TMZ Sports - Page 50

Why should you put your money on underdog Phil Mickelson beating Tiger Woods in their huge upcoming $9 MILLION 1-on-1 match?

It ain't 'cause he plays better with his back against the wall ...

"I think it pays better!"

PHIL'S GOT GAMBLING JOKES!!

But seriously, 48-year-old Lefty tells TMZ Sports he officially started his training Thursday for the day-after-Thanksgiving, pay-per-view battle ... explaining, "I gave myself a month to get ready for it."

It's not just about fattening his bank account, Phil says he's REALLY excited about the money the event will raise for charity.

Phil says some of the money will go to the Children of the 58 fund -- which will provide scholarships to the children of the 58 people killed in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.

Another portion will go to Birdies for the Brave -- a foundation started by Phil and his wife -- dedicated to supporting wounded military vets.

Clinton Portis and Edgerrin James still got it!!!!

No, not on the football field ... in the club -- 'cause the two University of Miami legends hit up a D.C. hot spot Thursday night ... AND TURNED ALL THE WAY UP!!!

Loud music ... flashing lights ... bottle poppin' -- the ex-RBs did it all ... complete with a double-barreled champagne spill from C.P.!!

So, what brings the two RBs back together?? Edgerrin says he's in the nation's capital for Howard University's Homecoming (his daughter went there and now works there).

Sounds like a weekend full of raging is ahead ... 'cause Edge told Portis after the night, "U still got a little Juice... but that’s only 1 day. Tmr a new day. See what u got."

Dana White will eventually change his mind and sign Logan Paul to a UFC fight contract ... at least, Tyron Woodley is convinced that's how it'll go down!

Remember, White crapped all over the idea of Paul getting into the Octagon -- saying the YouTube superstar would get hurt fighting with the trained killers in the UFC.

But, on "The Hollywood Beatdown" this week, Tyron says he watched Logan's boxing match -- and feels the same way as Joe Rogan -- that Paul has some real fighting talent.

Tyron also points out that Dana, to his credit, has reversed course when it comes to UFC policy in the past -- remember when he said women would never fight?

There's more ... Tyron also explains why he probably WON'T fight Ben Askren in the UFC -- but tells us why the newest UFC superstar could cause some REAL problems for guys like Georges St-Pierre.

Ronda Rousey tells TMZ Sports ... pulling out of the WWE event in Saudi Arabia would be the WRONG move, because there is SO much good that can ultimately come from it.

And she's so passionate about the event, she was fighting back tears while making her point.

The WWE superstar was out in NYC promoting Sunday's all-female Pay-Per-View event 'Evolution' -- and explaining the cultural impact it can have ... when we naturally segued into the Saudi Arabia event.

Several politicians and other high powered people have been calling for Vince McMahon to postpone the event in the wake of the Jamal Khashoggi murder and alleged Saudi cover up.

But, Ronda tells us she supports the decision to move forward with 'Crown Jewel' on Nov. 2nd in Riyadh -- based on previous experience as an athlete who's competed internationally.

"I’m a 2-time Olympian, so I’m an idealist when it comes to sports," Ronda says ... while explaining how she bonded with a boxer from Iraq while the U.S. was at war with his country.

"Nowhere else in the world would some man from Iraq and a little girl from Venice Beach be respecting each other and sharing space. And, I think that sports is where we really find that common ground with each other."

"And, I think that pulling out of the 'Crown Jewel' would be the wrong move because I think that this is an opportunity to be able to share our cultures, and to define what we have in common and in times especially when, you know, times of adversity between two countries that’s the absolute wrong time to be able to pull away."

"I think that’s the time for us to be able to find what we have in common and be able to understand each other more."

Alex Rodriguez was rollin' around L.A. in style on Thursday -- hitting up Bev Hills in a custom Jeep made by the "Pimp My Ride" crew ... and he gave us an inside look right on the street!!!

A-Rod's 2018 Jeep Wrangler was customized by West Coast Customs as part of a Celebrity Customs challenge (yeah, XZIBIT was there) -- and it's SIIIICK.

It even features a functional cigar humidor right on the center console.

There's more ... it also features a custom grille, giant 26" Forgiato wheels, LED lighting, an iPad Pro embedded on the dash, souped-up wheels and tires and a nightclub-quality sound system.

Not too shabby!

We also asked Alex -- who was headed to Mastros to host a D'USSE dinner for his FOX colleagues -- to help break down the World Series ... and tell us if he REALLY thinks the Dodgers have a chance at a comeback.

The parents who threw a party for their kid but no one came say they never meant for their sad photo to go viral ... and we're inclined to believe 'em.

Sil Mazzini, the mom of 6-year-old Teddy, whose pizza party went bust over the weekend, tells us they would never stage such a deflating event for their son ... ever.

Mazzini gives a play-by-play breakdown for those who think the soiree was staged ... explaining why pieces of the pies were missing and how the photo got out in the first place.

Check out the clip and judge for yourself ... but this mama bear's got us convinced this was no scam.

One group that definitely believes her ... the Phoenix Suns! They caught wind of the story -- as did DJ Khaled and other big-time celebs -- and they treated Teddy to a VIP experience at one of their games this week.

Tyson Fury wants Donald Trump to be his guest of honor for his fight with Deontay Wilder in December ... officially extending the invite to POTUS through TMZ Sports!

"President Trump, I invite you to come down to see the biggest heavyweight fight in the last three decades!!!"

Of course ... Trump probably ain't showin' up -- security would be a nightmare -- but Tyson loves the dude, saying he's just as controversial!!

We also talked to Fury -- who was at Wild Card West boxing gym in L.A. -- about Wilder's claim that he wanted to MURDER somebody in the ring ... and Tyson wasn't down for all that chatter.

"I think it's a very stupid comment. You want a body on your record? No, this is a sport, a gentleman's sport. May the best man win."

Derek Carr says he ain't bothered by all the crap people are saying about him in the media -- in fact, he LOVES it -- claiming it'll make him a BETTER player when it's all said and done.

The Raiders QB has been under fire in the media after going 1-5 and not exactly looking like the world-beater many people thought they'd be this season.

There's trade rumors. There's talk that his teammates think he's a crybaby. But, Carr told JT the Brick it's all a bunch of crap made up by hating ass haters.

"The amount of texts that I received yesterday, people hitting me up former teammates, a whole bunch of teammates obviously that are on the team now saying, 'Don't worry about this crap man, we got your back.'"

Carr says a lot of people are making up stories about him that are simply not true -- but Carr says that's just what happens when ya lose.

In the end, Carr says the struggle will make him better.

"A lot of people don't like going through tough times, but I tell you what, I love it. I actually embrace it."

"I think the people that can get through those times, the people that can still be the same person as they go through those times, those are the ones that make it out better."

San Francisco 49ers WR Victor Bolden Jr. is suing the people who make his creatine -- claiming it was contaminated with an anabolic steroid and that's why he failed his NFL drug test!!

Bolden tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in March 2018 -- and was suspended by the NFL for the first 4 games of the 2018 season ... a HUGE deal for Victor considering he's a bubble player who doesn't make a lot of money. Plus, the 49ers later drafted a WR in the 2nd round to compete with Bolden.

Problem is ... Bolden claims he's not a cheater, never intentionally took a banned substance and believes he can PROVE it was his nutrition company that screwed him over.

Bolden's beef is with Rogue Nutrition -- which makes a product called Trident Creatine. Bolden says he started taking it in February after he was assured it was a clean, safe product.

The very next month, Bolden tested positive for Ostarine -- a banned substance -- and the NFL suspended him. The suspension cost him 25% of his 2018 salary.

In his lawsuit, Bolden claims he had the Creatine tested at the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) and it showed the product did, in fact, contain Ostarine.

Now, Bolden says Rogue should have to pay him back for his lost wages -- plus other damages (like lost endorsements and his tarnished reputation).

New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon always wondered why he had a scar on each hand -- until his parents revealed ... he was born with 12 FINGERS!

"It's weird," the former University of Miami player told SNY ... "They cut them off when I was born."

Herndon says he always wondered why he had tiny nubs next to each one of his pinky fingers -- until his parents explained that he was digitally enhanced.

Now, Herndon says he's got the "leftover pieces" on his hands -- and it's become a cool thing to show off.

It clearly hasn't bothered him on the field -- he's caught a touchdown in each of his last 2 games!

Herndon isn't the only star athlete who was born with extra phalanges -- boxing superstar Danny Garcia has 6 toes on his right foot ... and previously told TMZ Sports he feels it gives him an advantage in the ring!

Dude's 34-2 ... so, maybe he's right!

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan tells TMZ Sports ... WWE is making the RIGHT move pushing forward with the Saudi Arabia show -- explaining, "You can't shut down a whole operation over a horrible incident.

Vince McMahon's company announced Thursday the 'Crown Jewel' event in Riyadh will proceed as planned on Nov. 2 ... despite pressure to postpone after the murder of reporter Jamal Khashoggi.

But, Duggan says even though Khashoggi's death is a tragedy -- the WWE legend doesn't blame Vince for not scrapping the "huge business opportunity."

Duggan also believes the Khashoggi incident is relatively minor compared to other things happening in that region of the world.

"You can't hold the rest of the world to our values ... and what happens over there happens over there," Hacksaw says.

"If you're gonna start picking and choosing things, you won't be able to go anywhere. There's something everywhere negative."

The Cleveland Cavaliers are bad without LeBron James -- like, 0-wins bad -- but that's not such a terrible thing if you're a fan looking to score a REALLY cheap ticket last minute.

The Cavs squared off with the Brooklyn Nets in Cleveland Wednesday. Neither franchise has high hopes for the season, but it's still early, and the contest was only Cleveland's second at home.

However, in looking at Flash Seats -- the ticket sale and resale service launched by Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert -- you'd think the team was 0-60.

Nosebleed seats were reselling for as little as $2 an hour and a half before tip-off.

Granted, the seats suck ... but when a ticket goes for less than a bottle of water in your arena, there are some major issues.

Michael Jordan has teamed up with Magic Johnson -- buying an ownership stake in aXiomatic ... the company that operates the prestigious eSports franchise, Team Liquid.

Jordan was part of a new $26 million funding round -- joining other prestigious co-owners including Golden State Warriors co-owner Peter Gruber, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, and Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis.

Team Liquid is a FORCE in eSports -- with teams competing in games like League of Legends, Dota 2, Fortnite, CS:GO, Street Fighter, PUBG, FIFA and more.

In fact, the Team Liquid Dota 2 squad won the 2017 World Championship -- an $11 million grand prize!

Magic Johnson was an early investor in aXiomatic -- and Leonsis is stoked to reunite the 1992 Dream Team stars.

"Probably no other franchise has the championship pedigree as we do with now Michael and with Magic."

Team Liquid will be in direct competition in some games with 100 Thieves -- the eSports team founded by Nadeshot and now co-owned by stars like Drake and Scooter Braun.

Remember that kid who went viral for having NOBODY show up to his pizza party?? Joke's on his friends now ... 'cause the kid got the ultimate hookup at the Phoenix Suns game on Wednesday!!

6-year-old Teddy Bollinger's story *was* really sad -- he invited 32 of his closest friends to a pizza party on Sunday, just to have ZERO show up.

The picture of the bummed out kid made its way around the Internet like wildfire. The Suns got wind of the tragedy and quickly swooped in to give Teddy an awesome VIP invite to their game against the Lakers.

Not only did Teddy get to go to the game ... the dude got HOOKED UP -- from his own custom jersey, to meeting stars Josh Jackson and Trevor Ariza, to courtside seats to watch LeBron James play.

WWE isn't backing out of the upcoming pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia -- saying they plan to "continue operations" in the country despite calls from politicians to at least postpone.

The event -- 'Crown Jewel' featuring Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman -- is scheduled to take place in Riyadh on Nov. 2.

Thursday morning, as part of a Q3 earnings report, the company announced the show will move forward as planned.

"WWE has operated in the Middle East for nearly 20 years and has developed a sizable and dedicated fan base," the statement said.

"Considering the heinous crime committed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Company faced a very difficult decision as it relates to its event scheduled for November 2 in Riyadh. Similar to other U.S.-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event."

"Full year 2018 guidance is predicated on the staging of the Riyadh event as scheduled."

Of course, the "heinous crime" is the apparent abduction, torture and murder of former Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Some officials believe Khashoggi's death was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- though the royal family has strongly denied that.

President Donald Trump recently referred to the Saudi account of the killing as the "worst cover up" in history ... after they tried to spin multiple BS stories about how Khashoggi could have died.

The son of Dallas Cowboys football legend Don Meredith is getting behind the lens to direct a movie about the Army-Navy football game just days after the assassination of JFK.

Michael Meredith tells us the project -- "The President's Team" -- will center around the 1963 Naval team and the brotherhood formed between the men on the squad. Roger Staubach, who went on to QB the Cowboys after Don, is a centerpiece of the film.

A quick history refresher -- Kennedy was assassinated just days before the annual Army-Navy game that year, and was supposed to do the ceremonial coin toss. Many questioned if the game would still be played ... Jackie Kennedy ultimately gave the go-ahead.