TMZ Sports - Page 50

Marcus Stroman just admitted to TMZ Sports he wants to pitch for the Yankees ... telling us, "One day."

Of course, the superstar pitcher is still a member of Toronto's squad, and he says he's "focused on my time with the Blues Jays now."

But, with the Yanks reportedly interested in the 28-year-old NY native ... he made it clear to our camera guy before hittin' the Blue Jays team bus Wednesday -- he'd be fine with the move!!

Stroman has previously hinted he's down to rock the pinstripes ... telling a group of reporters earlier this week that he's "built for the bright lights."

Unclear what the Yankees are willing to offer for Stroman -- who has a 3.04 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 17 starts this season -- but they do desperately need a starting pitcher for the second half of the season.

Could Stroman's clear willingness to be a Yankee help move trade talks along??

Donald Trump is firing back U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe -- saying bluntly, she should "WIN first before she TALKS!"

As we previously reported, the team USA cocaptain went scorched Earth on Trump during an interview earlier this month ... saying, "I'm not going to the f*cking White House" if the U.S. wins the World Cup.

Trump obviously saw the comments ... and is responding:

"Women’s soccer player [Megan Rapinoe] just stated that she is 'not going to the F...ing White House if we win,'" Trump said.

"I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women’s Soccer, but Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job! We haven’t yet invited Megan or the team, but I am now inviting the TEAM, win or lose."

"Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear. The USA is doing GREAT!"

Trump also weighed in on the story TMZ Sports broke ... that several NBA teams and the NBA league office are moving away from the term "owner" because some players feel it's racially insensitive.

"Other than the NBA, which now refuses to call owners, owners (please explain that I just got Criminal Justice Reform passed, Black unemployment is at the lowest level in our Country’s history, and the poverty index is also best number EVER), leagues and teams love coming to the White House."

As for Rapinoe and Team USA -- they're scheduled to play Team France in the Round of 8 on Friday ... so they're getting pretty close.

Megan says she doesn't believe ANY of her teammates would accept an invitation to The White House if they win the whole thing.

Big moment at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday ... when some of the team's biggest stars helped to unveil a new plaque in Monument Park paying tribute to the gay rights movement.

Pitchers CC Sabathia and Dellin Betances -- along with G.M. Brian Cashman -- held the ceremony to reveal the Stonewall Inn plaque ... which honors the people who fought back during a violent police raid at the Stonewall Inn gay bar in NYC back in 1969.

The incident at the Stonewall is credited with igniting the LGBTQ rights movement.

In fact, the current owners of the Stonewall Inn -- which is still operational in Greenwich Village -- were also on hand for the ceremony.

In addition to the plaque, the Yankees are also working with owners Stacy Lentz and Kurt Kelly to create a scholarship benefiting LGBTQ public school students.

"[The Yankees have] gone beyond a Pride Night," Lentz told the NY Daily News ... "They understand that having a permanent fixture when fans come here, LGBTQ fans are going to feel safe and welcome."

Cashman told the media, "We want to be an organization that represents inclusion and safe harbor. We try and make a difference that way."

NBA veteran Allen Crabbe -- who was just traded to the ATL Hawks -- was arrested for DUI on the Sunset Strip late Tuesday night ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

We're told cops noticed the 27-year-old was "straddling lanes" around 11:30 PM -- so they pulled him over ... and during the stop, the officer suspected he was drunk.

The 6'6", 210 pounder was asked to step out of the car to perform a field sobriety test -- which he did --- and while it didn't appear he bombed it (based on the video we shot) ... the cops still felt he was under the influence.

In fact, we're told he blew a .08 -- which is EXACTLY the legal limit in California ... so Crabbe was arrested and booked for misdemeanor Driving Under the Influence.

We're told Crabbe couldn't have been more cooperative with police. He was taken to a nearby station where he was held for a few hours. We're told he's currently in the process of being released.

We spoke to someone close to Crabbe who tells us he's in town to work with the Frederick K. C. Price III Christian School in South Central, where he's volunteered time and money over the years.

The woman who claims NHL star Evander Kane stiffed her out of $3 MIL for aborting his child was ordered to reveal her real name in court in order to proceed with the case ... so she's decided to unmask herself.

An L.A. County Superior Court judge ruled Hope Parker -- who had previously used the alias "Jane Doe" in her lawsuit against Kane -- cannot use the alias moving forward.

"There is no clear California law allowing her to remain anonymous," the judge said in a ruling.

But, instead of dropping the case and keeping her identity secret, Parker has filed new documents using her real name ... sending the message that she's not backing down.

As we previously reported, Parker claims she had been dating Kane on-and-off from 2015 to 2018 ... and says she had two abortions during that time.

But, Parker says when she got pregnant for a THIRD time with the San Jose Sharks forward ... she did NOT want to abort it -- until he offered her $3 million.

She claims she went through with the procedure ... but when but Kane never ponied up the cash -- she sued, seeking over $6 MILLION in her lawsuit.

Kane filed legal docs of his own back in 2018 essentially saying that since he's not accused of committing a crime, the accuser should not be able to hide behind an alias.

The strategy was pretty clear -- if the judge forced her to reveal her name, Kane believed she would be more likely to drop the suit out of fear of embarrassment.

But, that's not the case ... Parker is actively working to amend her lawsuit to add her real name, according to court docs.

Is Dave East the solution for the New York Knicks' struggles?? The team might wanna give him a call ... 'cause the rapper says he's considering an NBA tryout ... but only for his hometown squad!!

Now, before you brush it off as farfetched, the 6'5" East is a serious hooper -- he played AAU hoops with Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley and landed a Division 1 scholarship to play at University of Richmond, but was ineligible due to grades.

So, when we asked East if he'd ever pull a Master P and give the hoop dream one more shot at age 31, he seemed open to the idea, telling TMZ Sports -- "I might ... It gotta be the Knicks, I gotta be in New York."

Why the Knicks?? East -- who grew up in East Harlem -- is a HUGE fan of his hometown team ... and can be spotted sitting courtside at a lot of their games.

As for KD ... East has been in touch with his old teammate following his devastating Achilles injury in the NBA Finals and says he's doing well and recovering ... and wants Durant to sign with the Knicks this offseason.

Team USA soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe is making it crystal clear ... if the U.S. wins the World Cup, there's NO WAY IN HELL she's visiting Donald Trump at The White House.

"I'm not going to the f*cking White House," the 33-year-old co-captain told Eight By Eight Magazine ... "We're not going to be invited."

She's probably right about the second part ... Megan -- and other teammates have been very outspoken when it comes to their disapproval of President Trump and Rapinoe is confident Trump knows it.

"[Trump] tries to avoid inviting a team that might decline. Or, like he did when the Warriors turned him down, he’ll claim they hadn’t been invited in the first place"

When asked if she was speaking for the whole team, Rapinoe replied ... "I don’t know everyone’s voting patterns on our team, but I would hope no one voted for him."

Rapinoe has been VERY political in the past -- she was the first white pro athlete in America to take a knee during the National Anthem ... following Colin Kaepernick's lead.

She no longer takes a knee, but Megan doesn't put her hand over her heart or sing along with the lyrics anymore.

Trump was asked if Rapinoe's form of protest was appropriate on Monday -- and he told The Hill, "No. I don't think so."

Not that Rapinoe cares anyway ...

As for Team USA, they're on a tear right now ... they just beat Spain in the Round of 16 and are set to battle with France on Friday.

Tom Brady's avocado ice cream is the NY Jets of dessert ... as in, IT SUUUUCKS!

... at least according to Tom's #1 target Julian Edelman.

Tom has raved about the avo ice cream for years -- and even featured the recipe for the alleged treat in his book, "The TB12 Method."

Per the legendary QB, the healthy confection calls for an avocado, some cashews, some coconut, some dates, some cacao powder and water.

Brady's said of it in the past that it's "just as delicious but much healthier" than normal ice cream. Sure.

So, how does it REALLY taste!?!? We asked Jules ... and he hit us with a truth bomb!!!

"I DON'T LIKE IT."

That's it. Short statement. But, to the point. We finally have our answer.

Kyler Murray ain't going to have a cakewalk to the Arizona Cardinals' starting QB spot ... so says Brett Hundley, who tells TMZ Sports, "My No. 1 goal is to get that starting job."

"I don't play to be second," Hundley says.

Don't get it twisted ... Brett still respects the hell out of Kyler, saying the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick is an "unbelievable guy" and a "very good young man."

But, Brett -- who signed with the Cards this offseason after spending the 2018 season as Russell Wilson's backup in Seattle -- says he wants to be Kliff Kingsbury's No. 1 guy in the desert.

"For me, my goal always has been to start, no matter where I'm at, no matter what the position is in," Hundley says ... "You know, I don't play to be second."

The competition will officially kick off in August during training camp ... but, in the meantime, Hundley's been enjoying his offseason with some serious traveling.

The 26-year-old has been moving all around Israel and Greece this month, and says he's still got trips planned for Egypt and South Africa in the coming weeks.

Brett tells us he's really fallen in love with all the globetrotting ... and says this will be his hobby once his playing days are done.

Here's some math for you ...

Lingerie model + thong bikini + ripped soccer star + makeout session + Greece = ONE HELLUVA TUESDAY!

Yes, smokin' hot Brazilian model Izabel Goulart and her Team Germany soccer star fiance, Kevin Trapp, are heating things up in Mykonos ... smothering each other by the pool.

The two have been dating for years -- but got engaged in 2018 ... and clearly, the sparks are still flying!

34-year-old Goulart is a former Victoria's Secret Angel who's also made the pages of Sports Illustrated, FHM, GQ, Glamour ... you get the point.

28-year-old Trapp is a pretty solid goalkeeper who's under contract with Paris Saint-Germain ... though he's currently on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany's famous Bundesliga league.

But, he's clearly got some downtime ... so why not take your insanely hot fiancee on a beach vacation to Greece, right?

There was kissing ... and back rubs ... and kissing ... and sunbathing ... and more kissing.

Leonardo DiCaprio's game face looks pretty damn painful ... especially when there's a volleyball smashing into it.

The Oscar winner was down in Malibu getting into his latest favorite pastime -- aside from dating models, of course ... good, old-fashioned beach volleyball!

Leo was diving left and right over the weekend, going low for saves and rising high for spikes as he played alongside Robin Thicke and the rest of his 'Bu crew, which included at least one woman on his side. At one point, Leo missed the ball and it hit him right in the kisser.

He's certainly a trooper -- Leo got right back into the game after the face splat, shook it off like a champ. Still though ... ouch.

We already know Leo's a fiend for the sport -- he got a lot of sets in last summer, and it looks like 2019 ain't gonna be much different. He's also consistent with his game gear -- T-shirt, shades and a ball cap ... front or backward, your preference.

The dude's got a big movie coming out soon -- Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" -- with his costars, Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt.

NBA star Andre Iguodala believes ex-Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson has been blackballed from coaching in the NBA ... and it's all over his religious views.

Andre has been playing for the Warriors since 2013 -- and spent one year under coach Jackson -- who's been often credited with building the Warriors into the dynasty they are today.

But, ever since Jackson was fired, he hasn't been hired as a coach by any other NBA team -- and when Andre went on "The Breakfast Club," he explained his theory to Charlamagne tha God.

"One particular issue was -- from what I heard -- was his views on gender, or marriage, or what the bible said on your sexuality."

FYI, Jackson is a very religious Christian minister -- who would often livestream his church services to his congregation from the Warriors team facility.

Jackson also came under fire back in 2013 for comments he made when NBA player Jason Collins came out as gay.

"As a Christian man, I have beliefs of what’s right and what’s wrong," Jackson said at the time ... "That being said, I know Jason Collins, I know his family, and am certainly praying for them at this time."

Iguodala suggested Jackson's views were not received well by Warriors exec Rick Welts -- who's openly gay -- and the relationship between Mark and the team deteriorated from there.

"There was conflicts with that that were widespread," Andre said.

Jackson was fired in 2014 -- and Iguodala believes other powerful NBA execs have essentially conspired to keep Mark out of the league ever since.

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri is speaking for the first time about an altercation where he allegedly shoved a cop after Game 6 of the NBA Finals ... saying, "I respect authority."

Ujiri is accused of pushing an officer both in the chest AND the face after the cop stopped him from stepping on the court to celebrate Toronto's championship win earlier this month.

Ujiri didn't want to get into specifics of the investigation during his press conference Tuesday ... but said, "My lawyers are updating me ... With that incident, I'm just going to respect what the process is there and the investigation."

"I am confident about who I am as a person, my character and as a human being."

Ujiri added, "I honestly am going to leave all my comments until the whole investigation is done. I think that's the fair way and the right way to operate when things like this do happen."

"I respect authority and I'll wait until that happens."

As we previously reported, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office says it's pursuing a criminal misdemeanor battery charge against Ujiri for the altercation.

As for the officer ... his attorney tells TMZ Sports the man suffered a concussion and a serious jaw injury -- and, as of last week, had yet to return to work.

NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns was looking to make a fashion statement on Rodeo Drive on Monday ... so he busted out a Colin Kaepernick jersey!

The 7'0" center for the Minnesota Timberwolves was doing some shopping in Beverly Hills (he had a giant Louis Vuitton bag in his hand), where our photog spotted the giant #7 jersey walking down the street.

"Kap's the man," the 23-year-old told us.

It's not the first time Towns has used fashion -- football jerseys in particular -- to make a statement on social issues ... remember, he rocked a "Free Meek Mill" jersey to the Super Bowl back in 2018.

Oh, and also ... FUN QUESTION!!! We also asked Karl -- who's MASSIVELY TALL -- if he has to get all of his clothes custom made or if he can ever buy a suit off the rack.

Bryce Harper, Christian Yelich and Nolan Arenado ... you are NOT better than Cody Bellinger, so says Jerry Hairston Jr., who tells TMZ Sports the Dodgers star is the 2nd best player in the MLB!!

"Outside of Mike Trout, he's the best player in baseball," the former World Series champ says ... "I think he will be the MVP."

Of course, Belli is in the middle of an EPIC season ... dude has 25 home runs, 62 RBIs and is batting .353 -- but most baseball experts still have him outside of the MLB's ultra-elite.

But, Hairston tells us Bellinger not only deserves to be in the top 5 ... he's No. 2 just behind Trout, saying, "I really believe it."

"He does everything well. He's right there with Mike. Cody is awesome."

We also spoke with the former Dodgers stud about Walker Buehler ... and Hairston says he's a true ace now -- but he tells us why the 24-year-old still ain't better than Clayton Kershaw yet!

Wladimir Klitschko and his family were SAVED by emergency responders in Spain on Monday -- after the luxury yacht they were traveling on, caught fire at sea!!

The rescue was all captured on video ... as firefighters and other emergency workers rushed to the boat off the coast of Mallorca around 2 AM and sprayed fire-suppressing foam on the boat.

"The boat was on fire, we're hanging out outside," the former boxing champ says on the dramatic video ... "We're in the sea getting rescued from the Mallorcan/Spanish fire department."

The yacht crew had already controlled the fire by the time rescuers showed up -- so responders mostly did some thorough inspection, made sure the fire was out ... and then towed the ship to port.

But, during the tow, smoke began to billow out of the engine room -- so the rest of the crew was evacuated to a rescue ship.

After the incident, 43-year-old Klitschko tweeted about the rescue ... saying, "Be careful what you wish for: fate took my wish for "some #adrenalin" a bit too literally and our boat-trip Sunday night ended up in our boat #igniting and family & friends being evacuated by coast guard and fire rescue-team."

"No worries: we are all fine!"