Michelle Wie Rips Hank Haney Over 'Racist', 'Sexist' LPGA Comments
Michelle Wie says she's straight-up "angry" over "racist and sexist" comments made by legendary golf coach Hank Haney ... telling the guy straight-up, "Shame on you!"
63-year-old Haney -- who was Tiger Woods' longtime swing coach -- went on his SiriusXM radio show Wednesday and made stunningly offensive comments about the number of Korean players competing in this weekend's LPGA U.S. Women's Open.
"I couldn't name you like 6 players on the LPGA Tour. Nah, maybe I could -- well, I'd go with Lee. If I didn't have to name a first name, I'd get a bunch of them right."
Haney added, "Honestly, Michelle Wie is hurt. I don't know that many. Where are they playing, by the way?"
Well, Michelle Wie heard the comments and was PISSED -- firing back on social media:
"As a Korean American female golfer, these comments that @HankHaney made disappoint and anger me on so many different levels."
Wie added, "Racism and sexism are no laughing matter Hank ... shame on you. I don’t ever do this, but this must be called out."
She also directed this at Haney ..."Too many of these girls, Korean or not, have worked countless hours and sacrificed so much to play in the US Open this week. There are so many amazing players in the field. Let’s celebrate them ... Not mock them."
For his part, Haney later issued an apology, writing, "This morning I made some comments about women's golf and its players that were insensitive and that I regret."
"In an effort to make a point about the overwhelming success of Korean players on the tour I offended people and I am sorry. I have the highest respect for the women who have worked so hard to reach the pinnacle of their sport and I never meant to take away from their abilities and accomplishments."
Haney added, "I've worked in this game with men and women players from many different cultures and I look forward to continuing to do so."
Wie has not responded to the apology.
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Astros' Carlos Correa Masseuse Broke My Rib During Home Rubdown
Move over Robert Kraft, here's another crazy story about a celebrity massage gone wrong.
Houston Astros' star shortstop, Carlos Correa, says he'll be out for the next 4 to 6 weeks ... BECAUSE HIS MASSEUSE BROKE HIS RIB DURING A MASSAGE!!
Yes. He's serious!!
Correa -- who's making $5 MILLION this season -- announced the injury moment ago and he's pointing the finger squarely at the person in charge of his rubdown.
"I sustained the rib fracture during a massage at my home on Tuesday," the 24-year-old said in a statement.
"To sustain an injury in such an unusual way makes it even more frustrating. However, I will work hard to get back on the field as quickly as possible to help our team achieve our goal of winning another championship."
"I'm extremely disappointed about not being on the field with my teammates."
FYI ... Correa has made over $12 MILLION from the Astros since they drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2012 -- so, not exactly a great look for the guy.
What's even worse? 24-year-old Carlos was killin' it for Houston when he was healthy this season ... batting .295 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.
Ice up!!!!!
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Mandy Moore Climbing Everest Could Kill You!!! Says X Games Host Sal Masekela
Mandy Moore is getting some super cool social media content on her way up Mount Everest, but Sal Masekela says she's also putting herself in danger ... and she might not make it down alive!!!
We got the former X Games host at LAX Wednesday and asked him about the recent deaths at Mt. Everest ... and Sal delivers a dire warning to rich people who are climbing just for the social media snap -- and for Mandy, who just reached Everest's base camp.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
This climbing season has already resulted in 11 deaths in the Himalayas, with the latest casualty an American lawyer. The way Sal sees it, even the most elite athletes can succumb to Everest's harsh conditions ... so Mandy's gotta be extra cautious, even though she's being guided by experts.
Sal knows what he's talking about, and not just because he's been around extreme sports for almost all of his TV career. Check out our clip ... Sal shares a sad tale from another daunting climb and offers some sage advice to anyone with the cash or the desire to scale Everest.
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Too Short Using Drake's NBA Trash Talk Against Him ... In Rap Song
Every time Drake opens his mouth during the NBA Finals, he's contributing to Too Short's new rap song ... so says Short Dog himself.
See, Too Short is a hardcore Golden State Warriors fan (Oakland!!), so when we saw him at Bootsy Bellows in L.A. (hanging with Jimmy O. Yang!) we asked how he plans to deal with Drake, whose Raptors fandom has been driving people crazy.
"We've had a meeting about this," Short tells TMZ Sports.
"What we're gonna do is, we're gonna watch Drake. We're gonna record every little bit of tape of Drake [during the NBA Finals]. Every word he says, we're gonna make a song with those words."
It's not a bad idea ... considering everything Drake touches turns platinum nowadays. As for the title for the project??
"It's gonna be called 'Drake Losing to the Warriors.'"
Yeah, the title could probably use some work -- but the idea is pretty solid!
By the way, Too Short and Drake are good friends -- in fact, Drake even paid homage to Short in the DJ Khaled track "For Free."
Still, gotta respect a quality troll job!
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Terri Runnels Ex-WWE Superstar Arrested ... Loaded Gun at Airport
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EXCLUSIVE
- 5.6K shares
1:55 PM PT -- Runnels claims she was carrying the loaded gun because she had just been called to her mother's house to deal with an armadillo that was digging up the yard ... this according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.
Runnels told cops she simply forgot she had the gun on her when she went to the airport ... chalking the whole thing up to a genuine mistake.
Cops say the loaded weapon was inside of a sock located in Runnels' backpack.
10:40 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained a photo of the gun Terri was allegedly carrying at the airport -- a Glock 9mm handgun ... and officials say it was LOADED.
We count at least 11 bullets -- which appear to be hollow-tipped, which tend to cause more soft tissue damage upon impact with a target. In other words, it's a more lethal round.
Ex-WWE superstar Terri Runnels -- who was famously married to Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes) back in the day -- was arrested in Florida on Wednesday after officials say she brought a gun to the airport.
TMZ Sports has confirmed ... 52-year-old Runnels was arrested by the Tampa International Airport Police at 7:32 AM for "carrying a concealed firearm," a class 3 felony.
We're told she was arrested at a security checkpoint with a loaded Glock 9mm.
The charge carries a punishment of up to 5 years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.
She was taken to jail and bond was set at $2,000. Records show she's still locked up as of this post.
According to her booking sheet, Runnels is listed at 5'0", 119 pounds with blue eyes and blonde hair.
Runnels mainly worked as a manager during her wrestling career -- working with the likes of The Hardy Boyz, Edge, Christian and most notably her ex-husband, Goldust.
She was married to Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes aka Dustin Runnels) from 1993 to 1999.
Runnels won the WWE Hardcore Championship back in 2002 -- she's one of only 4 women to hold that title.
Runnels last appeared at a WWE event in January 2018 as part of the WWE Raw 25 Year special.
Story developing ...
Originally Published -- 9:03 AM PT
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Klay Thompson Temporary Ban On 'Hotline Bling' ... I'm In 'Kill Mode'
Good news, bad news for Drake -- Good news?? Klay Thompson likes your music. Bad news?? Klay Thompson HATES YOUR GUTS!!!
... as a Raptors fan.
The Warriors superstar was asked whether he's gonna get in the zone for the NBA Finals by vibin' out to some Drizzy, or skip his jams considering he's with the enemy Toronto Raptors ... and Klay had one helluva soundbite.
"If it's one of his soft, R&B songs, I'mma skip it 'cause I'm in 'kill mode' right now trying to get these 4 games," Klay says ... "So, I'll skip 'Hotline Bling' and anything along that line."
Side note -- Klay, don't do "Hotline Bling" like that. RESPECT "HOTLINE BLING"!!!!!! It's a classic.
Thompson -- who says he's been a Drake fan since high school -- added, "He's a great artist. Do I like him as a Raptors fan? No. But, I like him as a musician. He's extremely talented, but I will definitely skip the song if I don't like it."
Understandable, Klay ... but again, respect "Hotline Bling."
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Ex-NFL Champ Jameel Cook Convicted Of Stealing ... Ripped By Prosecutors!!
Jameel Cook -- a former Super Bowl champ with the Bucs -- was just convicted of stealing over $100k from an NFL player trust fund ... and prosecutors raked him over the coals afterward!!!
"He stole from the very fund his fellow former players depend on for help," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said ... "And he has now fallen from professional football glory to the ranks of felons."
As we previously reported ... the ex-Tampa Bay FB was busted back in September after officials say he stole money from the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Plan -- a fund set up to benefit ex-players.
Cook's scheme -- according to prosecutors -- involved him filing 30 bogus claims between March 2016 and September 2017 ... resulting in the 40-year-old illegally obtaining $105,000.
Prosecutors hit Jameel with a felony stealing charge -- and he faced up to 10 YEARS behind bars for the crime.
But, Cook cut a deal this week ... and in exchange for a guilty plea -- he will NOT have to go to prison.
Instead, Jameel got 10 years of probation ... and he was ordered to pay back the $105,000. He was also sentenced to 160 hours of community service and was hit with another $1,200 fine.
Oh, and in addition to getting ripped by Ogg ... Special Assistant District Attorney Jason Horn also threw some major shade on the ex-NFL player!!!
“He earned fame and great accolades in a career most could only dream of, and should have been role model,” Horn said ...
“Instead, he let down everyone around him by defrauding a plan set up for all players and taking money that wasn’t his.”
Cook was drafted by the Bucs in 2001 and played 8 seasons in the NFL. He was part of the Bucs 2002 Super Bowl team that defeated the Raiders, though he played behind Mike Alstott in that game.
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Ron Jeremy Lamar Odom Is Dead Wrong ... My BFF Dennis Hof Didn't Try to Kill You!
Dennis Hof was a lover, not a murderer and he did NOT try to kill Lamar Odom ... so says Hof's best friend, porn star Ron Jeremy.
Just hours after Odom went on "The View" and claimed the late Love Ranch brothel owner poisoned him on the day he overdosed back in 2015 ... we spotted Ron outside the Rainbow Bar & Grill in L.A. and asked him if there was any truth to LO's allegation.
"Read my lips," Ron told us ... "NOOOOO!!!"
Of course, Hof passed away in October 2018 ... so he can't exactly defend himself -- but Hof always described Jeremy as his best friend, so he might be the next best person to ask.
"Why would Dennis do this? What could he possibly gain?" Jeremy said.
Jeremy essentially told us he NEVER heard Hof discuss such plans to kill Odom and says he wants to see all of Odom's alleged evidence.
On the flip side, Jeremy says Hof had a ton of celebrity friends and was always thinking of ways to grow his business ... and murdering Odom wouldn't have been in his best interest.
As for Lamar, he claims his legal team is still actively investigating.
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Honus Wagner Ultra Rare Baseball Card ... Sells For $1.2 MILLION!!!
A 110-year-old Honus Wagner baseball card -- the Holy Grail for card collectors -- just sold for $1.2 MILLION!!!
Craziest part? The card ain't in great shape ... the physical quality was only rated a 2 out of 10 (10's perfect mint condition)
So, why'd it sell for a freakin' fortune?
Wagner -- an 8x NL batting champion who's considered one of the greatest baseball players of all-time -- reportedly hated the card because it was made by a cigarette company ... American Tobacco Company.
'Cause of that, ATC only made a handful of the cards between 1909 and 1911 ... making it arguably the most desirable baseball card of all-time.
The private sale was brokered by SCP Auctions in SoCal.
Wagner -- who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936 -- made $138k over his 21-year professional baseball career, according to Baseball Reference.
His picture on a piece of paper just sold for $1,200,000.
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Jim Boeheim Police Car Crash Video ... 'It's F*cking Awful; He's Shook Up Isn't He?'
TMZ Sports has obtained police footage of the moments after Jim Boeheim struck and killed a man on a NY highway in February ... and cops clearly felt awful for the Syracuse coach.
The 74-year-old was returning home from dinner on Feb. 20 at around 11 PM when he says he "observed a vehicle sitting in the roadway" on Route 690 in the City of Syracuse.
When Boeheim swerved to avoid the car ... he hit a pedestrian named Jorge Jimenez in the road -- killing him.
When police arrived on the scene ... they were shocked to find it was the legendary basketball coach behind the wheel -- with one cop saying, "It's f*cking Jim Boeheim!"
As the police learn more about the accident and what went down ... you can tell they feel sorry for the coach, 'cause one officer says, "That's fucking awful; he's shook up isn't he?"
You can see from pictures obtained by TMZ Sports the scene WAS horrific ... with an imprint of Jimenez's body clearly left on the hood of Boeheim's SUV.
Cops eventually took Boeheim back to the station to officially record his side of the story ... and afterward, officers commented once again on how badly they felt for the coach.
"Dude, that sucks, though," one cop says ... "Like, you're not doing anything wrong and you just go kill somebody?"
Cops eventually determined Boeheim was going 11 MPH over the 55 MPH speed limit ... but they classified it as a "tragic accident" and declined to file charges.
For his part, Boeheim said in a statement after the crash he was "heartbroken" over the whole incident.
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Niki Lauda Stars Attend F1 Legend's Memorial Lewis Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Racing fans from all over the world packed St. Stephen's Cathedral in Austria on Wednesday to bid farewell to F1 legend Niki Lauda ... including Lewis Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The mourners braved heavy rains to get inside the church, where Lauda's coffin was flanked by flower wreaths. His trademark red crash helmet was placed on top.
The 70-year-old passed away last week -- nine months after undergoing surgery for a lung transplant.
Lewis Hamilton has taken Lauda's death particularly hard ... the two were very close. In fact, Lauda was involved when Lewis signed with McClaren ahead of the 2013 racing season.
Niki's widow, Birgit, and his son, Mathias Lauda -- who's also a pro racecar driver -- also attended the memorial service.
Other notable names at the service include Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and former drivers Alain Prost, Sir Jackie Stewart and Nico Rosberg.
Niki won the F1 drivers' championship in 1975 and '77 with Ferrari and again in '84 with McLaren ... but he's most famous for crashing and catching fire in 1976 at the German Grand Prix.
Lauda was badly burned in the crash, but he made a miraculous recovery an returned to racing only 6 weeks later.
Lauda's incredible comeback after dodging death instantly made him the stuff of a legend ... and his 1976 rivalry with British driver James Hunt was the plot line of the movie "Rush."
RIP
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Hoops Star RJ Hampton No College?!? No Problem ... Balls Out In NYC!!!
MARCH 2019
Just hours after announcing he's skipping college to play pro ball in Australia, 18-year-old hoops phenom RJ Hampton was already spending cash like a boss in New York City!
TMZ Sports spotted Hampton taking his family to dinner at Catch NYC -- one of the hottest restaurants in town ... where he told us paid for the entire meal himself! And, this place ain't cheap!
Earlier in the day, Hampton -- one of the top-rated high school stars in the country -- announced he turned down scholarship offers from schools like Kansas and Kentucky to play overseas for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League.
"It's a big deal," Hampton told us Tuesday night ... "I think it's the best route for me and I'm so excited I did it."
So, why this particular team?
"They got a lot of ex-NBA guys that own the team," Hampton said ... "The coaching staff's really good. The team is actually a really good team. They're all bought in and invested in me getting to the league as quickly as possible."
Hampton says the plan is to spend 5 or 6 months overseas before coming back to the U.S. in March to prepare for the 2020 NBA Draft.
And, get this ... now that Hampton can start negotiating endorsement deals without worrying about losing college eligibility, he told us he's looking at his options for a possible shoe deal.
"I'll probably figure that stuff out in the next couple of weeks."
Hampton says his biggest message that he hopes to send to young players is simple ...
"You need to have your own brand. You need to be yourself. You don't need to let others dictate who you are and how you play. Just take control of your future."
Hampton is expected to make his debut with the New Zealand Breakers in October ... and you can bet your ass there will be A LOT of people watching!
Good luck!
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Ezekiel Elliott Victim Considering Pressing Charges ... Wants 'Sincere' Apology
Ezekiel Elliott ain't out of the woods yet -- the man who was shoved by the NFL star at a music festival earlier this month says he's still considering pressing criminal charges against the RB.
... unless Zeke complies with his one demand.
The victim is 19-year-old Kyle Johnson -- a 6'0", 185-pound defensive back for the Orange Coast College football team in Costa Mesa, CA.
Johnson tells CBS2 in L.A. he was working as a security guard at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas on May 19 when his security team told Elliott he was not allowed to enter a restricted area ... and that's when Elliott got aggressive.
May 2019
Johnson claims Zeke appeared drunk -- "he didn't really seem to have a clue about where he was" -- and when they tried to direct him to leave the area, the Dallas Cowboys star got in his face and shoved him over a metal gate.
Johnson says he wasn't really injured in the incident, but notes "it didn't feel good." Cops in the area witnessed the incident and immediately put Zeke in handcuffs.
Cops asked Johnson if he wanted to press charges and at the time he declined because, "I didn't want to make a rash decision that soon without evaluating it further. It was 3 AM. I was shocked."
Johnson says all he wanted at the time was an apology from Elliott -- a guy he used to look up to -- but got a fake lip-service apology instead.
"I did get an apology from him, it wasn't a sincere apology. He didn't maintain eye contact. It didn't seem sincere at all."
Now, Johnson is evaluating all of his legal options -- but says a "sincere apology" from Elliott would probably end the drama once and for all.
"I wasn't hurt or anything but to have someone that you looked up to shove you on the ground over a metal fence? It's not the biggest thing in the world ... but [to say] nothing happened? I mean, come on."
As for Zeke, his attorney told TMZ Sports at the time ... the security guards "misconstrued and overreacted" and noted that Zeke was not formally arrested that night.
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Victor Cruz Predicts Huge Season For Odell ... 'He's Going To Ball'
Odell Beckham's going to KILL IT with the Browns this season ... so says his former NY teammate, Victor Cruz, who tells TMZ Sports, "He's going to ball."
Odell was just traded from the Giants to Cleveland a few months ago ... and Victor has no doubts the superstar wideout is going to find big success with the Dawg Pound.
In fact ... Cruz is predicting DOUBLE-DIGIT wins for Cleveland now that OBJ is wearing a Browns jersey -- telling us he's confident Baker Mayfield "has got all the tools" to feed the wideout.
Whatever happens with Odell and Baker this season ... Beckham is going to be doing it in style. He just got this insane Rolls Royce customized with his own figurine as the car's emblem!!!
There's more ... we also asked Cruz about Donovan McNabb's bold claim that he's a for sure Hall of Famer -- and Cruz agreed!!
By the way, Victor also doubled down on a hot Eli Manning take he gave us back in November.
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Michael Irvin McNabb Belongs In Hall Of Fame But He Ain't Better Than Aikman!!!
Michael Irvin tells TMZ Sports ... he SUPPORTS Donovan McNabb -- arguing the QB belongs in the Hall of Fame but says he definitely AIN'T better than Troy Aikman.
Remember, McNabb made his case for Canton last week when he appeared on the "TMZ Sports" TV show -- and part of his argument was that his career stats are better than Aikman's.
-- McNabb has 37,276 passing yards, 234 passing TDs and 117 career interceptions in 13 seasons.
-- Aikman has 32,942 passing yards, 165 passing TDs and 141 career picks in 12 seasons.
Of course, the major difference ... Troy has 3 Super Bowl rings. Donovan has none.
So, we spoke with Aikman's #1 target, Michael Irvin, on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) and had to ask ... does McNabb have a point???
The Playmaker tells us he's riding with McNabb ... but only so far -- explaining why he believes the ex-Eagles star has the resume to score a gold jacket but he's simply NOT better than Troy.
"It just seems like everybody is talking about numbers and not the number that matters most and that's winning ... that's what playing the game is all about -- winning football games, winning Super Bowls and of course, Troy Aikman has done that."
Irvin also says McNabb played in a different style offense that Aikman -- McNabb's style is more comparable to Patrick Mahomes. And, Irvin says if Troy played in that style of offense, his numbers would have been OFF THE CHARTS!!!
We also asked if he thinks McNabb would have a Super Bowl ring on his finger if he was throwing to Michael Irvin and handing off to Emmitt Smith ... ya gotta hear his answer.
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Tigers' Josh Harrison Heading To IL ... 'Cause Of Fantasy Heckler?!
Is this interaction the reason Josh Harrison went straight from the diamond to the injured list this week!?!
Seems like a decent possibility ... 'cause just 24-or-so hours after a fan begged Harrison to steal more bags for his fantasy team -- Josh got injured running the bases!!!
Here's the deal ... the Tigers played the Mets in New York on Sunday -- and as Harrison was boarding the team bus ... a fan stopped him for a fist bump and a small request.
"I got you on my fantasy team and if it's not too much to ask, more stolen bases."
Harrison shrugged off the guy with a smile, saying, "I'm just worried about wins right now!"
BUT ... during Detroit's game against Baltimore on Monday -- Harrison stole third base in the ninth inning (only his 3rd steal of the season) -- and he had to leave with an injury right after!!!
Detroit now says the stud infielder is heading to the IL with a hamstring strain ... and it's got us all wondering -- IS FANTASY BASEBALL TO BLAME?!?!?!