TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez had nothing but great things to say about Bruce Bochy following his World Series victory this week ... telling TMZ Sports there's absolutely no doubt in his mind the Texas manager will be inducted in Cooperstown one day.

"Hall of Famer," the former Rangers catcher said. "Hall of Famer, obviously."

With a 5-0 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Bochy became just the sixth manager ever to earn four World Series championship rings. Unlike the other five, though, he's not yet secured a place in baseball's HOF.

Pudge, however, clearly thinks that will happen sooner than later ... calling the 68-year-old one of the greatest big-game coaches of all time.

"When you start to play in the playoffs, it's a different monster," said Rodriguez, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017. "It's always a different game. It's a different ball game. And he's the best doing that. He's the best manager in that situation. And we all see it."

Pudge -- who's been working as a special assistant to the general manager of the Rangers -- said Bochy deserves a ton of credit for leading Texas to its first-ever title, adding that his calming presence made a huge difference in the dugout.

"As a player," he said, "you feel comfortable that, 'Hey, he's going to put all the pieces together to bring this game back and win for us.'"

Pudge also had high praise for the Rangers' World Series MVP, Corey Seager ... calling him straight up "one of my favorite players."

Shawn "Showtime" Porter was impressed by Francis Ngannou's boxing debut against Tyson Fury last week ... telling TMZ Sports he could see the former UFC legend having a successful boxing career in the heavyweight division.

ICYMI, Ngannou lost by split decision to Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia ... and even though it was his first boxing match ever, Francis put on a good performance, including a knockdown in the 3rd round.

"Unfortunately, even though Ngannou showed himself, again, to be very strong, showed himself to be prepared for this fight, he also showed he does not have enough boxing mechanics to win enough rounds to beat Tyson Fury," Porter said.

Shawn -- who won 31 fights in the welter/middleweight division -- believes Ngannou's execution could make him a decent heavyweight boxer in the future ... once he gets a couple of fights under his belt and some familiarity with the sport.

"His lack of experience showed because there were rounds where he essentially did zero to win those rounds," Porter said.

"If he's able to find a pace, he's gonna get some heavyweight fighters some trouble because he's big enough to fight there, he showed he's strong enough to fight there and the guy is athletic. He got skills!"

Even Ngannous's age (37) doesn't stop Porter from believing he can be tough in boxing ... saying fighters don't even get to their prime until their mid-30s and heavyweights age slower than other weight classes.

However, Porter -- who became a boxing analyst after retiring in 2021 -- does point out that Fury didn't fight hard either ... but he's not taking anything away from Ngannou's debut.

"He underperformed," Porter said about Fury. "He wasn't prepared for this fight."

Porter isn't the only one who believes Fury didn't come ready ... undefeated boxer Shakur Stevenson told us the same thing, saying Tyson was "off that night."

Ex-NFL star Devin Funchess is keeping his hoop dreams alive ... telling TMZ Sports he's still hoping to suit up for an NBA team -- and he's putting in the work nonstop to make it happen!!

29-year-old Funchess made headlines last year ... revealing after five seasons on the gridiron, he wanted to take his talents to the hardwood.

We caught up with the 6'4", 225-pound athlete about how the process is going this week ... and it's safe to say he's dead set on making it to the Association.

In fact, he's putting his skills to the test with California's Statham Academy squad in the Asia Basket Dasmariñas Tournament in the Philippines this weekend (DF dropped 10 points, grabbed 7 boards, and had 4 blocks in their first game).

"My end goal is the NBA, get a few seasons over there just like I did in the NFL. Just to be able to compete against the best players in the world, that'll be a blessing to me. I've done it in the football realm already. And it's nothing but dedication, repetition and just having fun."

Devin -- who first dunked a basketball when he was 10 -- has been working with NBA trainers to hone his craft ... and played against pros like Michael Beasley, Amar'e Stoudemire and John Wall.

Funchess explains his unique experience as a football veteran will help bring experience to a squad -- even though he'd technically be a rookie.

But he's not looking to come in the league and be LeBron James -- Funchess says he's just looking to make an impact and help teams win.

Of course, basketball was Devin's first love ... but after an issue with his coach in his junior season of high school ball, he switched his focus to football. He went on to play at Michigan before suiting up for the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts.

This never happened coding ... Mark Zuckerberg tore his ACL training MMA, and was forced to go under the knife, delaying a real deal fight Zuck had scheduled for early next year!

The Facebook founder shared several photos from his hospital bed Friday afternoon ... announcing he's suffered a serious injury to his left leg.

"Tore my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it. Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me. I was training for a competitive MMA fight early next year, but now that's delayed a bit. Still looking forward to doing it after I recover. Thanks to everyone for the love and support," 39-year-old Zuck wrote on Instagram.

The bit about the upcoming fight is news, too. No one ever publicly announced Mark scheduled a mixed martial arts bout.

A bunch of MMA stars wished Zuck well after hearing about his injury, including former UFC champ-champ Henry Cejudo, who wrote ...  "Speedy recovery Mark! 🙏"

Through training, Zuckerberg has befriended many of the world's top fighters like Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski.

FYI, the ACL, or the anterior cruciate ligament, is a band of tissue that connects your thigh and shinbones together and is a common injury among athletes.

Of course, Zuckerberg and Elon Musk spent months negotiating terms for an MMA fight, though it never came to fruition. The billionaires blamed each other for the breakdown.

Earlier this week Musk went on Joe Rogan's podcast and again reiterated that he would fight Zuckerberg "anytime, anywhere, any place."

ACL recovery typically takes around 9 months, give or take, to return to competition post-surgery.

Until then, Mark's likely not fighting anyone.

Nathaniel Lowe was so giddy during the Rangers' World Series parade Friday, he straight-up downed a fan's beer in seconds -- and then ripped off his shirt in celebration of the achievement!!

The 2022 Silver Slugger award winner was being driven around in the back of a pickup truck to soak in love from Texas fans when the hilarious moment happened.

You can see in video from the scene in Arlington, a Rangers supporter tossed Lowe a Modelo -- before the first baseman cracked it open and drank it 'til the last drop.

But, he wasn't done there ... he then ripped off his jersey and his undershirt -- much to the crowd's delight.

Thousands of people showed up to celebrate Lowe and his Rangers after they won the title over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday ... and one supporter was so thrilled by his team's performance, he actually climbed to the top of a light pole to pump his fists.

Thankfully, he reportedly made it down unharmed.

Following the jaunt around the city ... the Rangers then took the stage to address their fans -- and Series MVP Corey Seager delivered an epic drop-the-mic moment.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's getting dragged to court by the cyclist he accidentally hit with his car, and she's ripping his driving skills ... or the alleged lack thereof.

According to the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, a woman named Joanne Flickinger claims she's the bicyclist who collided with Arnold's SUV back in February on a busy West L.A. street.

In the docs, Flickinger claims Arnold is at fault ... she says he was driving "with excessive speed and failed to keep a proper lookout." She also claims the collision caused her severe injuries.

TMZ broke the story ... Arnold was involved in a traffic accident with a woman on a bike, and she was transported to a hospital. We're told he took the lady's bike, attached it to his SUV and took it to a local bike shop for repairs.

At the time, our law enforcement sources told us the woman made a left turn in front of Arnold before he had a chance to hit his brakes and he was not going very fast at all.

Obviously, the bicyclist sees things differently ... and she's going after Arnold for money.

Bre Tiesi is doing a little post-pillow talk about Michael B. Jordan -- 'cause she says she slept with the guy ... and it sounds like she checked him off her list a while ago!

The model -- who was famously married to Johnny Manziel once upon a time -- is now on Netflix's "Selling Sunset" ... and during their Season 7 premiere this week, she and the other girls were fantasizing about which famous hunk they'd love to get in the sack.

Chrishell Stause kicked off the hypothetical, asking the ladies who they'd like a go at -- to which Amanza Smith immediately answered with MBJ ... kinda a no-brainer, right?

Welp, apparently so for Bre ... who shot back right away, saying -- "I could do that -- and I've done that." Quite proudly, we might add ... and with a mouthful of chow, very casual-like.

In other words ... Bre already went around the block with Mike, or so she claims. With that said, she didn't get into details about when/where/how, etc. It's an odd pairing, no doubt -- prior to this confession, there was really no obvious connection between BT and Michael.

Of course, there was nothing on the surface between her and Nick Cannon either ... and yet, she ended up having one of his kids kinda out of the blue a year ago.

What's interesting here about this alleged hookup story is that Michael's recent ex, Lori Harvey, was also just in the middle of an old hanky-panky tale -- namely, 'Love & Hip Hop' star Prince Michael ... who claimed to have banged LH way back in the day.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross allegedly roughed up his girlfriend, broke her stuff ... and then knifed her Mercedes during an altercation that led to his arrest last week.

The allegations are all spelled out in newly released court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs -- an affidavit -- prosecutors say cops told them the incident between Ross and his girlfriend happened in Johnson County, Kansas on Oct. 23 ... after the football player allegedly found out the woman had been cheating on him.

According to the documents, the woman told cops that after Ross viewed her phone ... he got in her face, pushed her, threw her to the floor, and then began throwing objects at her. The docs say the woman was seen with "a small scratch" on her hand following the incident.

Officials say the woman also told cops Ross broke several of her items during the confrontation, including jewelry, a cell phone, a laptop and her Mercedes key.

The docs also note that two neighbors say they witnessed Ross push the woman ... as well as "run a knife across" the woman's vehicle.

According to the docs, however, Ross told cops he had thrown the woman's stuff out the door after he found out she was cheating him. He allegedly admitted to breaking a computer -- though he claimed it was his. He denied breaking anything else that belonged to the woman, the docs state.

As we reported, Ross was ultimately arrested over the allegations and charged with one count of domestic battery with no priors as well as one count of criminal damage of less than $1,000. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing on Oct. 24. He's due to appear before a judge once again on Dec. 4.

As for his football career, he was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List on Oct. 27, which means he's not currently allowed to play in games or practice with the Chiefs ... though he can still attend meetings and get any necessary medical treatment while his criminal case plays out.

Travis Kelce didn't seem to be too keen on answering questions about Taylor Swift while out in Germany on Friday ... especially when the inquires turned to whether or not he was "in love" with his new girlfriend.

Kelce sat down with media members out in Frankfurt to preview the Chiefs' Sunday international game against the Dolphins ... when suddenly, one reporter began prodding the tight end about his latest romantic partner.

First, the journalist wanted a relationship update ... which Kelce kind of gave.

"The latest status is I got to see her last week," he said with a smile. "That's the latest status right there."

Then, the questioner asked straight up, "Are you in love?"

Kelce, however, dodged the question like it was a linebacker in the middle of a football field.

"I'm going to keep my personal relationship personal," he said.

The Swift questions didn't end there, though ... because just before Kelce got off the podium, one reporter wanted to know if Swift would be in attendance for the big game against Miami at Deutsche Bank Park.

But, as he did with the previous questions, Kelce sidestepped the inquiry as well.

Of course, we shoulda seen this one coming ... after all, Kelce promised a few weeks ago he was going to keep his relationship with Taylor a little more under wraps -- and while he's bent the rules here and there, it seems he's done now.

Adam Silver is lovin' the NBA's new collaboration with Kim Kardashian's SKIMS underwear brand ... so much so the commissioner was actually wearing 'em when TMZ Sports spoke with him this week in NYC!

We caught up with the 61-year-old commish just days after the NBA announced its multi-year partnership with SKIMS MENS ... which Kardashian recently introduced.

In fact, KK used OKC star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as one of the models for the SKIMS MENS launch ... in addition to Neymar Jr. and Nick Bosa. The line did millions of dollars in sales in minutes upon launch.

But, is the product any good? Silver's clearly a big fan!

"Although I'm not going to show you, I'm wearing them right now," Adam told us.

"I strongly recommend them to everyone."

Silver even believes the undies could help the players perform better on the court.

"When guys are more comfortable, makes them play better," Silver said. "So yes, gonna have a direct impact on the game."

Speaking of playing better, LeBron James is fresh off a monster game ... scoring 35 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists in 42 minutes against the Clippers.

Even though Nick Saban might look like he got into a fight with Francis Ngannou this week ... he revealed Thursday his eye is actually busted up because he's been screaming too much.

Many had been wondering what was wrong with the 72-year-old coach after he had been spotted in public multiple times this week with an eyeball seemingly full of blood.

Pat McAfee even joked with the Alabama honcho during his appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show" early Thursday morning -- asking if the seven-time national champion had suffered an injury squatting too much.

Initially, Saban said he had no idea what was wrong ... but during his hit on his weekly radio show on Thursday night, he announced it was simply a wound he got from yelling at his Crimson Tide players.

"[The doctor] comes to see me after practice today," Saban said. "And, he looks at me and he said, 'You been coughing?' And I said, 'No.' And he said, 'You know, you can get this from yelling.'"

"He said, 'You got it from yelling. There's nothing wrong with you. You just got it from yelling. You busted a blood vessel in your eye from yelling too much.'"

Saban and his cohosts got in a good laugh over it all ... with Nick even joking of his appearance, "It looks like I've been in a gang fight and my gang didn't show."

Saban should be fine going forward ... as the Mayo Clinic describes the issue as a "harmless" one that should subside in just a few days.

Megan Thee Stallion has a lot of baggage to unpack from this year -- and the load appears to be aimed at her ex-boyfriend/collaborator Pardison Fontaine!!!

On "Cobra," her first solo track of 2023, Meg delivers on her promise to bring "raw topics" to the forefront ... addressing her haters while also speaking on depression and even ideas of suicide.

Many fans were also left with the impression Meg takes a huge bite into Pardi when she raps ... "Man, I miss my parents, way too anxious, always cancel my plans/Pulled up, caught him cheating/Getting his d*** sucked in the same spot I'm sleeping!!!"

Pardi has yet to respond to Meg’s cheating accusations … but he did turn off his IG comments -- yeah, Meg’s Hotties were big mad!!!

The two rappers emerged as a couple in 2021 and were lovebirds for 2 years, but things looked shaky when Pardi took on poetry for the first time ... with a cryptic message that pointed to the split.

The end of their relationship was confirmed when Megan was spotted at a wedding with soccer star Romelu Lukaku in May ... and entered her new era, stepping out in a fully see-through bodysuit, shortly after Tory Lanez was found guilty of shooting her.

Pardi’s moved on himself -- he sent flowers to dancehall singer Jada Kingdom shortly after Meg's song dropped, something she proudly posted on social media.

Pardi and Jada have been linked since September ... and some fans think she's the woman he was with when Meg allegedly caught him.

Breakups happen, but rap's biggest critic Joe Budden thinks Meg and Pardi should work out their differences ... for the sake of her music's quality.

In other words, JB thinks Meg needs Pardi's pen, but now folks can decide for themselves if they like her new solo stuff.

Tennessee Titans star Treylon Burks was strapped to a backboard and carted off the field after suffering a scary injury during Thursday night's game ... but, thankfully, he now appears to be doing OK.

The terrifying moment happened late in the fourth quarter of Tennessee's tilt with the Steelers in Pittsburgh ... when Burks attempted to make a circus catch to keep a late-game Titans drive alive.

The 23-year-old jumped up for the ball, grabbed it with two hands ... but when he came crashing to the grass, it slipped from his grasp as his head and neck slammed violently into the ground.

Burks lay motionless for several moments ... before trainers and medical personnel rushed to stabilize him.

The wide receiver -- a former first-round pick -- was eventually taken to the locker room ... where Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said he was showing positive signs of recovery.

"He's alert, moving," Vrabel told reporters after the game. "I'll have more of an update hopefully tomorrow, but he's back there being evaluated. But, I would say that the way it looked -- it's probably better than how it looked."

Texas Tech security didn't have to worry about fans invading the football field on Thursday night -- but they did have to deal with an opossum storming the pitch ... and the animal was sure pissed off when guards wouldn't let it continue its jaunt.

The wild scene played out at the end of the first quarter of the Red Raiders' game against TCU in Lubbock, Texas ... when an opossum somehow broke into Jones AT&T Stadium and made its way onto the field.

Broadcast cameras showed the marsupial got to the 15-yard line ... before security went to chase it down so play could resume.

Eventually, officials were able to corral it with an animal snare pole ... but you can see, the little beast was not pleased at all to be detained. In fact, it hissed and showed its teeth the entire time that it was being dragged away.

The opossum was ultimately removed from the stadium ... and the game went on -- but after TTU was able to beat TCU, 35-28, its fans asked to keep the critter!!

"Our lucky possum!!!" one Red Raiders supporter wrote on social media.

Seems the school is at least somewhat open to the idea ... its president was actually seen petting the opossum following the incident -- and the team ended up making a pic of the little guy its background image on X.

BMW's ready to come-a-knockin' for Kroy Biermann's luxury whip ... the company's asking a judge to let it take back a Rolls-Royce he allegedly hasn't paid for in over a year.

According to the new docs, obtained by TMZ, Kroy failed to respond to BMW within the allotted time ... after the company filed, months ago, for a writ of possession. That's legal-ese for ... we're ready to repo the damn car!

With Kroy going radio silent, BMW wants the judge to give 'em the green light to get the car back from the former NFL linebacker.

TMZ broke the story, BMW sued Kroy in June for allegedly missing his lease payments on the $400,100 luxury SUV.

The docs claimed he owed $5,297.64 per month from July 2020 to July 2023 -- totaling a whopping $190,715.04 -- but the company says his last payment was in September 2022.

Don't forget, the repo request comes as Kroy and Kim Zolciak are deep in the hole financially amid their messy divorce.

The 2 recently asked a judge to push pause on the foreclosure of their mansion -- adding the scheduled November 7 auction going through will mean they will suffer "irreparable injury to the marital estate depleting it in its entirety."

Big Boi's performance at a college football game went south real quick when he decided to share the stage with an owl that wasn't exactly feeling the vibe ... and tried to fly the coop, real quick!

Here's the deal, BB hit the stage in Georgia after Kennesaw State University's game with one of his pet owls, Kennesaw State's mascot is an owl, on his arm -- obviously thinking it would be the perfect crowd-pleaser. Ahhh, the best-laid plans of owls and men!

It did NOT go as planned, as you can see in the video... the owl got spooked right away during Big Boi's Saturday night performance and tried to fly away, but he was leashed to rapper's gloved right hand.

Sleepy Brown did his best to distract the crowd while Big Boi called in some help -- hopefully from a professional handler -- and the show went on, but it made for an awkward walk-out nonetheless.

He also shared a clip of him and the owl before the game and, at least backstage, it seemed chill.

Kennesaw State hasn't had a live owl mascot in a few years and its current mascot Scrappy is a costume.