weather conditions.

A fight between a NY Jets fan and Buffalo Bills fan at MetLife Stadium this weekend ended in a savage knockout ... with the Bills fan slumping into his seat after being knocked unconscious.

TMZ Sports has the shocking footage -- which shows the two men tussling in the stands during the 2nd half of the Bills vs. Jets matchup ... right after the Bills started pulling away.

You can see the Jets fan take a swing -- and he connects right to the head of the Bills fan ... and the guy immediately is out cold.

According to witnesses, the Jets fan left the scene before security arrived.

One witness tells TMZ Sports, "The Bills fan had been shooting his mouth off before the fight and the Jets fans took exception."

You can see the Bills fan being tended to by other fans -- including another man in a Jets jersey.

We spoke to the NJ State Police who tell us ... the Jets fan was apprehended as he fled the scene and was arrested and charged with simple assault.

We're told ... at the scene, it did not appear the Bills fan suffered "serious injury."

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis says it was a simple case of nerves that caused him to screw up the lyrics to the "Star-Spangled Banner" ... and now he wants the country to forgive him.

In case you missed it ... Lewis rearranged the lyrics pretty badly, screwing up almost immediately. But he quickly rebounded and didn't do a terrible job overall.

Still ... he's pretty embarrassed about the whole thing and took to his website to apologize for the blunder. He wrote, "All I can say is I'm sorry and ask for the Nation's forgiveness. My nerves got the best of me and I am completely torn up about what happened. America is the greatest country in the world."

He added, "I hope that the Nation, Major League Baseball and the many fans of our national pastime can forgive me."

What's particularly funny about the whole thing is that back in 2011, Lewis ripped Christina Aguilera for flubbing the anthem at the Super Bowl.

Karma is a real thing.

Concussions + molly (allegedly) + Emmanuel Sanders = a TERRIBLE fantasy football season for Wes Welker ... and David Spade knows it.

The star of the upcoming "Joe Dirt 2" (yes!) was leaving the Mercer Hotel in NYC this weekend when we asked who his biggest fantasy bust has been this season.

That's when Spade -- who also hosts "Fantasy Football Uncensored" on Fox Sports 1 -- explained why he thinks Welker's been crappin' the bed ... and it's pretty hilarious.

UFC badass Randy Couture didn't just get Chuck Liddell's approval to become the Iceman for Halloween -- he also got Chuck to give him a pair of his trademark shorts!!!

Couture and his girlfriend Mindy Robinson hit up a huge celebrity costume party in L.A. this weekend -- but before they went inside, Randy gave us the 411 about his outfit.

"Chuck gave me these shorts," Randy told us ... "He gave me these gloves."

If they're fight-used trunks, they could be SUPER VALUABLE ... the shorts Chuck rocked at UFC 66 reportedly fetched more than $8,000 at auction back in 2007.

Laila Ali's 3-year-old son has some of the greatest sports DNA of all time -- but the boxing legend tells TMZ Sports she REFUSES to push him into boxing ... she'd rather he pick up a golf club instead.

Laila and her ex-NFL star hubby Curtis Conway were out in L.A. this weekend when she made it clear -- sports will NOT will come first for Curtis Jr. ... but IF he chooses to play, she wants him to keep his brain safe.

"I'd rather him play golf, baseball or basketball," Ali says ... "IF he's going to play sports. I'm not going to force him into sports."

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots beat up Chicago so badly this weekend, even Tom's wife couldn't help herself from trolling the Bears online ... by bragging about the 51 points TB hung on 'em.

After the game, Tom and Gisele posed for a couples photo ... with Tom holding up 5 fingers, Gisele holding up 1 ... representing the 51-23 beatdown the Pats delivered at Gillette Stadium.

Gisele added the caption, "So happy for my love!!! Go Pats!!! 51 points!!!"

The supermodel has gotten into trouble for talking smack about Tom's teammates in the past -- but blasting opponents is OK, right?

NHL star Semyon Varlamov is being sued by his ex-GF ... who claims he terrorized her for years and tried to kill her in a drunken rage ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The woman behind the lawsuit is Evgeniya Vavrinyuk ... a former law student from Russia ... who says the Colorado Avalanche goalie had a bad habit of getting super drunk and then beating the living crap out of her.

In her suit, filed in Colorado by attorney Keith Fink, Vavrinyuk claims Semyon first attacked her back in 2012 in a "drunken animal rage" ... kicking and punching her even after she was "helpless on the ground."

Vavrinyuk claims the abuse occurred multiple times ... with Semyon constantly apologizing and begging her for forgiveness when he sobered up.

In her suit, Vavrinyuk says some of the abuse occurred when they were living in Russia -- but even when neighbors called police, "they refused to file any report or press charges due to Varlamov's celebrity hockey player status in Russia."

"The officers even shook his hand and wished him the best of luck the following season after speaking to the beaten and bruised Vavrinyuk," her lawsuit claims.

Vavrinyuk claims the final straw occurred in the early hours of October 29th, 2013 ... when the NHL player allegedly came home from a Halloween party in Denver and drunkenly beat her with closed fists with deadly intentions.

In her suit, Vavrinyuk claims a friend noticed her bruises later that day and contacted police and Semyon was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.

But despite a police investigator testifying that Vavrinyuk had bruises on her body, criminal charges against the hockey player were ultimately dropped for lack of evidence.

Now, Vavrinyuk has taken her case to the civil courts where the burden of proof is significantly lower -- sources tell us she's looking for more than $1 MILLION in damages.