TMZ Sports - Page 50

Dennis Rodman is no Jason Bourne -- and was NOT a government spy sent to North Korea to help free the American prisoners ... at least that's what John McCain wants you to think.

Of course, Rodman's been taking credit for helping to convince Kim Jong-un to release Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller -- saying he was lobbying hard on behalf of the U.S. during his basketball summit in the DPRK earlier this year.

But when McCain was asked if he believed The Worm ... McCain didn't exactly back the NBA legend.

Doc Rivers says he has NO PROBLEM with Kobe Bryant breaking the record for most missed shots in NBA history ... telling TMZ Sports, "The only way you can make 'em, you gotta take 'em."

FYI -- Kobe broke the record earlier this week ... passing Celtics legend John Havlicek, who missed 13,147 shots during his career.

But the L.A. Clippers honcho says it's not necessarily a bad record to have -- in fact, Rivers says he WISHES he had a title like that under his belt.

He ain't exactly Nolan Ryan ... but Jerry Seinfeld can BRING THE HEAT ... so says Mike Piazza, who tells TMZ Sports the comedian is the best celeb pitcher he's ever caught.

And Piazza knows what he's talking about -- he caught in the Majors for 15 years ... playing backstop for all sorts of famous people who fired out the 1st pitch before games.

So when we asked him to name the #1 celebrity when it came to mound dominance, Mike didn't hesitate ... and explained why he's got so much respect for Jerry.

#YadaYadaYada

Ray Rice's wife Janay is ready for her close-up ... meeting up with beauty specialists before her big "Today" show interview with Matt Lauer.

With cameras setup in her Maryland home, Janay Palmer -- the woman Ray KO'd in the elevator back in February -- invited over a local company that specializes in photo shoots to gussy her up.

The company is called Franchon Parlour -- and it does everything from wardrobe selection to hair extensions.

It's clear that Janay and Ray want it to look like the interview is all about Janay -- but our NBC sources tell us Ray is the main reason they want this interview. And, our sources say Ray WILL be participating in some way even though his people say he is not yet committed.

Investigators in the Blake Griffin pimp slap case have obtained nightclub security footage which shows a confrontation between the NBA star and his accuser ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the footage from Tao nightclub in Vegas shows Blake and his accuser Daniel Schuman in a heated situation -- but we're told the alleged slap was not captured by the security cameras.

We broke the story ... Griffin has been charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly going all Zsa Zsa Gabor on Schuman on October 19th.

In the moments following the incident, Schuman gave a report to Tao security saying Blake got physical with him because he thought Daniel was sneaking a cell phone pic.

Blake's teammate DeAndre Jordan -- who was with Blake and several other Clippers at the club -- told us he NEVER saw Blake strike anyone that night (video below).

As for Blake, he has yet to comment on the situation.

Blake Griffin has been charged with a crime for allegedly slapping the crap out of a man inside a Las Vegas nightclub ...TMZ Sports has learned.

The incident went down last month when Blake was at Tao Nightclub. According to the alleged victim -- Daniel Schuman -- the Clippers superstar was upset by camera flashes in his face ... so he grabbed Daniel's phone and neck. Daniel says Blake squeezed his neck, and demanded he give up his phone.

According to docs -- obtained by TMZ Sports ... the Clark County D.A. has now charged Griffin with one count of misdemeanor battery. He faces 6 months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine -- though a jail sentence is highly unlikely since Blake has no prior convictions for violent crimes.

Blake was with DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul that night. None of the other players were involved in the alleged incident.

St. Louis Cardinals rookie Oscar Taveras' blood alcohol level was 5 TIMES the legal limit at the time of his fatal crash last month ... officials in the Dominican Republic say.

The 22-year-old MLB rising star died on October 26th when the car he was driving smashed into a tree. Oscar's 18-year-old girlfriend, who was a passenger in the car, was also killed in the wreck.

Initially, cops said preliminary evidence did not lead them to believe Oscar was intoxicated at the time of the crash ... but toxicology reports showed his blood alcohol was at an extremely high level.

Cops also say he was driving "very, very fast" at the time of the accident.

ESPN is not backing down from Daniel Tosh -- telling TMZ Sports the network did NOT steal one of his signature comedy bits ... despite Tosh's accusations.

As we previously reported, the Comedy Central star went nuclear on ESPN Tuesday night -- claiming the network copied a popular "Tosh.0" segment called "Web Redemption" and changed the title to "Awesome Video Segment."

Tosh claims ESPN even stole his catchphrase, "Are you ready to give it another shot?"

But ESPN tells us ... "This was more of an instance of us using a common phrase than it was copying his wording."

"We know that doesn't sound like the strongest explanation yet it’s the truth."

The network adds, "We are looking forward to ‘giving it another shot’ in future installments of 'The Awesome Video Segment.'"

So ... ESPN host Michelle Beadle took a shot at Kim Kardashian and her big fat ass.

After Kim K posted her brand new naked pic, Beadle went to Twitter to mock the reality star.

"Just purchased $633 in baby oil and performed an at-home lobotomy...let's do this. #BreakTheInternet #MoonRiver."

She later added ... "Are we done talking about giant, greasy poo-makers yet? #CometLanding."

Beadle isn't the only celebrity to go after Kim -- Chelsea Handler implied Kim's ass is fake and Naya Rivera also threw shade ... saying, "You're someone's mother."

File Under: "The Perils of Being Giant" ... because 7'6" Yao Ming hilariously tried to squeeze into the front passenger seat of a SUV this morning -- and just didn't fit.

It's not like it's a tiny 2-door coupe ... the former NBA superstar had a massive Lincoln Navigator waiting for him -- and it still couldn't handle all 90 inches of Yao.

Eventually, Ming crunched into the backseat ... but even that was a tight squeeze.

Matt Lauer had every opportunity to say he does not have an interview lined up with disgraced NFL star Ray Rice, but he didn't.

As TMZ Sports first reported ... NBC sources told us Lauer snagged an interview with Rice and wife Janay. Our Rice sources say nothing is set in stone for him ... that "Today" is more interested in Janay, but our NBC sources say that's not true -- Rice is the prize.

So when our photog spotted Lauer in NYC Wednesday morning and mentioned the Ray interview, Lauer said repeatedly no "announcement" had been made. Interesting.

BTW ... how cool is Matt?

Mike Myers has a bone to pick with Michael Buble ... claiming the singer was dead wrong about the greatest NHL fighter of all time.

Of course, Buble had picked Geno Odjick ... who once tried to fight an entire NHL team. The video is awesome.

But Myers says his #1 goon is Ken Baumgartner ... who's ranked #37 on the all-time list of penalty minutes served in the NHL. He was a badass too.

Well, after some quick cyber-snooping ... we actually found a video of a KEN vs. GENO fight from 1993 -- and when those guys dropped the gloves, there was one clear winner.

They might suck at the moment, but Jack Black refuses to turn his back on the L.A. Lakers.

Black was out in L.A. last night when he was asked if he would ever consider buying a sports team -- or at least part of one ... a la Usher (Cleveland Cavs) or Justin Timberlake (Memphis Grizzlies).

Jack, being the huge Purple and Gold fan that he is, picked the Lakers ... but noted he could "probably get it for a steal right now."

But, as Black points out ... if the Clippers sold for $2 BILLION -- how much would the Lakers sell for if the Buss family was looking to unload????

There are some experts who believe the Lake Show could be worth close to $5 BILLION!!!

Daniel Tosh has declared WAR on ESPN -- claiming the network ripped off one of his most famous bits ... and last night he went after the 4-letter without mercy.

Tosh claims ESPN essentially stole the "Web Redemption" segment from "Tosh.0" -- where he finds someone who had an embarrassing moment that went viral and gives them a chance to redeem themselves.

The Comedy Central star claims ESPN jacked the bit for a feature on that Canadian singer who tripped HARD while singing the Canadian national anthem before a hockey game. They even used his signature catch phrase.

But Tosh didn't just get mad, he got even -- and ripped off a segment from ESPN ... mocking "Sports Science" while tearing apart the network and it's talent.

**Warning -- this video is going to make you smile**

He was a 1st round pick in the NBA draft last year, but Reggie Bullock isn't too big to PERSONALLY roll out the red carpet for his mom when she comes out to L.A. this week ... and TMZ Sports has the footage to prove it!

Not only did the 23-year-old millionaire go right to the arrivals gate at LAX to greet his mother after her flight in from North Carolina ... but he crammed his entire 6'7" frame into the backseat of the waiting 2-door car to make sure she sat comfortably in the front seat.

After they got home, the L.A. Clippers player posted a pic of the two of them to Instagram with the caption ... "With my #1 #mommasBOY."