TMZ Sports - Page 50

The Red Sox players are STILL winning ... 'cause the bonus checks for their World Series "W" were just announced -- and Boston got paid!!!

Major League Baseball just announced the postseason bonus pool totaled $88 MILLION to be divided by all of the teams that made the 2018 playoffs.

The total pool number -- essentially made up of playoff stadium ticket sales -- is the largest pot in MLB history. It's divided by the 10 playoff teams based on how far they got.

The biggest payout was obviously Boston -- the champs split $31.7 million between 66 players, which came out to $416k each!

Not too shabby, but slightly LESS than the $438k each Houston Astros player got last year for winning the 2017 World Series.

Don't feel too bad for the 2018 losers ... Los Angeles will get a cut of the bonus money too -- with their checks coming in at $267,027.49 per player.

Here's how the rest of the playoff bonus money was distributed ...

Houston Astros -- $154,656.05 per player.

Milwaukee Brewers -- $122,957.13

Atlanta Braves -- $40,375.74

Cleveland Indians -- $37,040.29

Colorado Rockies -- $40,335.96

New York Yankees -- $43,081.55

Chicago Cubs -- $16,155.34

Oakland Athletics -- $19,760.35

Yeah, it still pays to be good.

12:35 PM PT -- The person who posted the image has now been FIRED from his job ... according to a statement from Hilton Grand Vacations.

"Our concern regarding this situation has been a top priority. The person responsible for posting this information has been terminated."

"His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and the furthest example from being a reflection of our company’s values."

A disgusting, racist depiction of Florida State football coach Willie Taggart being hanged from a tree has triggered a state attorney investigation in Florida ... officials have announced.

The image was posted to Facebook after FSU's 41-14 loss to Florida this weekend. It's a photoshopped pic of Taggart's head pasted on top of a black and white photo of an African American man being hanged.

A caption on the image reads, "Believe In Something Even If It Means Sacrificing Your Rep."

The person who posted the image reportedly works for Hilton Grand Vacations in Orlando -- and the company has already issued a statement saying the employee has been suspended.

Second Judicial Circuit State Attorney Jack Campbell has confirmed his office is aware of the post and they've connected with the FSU Police Dept. -- and other law enforcement agencies -- to investigate.

Campbell issued a statement to Tallahassee.com saying. "Any threat of violence to anybody in this community – he’s a father, a husband and a member of our community – we’re going to investigate it to the fullest extent possible."

FSU President John Thrasher also weighed in ... saying, "I speak for the entire FSU community in expressing our disgust and extreme disappointment, and I am glad the state attorney is investigating."

Could Tim Tebow's days as an unmarried man be numbered?!?!

Certainly seems that way ... 'cause the ex-NFL superstar brought his Miss Universe girlfriend to the Tebow Family Thanksgiving -- a sure sign that things are getting THAT serious.

Tim and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters -- Miss Universe 2017 -- have been dating for a while now ... and they've been getting super cozy with each other the last few months.

Remember ... the South African model wished him a very public "happy birthday" back in August AND the two had a date day in New York with DLNP's fam in September.

In fact ... Demi even hinted she was "falling in love" with the minor league baseball star after the two hit up a Florida game last month.

But, the couple took things to another level last week ... when Tim brought her to the fam's turkey dinner.

"My first American style Thanksgiving with the sweetest family," DNLP said of the holiday ... "Grateful for an incredible year and everyone I got to share it with."

Tim never got a ring in his 3 years in the NFL ... but we wouldn't be shocked if he bought one pretty soon!!!

Steph Curry was REALLY lucky to walk away from his Black Friday car crash without a serious injury -- because TMZ Sports obtained video of the accident ... and it's scary stuff.

As we previously reported, the Golden State Warriors star was driving his black Porsche on Highway 24 in Oakland on Nov. 23 when another car lost control, skidded out and slammed into Steph.

You can see in our video, the other driver was going pretty fast when the vehicle slipped across 4 lanes of traffic and clipped the front of Steph's car ... it appears both cars hit the center divider.

Officials say roughly 10 minutes after the crash, another car lost control and slammed into Steph's Porsche from behind.

Miraculously, no one suffered any major injuries. Steph was photographed walking around the crash after the incident. Officials say everyone was wearing their seat belts.

He later tweeted, "Don’t need any reminders but All the Time God is Great and God is Great all the time! Appreciate all the texts."

Khabib Nurmagomedov says he REALLY wants his next fight to be against Floyd Mayweather -- saying he's ready to prove all of the critics wrong.

And as for Conor McGregor ... Khabib says that guy was ALL TALK -- but ever since the fight, it seems Conor "forgot his tongue."

The UFC champ spoke with reporters for almost an HOUR at a press conference in Moscow on Monday and explained why he's dead serious about getting a shot with Floyd.

"Frankly, I think money-wise, and competition-wise, the bout against Mayweather would be much more interesting [than a UFC fight against Tony Ferguson]."

"It has always been very interesting ... Two undefeated fighters? It would be very interesting to see who wins."

Khabib admitted some people on his own training team don't think he has a shot to beat Floyd in a boxing match -- "Well, this motivates me."

As for McGregor, Khabib said a reconciliation with Conor might be possible down the line -- but not right now. He also said he's not sure if he would shake Conor's hand if they ran into each other on the street.

Khabib says he has not spoken with Conor since UFC 229 on Oct. 6.

During the fight, Khabib says Conor tried to explain that all the insults leading up the bout were "only business" ... but Khabib wasn't having it.

After the ass-whooping, Khabib says Conor didn't have much to say -- "Maybe he forgot his tongue at home."

Khabib also said he realizes he could have hurt himself when he jumped out of the Octagon to attack Conor's team.

"It just happened. And it was quite high. I could've easily have broken my leg. You never know how you are going to act in a certain situation. You have to control yourself."

"I don't take anything back. I did what I did. But if I were looking at this from a side, I can't condone such behavior."

As for Floyd, he previously told us he thinks the fight with Khabib will happen and predicts a 9-figure payday.

Kendall Jenner is no fairweather girlfriend -- because after the 76ers lost to the putrid Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday ... she stuck by Ben Simmons at a French restaurant in Philly.

Here's the thing -- the Cavs are embarrassingly terrible. J.R. Smith recently quit the team after accusing them of tanking the season for a higher draft pick. It's bad.

But, after the 76ers took the "L" on Friday, Ben and Kendall went to Parc -- a French Bistro -- the very next day.

The comfort meal worked -- because the 76ers bounced back with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

Kendall was at the game -- and was pictured going crazy in the stands as she cheered on her man.

Still, there's an online petition to get Kendall banned from 76ers home games in fear of the "Kardashian Kurse."

We should note ... ever since the two got back together on Nov. 3, the team is 9-4 and overall looking pretty good. They're in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference.

Sooooo ... maybe she should KEEP coming to the games!

Drake fans can hold on all they want, they're NEVER gonna go home to the kinda bedroom Drizzy's building in his Toronto mansion -- you could easily get lost in the damn place!

The publicly filed floor plans for his crib feature the layout for the most insane master suite we've ever seen. How big? The 941 square feet literally takes up HALF of the second floor of the ginormous crib.

Here's what he's working with: his own stairwell entrance, 2 dressing rooms AND 2 closets (all part of one elaborate wardrobe area), a steam shower and tub with a skylight above, TWO balcony areas with an outdoor hot tub and a kitchenette.

Again, all of that is JUST for his bedroom quarters. Of course, there are 4 impressive guest bedrooms too ... although they don't compare to Drake's.

If the room itself isn't impressive enough, take a gander at the estate in its entirety -- to call it a beaut is a gross understatement.

The mansion is about 35,000 square feet on a 2-acre lot and the toys include ... 2 saunas, a massage room, a 10-car garage, an elevator, a gym, a screening room ... and a full basketball court. There's more, but we're tired.

Drake bought the place for nearly $4 million and had it under construction for a majority of 2017 and about half of 2018. Talk about views!

There's a ZERO percent chance LaMelo Ball will follow in his bro's footsteps and play at UCLA next season ... so says LaVar Ball who tells us he's still furious over the way the school treated LiAngelo.

17-year-old LaMelo is playing pretty well at the Spire Institute in Ohio -- and recently dropped 30 points during a game in Atlanta.

LaVar tells us his son is "better than LeBron" was as a teenager -- calling him "unbeatable" and "the coldest person on two feet."

So, where's he gonna play his college ball next year? Definitely not in Westwood.

"Heck no, he won't be at UCLA," LaVar says ... "UCLA? Why? After what they did to my other son? Are you crazy?"

Remember, LiAngelo withdrew from UCLA after the shoplifting incident in China. UCLA had suspended him indefinitely but that didn't sit well with LaVar.

"Suspend him and don't tell him when he supposed to be able to play and all that? No, they ain't behind him like that. One mistake and now you put him to the side and act like he's supposed to come the next year?"

LaVar says he's also upset that UCLA forced LiAngelo to wear #15 when he wore #3 all his life -- "so it started off wrong."

As for LaMelo, Ball says he'll start taking recruiting trips to colleges "when he feels like it."

NFL linebacker Rey Maualuga dodged a bullet ... 'cause he ain't gonna spend a single minute behind bars for allegedly grabbing a club employee by the throat -- as long as he stays outta trouble.

As we previously reported, Maualuga -- who spent 9 seasons in the NFL with the Bengals and Dolphins -- was arrested in Miami in Nov. 2017 after officials say he got into a physical altercation over a $40 bar tab. He's accused of shoving and grabbing a bar employee by the throat.

31-year-old Maualuga was initially charged with misdemeanor battery and faced up to a year in jail if convicted.

But, TMZ Sports learned, the former USC Trojan cut a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to complete a pretrial diversion program and, in exchange, the charge will be dropped.

The program requires Rey to attend two 6-hour anger management courses -- designed to teach conflict resolution and impulse control ... and he's gotta stay away from the club.

Seems like a good deal to us.

Justin Bieber and new wife Hailey Baldwin went ice-adjacent at the Ontario Junior League.

JB and HB seemed somewhat more into themselves than the game, as the Stratford Warriors battled the Kitchener Dutchmen. Justin cheered on Stratford -- his home team as they scored a goal.

Justin's grandparents were beside them in the stands, as Justin and Hailey joined in the chuck-a-puck, a Canadian Junior Hockey tradition where fans buy pucks for a buck to raise funds for the team, and then throw the pucks onto the ice during intermission. The person who throws the puck closest to the center wins a prize.

The saying "old habits die hard" was on full display Saturday night at The Forum when Tito Ortiz, 43, knocked out Chuck Liddell, 48, in the first round of their highly anticipated trilogy fight ... as the 2 UFC legends showcased decades of experience inside the Octagon.

We got Chuck after the loss in WeHo at Nightingale, chilling with his parents and friends. He was in good spirits and unsurprisingly didn't rule out a fourth fight with Tito.

Chuck's parents have different thoughts on their son's future in the Octagon.

This was Tito's first win against Chuck. The last time they squared off was 12 years ago. The long respite clearly didn't subdue their rivalry, because the two had been trash-talking each other for months leading up to this fight.

Reuben Foster has been cut by the San Francisco 49ers after being arrested in Tampa Bay for domestic violence.

Tampa police said Foster and a woman got into a verbal altercation Saturday at the team's hotel. Foster allegedly slapped her phone out of her hand, pushed her in the chest and slapped her with an open hand on the right side of her face. Tampa police said the alleged victim had been in a relationship with Foster for 3 years.

This isn't Fosters' first run-in with the law. He was previously accused of domestic violence, but the judge dropped the charges in May.

Lakers co-owner Jesse Buss doesn't have to go too far to check in on his star player ... 'cause dude just bought a mansion right up the street from LeBron James!!

Jesse -- the youngest of the 6 Buss siblings -- ponied up $10 MILLION for a pad in Brentwood just feet from LBJ's palace ... and the place is sick.

It's 6,500 square feet, has 3 stories, 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a home theater, a yoga room ... AND an infinity pool.

Ari Shram and Jen Beron of The Agency -- a high-end real estate firm -- helped Jesse land the spot ... which also has a pretty epic view from the backyard.

So, big question is -- how does it compare to Bron's?? It doesn't really ... LBJ's $23 MILLION crib is 15,846 square feet and has its own freakin' basketball court!

Victor Cruz is going to bat for his former quarterback ... 'cause the ex-Giants WR says Jerry Rice is absolutely INSANE for saying Eli Manning isn't a Hall of Famer.

"Jerry Rice is outta his mind. You hear me??" Cruz tells TMZ Sports ... "I'll look right in the camera -- Jerry Rice, you're outta your mind, sir."

As we previously reported ... Jerry said he doesn't think Eli belongs in the Hall -- saying the NY quarterback just ain't good enough to get in.

Cruz has a serious bone to pick with that hot take ... saying Manning's two Super Bowl rings ALONE put him squarely among the NFL's legends.

"He's definitely a Hall of Famer. Are you kidding me?! What are you talking about, Jerry?? C'mon man, you know better than this!"

Dick Vermeil tells TMZ Sports he's so impressed with the job Sean McVay's doing with the Rams ... he says the coach can be one of the greatest of all time.

Dick knows a thing or two about what that takes ... he won a Super Bowl in 1999 and is considered a legend among former NFL coaches -- and he says the 32-year-old is definitely on his way.

"You know, I think of myself at 32," Vermeil says ... "I think I was just getting ready to go into the NFL about that time ... but there’s no way I could have done it."

McVay's got the Rams off to a 10-1 start and has Jared Goff and Todd Gurley looking like legitimate MVP candidates.

Vermeil tells us that early success is unprecedented, saying even guys like Bill Walsh and Jim Mora were nowhere near that level at that age.

"I have to give him credit for having, I think, the wherewithal and the potential to become another one of the finest ever."

Hulk Hogan's 65 years old and has wrestled for 4 decades ... but his son, Nick, tells TMZ Sports the WWE Hall of Famer will NEVER RETIRE from the sport he loves.

"He always says he loves it. He loves training. He loves the wrestling business. It runs too deep in his blood. I don't think he'll ever quit," Nick told us at LAX.

Of course, Hulk just made his return to WWE after being fired in 2015 ... appearing at the 'Crown Jewel' event in Saudi Arabia, and you could tell he was back in his element.

Nick agrees ... and says he's still impressed with his dad's athletic ability and physical appearance.