TMZ Sports - Page 50

An Amazon spokesperson declined to directly address the lawsuit, but told us ... "Amazon respects intellectual property rights and requires selling partners to do the same when listing items for sale on Amazon. Any selling partner that has violated our policies will be held accountable."

The guy who created the horse racing catchphrase "And down the stretch they come" is suing Amazon.com ... claiming the company jacked his signature call to make a crappy "tacky" shirt.

The man behind the suit is Dave Johnson -- who's been calling horse races for more then 40 years! Johnson famously created the call and uses it at the biggest races in the sport from the Kentucky Derby to the Preakness and the Belmont.

Johnson says he owns the trademark for the phrase intended to block other people from profiting from his work.

But, DJ is now declaring war on Amazon -- claiming they began selling a "Down the Stretch They Come" shirt in 2018 without his permission ... and he's pissed.

In fact, Johnson trashes the shirt as a "tacky, low quality, over-priced" item that's tarnishing his good name.

Johnson points out other broadcasters who have ferociously protected their catchphrases ... from Dick Vitale's "Awesome baby" to Michael Buffer's "Let's Get Ready to Rumble!"

Now, Johnson wants a judge to stop Amazon from selling the shirt -- noting he wants all remaining shirts to be recalled and destroyed ASAP.

He also wants ALL of the profits Amazon has made from the shirt ... plus additional damages.

Greg Hardy says he's ready to get back in the Octagon RIGHT NOW after destroying Dmitry Smolyakov this weekend ... telling TMZ Sports he knows he's getting better by the day.

The ex-NFL star annihilated Smolyakov in a violent 2-minute beatdown at "UFC Fight Night" in Florida on Saturday -- with Hardy BARELY taking any damage in the fight.

So, we asked Hardy when he's planning to take another fight ... and his answer was simple, "As soon as possible, dude."

Here's the deal ... Hardy says he's laser-focused on his new career and he's working his ass off to get better.

He's 4-1 as a pro -- and even in his disqualification loss to Allen Crowder back in January, Hardy looked powerful and dangerous.

Now, Hardy says his goal is to continue to beat the hell out of whoever Dana White puts in front of him so he can climb the rankings ladder ... and ultimately start fighting name guys like Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis.

Hardy says he knows he's gotta work on his wrestling -- and the better he gets, the more dangerous he'll become.

Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert says he doesn't want Skynet creations taking over NBA officiating -- he just wants transparency, honesty and accountability from the flesh and blood zebras.

The NBA refs are on the hot seat right now, with some fans thinking they handed a gift game to the Golden State Warriors in the first run of the Western Conference semifinals against Houston.

Gobert was one of the critics on Twitter, saying his Jazz got different treatment from the stripes when they faced off against the Rockets in the 1st round.

There's been talk for years that the way to fix bad calls is to have robot or computer refs take the court over (seems terrifying), but when we got Gobert out he said all that ain't necessary.

"I think it would take something away from the game if you do that."

Gobert, one of the best defensive players in the league, says that carbon-based refs are fine, as long as the players are able to have honest talks with them.

"Dialogue is the most important thing."

NFL Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti -- a 2-time NFL champ -- has died at the age of 92, his family confirms.

Marchetti wasn't just a legend on the field -- he was a U.S. Army soldier who bravely fought in the Battle of the Bulge as a machine gunner in World War II.

After he returned home from the war, Marchetti was selected in the 2nd round of the 1952 NFL Draft by the New York Yanks, which later became the Baltimore Colts.

During his NFL career, Marchetti -- mainly a defensive end -- was selected to 11 Pro Bowls and was a 9-time 1st Team All-Pro!!!!!

Marchetti was such a stud, he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, joining guys like Deacon Jones and Reggie White.

His number 89 jersey was retired by the Indianapolis Colts -- and he's a member of the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor.

Marchetti passed away at a Pennsylvania hospital with his wife, Joan, by his side.

Joan told the Baltimore Sun, "I kissed him and he knew me and smiled ... That was Gino’s way of saying goodbye."

Let the Hall of Fame debates officially begin ... Jamaal Charles is calling it an NFL career -- reportedly set to sign a 1-day deal with the Chiefs to retire this week.

The legendary RB told TMZ Sports earlier this month his football future was "up in the air" ... but 610 Sports Radio reported Tuesday he'll ink a ceremonial deal and officially hang up his cleats shortly.

It's not too surprising ... Charles hadn't started a single game since the 2015 season -- and told us earlier this month it was "a possibility" this day could come.

But, now that it's here ... the Hall of Fame process can officially begin.

Remember, Charles just told us he believes he IS worthy of having a bust in Canton ... saying, "I mean, some of my numbers look way better than some people already in Canton."

It caused a ton of debates ... 'cause Charles' numbers -- 7,563 rushing yards and 44 total TDs -- aren't quite the slam dunk totals necessary to get in.

But, is he deserving now that his playing days are over and people can really reflect on his 11-year career??

Ezekiel Elliott saw a kid get hit by a hockey puck at the Dallas Stars playoff game on Monday ... so he jumped into action and raced over to make sure the little boy was okay.

Don't worry, the kid appears to be fine -- and now he's got selfies with Zeke!

Unclear exactly when the kid was hit by the puck -- or how serious the impact was -- but Elliott (who's been a regular at the Stars games) made his way over to the boy in the 3rd period to check in on him.

The Dallas Cowboys superstar thought snappin' a pic with the youngster would help sooth the oncoming bruise ... and guess what?? IT DID!!

You can see in the video ... the boy cracks a smile as Zeke daps him up and busts out the phone for a few pics. His family seemed happy with the gesture too.

Elliott also made sure another fan who was hit by the puck ricochet got some love as well.

It's not like Zeke works for the Stars and was sent over by management to diffuse the situation -- just a famous guy who was trying to help out. Seems like it worked.

Jimmy Butler wanted to make one thing clear to his coach after the 76ers' big victory over the Raptors on Monday ... "MY NAME IS NOT JAMES!"

Here's the deal ... Butler was a 1-man wrecking crew against Toronto -- putting up 30 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in a 94-89 playoff victory.

After the game, 76ers head coach Brett Brown was RAVING about Butler to the media -- and in an attempt to compliment his star, he referred to him as "James."

"This was James Butler," Brown told the media ... "That was the adult in the gym."

"He was just a tremendous sort of rock. He willed us to a lot of different situations."

Good stuff.

A few minutes later, Butler faced the media and was asked how he felt about the "James" thing -- his response was hilarious.

"My name isn't James! It literally is Jimmy!"

The media cracked up laughing.

CNN's Don Lemon says he wasn't shocked to see President Trump congratulate Nick Bosa on being the #2 pick in the draft -- while ignoring Kyler Murray -- in part because Bosa is white and Murray is black.

Lemon was leaving the CNN building after his show Monday night when we asked about Trump's congratulatory tweet to Bosa ... who had been very vocal about his support for #45.

"Bosa is a supporter of Trump," Lemon said ... "[Bosa] doesn't like Kaepernick. It's everything this President is about."

Lemon added, "I think we should be congratulating the #1 person [Kyler Murray] as the #1 person made history."

Of course, Murray became the first person to be selected in the first round of the NFL and the MLB draft ... an amazing accomplishment.

"Don't forget the #1 person [Murray] is also black," Lemon added.

As for Bosa, he had previously called Kaepernick a "clown" on social media -- but later deleted the tweet.

When pressed about Kaepernick at his first press conference with the San Francisco 49ers, Bosa backtracked ... saying the name-calling was a bad decision.

Bosa also said he "respects what [Kaepernick] has done" and apologized for the initial tweet.

Sorry Patriots fans ... the guy who filled in for Rob Gronkowski in 2016 ain't interested in doing it again in 2019 -- with Martellus Bennett telling TMZ Sports he's retired for good.

Bennett -- who had 5 catches for 62 yards in the Super Bowl that season -- announced his retirement from the NFL in March 2018.

But, that was BEFORE Gronk decided to hang up his cleats ...

Remember, it was just back in February Marty joked about rejoining the Cowboys during a monster workout session in the gym. Dude still looks like he can play!!

So, when we spotted Marty B out in NYC Friday afternoon, we had to ask if he would consider putting the jersey back on for another stint with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

The long story short ... the 32-year-old says his mind is made up -- and it's a hard no.

"It's not me, I'm not the one," Bennett told us.

Instead, Bennett tells us he's focusing on his multimedia production company -- he's doing everything from book publishing to animated features and more.

You're looking at "Iranian Hulk" Sajad Gharibi -- a powerlifter who's become a social media sensation -- and he's about to try his hand in MMA.

The good news ... UFC star Brian Ortega is offering up some advice for the massive 27-year-old -- but that advice comes with a serious warning!

Long story short ... Ortega is 100% confident he would destroy Gharibi in a fight -- despite weighing roughly 250 POUNDS less!!!!

"I would just gas him out, piss him off," Ortega tells TMZ Sports.

For the record, Ortega is 5'8", 145 ... Gharibi (from the info we've found) is 6'2", 385.

"Of course, you're gonna see me just get mauled up like a damn little chihuahua in the beginning," Ortega says ... "but just when I ride that wave out, it's a done deal man. He'll gas out and he'll be mine."

Gharibi says he's dead serious about taking a real MMA fight -- telling reporter Chamatkar Sandhu he's already accepted a fight against a Brazilian opponent.

"Platinum" Mike Perry HATES Colby Covington -- telling TMZ Sports he FANTASIZES about torturing the UFC fighter ... in one of the most sick, twisted and awesome rants we've seen in a while!!!

"I want to grab him and stick my thumb in his eye and bite his ears off and rip his face apart and rip his head from his neck," Perry says.

"And, if this much pain and suffering and hatred is inside of me, I will, I can, and I'm capable."

Let that sink in.

Perry is coming off a pretty impressive win over "Cowboy" Alex Oliveira this weekend -- so we asked Mike who he wants to fight next.

Obviously, Mike says he's got a mission to destroy Colby -- but if he doesn't get that fight, he wants Darren Till.

Either way, the 27-year-old says he's peaking right now and feels he can beat ANYONE the UFC throws in the Octagon.

The mother of NFL star DeAndre Hopkins was blinded in a violent attack in 2002 -- but the way she heroically fought to stay alive and continue to raise her family is now the subject of a major Hollywood movie.

Sabrina Greenlee has talked about the incident before ... she was ambushed by a woman who was the girlfriend of a guy Sabrina had only been dating for 3 months. Sabrina had no idea the man was in another relationship.

The attacker threw a dangerous mixture of Red Devil Lye (drain cleaner) and Clorox bleach at Sabrina's face, blinding her immediately ... and almost causing her to suffocate.

But, she fought like hell to recover -- always thinking about her 4 children, including DeAndre, who was only 12 years old at the time of the attack.

After the incident, Sabrina fell into a deep depression and began to abuse alcohol.

But, somehow she managed to battle through it all and became an active and important mother to her kids and a leader in the community.

Now, Hollywood has taken notice -- BRON Studios has partnered up with Good Fear and Kituufu Films to make "Sabrina."

Sam Bailey of HBO's "Brown Girls" is set to direct the flick ... and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" writer Kristen Buckley is working on the screenplay.

No word on who will play Sabrina on the big screen ... but ya gotta think huge stars would love this kind of inspiring role.

DeAndre is obviously proud of his mom -- and issued a statement saying, "My mom has always put everyone before herself and sacrificed things unimaginable."

"Now it’s time for people to see her true value and learn that giving up is not an option."

It's becoming a tradition unlike any other -- win a national title, get a fast food smorgasbord from President Trump ... and Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey's face says it all.

The Lady Bears celebrated their title at the White House after beating Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament earlier this month ... and of course, there was all the Wendy's, McDonald's and Burger King they could eat.

It looks like the players were cool with the menu -- but how did Coach Mulkey feel? Just look at the pic ...

The fast-food feast all started back when Clemson visited the White House during the government shutdown in January ... and at the time, Trump explained the menu by saying, "I would think that's their favorite food."

But, it's become POTUS' "thing" to keep the burger buffet goin' ... and the kids seem to love it, just ask Clemson superstar QB Trevor Lawrence!!

We should note -- Trump hasn't busted out the burger love for EVERY championship team that's come to visit ... the Washington Capitals didn't get ANY food when they rolled through last month.

So, maybe it's just a college athlete thing??

"Game of Thrones" creator George R.R. Martin is UNLOADING on the New York Giants ... blasting the team for taking relatively unknown Duke QB Daniel Jones.

Martin -- the brain behind 'GoT' -- happens to be a HUGE fan of the New York football teams ... and like so many other G-Men fans, he's distraught over this weekend's draft.

"Daniel Jones from Duke at number six?" Martin wrote on his website ... "Yes, they need a young quarterback to groom as Eli’s successor. But Dwayne Haskins was right there. Why not him?"

Why not Haskins -- OSU's star QB -- is the question a lot of fans are asking.

"By every measurable Haskins is way better than Jones. Jones threw 52 TDs in three years at Duke, Haskins threw 50 in one year at Ohio State. Within fewer interceptions. Against much tougher opposition."

Martin didn't seem to like NY's 2nd 1st-round selection much more ... the pick the Giants got in return -- along with Jabrill Peppers -- for Odell Beckham Jr.

The team picked massive 342-pound DT Dexter Lawrence ... and Martin -- who doesn't hate the player -- added some context.

"All it cost us was a Hall of Fame receiver."

So, what's George's outlook for the upcoming season? Well, it ain't good.

Forget $100k ... the Warriors' official scorer's sheet from Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game sold for over $214,000 at auction ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Wilt's Philadelphia Warriors played the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania on March 2, 1962 ... and Wilt scored 100 POINTS -- the only player to ever reach triple digits.

The scorer's sheet -- autographed by Chamberlain -- had never been sold before. The Warriors' official scorer held the item ... and when he passed away, his widow gifted it to a close friend who held onto it for years ... before auctioning it off.

SCP Auctions tells us the historic piece -- which they estimated would sell for around $100k-- blew that estimate outta the water and sold for $214,579.

"This scoresheet, with such well-documented provenance, may be the most important, authentic piece that collectors ever have a chance to acquire," SCP Auctions Director Brendan Wells says.

"It certainly got the price it deserves.”

Josh Rosen got major love from Cardinals fans one last time before heading off to Miami ... getting a standing ovation at Larry Fitzgerald's celeb softball game just hours after getting traded.

Rosen was traded to the Dolphins on Friday after the Cardinals took Kyler Murray with the top pick in the draft ... but that didn't stop him from supporting his now ex-teammate at his charity home run derby the next night.

Not only did Rosen get a positive send-off from Cards fans, he gave them a show too -- winning the home run derby AND the MVP award from the softball game.

“I just want to say thank you to everybody,” Rosen said at the event. “We didn’t win as many games as I would have hoped, but I had a great time and an unbelievable year."