TMZ Sports - Page 50

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake says he busted his knee so badly during a recent fall he needs a full replacement surgery ... but the cost is putting a serious financial burden on his family.

The 61-year-old WWE legend says he has already suffered major damage to his knee from his 35-year wrestling career ... but the fall made it much worse. Now, he's asking the fans for help through a GoFundMe page.

Brutus says he knows he's been blessed with a great career and a great life -- but tells TMZ Sports he doesn't have a lot of money and needs help to pay for his medical costs.

"The costs completely overwhelmed me and my wife," Beefcake says.

Brutus says he never got health insurance so everything is out of pocket -- and, while he admits he didn't want to ask fans for money, he feels it's his best move.

His surgery is set for June 12 -- good luck!!

Cristiano Ronaldo's got a big game coming up this weekend ... and the soccer god's preparing for it by enjoying a big serving of cake at the beach ... courtesy of his bikini-clad baby mama!!

The Real Madrid superstar and Georgina Rodriguez were spotted catchin' rays in Ibiza last week ... showing the forward lookin' carefree leading up to the Champions League Final against Liverpool on Saturday.

While the other kids didn't appear to make it on the trip, CR7's oldest son, Cristiano Jr., was in on the fun ... getting thrown into the water by his dad.

The tension between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady appears to be growing ... with the Patriots coach refusing to talk about his star QB because Tom didn't show up to voluntary workouts this week.

"I'm not gonna talk about the people who aren't here," Belichick said when asked about Tom ... "The guys that are here are improving, they're working hard and those are the guys we're gonna focus on."

"All the guys that are out here working are improving."

Tom no-showed at OTAs (organized team activities) on Monday and Tuesday ... despite preaching the importance of OTA workouts in previous years.

Remember, Tom recently griped that he didn't feel appreciated by the team -- and there are reports of discord behind the scenes.

So, how will this affect the season? We'll see ...

No, this ain't a clip from 2005 ... Rafael Palmeiro really took a pitcher YARD in an independent minor league baseball game this week -- AT 53 YEARS OLD!!

It all went down Monday night in the fifth inning of the Cleburne Railroaders' tilt with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks -- when Palmeiro hit a BOMB off a pitcher 25 years younger than he is.

Remember, the former Baltimore Orioles All-Star signed with Cleburne earlier this month in what seemed like a PR stunt for Rafael to get some quality time with his son, Patrick, on the baseball diamond.

But, Palmeiro's been ballin' despite being about three decades older than everyone on the field, recording two hits in his third game of the season on Monday.

Kobe Bryant is finally revealing his initial reaction to Kanye West's slavery comments on "TMZ Live" -- and it's the same feeling mostly everyone else had ... "What the hell are you talking about?!"

The Mamba was speaking with L.A. high school students at We Rise LA when 14-year-old Kaya -- a BSO junior reporter -- wanted to know what Kobe made of Kanye's "slavery is a choice" argument.

"Completely disagree," Kobe explained.

"The thing about our country is that you have the right to say whatever it is that you want to say ... that's the beautiful part about living in a democracy."

He added, "Conversely, you also have to take the responses that come after that as well because everybody has the freedom to say what it is that they feel."

"For him, he's one of these entertainers that's always in a constant state of growth ... he's always challenging not us as people but really himself. He's doing a lot of questioning internally himself."

"I just take it for what it is and completely disagree."

NASCAR champ Martin Truex Jr. says his White House visit Monday to meet President Trump was "amazing" ... calling it a huge honor he would NEVER consider passing up.

It's a MUCH different opinion than some NBA and NFL players -- but Truex tells TMZ Sports he considers NASCAR to be "very patriotic" and he's proud to be an American.

Truex was invited to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. after winning the 2017 Cup Series title -- and on his way out, he RAVED about the experience.

"Oh my God, it was amazing. The president was an unbelievable host. He showed us everything that he didn't have to show, so it was really cool."

We mentioned the controversy with other athletes boycotting Trump's White House -- and Truex said the thought of turning down Trump never crossed his mind.

"I mean, I think it's a huge honor. Huge honor for me and my team and for them to invite us was amazing, so I would never pass it up."

Soccer legend Brandi Chastain is a total babe -- but the people who made her Hall of Fame plaque made her look more like Babe Ruth!

You remember Brandi ... one of the greatest Team USA soccer players of all time -- she famously ripped off her shirt after scoring the winning goal at the 1999 Women's World Cup.

Chastain was honored with a plaque at the San Francisco Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame induction on Monday ... but man, did it look bad.

Gotta hand it to Brandi ... who graciously accepted the plaque despite the fact it looked NOTHING like her.

"It's not the most flattering, but it's nice," Chastain told reporters during the event Monday night.

Chastain isn't just classy -- she was AWESOME on the field, racking up 30 international goals for Team USA during her career. Back in 2013, she was named one of the USWNT All-Time Best XI.

She's also a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Rampage Jackson is putting an end to rumors he's headed to an MMA fight with 50 Cent -- telling TMZ Sports there's no way in hell Fiddy ever REALLY gets in a cage with him.

50 started trash talking Rampage earlier this month -- saying he's the superior "Jackson" and would wreck the former UFC champ if they ever stepped in a cage.

The rapper fueled speculation that the two were working on a deal when he posted a photo with Bellator president Scott Coker.

So, when we saw Rampage at LAX, we had to ask ... and Jackson told us straight-up he's INCREDIBLY ANNOYED by all the fight talk ... 'cause it's never happening!

"50 probably drinking too much of that champagne that he got," Rampage said ... "Who actually think 50 trying to fight?

"I just don't feel like 50 trying to step in no cage with me ... he ain't no fighter."

"I ain't trying to challenge him to no rap battles."

Rampage added ... "It's annoying as f*ck."

Who was one of the key people who helped get 'NSYNC off the ground??

IT'S GOTTA BE SHAQ!!

It's true ... according to Lance Bass who tells TMZ Sports the supergroup owes a lot of its early success to the NBA legend.

"I mean ... a lot of people don't know Shaquille had a big hand in starting our career," Lance said at the Montage Hotel in Bev Hills.

We only brought up Shaq because Google search is showing Shaq as the 5th member of the group -- replacing Joey Fatone.

It's obviously a glitch ... but Lance says Shaq's connection to the band is 100% real.

"We lived in Orlando and our first place that we recorded was his house ... so all of our first demos, our first songs were all from Shaq's house!"

It's true ... Shaq has a recording studio in his massive Orlando estate -- which is now on the market for $28 MILLION -- and Lance says O'Neal let the group record because he knew someone at the label.

One thing led to another ... and 'NSYNC became a global phenomenon.

Now, Lance says he'd love for Shaq to join the group in real life ... as soon as they get rid of that one member "we probably need to replace."

Sen. Marco Rubio is once again breaking from Donald Trump ... defending Colin Kaepernick's right to protest and telling TMZ Sports why he absolutely SHOULD be on an NFL roster.

"Look, I support his right to stand for what he does," the republican senator tells us ... "I don't agree with what he did but I support his right to do it."

"But if we're just talking football ... there aren't 63 better quarterbacks in the world."

FYI, Rubio is assuming there are 64 quarterbacks currently on NFL rosters.

Rubio said he's not sure if the NFL owners actually colluded against Colin, as Kaep is alleging in his case against the league ... but he certainly believes Colin has the talent to play with the best in the world.

"Slappin'" Zlatan Ibrahimovic was just red carded and ejected from an MLS game in Montreal ... after he BELTED AN OPPONENT IN THE EAR!

Zlatan and the L.A. Galaxy were in Canada to face the Montreal Impact when Michael Petrasso stepped on Ibra's foot ... pissing off the most famous player in the MLS.

So, to get revenge ... 36-year-old Zlatan reached back like a pimp and unloaded a 5-finger attack to Petrasso's right ear.

Petrasso collapsed to the ground ... and so did Zlatan, who tried like hell to hide the on-field assault.

Didn't work for Ibra ... the ref busted him and whipped out a red card, sending him to the locker room.

It's Zlatan's first red card in the MLS since joining the league back in March.

Even without the Swedish superstar, the Galaxy still won 1-0.

Not often you see a Jewish athlete selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft ... so, when we saw Josh Rosen at LAX, we asked if he had a message for his Hebrew brethren.

"Keep grinding," the Arizona Cardinals QB said at LAX.

Unclear if Rosen is a practicing Jew, but his father is Jewish and Rosen had a bar mitzvah back in the day. For many Jewish people, including Larry David, he's Jewish enough.

Remember, when David was asked who he wanted the Jets to draft, he said ... "I gotta go with the Jew!"

Rosen also spoke at length about being the target of anti-semitic taunts while he was playing at UCLA ... and how it actually fueled him on the field.

Canelo Alvarez is playing with fire ... vacationing in Mexico, despite blaming his positive PED test on tainted meat.

Remember, Canelo is adamant he didn't intentionally take clenbuterol before his scheduled fight with Gennady Golovkin, saying he unintentionally consumed tainted Mexican beef

Alvarez says he moved his training camp from Mexico to the United States to avoid these problems, but now he's back in his home country, and boxing fans have gotta be hoping he's going meat free.

Oscar De La Hoya -- Canelo's promoter -- says he will fight in September ... whether or not it's GGG.

Anthony Joshua says he's one step closer to finalizing a contract to fight Deontay Wilder -- and predicts, "I'm gonna f*ck him up bad."

"I'm gonna rain down hell on him," Joshua said during a Q&A with radio host Polly James in Cardiff, Wales.

The 28-year-old boxing superstar said he's been locked in negotiations with Wilder's camp -- but there's one major sticking point before the deal gets done ... location, location, location.

Joshua wants the fight in the UK because he doesn't trust the way boxing events go down in America, Wilder's home turf.

In fact, Joshua said he's concerned about "tricky" judges and refs who will tip the fight in Wilder's favor.

This is what Jet Li looked like just 12 years ago, at the peak of his action movie career ... but now he looks much older than his 55 years ... as he deals with medical issues.

The pic was posted by a fan who posed with the action star during a recent visit to Tibet. It shows Jet looking frail and nearly bald. He revealed back in 2013 he suffers from hyperthyroidism and a heart condition.

At the time, he said he could continue making action films or spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. But, more to the point ... Jet has also suffered serious leg and spine injuries over the course of his career, admitting he can't stand for a long period of time without hunching.

Just 4 years ago Li was starring alongside some of the biggest action stars in the world in "The Expendables 3" ... looking nowhere near what he looks like now.

Even Black Mamba enjoys a little white snake.

Kobe Bryant brought his entire family to the Taylor Swift concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena over the weekend ... even busting out some dance moves to "Shake It Off."

Kobe and Taylor have been friends for a little while ... remember, it was Kobe who played M.C. when she got a banner at Staples Center back in 2015 for "Most Sold Out Performances."

This time, Bryant didn't have any official duties -- but he did get V.I.P. access for his daughters to hang with Taylor backstage ... where his wife, Vanessa, also kicked it with Julia Roberts!

Retirement ain't so bad, is it, Kobe?

There were a TON of famous people at the show including Rebel Wilson, Miles Teller, Bill Nye, Sarah Michelle Gellar ... and get this -- Amber Rose and her ex, Wiz Khalifa, arrived together with their kid!