TMZ Sports - Page 50

Iconic NY Giants super fan "License Plate Guy" says he understands why his team is implementing a no fan rule this season due to COVID-19 ... but he tells TMZ Sports he's still "devastated!"

LPG -- aka Joe Ruback -- is maybe the most famous Giants fan on the planet ... he's been to EVERY G-men game for nearly TWO DECADES, always showing up with NY license plates around his neck.

But, with New Jersey passing a rule this month that says no fans can come to MetLife Stadium this season ... Ruback's streak is now over -- and he tells us he's feeling pretty blue about it.

"We can sit here and talk about how devastated I am, and then you get the people that are like, 'Oh, you don't care about people's health then!'" the 51-year-old fanatic tells us.

"But, no, we're just talking football. Let's just talk football, OK? I'm devastated, yo! I mean, I'm devastated!"

Ruback, though, says he's still planning to make the most of the situation ... promising to throw some epic watch parties to make up for not being able to cheer on Saquon Barkley in person.

"If you think I'm going to sit here in my basement, you got another thing coming," Ruback says.

"I'm going to get a caterer, I'm going to get a DJ, I'm going to drink, eat and I'm going to watch on a big-ass screen wherever it is."

Fortunately for LPG ... his ties to the team are still strong -- he tells us he was just in contact with star receiver Golden Tate about the upcoming season this week.

Logan Paul -- Cam Newton's next New England Patriots receiver??

Hell no!! But, the YouTube superstar DID put in work with the NFL QB in a training sesh earlier this month ... and he actually made some impressive catches!!

Logan -- who says he recently broke his wrist -- spotted Newton while leaving sports rehab in L.A. ... and naturally, they joined forces to whip up some #content.

The 2015 MVP enlisted Paul to be his receiver for some throwing drills ... starting off with 5-yard stop routes and 10-yard dig routes ... and we'll keep it a buck -- LP didn't do so hot.

"Everybody think they an athlete," Cam says. "But, real athletes come out when you're doing certain things athletically that you're not used to doing."

Newton's new Pats teammate, 4th-round pick Devin Asiasi, was there as well ... and simply put, things went a little better for him.

Then Logan turned it up a notch during the rest of the workout ... connecting with Cam from 15, 35 and 50 yards out!!

Cam seemed genuinely impressed with Paul ... and celebrated when he landed the final deep bomb.

FYI -- Logan was a star athlete in high school ... and was an All-Ohio honorable mention.

For a dude who says his old nickname was "No Hands," Logan didn't do too shabby!!

Dr. Anthony Fauci's hilarious ceremonial first pitch will be forever immortalized in the baseball world ... with the moment getting its own trading card!!

Topps just launched the card for a limited time ... showing the COVID-19 expert mid-throw before the Nationals' Opening Day game against the New York Yankees.

Of course, we all know how it went down ... but the card actually makes the dude look a bit more like Max Scherzer -- talk about a good angle!!

The card also features some info on the Doc ... saying, "Dr. Anthony Fauci, longtime Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and ardent Washington Nationals fan, signaled the official start of the 2020 MLB regular season by throwing out the first pitch before the Nationals took on the Yankees on Thursday evening."

"The 79-year-old Brooklyn native, donning a Nationals jersey, hat and facemask, fired a strong effort to the plate before the Nationals took the field."

Very generous of Topps to call it a "strong effort" ... we're just teasing.

Of course, the Dr. Fauci collectibles have skyrocketed during the pandemic -- from doughnuts to beer to bobbleheads.

The card will be available on Topps' website for just 24 hours ... so all you Fauci fanatics better hop on it!!

The NBA bubble can't stop Winnie Harlow from showing love for her man, Kyle Kuzma, on his 25th birthday ... she just wrote the Lakers forward a mushy message and shared a steamy pic!!

The 25-year-old supermodel posted the shoutout on IG on Friday ... saying, "Happy birthday, (Kyle) ❤️ blessed to know your beautiful heart and soul."

Of course, Harlow and Kuz can't be together to celebrate ... as he's currently stuck on the Disney campus in Orlando.

"Endless hours of quarantine FaceTimes and now I’m hooked," Harlow said.

"Thank you for helping me step out of my comfort zone, then making me comfortable outside of my comfort zone."

"Thank you for making me smile everyday, wiping my tears, and pushing me to be my best," Harlow says, "Thank you for your energy king, it’s only up from here lol💋"

We broke the story ... the two first met at the Harper's Bazaar party during NY Fashion Week back in Sept. ... and things clearly heated up quickly -- they're already dropping L-bombs!!

"I love you babe," Harlow says, "have an amazing day today and kill it at work young lion🦁🔥"

And if that wasn't enough -- Harlow hired a plane to fly across the Disney campus with a special birthday message so Kuz -- and the rest of the NBA -- could see how much she loves him!!

Ciara and Russell Wilson just made sure they will NOT raise a loser ... 'cause their new baby boy's name is literally Win!!!

That's right ... the singer and superstar NFL quarterback hubby announced Friday they welcomed their new baby boy and revealed his name is Win Harrison Wilson. The singer posted a touching video on Instagram as she sang the baby boy happy birthday while cradling him in her arms moments after giving birth. Win, born Thursday, weighed in at 8 lbs., 1 oz.

No doubt the couple was ecstatic about welcoming their second child together -- Ciara's third overall -- but it was an even special moment Russell soaked up considering he feared not being present for his son's birth.

The Seattle Seahawks QB had feared COVID-19 restrictions would keep him out of the delivery room. But, that apparently wasn't the case ... 'cause dude was in there with camera phone in hand enjoying the hell out of a memorable experience.

Rudy Giuliani just went scorched earth on the MLB ... calling the league's anthem kneelers "hypocritical" -- and saying the Black Lives Matter supporters in baseball are "disgraceful."

The former New York City mayor and diehard Yankees fan ripped the league Friday morning ... just hours after several players -- including Dodgers star Mookie Betts -- knelt for not only the national anthem, but in support of BLM as well.

"All those ball players, including the Yankees, taking a knee during the National Anthem of the country that made them millionaires is hypocritical," Donald Trump's attorney said.

"Support for BLM, which is provoking attacks on our law enforcement and innocent people all over America, is disgraceful."

As we previously reported, players on the Dodgers, Giants, Nationals and Yankees joined in support of racial equality prior to their Opening Day games Thursday.

The stadium jumbotrons played pro-BLM messages ... and afterward, the teams grabbed a long piece of black fabric and knelt with it to show unity.

Some players then went on to kneel for the ensuing national anthem.

Of course, Giuliani's disdain for it all echoes Trump's ... the President has repeatedly slammed the kneeling protests throughout the last few months, and recently called the demonstrations "a sign of great disrespect."

The Pittsburgh Blue Jays??

Toronto's MLB team has found a new home at the Pirates' PNC Park for the 2020 season ... after the Canadian government refused to allow games at their home stadium during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Jays will play the majority of their home games 5 hours away in the Steel City ... aside from 2 "home" series against New York at Yankee Stadium and Washington at Nationals Park, according to USA Today.

Of course, Canada shut down the idea of the team traveling back and forth into the U.S. ... considering it's a COVID-19 hot spot.

The decision comes after several Blue Jays players expressed their disinterest in playing at Buffalo Bisons' facility ... which was also tossed around as another option.

"Most guys don’t want to play in a AAA ballpark," outfielder Randal Grichuk said of the possibility. "Training room, weight room, those aren’t really up to big-league standards."

Sorry for your loss, Buffalo!

Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers has left the NBA Bubble in Orlando due to an "urgent" family matter ... but plans to rejoin the team soon, according to reports.

The 27-year-old shooting guard left Orlando Friday and expects to return "sometime this weekend," The Athletic's Shams Charania says.

Of course, Rivers will have to quarantine for 10 days before he can re-enter the bubble ... as part of the league's strict safety protocols.

As we previously reported, Rivers' teammate, Russell Westbrook, tested positive for COVID-19 before the NBA restart and quarantined before joining the team in Orlando this week.

Rivers joins Pelicans superstar rookie Zion Williamson and Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell ... who also recently left the bubble due to family matters.

Rivers -- the son of L.A.'s Clippers coach, Doc Rivers -- is averaging 8.7 points per game, shooting at 41% from the field.

No word on if coach will be leaving the bubble as well.

"Today is Opening Day, which means it's a great day to arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor."

That's a tweet from the official Tampa Bay Rays Twitter account ... using the biggest day of the season to bring justice for Breonna Taylor, who was killed by 3 police officers in her Louisville home.

The Rays made the impactful statement early Friday morning ... hours before kicking off their season against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Not only did the team make waves with the tweet ... the Rays are also committing $100,000 to local groups fighting systemic racism.

"Systemic racism is real," the team said. "Let’s unite for positive change."

The MLB as a whole has shown solidarity with Black Lives Matter at the start of the season ... with kneeling demonstrations, video messages and jersey patches.

Players -- including Dodgers star Mookie Betts and several S.F. Giants -- took a knee during the national anthem before their game Thursday to symbolize a need for change in the country.

S.F. Giants pitcher Sam Coonrod did NOT kneel with the rest of his teammates in a showing of support for the Black Lives Matter movement Thursday ... saying his religion and his personal feelings about BLM wouldn't allow him to do it.

"I’m a Christian," the 27-year-old relief pitcher said, "so I just believe that I can’t kneel before anything besides God."

If you missed it, the MLB provided teams with a long piece of black fabric to signify unity before its Opening Day games on Thursday.

The Yankees-Nationals ceremony went off without a hitch -- players joined together in grabbing the sheet and kneeling ... and the moment was powerful.

But, later in the evening, when it came time for the Dodgers and Giants to replicate the moment ... Coonrod refused to drop to a knee.

After the game, he told reporters his religious beliefs made it impossible for him to join in ... but he also said he didn't believe in some of the things he believes BLM stands for.

"I just can’t get on board with a couple things I’ve read about Black Lives Matter, how they lean towards Marxism,” Coonrod said. “And … they said some negative things about the nuclear family. I just can’t get on board with that.”

Coonrod said he meant "no ill will" by his gesture ... and added, "I’m not mad at someone who decided to kneel. I just don’t think it’s too much to ask that I just get the same respect.”

For the team's part, manager Gabe Kapler -- who not only knelt for the BLM moment but also during the national anthem -- said he respected Coonrod's decision to opt out.

The Lakers made their return to the court for the first time in 135 days on Thursday ... but LeBron James had more important things to discuss afterward.

"First of all, I want to continue to shed light on justice for Breonna Taylor and to her family and everything that's going on with that situation," James told the media after a scrimmage against the Dallas Mavericks.

"We want the cops arrested who committed that crime."

James -- along with the rest of the NBA -- is pushing for social justice during the league's return to play ... especially for Taylor, who was killed by 3 Louisville police officers in her home in March.

"As one of the leaders of this league, I want her family to know, and I want the state of Kentucky to know that we feel for her and we want justice. That’s what it’s all about. What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong."

As we previously reported, Taylor's family is well aware of the advocacy led by the NBA superstars ... and Breonna's mother told TMZ Sports she is grateful for their actions.

"Everyone raising their voices for justice are what keeps this family going each day," Tamika Palmer told us.

LeBron -- who etched ""#Justice4BreonnaT"" on his sneaker for Thursday night's scrimmage -- also weighed in on Black Lives Matter ... clarifying it's not a movement, but a lifestyle.

"When you're Black, it's not a movement," James said. "It's a lifestyle. We sit here and say it's a movement, and, okay ... how long is this movement going to last?"

"'Don't stop the movement.' ... No, this is a walk of life. When you wake up and you're Black, that is what it is."

Jets superstar Jamal Adams just UNLOADED on his head coach ... saying Adam Gase is NOT a leader -- and it all appears to be yet another attempt by the DB to get traded from the team.

Adams took aim at Gase in an interview with the NY Daily News this week ... saying straight-up he believes his team's head man lacks the leadership skills necessary to win rings.

"I don't feel like he’s the right leader for this organization to reach the Promised Land,” Adams said. "As a leader, what really bothers me is that he doesn’t have a relationship with everybody in the building."

Jamal says Gase doesn't address the team as a whole after games and workouts ... and when it comes time to break down issues at halftime of games -- Adams says Gase passes off the responsibility to other coaches.

"If we’re playing sh*tty and we’re losing," Adams said, "he doesn’t address the entire team as a group at halftime. He’ll walk out of the locker room and let another coach handle it."

Adams added he hasn't spoken with the coach since he had his exit interview with the guy way back in December.

Jamal's criticism of his org didn't stop there, though ... Adams also blasted general manager Joe Douglas for the way he handled the star safety's contract negotiations this spring.

"Why would Joe come out and say, ‘We want to make Jamal a Jet for life?’” said Adams, who claims Douglas and the team never sent him a new contract offer this offseason.

"Why would you say that and then not even give me an offer? ... Don’t BS me. I’m a straightforward guy. You don’t have to BS me, because I’m going to keep it honest."

Of course, all of this comes just days after Adams blasted team owner Woody Johnson over allegations the guy made racist and sexist comments toward staffers.

As we previously reported ... Adams has been requesting a trade from the Jets for weeks -- and was even spotted in a public parking lot in June saying he hoped to be jettisoned to the Dallas Cowboys.

Mike Tyson was seeing green when he signed his contract to fight Roy Jones Jr. ... puffing away on a joint that would make Snoop Dogg proud!

Check out the footage ... both Mike and Roy were all smiles when they officially signed on the dotted line last month during a Zoom call.

Our sources tell us Triller -- a social media app looking to overtake TikTok -- shelled out roughly $50 mil for the rights to the fight, looking to make a statement that they're serious about moving into the live events space.

Mike says he's personally not getting rich from the fight -- saying his cut will go to charity ... "I'm not getting anything."

Tyson says his mission in life isn't to amass wealth -- it's to help people in need, and doing this fight was a great way for him to make an impact.

As for Roy, he tells us the way his contract is structured, he has the potential to rake in more than $10 MILLION for the fight, as long as the PPV numbers are big.

Roy says he can make more money at 51 years old than he did when he was 31!

As we previously reported, the epic matchup is set to go down in California on Sept. 12 -- with no fans in attendance due to the COVID pandemic.

Mookie Betts dropped to a knee during the national anthem before his 1st game with the Dodgers on Thursday ... and some of his teammates, including N.L. MVP Cody Bellinger, showed major support for the move.

The new superstar outfielder displayed his dismay for social injustice in America by kneeling for the song before the Dodgers' home opener against the Giants ... and Bellinger and Max Muncy quickly jumped to his side.

Belli put his right hand on Betts' left shoulder, while Muncy put his left hand on Betts' right ... and afterward, the new Dodgers star said he hopes his actions can bring about change.

"I know my dad served and I'll never disrespect the flag," Betts said, "but there's also gotta be change in the world, and kneeling has nothing to do with those who served our country."

Mookie added, "Today was just to unify both sides and just to show that we are here for change."

Betts says he's unsure if he'll continue the kneeling throughout the season ... he told reporters he wants to focus more on tangible action rather than demonstrations going forward.

"I think kneeling is definitely something that shows we need change," Betts said, "but also I have to put some action into play as far as away from MLB."

No other Dodgers joined Betts in the kneeling ... however, several Giants players continued their tradition of taking knees on the opposing baseline.

Major League Baseball, meanwhile, did its part in recognizing the fight for racial equality on Opening Day Thursday... it played Black Lives Matter videos before both the Dodgers game and the Yankees-Nationals game.

The league also had players join in holding a long sheet of black fabric ... while many others on the Yanks, Nationals, Giants and Dodgers kneeled to show unity just before the national anthems began playing.

Dr. Anthony Fauci just threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the first MLB game of the season ... and oh, boy.

The COVID-19 expert was tapped to do the honors before the Washington Nationals hosted the New York Yankees on Thursday ... and as the saying goes, it was juuuuust a bit outside.

And then some.

FYI -- Fauci is a HUGE Nats fan ... and the team was thrilled to have him on board for the big moment.

"Dr. Fauci has been a true champion for our country during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout his distinguished career," the Nats said.

"So, it is only fitting that we honor him as we kick off the 2020 season and defend our World Series Championship title."

Of course, the bigger picture here is that baseball is finally back for a 60-game season during the global pandemic ... and Fauci has been seen as a voice of wisdom through it all.

As for the players, both teams took a knee and held a black fabric before the national anthem to show solidarity ... and then stood for the rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Morgan Freeman also contributed a powerful speech on social injustice ... and several players were featured in a video on Black Lives Matter.

The pitcher's mound also features "BLM" stenciled in black.

Donald Trump says he's been tapped to throw out the first pitch at a Yankees game next month -- and points out there won't be any fans in the stands to react.

Trump says Yankees team president Randy Levine personally asked him to do the honors at an Aug. 15 game at Yankees Stadium -- when NY takes on the rival Boston Red Sox.

Trump says he asked Levine how the crowd is going to be -- before remembering, "You don't have a crowd. There's no such thing!"

Trump has had mixed reactions at sporting events ... he was booed during Game 5 of the 2019 World Series at Nationals Park in D.C.

But, on the flip side, he was wildly cheered at the LSU-Clemson College Football National Championship game in New Orleans back in January.

You got to wonder how Trump would be received in front of a live New York audience -- but he probably knows that answer already.

Trump has long talked about his talents as a young baseball player ... he claims he had pro potential back in the day -- despite no video ever surfacing of his playing days.

By the way, ex-Yankees superstar Mariano Rivera was in the room when Trump talked about throwing out the first pitch ... and Trump showered him with praise in front of the media.