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The Houston Astros have essentially SHUT DOWN an auction for a 2017 World Series ring ... claiming they have a contract in place to buy it back for $1.

ONE. AMERICAN. DOLLAR.

The ring -- which originally belonged to Astros scout David Brito -- was listed with Goldin Auctions as part of its May 2020 catalog and some expected it to sell for as high as $60,000!!

Of course, Astros players, coaches and staffers each got a ring for defeating the L.A. Dodgers in the 2017 World Series ... despite the fact, they're cheating-ass cheaters who cheat.

100% of the proceeds from the auction were going to be donated to the CAMCare Foundation for COVID-19 related causes at hospitals and health care centers.

But, Goldin tells TMZ Sports ... the Astros reached out to them and demanded they pull the item -- claiming they have a first-look deal with Brito to buy it back for $1, which he signed in order to receive the item in the first place.

If this sounds familiar, it's because it's the same policy as the Academy Awards -- which requires winners to give the Academy the first option to buy the award back for $1 if the winner (or a family member) wants to get rid of it.

Goldin tells us ... they were unaware of the $1 contract when they agreed to auction the item -- but they will comply with the Astros' demand and return to the ring back to the consigner.

We're told the consigner is NOT Brito -- but a ring dealer.

Unclear if the consigner will give the ring back to Brito so he can actually sell the ring back to Houston -- but at this point, it probably makes more sense for him to keep it.

After all, why give the Astros another ring they really don't deserve to have?!

As for the ring itself -- it contains 214 diamonds, 16 natural blue sapphires and 9 natural orange sapphires.

Wonder if the contract says anything about melting it down and selling the raw materials?

Ron Jaworski tells TMZ Sports he's nervous for his Eagles ... 'cause the Philly legend says the Dallas Cowboys CRUSHED the NFL draft last week!!

"I'm worried as hell about those Dallas Cowboys, man," Jaws says.

As for why ... Jaworski tells us CeeDee Lamb -- Jerry Jones' top pick last week -- is an elite receiver talent who he was actually hoping would fall to the Eagles at pick No. 21.

"CeeDee Lamb is special," Jaws says. "I'm watching him kind of slip down, slip down. And, I'm going, 'He may fall to 21! The Eagles might get him!' But, he wasn't getting by Jerry Jones!"

The Cowboys were THRILLED to land the Oklahoma receiver ... and, in fact, they went on to have such a huge draft -- Jerry said it might have been his finest work since 2005.

Jaws was having a hard time disagreeing with that when we spoke with him this week ... saying, "Oh, boy! We get to see (CeeDee Lamb) for the next 10 years?!"

"Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, their offensive line -- woah! They're going to be good! Going to be a good group!"

Kansas City Chiefs star Bashaud Breeland -- who had an interception in Super Bowl LIV -- was just busted for weed possession, open container and resisting arrest, officials confirm.

28-year-old Breeland -- fresh off inking a new, $4.5 million deal to stay with the Chiefs this off-season -- was booked around 1:30 PM on Tuesday in Charlotte, NC.

According to the York County Sheriff's Office, Breeland is facing multiple charges -- resisting arrest, open alcohol container in motor vehicle, alcohol in motor vehicle with seal broken, possession of 28g or less of marijuana, and driving without a license.

The South Carolina native was booked into York County Jail, where he remains in custody, according to records.

Breeland was a 4th-round pick to the Washington Redskins after 3 seasons with Clemson ... playing 4 seasons in D.C. before a brief stint with the Green Bay Packers.

Breeland had a team-high 7 tackles and picked off Jimmy Garoppolo in the Super Bowl ... helping Kansas City win its first Super Bowl since 1969.

We've reached out to the Chiefs for comment ... so far, no word back.

Could Mannywood reopen in 2020?!!?

Manny Ramirez says that's the goal ... with the MLB legend telling The Taiwan Times he's gunning for a comeback in the Chinese Professional Baseball League!!

"My goal for 2020, is to find a roster spot in the CPBL," Manny says. "I have been itching to get back in the batter’s box and be able to compete again."

It's a stunning revelation ... considering the former Red Sox outfielder is 47 years old and hasn't swung a bat in a professional league since 2013!!

But, Ramirez claims he's been using quarantine times to get back in playing shape while also working on his swing.

"I know if I was given the opportunity to come in an organization as a player-coach," Ramirez says, "it would do great things for the organization and the league."

Man-Ram has experience in the CPBL ... he played for the EDA Rhinos in 2013, and actually crushed it, batting .352 in 49 games, before he ultimately got out of his contract and returned back to the U.S.

Ramirez says he wants to give it another run ... and even claims he's turning down offers from the Atlantic League to get another shot in Taiwan.

"My message to the CPBL clubs would be that I am still confident in my ability to serve as a player-coach and provide positive contributions to any ball club that is willing to have me on their staff/roster," Ramirez said.

"He goes to Tampa Bay and that's what he gets getting thrown out of the park! So, it serves him right!"

That's Boston Mayor Marty Walsh clowning Tom Brady over his closed Tampa park incident ... and the shade he threw at ex-Patriots QB for the snafu after leaving New England was hilarious!!

The head of the Massachusetts city joined WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Tuesday ... and when Tom getting booted for illegally working out in a Florida park was brought up -- the mayor didn't hold back on the jokes.

"See, if Tom Brady stayed, there's some exceptions I would make," Walsh said. "And, having Tom Brady throw a football, I probably would have maybe looked the other way on that one."

"But, he goes to Tampa Bay and that's what he gets!"

Of course, Tom famously bolted from the Patriots for the Buccaneers in March ... and he hasn't exactly had the smoothest transition to his new home.

After the 42-year-old was kicked out of a park that was closed due to coronavirus concerns earlier this month ... he accidentally trespassed a few days later when he was trying to find his new offensive coordinator's house!!

Some real honesty from Jameis Winston -- who says he had to check his ego to become the backup QB for the New Orleans Saints ... but thinks it's worth the investment.

Winston -- the #1 overall pick in 2015 with the Bucs -- just signed a 1-year deal to back up Drew Brees in NO ... and calls it a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to learn from one of the best of all time.

"It was no better position than to be in the same room with someone that I’ve really looked up to, someone that I admired since I’ve been playing this game in Drew Brees," Winston said on "Chalk Talk with Charlie Ward."

In fact, Winston says being in the same QB room as Brees, Taysom Hill and the Saints coaching staff is "like a Harvard education in quarterback school."

He continued ... "I wanted to put my ego aside, put the money aside and think about my family, think about my career."

"There’s a proverb. Humility comes before honor. So I have to humble myself and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be with Drew Brees and be with the New Orleans Saints and just prepare. Just prepare for when my next opportunity is going to present itself."

Winston also says he knows there's no chance he wins the starting QB job over Brees ... but sees the opportunity as a stepping stone.

"I’ve done some great things with the Bucs. I’m going to miss being a starting quarterback. But you never know what happens. I think this is just a great and unique step to join Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints and learn from him. Learn from one of the best to ever do it and make a great transition in my career."

This. Is. AWESOME!!!

WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre is showing major love for a real-life hero on his 100th birthday ... honoring Captain Tom Moore with his very own championship belt!!

Of course, Capt. Tom -- who served as an officer for the British Army in WWII -- went viral earlier this month when he set out to raise 1,000 pounds for the National Health Service by doing laps around his garden.

Turns out, Capt. Tom raised WAY more than that ... raking in a whopping 29.2 MILLION pounds (over $36 mil!!) for COVID-19 relief.

Drew -- fresh off his HUGE WrestleMania36 win over Brock Lesnar -- decided to show thanks for Cap's contributions throughout his life by sending a super bad-ass commemorative belt for his 100th birthday!!

"As WWE Champion it is my honor, on behalf of @WWE, to celebrate the 100th birthday and extraordinary achievements of @CaptainTomMoore with a personalized WWE title," the Scottish superstar said.

"Happy birthday sir, and thank you. #WalkWithTom #CaptainTomMoore."

On top of the awesome belt, Tom has received thousands of cards for his big day, which goes down on April 30th.

So cool. Shout-out to all involved.

WHO'S A GOOD -- AND NOW VERY POPULAR -- BOY?!?!?

Bill Belichick's girlfriend says their dog, Nike, is!!!

Linda Holliday said on "The Adam Schefter Podcast" this week that the pup was so adorable during its viral moment at the NFL draft ... the dog's fan base has grown from a couple hundred to nearly 20,000!!!!

If you missed it ... Nike stole the show at the Patriots' draft last Friday -- when it took Belichick's seat just seconds before New England made its 2nd-round pick.

Cameras caught the pup staring at The Hoodie's monitors ... and the scene couldn't have been cuter.

Linda says within minutes of Nike's unexpected cameo -- her phone blew up ... with people hitting the follow button on the dog's IG like crazy!!!

"Nike went from 1,000 followers to about 10,000 followers," Holiday says, "and my phone was just blowing up."

Nike is now up to over 16,000 followers on his social media account since the draft ... this despite Linda saying she's only put a handful of pics on the page!!

As for how the dog did captaining Bill's ship during the weekend? The coach and Linda have got a lot of belly rubbing to do ... 'cause most pundits gave the Patriots' picks an A grade!!!

DRIVERS, START YOUR ENGINES!!! ... Maybe.

The governor of North Carolina says he's working like crazy with NASCAR and health officials to keep the Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Weekend race on schedule as planned next month ... but without fans in the stands.

Gov. Roy Cooper announced the plan to keep the May 24 race as scheduled ... saying the state has been in contact with NASCAR and the Charlotte Motor Speedway to come up with the safest possible social distancing protocol.

"We believe that unless health conditions go down, we believe we can hold the Coca-Cola 600," Cooper said on Tuesday ... adding NASCAR will make a statement on the decision later this week.

The state of North Carolina has extended the stay-at-home order through May 8 ... but Cooper deemed pro race team shops "essential businesses" to allow them to prepare for the future.

WARNING -- if you can't handle painfully gross injury pictures, please sit this one out.

Still here?? Okay. Let's get into it.

A new image of Washington Redskins QB Alex Smith's injury from 4 days after his devastating broken leg surgery in 2018 has surfaced ... and it's beyond displeasing.

Of course, Smith has previously stated he's lucky to be alive -- let alone have his right leg -- following the unfortunate in-game incident against the Texans ... as his road to recovery was hindered by infections that required 17 follow-up surgeries.

A picture of Smith's infected leg just days after surgery was aired on ESPN Monday -- as part of a promo for the E:60 documentary, "Project 11," premiering on Friday -- and it shows how bad the infection was.

35-year-old Smith has previously said that he's focused on getting better and maintains the goal of getting back on to the football field ... but understands there are no guarantees.

The former #1 overall pick has since made a brief return to throwing ... and even made an appearance at Redskins organized team activities in 2019 ... but it would be a miracle to see him suit up in a game again.

The woman who made domestic violence allegations against ex-NFL player Jim Hill has dropped her restraining order against the legendary sportscaster, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... the accuser -- who described herself in court docs as Hill's girlfriend -- claimed the 73-year-old got physical during a March 14 incident at his L.A.-area home.

The woman says she called police and later filed a request for a restraining order against Hill, which was granted.

But now, the woman has backed off in a big way -- asking the court to drop the case against Hill ... and her request was granted.

We also know the accuser had filed documents with the court spelling out her reasons for backing off saying, "I do not believe [Hill] represents a danger to myself, my family or household members."

"Therefore it is unnecessary for the current orders to remain in effect."

Those documents were initially bounced because of a filing error -- but we're told she went back to officials and essentially made the same request.

Hill has denied the allegations from the start -- with his lawyer telling TMZ Sports, "This was a strategic maneuver on the part of [the accuser] on the eve of a prescheduled mediation to resolve their personal relationship."

Tragic news in the motocross community ... legendary pro racer Marty Smith and his wife, Nancy, were both killed in a freak dune buggy accident in California, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

He was 63.

Officials tell us Marty and Nancy were in a buggy that flipped at the Imperial Sand Dunes and rolled down a hill. We're told Marty was not wearing a safety harness and Nancy was only wearing a lap belt.

We're told emergency responders raced to the scene -- but couldn't do much. Marty was pronounced dead at the scene. Nancy was airlifted to a nearby hospital where she later passed away from her injuries.

Marty's best friend, Lee Ramage, was at the scene at the time of the crash and posted a statement on social media.

"It’s with the heaviest, grieving heart that I have to tell you Marty and Nancy Smith we’re killed yesterday in a rollover accident in his dune buggy at the imperial sand dunes," Ramage said.

"My wife, Tammi and I were in the buggy and were unhurt."

"We spent at least an hour trying to save their lives before first responders arrived. Marty took his last breath while I was holding his head, keeping his airway clear."

"Marty was my best friend and I tried with everything in me to save him while Tammi tried to save Nancy."

"There is so much to know about this man and how he wanted to leave this earth when God called him him."

"Please keep his children, Jillyin, Brooke and Tyler and all his grandkids in your prayers."

Marty took the industry by storm after going pro at age 17 in 1974 ... winning the inaugural AMA 125cc National Motocross Championship ... and defending his title in 1975.

Smith went on to win the 500cc championship in 1977 ... solidifying his spot as a superstar in the sport.

Marty retired from professional racing in 1981 ... but remained active in the motocross community as a coach.