TMZ Sports - Page 50

Logan Paul is finally revealing how he broke his hand last year ... admitting it happened while drunkenly attempting to get the high score on an arcade boxing game.

TMZ Sports posted pics of Logan with a busted hand back in September ... but for the longest time, no one knew the 5 Ws and 1 H about the injury.

As it turns out, the Maverick was out on the town in Germany ... and when he came across an arcade punching bag at a bar, he grew determined to stroke his own "I'm a real boxer" ego and get the top score.

Logan says the bartender warned him beforehand about a column positioned right next to the game that has resulted in several broken hands in the past ... but he had his eyes set on his goal.

"I said, 'Guy, I'm a boxer,'" Logan said on his "Impaulsive" podcast. "I go, 'I'm not going to hit the f***ing wall.'"

Sure enough, on Logan's third and final attempt ... he gave himself a running start, wound up and his hand made solid contact with the Column of Doom ... shattering his paw in the process.

But, before he went to the hospital, Logan decided to record some epic #content ... showing off his bones and joking about trying the game one last time.

Eventually, Logan went to get checked out, where he learned he broke his third metacarpal -- which is located at the base of the middle finger.

The scary part -- Paul says he was told it's a career-ending injury for boxers.

"It was very hard to hear, it was very depressing -- especially when you're drunk, hearing things like this," Paul said.

But, Logan says he's recovered now and is already back to training ... and as he told us last month, he is planning to take a fight in 2022.

Joey B Baby and the "B" stands for baseball??

NFL superstar Joe Burrow isn't just great at throwing the pigskin -- the Bengals QB took the mound to throw the first pitch at the Reds' Opening Day game ... and it was a strike right down the middle!!

The AFC champ was a VIP guest at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Tuesday ... meeting and hanging out with Joey Votto and others before the Reds' matchup against the Cleveland Guardians.

But, it was #9 who displayed his skills first ... as he took the mound to throw the ceremonial toss, with Bengals head coach Zac Taylor lined up behind the plate as his catcher.

Joey looked calm as ever as he prepared for the throw ... and naturally, it was a perfect strike.

The crowd, of course, cheered for their QB ... after all, the dude's got the whole city in the palm of his hand after taking the Bengals to the Super Bowl in just his second season in the league.

Cain Velasquez has finally broken his silence on his attempted murder case -- releasing a statement from jail on Tuesday, thanking his supporters and urging "the true victims of this case" to come forward.

Velasquez just posted the message on his social media page -- just hours before he's set to go before a judge for a hearing in the case -- saying he's grateful for all of the fighters and fans who have pleaded for his release from jail following his February arrest.

"To everyone that has expressed your support, my family and I will never be able to thank you enough," Velasquez said. "From the bottom of our hearts and the depths of our souls, we are forever grateful for your love."

The 39-year-old did not go into detail about his side of the story in the case, but he did say it's "complex and slowly unraveling as we speak."

As we reported, officials say Velasquez shot at Harry Goularte multiple times on Feb. 28 in Santa Clara County, Calif. ... after the man was accused of molesting one of Velasquez's close relatives.

Velasquez has been hit with 10 criminal charges, including one count of felony attempted murder.

In his note, Velasquez urged the "true victims of this case" -- presumably others he believes Goularte has molested -- to speak out.

"May God give you the strength to come forward," the UFC legend said. "Though it is most difficult to relive the pain that has happened to you, in speaking the truth, justice will be served and your own true healing will start."

"I will never stop helping or loving my community and all of you. Thank you for loving me."

Velasquez's hearing is slated to begin at 1:30 PM PT. There is a chance he could finally be released from jail following the court session.

A youth baseball umpire was attacked on the field during a game over the weekend and was forced to go to the hospital ... after he says a coach disagreed with some of his calls.

Sam Phelps was behind home plate for a boys baseball game on Saturday in The Colony, Texas ... when he claims a few of his out/safe, balls/strikes decisions pissed off a coach on the field.

Phelps explained the situation to FOX4, saying it all came to a boiling point in the third inning ... seconds after he called a kid safe at home.

Phelps says the coach walked out of the dugout, mocked him and then shoved him to the ground after Phelps ejected him.

Video from the diamond shows the coach put his hands near the umpire's face, pushed him hard -- and caused the man to hit the dirt with force.

Phelps says he went to a nearby medical facility in an ambulance and was checked for head injuries, before he was ultimately released later in the evening.

Phelps said he's now looking to press charges against the coach -- explaining he believes punishment is necessary in order to protect everyone involved at games going forward.

"I don't want to destroy anyone's life," Phelps said. "But, I would like this to be a learning opportunity to get this out there."

We reached out to The Colony Police Dept. ... and a spokesperson told us officers did respond to the scene and did take a report. The spokesperson added an investigation is underway.

As for the coach's future at the baseball park, the org. that hosted the game Saturday told FOX4 it's banned the man and his team from all future events.

Nets forward Kevin Durant is condemning the tragic subway shooting in Brooklyn on Tuesday ... calling it "devastating" and saying he "hates senseless violence."

Durant addressed the media after the Nets walkthrough ahead of their play-in game tonight against the Cavaliers at the Barclays Center.

"It's devastating," Durant said, adding ... "I don't know the details. To hear the sirens out front of the practice facility and see so much commotion going on outside, you hope and pray for the best for everybody involved."

Durant said he received a text saying there might be heavy traffic on his way to the arena but the reason for it was never specified. Durant told reporters he initially heard about the tragedy from his teammates, but admits he didn't know the severity of the situation.

"I hate violence," Durant said, "I hate senseless violence."

"Hopefully we can figure out the details and get everybody to safety and get everybody the help that they need, but it's a tough situation right now."

Durant, of course, is referencing the mass shooting that occurred at a Brooklyn subway station this morning in NYC where at least 10 people were shot and several others were left injured during the chaos, according to the Associated Press.

The incident happened at the 36th Street station in the borough's Sunset Park neighborhood, which is not too far from where the Nets practice at the HSS Training Center.

Head coach Steve Nash also responded to the shooting, calling it "a very tragic morning," saying the Nets org. is "devastated for the community and those directly involved."

As of now, the Nets are still expected to host the Cavs tonight as both teams fight for playoff seeding.

Here's a video that'll surely wake up the "baseball's boring" crowd ...

An amateur league player lit his bat on fire during a game and then smoked a line drive single with the piece of lumber ... and footage of the play is awesome!!!

The wild scene all went down in a recent Savannah Bananas vs. Savannah Party Animals game in Georgia -- when Zak Whalin came to the plate with his bat ablaze.

In broadcast video from the game, you can see Whalin's bat was completely engulfed in flames as he was taking pitches.

At one point during the AB, though, Whalin was able to crack a single with the smoking bat -- barely beating out the throw from centerfield to reach first base safely. Yeah ... awesome, right?!

If you're unfamiliar -- plays like these happen quite often in Bananas games ... some have called the team the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, despite being members of the Coastal Plain League, a respected collegiate summer baseball league.

In fact, the team has been known to do TikTok dances mid-play before!!

Can't imagine the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees doing anything like this on the diamond anytime soon ... but if they did, who'd be all that mad about it?!

Alex Volkanovski wants into the UFC's champ-champ club after his latest dominating performance ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to go up a weight class and fight the winner of Justin Gaethje vs. Charles Oliveira.

We talked to 33-year-old Volkanovski -- who was nearly flawless against the "Korean Zombie" Saturday night at UFC 273 -- and asked him, in a perfect world, what and/or who he wanted next, and without hesitation, Volk dropped this news.

"Lightweight title. Lightweight title. The timing works well cause I want to be active this year. [Gaethje and Oliveira are] fighting in a month. Winner of that title fight fights in August or something like that. That's perfect. That sounds like a great idea to me."

FYI, Alex -- who previously played rugby, weighing up to 214 lbs. -- hasn't lost a fight since May 2013 ... and it was at WELTERWEIGHT. In fact, the 5'6" star has even fought at middleweight (185 lbs.)

Point being, 155 lbs. doesn't seem crazy for the man who's held the featherweight crown since December 2019.

Volkanovski's reign at featherweight (145 lbs.) has been nothing short of dominant. Alex beat Max Holloway twice (who many believe is the featherweight G.O.A.T.), Brian Ortega, Chad Mendes, and Jose Aldo, to name just a few.

As for #1 contender, Justin Gaethje, and lightweight champ, Charles Oliveira ... they're fighting at UFC 274 on May 7.

Gaethje is coming off a win against Michael Chandler at UFC 268. Oliveira successfully defended his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.

Champ-champ status is clearly something that's important to Alex ... who's been the 145 lb. champ since

"It's a goal that I'm looking for, that double champ status," Volkanovski says.

"Again, I haven't really been pushing for it. I know I've mentioned it, but I've always mentioned it as in the near future. It's only now that I'm mentioning it as in 'I think it's deserving.'"

Will Dana White give Alex a fight at 155?? And, can he join the exclusive club made up of only Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo??

Tom Brady is still the G.O.A.T. on the football field and in his household -- 'cause he says he just whooped his oldest son in a game of 1-on-1 basketball.

TB12 shared some rare footage of him hoopin' on his Instagram page on Tuesday ... showing a little bit of his recent contest with 14-year-old Jack.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar looked smooth as butter in the clip, hitting a jumper over the kid -- much to the young Brady's dismay.

Brady also showed some pics of him blowing by Jack in the lane all while appearing to be on his way to hitting a scoop layup.

No word on what the final score of the game was -- but Tom wrote on his social media page, "Dad still wins for now."

Tom did show some love to Jack, though -- saying the kid is improving on the court, writing, "I don't love my chances next year."

The NFL star might not be blowin' smoke -- Jack appears to be growing like a weed ... check out the huge spurt he's appeared to hit since 2021.

Tom has said in the past that Jack loves sports -- and could follow in his athletic footsteps one day.

A man in Florida claims he saw Dwayne Haskins walking in the middle of a highway right before the NFL player's death ... and says he was so concerned at the sight, he called 911 in an attempt to get help.

Chris Stanley told NBC 6 South Florida this week that after he dropped his daughter off at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, he was traveling on I-595 when cars -- including a "tractor-trailer" type vehicle -- started to veer into his lane from the right.

Stanley says he then noticed a man he believes to be Haskins start walking into the road with his arms partially raised ... and immediately became worried that a car would crash into him.

The outlet says the witness called 911 for assistance at 6:31 AM ... shortly before the crash was reported to authorities.

Stanley says he did not spot a vehicle on the side of the highway ... nor did he see anything else that could explain what the person he thinks was Haskins was doing.

"That's why it's just very disturbing," he says. "I just didn't understand the situation."

As we previously reported, Haskins died after being struck by a dump truck Saturday morning around 6:37 AM near Fort Lauderdale. He was just 24 years old.

The sports world has mourned the loss in the days following the tragedy ... with names like Joe Burrow, T.J. Watt, Mike Tomlin and more sharing their grief.

Kim Clijsters is putting down the racket for good -- again -- the tennis superstar just announced she's retiring from the sport for the third time to focus on her family.

The 38-year-old former #1 overall player in the world broke the news via Instagram on Tuesday ... saying, "I want to share with you that I have decided to no longer play official tournaments."

This will be the third time the Belgian player has retired -- in 2007, she left to marry former basketball player Brian Lynch. She later gave birth to their first child, Jada, in 2008.

Clijsters returned to the court in 2009, before retiring again in 2012. She gave birth to two boys, Jake and Blake, during her time away ... before making another comeback in February 2020.

Unfortunately, Clijsters' second return came right when the COVID-19 pandemic started ... putting a halt to all sporting events. She tested positive for the virus in January 2021.

Clijsters was also plagued with injuries recently ... and her last official match was Oct. 7, 2021.

"I can’t wait to see what new adventures will cross my path," Clijsters said.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past two years!"

The Detroit Lions might have only won three games in 2021, but Jared Goff is certainly dominating the offseason ... by taking his smoking hot girlfriend to the beach for a make-out session!!

Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Christen Harper shared snaps of the couple's romantic trip to the beach in SoCal over the weekend ... showing them lounging in the sand and sharing a smooch.

27-year-old Goff and Harper, 28, ate well during their visit, too ... chowing down on Locale90 pizza and enjoying a cheese board while sipping on some wine and watching the sunset.

Of course, the duo is one of the hottest couples in sports ... and have been going strong since taking their romance public in March 2019.

Harper was recently named one of S.I.'s rookies for the 2022 issue after crushing the worldwide Swim Search ... calling the accomplishment a dream come true.

Cam Newton believes women should cater to a man's needs ... saying his ideal partner should know how to cook and when to be quiet -- and, yeah, he's now he's facing serious backlash.

The NFL quarterback made the controversial comments on Barstool Sports' "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast this week ... when he opened up about being raised in a household by his mother, father, and grandmother.

Newton says his experiences at home helped him understand the difference between a "woman" and a "bad bitch" -- explaining he believes the latter is not something women should strive for.

"A woman for me is handling your own, but knowing how to cater to a man's needs," Cam said on the pod. "I think a lot of times, when you get that aesthetic of like, 'I'm a boss bitch, I'm a this, I'm a that,' -- no, baby. But you can't cook."

"You don’t know when to be quiet. You don’t know how to allow a man to lead."

Cam insisted on the show that he was not trying to "beat up my queens" with his statements ... but he called for "men to start being men, bro."

"That sucka s*** should not be rewarded."

As you could imagine, Cam's comments did not go over well on social media ... with many calling the words sexist and misogynistic.

Of course, it's not the first time he's been called out for remarks about women ... back in 2017, Cam was criticized for laughing at a female reporter's question during a press conference and saying, "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes."

Cam later apologized for his words, but not before he lost a major sponsorship with Oikos yogurt.

Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm said out loud during his game in Philadelphia on Monday that he "f***ing hates" playing in the city ... but afterward, he quickly apologized and swore he didn't mean it.

Bohm unleashed the quick tirade amid a brutal night on the field against the New York Mets ... with cameras capturing the 25-year-old saying to a teammate, "I f***ing hate this place."

Bohm had just committed three errors in the game -- and after he finally made a good play at the hot corner, fans sarcastically cheered ... which clearly pissed him off.

He unleashed the quick barb while looking at Didi Gregorius -- but following the game, he said he was deeply sorry for the comments.

"Emotions got the best of me," said Bohm, who was a former top prospect who's struggled since becoming an everyday player for the Phillies. "I said it. Do I mean it? No."

"It's [a] frustrating night for me. Obviously, I made a few mistakes in the field. Look, these people, these fans, they just want to win. And, you heard it. We come back. They're great. I'm sorry for them. I don't mean that. Emotions just got the best of me."

Bohm then said he actually loves playing in Philly.

Kentucky's Rhyne Howard went no. 1 overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft ... and after she was selected, she paid tribute to the late Terrence Clarke -- who she calls her "little brother."

The shooting guard walked the New York stage Monday night wearing a white pantsuit set with sparkles ... but what stood out most was her honorary pin for Clarke, a former Wildcats guard who died almost a year ago.

"That was like my little brother," Howard said about her tribute.

Clarke and Howard met on campus in 2020 ... when TC was a freshman and Howard was in her 2nd year. They both played for the Wildcats hoops teams.

"As soon as he stepped on campus, we instantly clicked and ever since then, we were inseparable."

"Just us coming in and me being able to help him and just get him through his college years."

Sadly, Clarke was tragically killed in a Los Angeles car crash on April 22, 2021 -- a few months before he was set to be drafted by an NBA team.

Rhyne is definitely making TC proud ... she averaged 20.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game during her four seasons in Lexington, and became the highest player drafted in Kentucky women's basketball history.

Jessica Simpson is lovin' the way she looks ... posting another bikini picture from her vacation in Cabo after she dropped 100 pounds for the 3rd time!

The "Open Book" author posted a mirror pic from what seems to be her hotel room in Cabo San Lucas Monday ... rocking a cheetah print 2-piece for the camera.

She's been living it up with her family in Mexico for spring break, posting photos with her husband Eric Johnson, and their children -- 9-year-old Maxwell, 8-year-old Ace, and 3-year-old Birdie Mae.

As you recall, Jessica revealed her drastic weight loss to her fans Friday ... posting another swimsuit pic and saying she has gained and lost 100 pounds three different times.

It sounds like this one is different because she adds, "I never thought this moment could or would happen" ... Jessica chalked it up to hard work, determination and self-love.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Monday she and the league are still fighting like hell to bring Brittney Griner back from Russia ... telling reporters the situation is "unimaginable."

Engelbert wasted no time addressing Griner's Russian detainment in her opening remarks prior to the WNBA Draft -- but said little has changed with the basketball superstar's status.

The 31-year-old remains in custody ... and Engelbert said she knows the hooper is still safe.

She added that she and players across the league are still following officials' advice to stay relatively mum on the topic.

"I know we're all frustrated, but we do need to be patient," Engelbert said. "The players have been amazing at following the advice they're getting and we're getting in order not to jeopardize her safety in any way."

Griner has been detained in Russia since February ... after she was accused of having hash oil in her luggage while going through airport security.

Griner's detainment was extended until at least mid-May at a court hearing last month.

"This is an unimaginable situation for BG to be in," Engelbert said. "She continues to have our full support. Certainly, we're trying everything we can, every angle, working with her legal representation, her agent, elected leaders, the administration. Just everybody in our ecosystem to try and find ways to get her home safely and as quickly as we can."