TMZ Sports - Page 50

Cincinnati Reds star Yasiel Puig and Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Chris Archer have both been hit with suspensions for their roles in a crazy bench-clearing brawl ... MLB announced.

Archer intentionally threw at Reds infielder Derek Dietrich after he had previously homered off him earlier in the game. The pitch went behind Dietrich, pissing off Reds players who stormed the field.

The angriest Reds player was Puig -- who jogged right over to Archer and got in his face. Several players restrained Puig as things escalated. He continued to run after Pirates players like a wild man until he was eventually pulled back into the Reds dugout.

Now, Joe Torre, Chief Baseball Officer for Major League Baseball, says Puig will be suspended for 2 games starting Tuesday night. He will also be fined an undisclosed amount.

Archer was hit with a 5-game suspension. He was also fined. Archer will be allowed to appeal his suspension.

Reds manager David Bell was also suspended 1 game for running on the field after the wild pitch. His suspension will also begin Tuesday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo wants no part of a role in LeBron James' "Space Jam 2" ... saying he'd rather focus on basketball than his movie career.

"I don't like being Hollywood," Antetokounmpo told ESPN ... "I don't like all this extra drama. I am just going to try to be me."

Of course, LBJ is working on a sequel to the ultra-popular Michael Jordan flick ... and getting NBA studs for an on-screen battle with the Monstars is pretty necessary for the new movie.

But, Bron's reportedly having trouble locking up top-tier NBA talent for the roles ... and now, he'll have to move forward without the Greek Freak, one of the best players in the league.

According to ESPN, Giannis says he ain't down to give up 2 weeks of his summer training to join up with LBJ on the silver screen.

Which begs the question ... who will step up for Bron?

We know he's tight with Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul -- but those guys ain't exactly the young superstars taking over the NBA.

Guessing he's got names like Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis on his wish list.

Jordan had Hall of Famers like Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing in his version of "Space Jam" ... and if LBJ can't at least somewhat match that cast, ya know the criticism will be flyin'!!!

MLB legend Joe Torre is joining the protest against the Sultan of Brunei -- yanking his big charity dinner from the Sultan's Hotel Bel-Air over disgusting anti-gay laws in the tiny Asian country.

Brunei has enacted horrific new laws in which gay sex is punishable by stoning to death. Several huge stars and companies are now boycotting businesses owned by the Sultan of Brunei, which include the Hotel Bel-Air.

Torre's annual Safe at Home Foundation L.A. Dinner event had been scheduled to take place on April 25 at the Hotel Bel-Air, which has hosted the event for years.

But, that streak is over ... TMZ Sports has learned Torre's foundation has already moved the event to the Sunset Tower Hotel because they do not want to do business with Hotel Bel-Air until the laws in Brunei change.

The move comes after 2 other big foundations -- The Special Needs Network and The John Wayne Cancer Institute -- moved previously scheduled galas out of the Beverly Hills Hotel, which is also owned by Brunei's ruler, Hassanal Bolkiah.

As for Torre's dinner -- the event raises money for Joe's charity which supports children who have witnessed or experienced violence in their homes. It's a good cause.

Did you know ... German soccer superstar Mario Gotze is married to a ridiculously attractive German bikini model?

It's true. And fortunately for us, Ann-Kathrin Gotze put her talents on display during a bikini photo shoot in Ibiza this week.

The 29-year-old has been modeling for years -- and she even appeared on "Germany's Next Top Model" way back in 2012.

She's also modeled for everyone from GQ to FHM, and she's done some lingerie work for Lascana.

As for 26-year-old Mario -- the guy who famously scored the winning goal for Germany during the 2014 World Cup -- his career stalled after clinching the cup.

Now he plays for Borussia Dortmund where he's trying to prove he can still be a dominant force on the field ... and with 4 goals and 6 assists this season, it looks like he is on the right track.

Virginia won the title, but NO ONE had more fun than Travis Kelce ... 'cause the NFL star was pounding brews while supporting Patrick Mahomes' team!!

Kelce's Cincinnati Bearcats were eliminated in the 1st-round of the tourney, so with no horse in the race, he decided to show love for his QB's Texas Tech squad as they took on the Cavaliers.

Mahomes was SUPER into the game, constantly cheering and firing up his TT fans. Kelce was the perfect wingman -- making sure no beer got left behind.

Of course, Texas Tech lost in overtime. Still, a helluva run for the Red Raiders.

As for the winners, NFL star Chris Long was also in the house cheering on his alma mater -- while clutching a Coors Light -- and after the game, he had a message for Virginia coach Tony Bennett.

"Tony’s way too stable a person to have a twitter and he won’t read this but when I see him I’m going to hug him and tell him he’s the single most important figure in UVa athletic history."

Long also had some nice words for the enemy -- saying, "Everyone from Texas Tech I met was super classy and cool."

"Great run. Knocked off some great teams. A game for the ages tonight."

He's only got ONE more NBA game left in Miami -- so some of Dwyane Wade's most famous friends threw him a huge bash to celebrate the end of his amazing 16-year NBA career ... and the pics are GREAT!!

Huge rap stars like Rick Ross and Meek Mill partied with NBA stars like Jimmy Butler and Chris Bosh Monday night at the official "One Last Dance" bash at the Prime 112 steakhouse in Miami Beach.

D-Wade's mom and dad showed up to the party too -- along with Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Fat Joe and more!!! Of course, Dwyane's wife, Gabrielle Union, was front and center.

The guys had champagne, personalized bottles of whiskey ... and D-Wade even got a massive bottle of wine during the Miami bash!!!

Ya gotta see the crane machine game that was stocked with Dwyane's designer socks from his sock line.

Of course, Wade announced this season will be his last ... and his final game in Miami is Tuesday night against the 76ers. His last-ever game is Wednesday in Brooklyn against the Nets.

It's been a hell of a career for the future Hall of Famer ... dude was a 3-time NBA champ, 13-time NBA All-Star, 2006 NBA Finals MVP AND the 2008-09 NBA scoring champion.

In fact, the career was so legendary ... ya gotta check out the FIRE fishnet shirt Jimmy Butler broke out for the party!!!

The IKEA furniture didn't stand a chance in Charlottesville after Virginia won the NCAA championship Monday night ... because there was a SOFA INFERNO right on the streets!

The Cavaliers defeated Texas Tech in an overtime thriller in Minnesota to clinch the school's very first national title -- and the fans back home in VA went crazy to celebrate.

Check out this footage of UVA fans setting fire to a couch and dancing around while chanting "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes in video shot by reporter Austin Kellerman.

Fortunately, no one was hurt and cops reportedly didn't make any arrests -- so all in all, pretty harmless fun.

Other students and fans flooded campus to chant and cheer -- the videos are insane!

UFC superstar Daniel Cormier says he wants to fight Brock Lesnar in the Octagon ASAP -- telling Dana White, "What are you waiting for?! Get this sh*t on the books!!!"

Of course, Brock got destroyed by Seth Rollins at WrestleMania Sunday -- a storyline many people think was written with the intention of freeing Lesnar up to go fight in the UFC again.

Which brings us to Cormier ... who had previously talked about retiring on his 40th birthday (which happened a couple of weeks ago) -- but now that Brock's in the picture, DC says he wants all the smoke.

"It’s the fight I want," Cormier tells TMZ Sports ... "I think everyone wants to fight Brock. We all want to fight Brock."

Cormier is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion -- and recently relinquished the light heavyweight championship.

He added, "It's the fight. That’s the fight that needs to happen. You know, he’s a former UFC champ, All-American in college. This guy's very, very deserving of a fight, and he’s gonna get it. Hopefully."

Dana White has previously told us he wants to make the fight happen -- but so far, nothing's official.

Cormier is trying to light a fire under White's ass to get the deal done.

"Dana get on the phone right now. If you haven’t called him yet, do it today!! What are you waiting for?! Get this sh*t on the books. Let’s get this on the books!!"

As for Brock, Cormier has a message for him too after his defeat at WrestleMania -- "Lick those wounds ... 'cause I got some brand new ones waiting for ya."

41-year-old Lesnar was a beast during his UFC heyday -- winning the heavyweight title in 2008 with a victory over Randy Couture.

But, he hasn't fought in the UFC since 2016 -- when he beat Mark Hunt in a fight that was later overturned after Brock flunked a drug test.

Will Lesnar take one last fight before riding off into the sunset??? Stay tuned.

Here's a photo of soccer legend Pele at the airport in France on Monday -- right after he was released from a Paris hospital where he spent the past 6 days battling a urinary tract infection.

The 78-year-old was pushed through Charles de Gaulle Airport while being accompanied by 4 people. We're guessing he's now on a flight back home to Brazil.

Pele was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday after appearing at an event in Paris with French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappe.

His reps insisted the UTI was nothing serious -- but clearly, doctors felt it was in his best interest to keep him hospitalized while he being treated for the infection.

"I want to thank you deeply for your positive thoughts and get-well wishes," Pele said in a statement to the Brazilian news media.

"Thanks to the great affection of the medical team at the American hospital of Paris, I am travelling home soon."

Just before he was released from the hospital, Pele was visited by Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar -- and they both smiled for a quick photo in his hospital room.

Bret "The Hitman" Hart is speaking out about that crazy attack during his WWE Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday ... saying, " I want to let everyone know that I am okay and was not injured."

GREAT NEWS!!!

Of course, the 61-year-old legend was blindsided by a violent idiot who snuck on stage and tackled Bret while he was delivering his induction speech alongside Natalya Neidhart ... the daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Jim was also part of the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame class.

"What a wild weekend to say the least," Bret posted on social media Monday.

"If there’s one thing I want everyone to take away from the Hall of Fame ceremony is not so much what happened, but how I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from completing my tribute to my best friend and our team."

Bret added, "Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and words."

As for the attacker, cops arrested Zachary Madsen -- who's since been charged with assault and criminal trespassing. He was held on $1,500 bond.

Madsen was also pummeled by ex-UFC star Travis Browne -- who happened to be ringside with his wife Ronda Rousey during the attack.

After the incident, Madsen told police he decided to tackle Hart because "I just felt like it was the right moment."

NHL forward JT Brown was arrested just hours before his Minnesota Wild team took on the Dallas Stars on Saturday ... 'cause cops say he was involved in TWO drunken altercations.

The Wild stud -- who was the first-ever NHL player to protest during the national anthem -- went out partying in Dallas the night before his team was set to play in Big D.

The problem ... cops say he got wasted -- and caused such a big scene with employees and patrons inside a local bar -- he was booted off the premises.

But, cops say JT later returned around 2 AM ... and drunkenly got into it AGAIN with bar employees -- and this time, cops say they decided to arrest him.

We're told JT was processed for public intoxication, a Misdemeanor C violation.

One of the crazier parts of the story?? The Wild kept Brown out of its game Saturday night but said it was because he was battling an illness.

For his part, Brown released a statement, saying, “I would like to apologize to the Minnesota Wild, my teammates, family, and fans for the poor decision I made."

"I went out the night before our last game in Dallas, put myself in a bad situation, and take full responsibility for my actions. I have learned from my mistake and will make sure it does not happen again."

There will be no triumphant comeback for the Auburn gymnast who broke both of her legs during a floor routine at the NCAA Regional Semifinals ... Samantha Cerio says she's retiring from the sport.

Cerio snapped both of her legs while trying to land a handspring double front on Friday -- she was stretchered off the mat with 2 air casts.

**WARNING -- THE VIDEO IS GNARLY AND GRAPHIC**

Auburn went on to advance to the Regional Final ... but Cero says Friday was "my final night as a gymnast."

Cerio issued a statement saying, "After 18 years I am hanging up my grips and leaving the chalk behind."

The Auburn senior says she learned a lot from the sport -- including hard work, humility, integrity and dedication ... but has ultimately decided to move on.

"It may not have ended the way I had planned, but nothing ever goes as planned."

"Thank you Auburn family for giving me a home and a chance to continue doing the sport that will always be my first love. I am honored to have had the privilege to represent the navy and orange AU for the past 4 years with my team by my side. Thank you for letting me share my passion with you. Thank you for letting me be a part of something bigger than myself."

Charles Barkley is getting over that devastating Auburn loss by trashing any sports team in sight .... and his first target was the Minnesota Timberwolves ... saying the team flat-out SUCKS!!

Chuck took the stage at the free Katy Perry concert for the Final Four in Minneapolis on Sunday night ... and he didn't hold back when addressing their beloved hoops team.

"I wanna thank Minneapolis, Minnesota you guys have a great, great city," Barkley tells the crowd. "I wanna thank y'all for a great weekend.

Which is great! How nice of Barkley to say th--

"I haven't been here for a long time because the Timberwolves suck."

Oh no ... Chuck, what are you doing?!?! These fans LOVE Karl-Anthony Towns and the gang, even if they're worse than the Lakers and have made the playoffs once since 2004.

The fans let him hear it ... booing Barkley to no end.

Gabrielle Union was dancing her ass off at the Pride Festival in Miami Beach this weekend ... and it was all to show support for her 11-year-old stepson, Zion.

Zion is Dwyane Wade's son from a previous relationship but he lives with Dwyane and Gabby full-time and Gabby treats him like blood.

While Wade wasn't at the event -- the Miami Heat had a game in Toronto -- the NBA star was certainly proud of his family, saying:

"Zion had his own cheering section today. Wish I was there to see you smile kid."

The Pride Festival in Miami Beach is one of the biggest LGBTQ events in the country -- with more than 145,000 people flocking to South Beach last year to celebrate together.

Gabby was having a blast -- dancing, taking pictures with fans and signing autographs.

Zion was sporting a rainbow ribbon and a big ol' smile!

Dwyane posted a photo of his older son, Zaire -- a HUGE prep basketball star -- with Zion at the parade along with the caption, "We support each other with pride."

He added, "It's a family thing."

Conor McGregor is reportedly under investigation in Ireland -- again -- after allegedly punching a man Saturday in a pub in Dublin.

The UFC superstar was at the Marble Arch pub in Drimnagh (a suburb of Dublin) when he was approached by another patron who thought Conor was acting like a jerk, according to the Irish Mirror.

The patron reportedly talked trash to Conor about his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov saying, "The Russian battered you" ... and that's when Conor snapped and punched.

We called Ireland's Garda Síochána -- the country's police force -- who wouldn't identify Conor by name but did confirm an investigation of an alleged April 6 incident at the Marble Arch.

"No arrests, matter under investigation."

We also called the pub -- but an employee hung up on us as soon as we asked about Conor.

Calls to McGregor's rep have not been returned.

It's just the latest in a long list of legal problems for Conor ... who's also facing criminal charges for an alleged incident at a Miami hotel last month.

He's also reportedly being investigated in a rape probe in Dublin stemming from an alleged incident at a hotel in Ireland back in December. Conor's rep has called the report a "rumor."

How did Texas Rangers superstars Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara celebrate a home run Sunday??

WITH A DOUBLE CROTCH GRAB, BABY!!!

It all went down in the second inning in Anaheim this past weekend ... when Gallo hit a bomb to deep right field against the Angels that plated his teammate, Mazara.

When Gallo rounded the bases and made it back home ... the two celebrated with some low fives ... and a big handful of each other's crotches.

Weirdly enough ... neither player was asked about the secret handshake after the game -- but sure seems like this was a planned deal between the two.

Unclear if it'll continue all season ... but Gallo is one of the biggest power hitters in the MLB -- he blasted 41 homers in 2017 and 40 last year.