TMZ Sports - Page 50

Wanna know what a hand looks like after its been through hamate bone surgery???

No? Well, Tommy Pham just showed off the results anyway -- and it's all GROOOOSSSSS!!!!

The San Diego Padres star busted up the bone last weekend fouling off a pitch ... and went through surgery at some point in the last few days to get it all fixed.

Seems the operation went well ... but when Tommy showed off a pic of the aftermath -- it was gnarly!!!

Check out the wound ... there's stitches. It's purple. It's yellow. It's nasty.

Good news is, Pham is only set to miss around 4-6 weeks ... and should be able to help the Padres at some point in their playoff run in September.

And, if we're keepin' it real, it's not like S.D. needs him all that much at the moment anyway ... have you seen all the grand slams they've been hitting lately?!?!

2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg might be DONE for the season ... and the team says it's all 'cause of an ailment you get from typing too much!!!

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday the ace could have season-ending surgery due to carpal tunnel syndrome -- a nerve issue in the wrist.

Of course, the injury is commonly brought on by people who spend too many hours at a keyboard ... but Strasburg clearly got it from hurling curveballs and 95 mph fastballs.

Strasburg had complained of tingling and numbness in his hand prior to taking the bump this season ... and ultimately went on the IL last week over the injury after only starting 2 games.

Martinez says the 32-year-old saw a hand specialist this week ... and the Nats got the bad news Friday.

It's a huge blow to the team ... Stras was arguably the biggest reason the Nats won the World Series last season -- and not having him for a postseason run could spell an early exit.

The NHL is coming out STRONG against announcer Mike Milbury -- condemning a stupid, sexist comment he made on air.

Milbury was calling the Islanders vs. Capitals game on Thursday when his partner brought up the league's "bubble" environment on the air.

That's when Milbury chimed in ... saying it's great place for the hockey players because there are "Not even any women here to disrupt concentration."

OOPS.

The 68-year-old former player's comments were met with immediate criticism on social media.

Hockey writer Hannah Stuart tweeted her disapproval, saying, "What Milbury says here isn't just sexist, it's dangerous. Hockey culture already has enough of a problem re: seeing women as lesser than."

Journalist/professor Nicole Kraft added ... "Misogyny alive and well in @NHL broadcast booth/bubble."

And, now the NHL is going after him too ... saying:

"The National Hockey League condemns in the insensitive and insulting comment that Mike Milbury made during last night's broadcast and we have communicated our feelings to NBC."

"The comment did not reflect the NHL's values and commitment to making our game more inclusive and welcoming to all."

Milbury's no stranger to controversy -- he faced criticism just last week for calling out Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask for opting out of the playoffs to be with his family.

Jon Jones choked out Ryan Bader in 2011, but the Bellator champ-champ wants another crack at the UFC legend ... admitting he just wasn't the complete fighter he is now.

TMZ Sports talked to Bellator's 37-year-old light heavyweight and heavyweight champ -- who's taking on Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 244 Friday night -- about his history with Jones ... and Bader made it very clear he's got revenge on his mind.

"I would love to have that [Jon Jones] fight. It'd be a big fight," Bader says.

"Hell yeah, I would love to do some sort of cross-promotion with him or any of the guys over there."

Remember, Jones submitted Bader via a guillotine choke during the 2nd-round of their UFC 126 fight nearly a decade ago.

RB admits he was a 1 trick pony back then ... but that ain't the case anymore.

"We fought way back in 2011 and whatnot. I had no idea what I was doing back then besides wrestling. Mentality, skill set, physicality, it's all 100% different."

Proof?

Bader hasn't lost since 2016, has 2 belts, and has wins over Fedor Emelianenko, Ovince St. Preux, and Rashad Evans.

As exciting as the thought is of a UFC-Bellator cross-promotion featuring 2 elite fighters ... the reality is, it probably ain't gonna happen.

However, former top 5 ranked UFC light heavyweight Corey Anderson just signed with Bellator ... and he's in Bader's division.

So, does Ryan think Anderson's worthy of jumping the line and getting an immediate crack at his title??

It's The People's XFL now!

Dwayne Johnson -- AKA The Rock -- says the deal to buy the XFL is officially DONE ... and he can't wait to get to work.

As we previously reported, Rock and his partners -- Dany Garcia (Rock's business partner and ex-wife) and RedBird Capital (led by Gerry Cardinale) -- made a $15 million deal to take over Vince McMahon's beloved pro football league after it filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

The deal was approved in bankruptcy court earlier this month -- and Rock says all of the I's have finally been dotted and the T's have been crossed.

"The deal is official closed and 'the keys' to the XFL have been handed over," Rock says.

"I humbly accept and promise to put my callouses to hard work building our new brand. Congrats to my partners @DanyGarciaCo & #GerryCardinale and our sharp, hungry team."

Rock included a graphic of the "key" -- which says the word "Mana" ... a Polynesian word for spiritual power.

No word on Rock's timeline to bring back the league -- but his good friend, Dana White, advised the WWE legend to get moving ASAP because there's a hungry market for live sports.

White even offered to council the XFL on how to properly navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, as he has done himself with the UFC.

It was long-rumored that 74-year-old Vince McMahon personally jumped off a 10-foot platform before WrestleMania 36 to ease Rob Gronkowski's fears ...

Turns out, IT'S TRUE -- AND THE WHOLE THING WAS CAPTURED ON VIDEO!!!

The whole incident was captured by "WWE 24: WrestleMania: The Show Must Go On" [h/t ProWrestlingSheet] -- which shows everything that happened behind WWE's biggest event of the year.

Remember, the event was taped on March 25 and 26 -- and aired on April 5 and 6 -- featuring Gronk serving as the "host" of the 2-day PPV event.

One of the big 'Mania moments featured Gronk jumping from the platform -- but before that happened, Vince McMahon personally walked the NFL star through the stunt.

Again, VINCE IS 74 YEARS OLD AND THREW HIMSELF OFF A PLATFORM!!!

No sweat for Vince! Gronk noted that the stunt was more like a "trust fall" with spotters.

In the end, Gronk executed his jump perfectly -- winning the WWE 24/7 title in the process!!

Daddy's BACK!!!

NBA guard Mike Conley has cleared quarantine and will play for the Utah Jazz on Friday ... just days after leaving the NBA bubble to witness the birth of his new baby son, Elijah.

As we previously reported ... it was a QUICK turnaround for the vet -- the 32-year-old left the Orlando bubble on Sunday and rushed to Ohio be with his wife, Mary, who was due on August 27.

The new baby knew dad had work to do, so Elijah cut to the chase and entered the world later Sunday night ... with papa present for the big moment!!

Conley rushed back to the bubble on Monday and entered a 4-day quarantine in hopes of being ready for Game 3 of the Jazz's first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets ... and it's just been made official he will suit up on Friday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

It couldn't have been better timing for Conley -- his squad is currently tied 1-1 with the Nuggets ... and Utah's got momentum after a huge Game 2 win.

Tony Stewart says it's time for NASCAR to welcome back Kyle Larson after it fired him over his use of the n-word ... saying this week, "he served his penalty long enough."

"NASCAR has gotta get off their ass and do the right thing and give this kid an opportunity to get back in a car," the racing legend said in an interview with CBS Sports.

"I think he's paid his penalty and he's served the penalty long enough where you know we've had similar instances in the sport that have happened and the penalties didn't last as near as long as this has lasted with Kyle."

As we previously reported, 27-year-old Larson dropped an n-bomb during a virtual race back in April ... clearly not realizing his audio was streaming out to people watching along on Twitch.

After crashing during a lap, Larson apparently had a difficult time communicating on his headset and radioed out, "You can't hear me? Hey, n*****."

Larson vehemently apologized afterward -- but NASCAR and several of Larson's biggest sponsors (including McDonald's and Credit One Bank) dropped him HARD.

Stewart says the cancellation of the guy has gone on long enough ... and he's urging the sport to bring Larson back ASAP.

"It's changed Kyle's world, it turned everything upside down and not only did it affect him, it affected his family and a lot of other people that didn't deserve to be affected," Stewart said.

"So I think it's been long enough. I think it's time for NASCAR to get off their ass and to do the right thing and allow him to come back to the series now."

For his part, Larson said in an interview with the Associated Press this week he's grown tremendously since the incident ... adding, "I was just ignorant. And immature."

WARNING: THIS VIDEO WILL MAKE YOU SQUIRM!!!

A Philadelphia Phillies pitcher was hit square in the groin by a 105 mph line drive Thursday ... and the ball caught so flush with the guy's man junk -- he needed a cart to leave the field.

Relief pitcher Jose Alvarez was facing Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel in the bottom of the 5th -- when LG launched a comebacker that found its way straight into Alvarez's crotch.

Alvarez was able to shake off the pain for long enough to get the out at first ... but immediately after, the dude crumpled to the grass, wincing and grabbing his ding dong area.

Jose was down on the field for several minutes ... before, eventually, trainers loaded him onto a cart to take him into the locker room.

Unclear the extent of Jose's injuries ... but dude did give a wave on his way off the diamond -- a decent sign everything might be all right after all.

But, man. Yikes.

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron says he NEVER knew of alleged Derrius Guice sexual assault ... insisting a report to the contrary is "completely false."

As we previously reported ... 2 former LSU students told USA Today Sports that the former Tigers superstar RB raped them at their own apartments after nights of heavy drinking.

One of the women says she passed out on her bed and has flashback memories of Guice assaulting her.

She also says it was all particularly troubling because her boyfriend at the time was Guice's teammate on the LSU football team.

In the report, the boyfriend alleged Orgeron had at least some knowledge of the incident ... and says the coach brushed it all off to him when they had a conversation about it.

In fact, the boyfriend said to USA Today Sports that Orgeron had told him, "everybody’s girlfriend sleeps with other people."

Orgeron, however, fired back at the report in a lengthy statement Thursday night ... saying he had absolutely ZERO knowledge of an alleged Guice assault.

"The anonymous quote attributed to me by a former player in USA Today is not accurate," the coach said. "Out of respect for the young man's privacy, I will not reveal the full details of the conversation. What I will say is that a player came into my office to discuss transferring from our program."

"We also discussed the player's relationship challenges with his girlfriend. I told him what I would tell my own sons: 'We all experience heartbreak growing up. Do not throw away a promising academic and football career at LSU because of a personal obstacle.'"

"Any insinuation that I had knowledge of his girlfriend and Derrius Guice is completely false."

Orgeron added that he is complying with investigators ... saying, "The sexual assault allegations made against Derrius Guice should be taken very seriously and the alleged victims must be heard and supported."

Ron Rivera has announced he's been diagnosed with a form of skin cancer -- but says it won't stop him from coaching then Washington Football Team in 2020.

58-year-old Rivera informed his players Thursday night he's undergoing treatment for squamous cell carcinoma located in a lymph node.

The coach says it's "very treatable and curable."

Rivera told ESPN's Adam Schefter, "I'm planning to go on coaching. Doctors encouraged me to do it, too. They said, 'If you feel strongly, do it. Don't slow down, do your physical activities.' But everyone keeps telling me by week three or four, you'll start feeling it."

Rivera says he first discovered an unusual lump on his neck back in July -- and followed up with a doctor. He was formally diagnosed with cancer just two weeks ago.

"I was stunned," Rivera said ... "But I was angry because I feel like I'm in the best health I've been in."

"I'm going through the proper treatment. This will be fine."

The Michael Strahan Super Bowl 42 jersey auction has been temporarily suspended ... after the NFL legend claimed the auction house has a FAKE.

As we previously reported, Goldin Auctions is adamant their jersey is 100% real -- and insist it was authenticated by multiple professional (and reputable) photo-matching services.

But, Strahan claims to have the real jersey framed in his home -- and both sides were digging in their heels about which is the actual jersey from the 2008 game when the Giants defeated Tom Brady's New England Patriots.

Now, Goldin has announced the jersey has been pulled from the auction block "until the consigner of the jersey and Strahan can settle their dispute."

"At this time, it is unfair to the potential buyers and the seller of the jersey to continue with the sale due to the recent claims made."

Goldin Auctions still believes their jersey is the real one -- but says they are "not interested in a dispute with the former athlete."

Goldin insists a 3rd party authentication company studied the jersey in Strahan's home -- and believes it is NOT the real deal.

Strahan claims he gave the jersey to a friend directly after the game and instructed him to bring it to his hotel room -- and he's had it ever since.

The auction house claims the jersey ended up with a NY Giants equipment manager -- who eventually got it to another person, who brought it to Goldin.

"Some black people are going to be upset with me ..."

UFC star Tyron Woodley does NOT believe Donald Trump is a racist -- insisting the only color he REALLY cares about is green.

Tyron -- who's been EXTREMELY critical of Trump in the past -- explained his position on 'The Hollywood Beatdown' ... saying he's convinced cash matters more than color to POTUS.

"If you have green on your face to him, he's gonna f**k with you. I think it's about green to him."

Trump came up during a conversation about Tyron's highly anticipated clash with Colby Covington on Sept. 19 ... a fight that's taken years to come together.

Colby is a hardcore Trump guy who was invited to meet the President at the White House in August 2018 following a victory over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 earlier that year.

Trump's sons have also supported Colby -- they were both in attendance when Covington defeated Robbie Lawler in 2019. POTUS called Colby to personally congratulate him after the fight.

So, we asked Tyron how he felt knowing the Trump family will likely be watching when he takes on MAGA Covington ... and that's when Tyron told us how he really feels about the Commander in Chief.

Woodley also says he's focused and training his ass off for the Covington fight -- and predicts a violent finish.

He also weighs in on Jon Jones -- explaining why he thinks Bones should get an immediate shot at the UFC heavyweight title ... and why he's more than capable of beating monsters like Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic.

Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman says he's "ashamed" that he used a homophobic slur on air ... and says he's now dedicating himself to working with the LGBTQ community to grow from this experience.

"As many of you know, I said something hateful on the air Wednesday night," Brennaman said in a long op-ed posted on Cincinnati.com ... "something no one should ever say."

Brennaman says he didn't realize the homophobic f-word was "so rooted in hate and violence" -- and says he vows to never use it again.

"I cannot erase what I have done," Thom said. "The only thing I can do is humbly apologize, accept the consequences of my actions and resolve to be better and behave differently from now on."

Brennaman directly addresses the LGBTQ+ community ... saying, "I am truly and deeply sorry. You should never be denigrated with crude and hateful language. I failed you, and I cannot say enough how sorry I am."

Brennaman also says he has already spoken with MLB exec Billy Bean -- who's openly gay -- and Bean has agreed to work with him on how to "become a more informed person."

"I immediately plan to participate in diversity, equity and inclusion training and have reached out to PFLAG for resources and guidance," Thom said.

Brennaman -- who's been suspended by the Reds and pulled from the "NFL on FOX" schedule -- says he doesn't know if he'll ever work in broadcasting again ... but says this incident has forced him to "reflect on who I am and how I am want to be seen and thought of."

The K.C. Chiefs will no longer allow their fans at Arrowhead Stadium to wear headdresses or paint their faces in Native American style ... announcing a permanent ban on both things Thursday.

The team says it's all a part of an effort to be more sensitive toward Native American cultures ... with Chiefs officials adding there might be even more changes coming.

K.C. says it's also reviewing the "Arrowhead Chop" -- a stadium-wide chant where fans pretend they have tomahawks while screaming at the top of their lungs.

The Chiefs also say they might be doing away with their famous drum-pounding pregame ceremony too.

K.C. says Thursday's changes all come as a result of 6 years worth of discussions with Native American leaders.

"We are grateful for the meaningful conversations we have had with all of these American Indian leaders," the Chiefs said.

"It is important that we continue the dialogue on these significant topics, and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future."

Of course, others in major sports are taking similar steps ... NFL's Washington team just changed its name -- while the Cleveland Indians say they're considering doing the same.

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri says RACE was the main reason he was disrespected and assaulted by a cop at the 2019 NBA Finals -- stating, "It's because I am Black."

50-year-old Ujiri has finally broken his silence about that bombshell body cam video which shows him clearly being shoved TWICE by an aggressive white deputy in the final moments of Game 6, as the Raptors were winning the title.

The video clearly proves the deputy was LYING when he claimed Ujiri instigated the altercation that night. Ujiri was calmly trying to present his security badge to the deputy when the guy flipped out, cussed him out and shoved Masai twice in the chest.

"The video sadly demonstrates how horribly I was treated by a law enforcement officer last year in the midst of my team, the Toronto Raptors, winning its first world championship," Ujiri said in a statement.

Ujiri says the moment should gave been one of the greatest of his life -- a reward after years of grinding -- but it was spoiled by that horrible deputy.

"I was reminded in that moment that despite all of my hard work and success, there are some people, including those who are supposed to protect us, who will always and only see me as something that is unworthy of respectful engagement. And, there’s only one indisputable reason why that is the case - because I am Black."

Ujiiri says he understands that he was ultimately vindicated because he had the resources to take on law enforcement -- and he fears for those who don't.

"The only reason why I am getting the justice I deserve in this moment is because of my success. Because I’m the President of a NBA team, I had access to resources that ensured I could demand and fight for my justice. So many of my brothers and sisters haven’t had, don’t have, and won’t have the same access to resources that assured my justice. And that’s why Black Lives Matter."