TMZ Sports - Page 50

An ultra-rare, 110-year-old Honus Wagner baseball card is about to hit the auction block ... and it's expected to sell for OVER $1.2 MILLION!!

The 1909-11 T-206 Wagner is regarded by hardcore collectors as one of the most desirable cards in existence.

How desirable?? Well, Goldin Auctions -- the auction site selling the Wagner card -- previously sold a version of the T-206 for $3.12 MILLION in 2016!!

This Wagner card -- featuring a portrait of Honus on the front with a "Sweet Caporal" cigarette ad on the back -- isn't quite graded as high ... but with only around only 50 in existence, it's one of the most valuable pieces of cardboard in the world.

FYI, Honus -- an 8-time NL batting champion and Hall of Famer -- played from 1897 to 1917. Wagner was a career .329 hitter and he racked up 3,430 hits ... and is widely considered one of the greatest ballplayers ever.

Fun fact ... Wagner earned less than $140K over his 2-decade long career. Now, his baseball card will likely sell for 8 times what he made playing ball.

The card hits the GA block on October 12 ... good luck!!

The bubble life couldn't stop the Seattle Storm from getting their party on after winning the WNBA Finals ... with the players raging and boozing all night!!

Breanna Stewart and the gang easily handled the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 to sweep their way to the team's 4th title Tuesday night ... and immediately got to boozin' and dancin'.

Natasha Howard documented the whole thing ... with the team downing shots and bubbly in a club-like atmosphere inside their bubble at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

There was Chris Brown, Soulja Boy and Megan Thee Stallion blaring ... with Alysha Clark dropping it low while sippin' straight from the bottle!!

It may not have been the REAL kinda rager the ladies were hoping for ... but a title is a title and they partied like champs.

The funniest part is how QUICKLY Breanna wanted to party -- crashing Sue Bird's interview to demand she answer only one more question so they could go get lit.

Congrats to the champions!!

Florida State coaching legend Bobby Bowden has been taken to the hospital to help aid in his battle with COVID-19 ... his wife said Tuesday.

Ann Bowden, who's been married to Bobby for over 70 YEARS, told the Tallahassee Democrat the 2-time national champion coach was transported to the hospital via ambulance.

Ann says the trip is precautionary at the moment ... but she added 90-year-old Bobby is experiencing fatigue and will have further testing done at the facility.

"I feel sure he's going to be OK," Ann said. "I am very positive. I am not an alarmist."

Bobby had previously been in the hospital over the past few weeks due to a skin infection on his leg ... and learned toward the end of his stay there last week that he had tested positive for COVID.

The former Seminoles head man said Monday from his home he wasn't experiencing any symptoms ... and appeared to be confident he'd be fine.

But, Ann said Tuesday, "He hasn't been getting around much at all due to his leg; it has been pretty painful. He sleeps much of the day."

Ann said she's hopeful Bobby can leave the hospital again in a few days.

Michael Jordan's done it. Same with Walter Payton and Mary Lou Retton.

And now, LeBron James is finally getting the honor of being on the Wheaties box!!

It's kinda crazy LeBron hasn't been on the box before considering he's been an NBA superstar since 2003, but better late than never!

General Mills announced the Lakers superstar will take over as the box cover athlete, relieving Serena Williams of her cereal duties.

The company says it picked LeBron to celebrate his "efforts both on and off the court" -- most notably, his accomplishments with the I Promise program for underprivileged kids in Akron, Ohio.

In fact, LeBron will share the Wheaties box with images of kids, families and faculty from the I Promise program and the I Promise public school.

FYI, Wheaties has been putting top athletes on the cereal box for 85 years -- the very first athlete to grace the cover was Lou Gehrig back in 1934!

Mike Holmgren is going to war with Donald Trump ... blaming the president for the Packers' new fan ban -- and claiming POTUS is single-handedly responsible for "devastating" Green Bay's economy.

The Packers coaching legend spelled out his issues with DT in a scathing statement Tuesday ... just hours after the team announced fans would NOT be allowed at Lambeau Field for the foreseeable future due to rising COVID cases in the area.

"Today's announcement makes one thing very clear -- President Trump's failure to mount a forceful response to the coronavirus pandemic has had profound consequences for Green Bay's economy," Holmgren said.

"Small businesses in the community are paying dearly. We are now months into this crisis, cases are surging across Wisconsin, and President Trump still doesn't have a plan to get the virus under control."

Holmgren added, "It didn't have to be this bad."

Mike says the Packers pulling the plug on fans this season will have a HUGE negative impact on the city's economy -- claiming it could cost locals roughly $160 MILLION.

"As a result of Trump's failure to respond to the coronavirus pandemic," Holmgren said, "the scaled-down Packers season is devastating to many Green Bay-area businesses."

Holmgren is adamant about booting Trump from office this election cycle ... saying he believes Joe Biden's plan for coronavirus would mean better news for Green Bay.

"He's a man of integrity," Holmgren said of Biden. "And, now more than ever, we need him in the White House."

What is ... INCREDIBLE?!!?

How about this video of legendary "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek making a surprise video for the 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday, announcing the Ottawa Senators' 1st-round pick?!

Yep, the 80-year-old Canadian quiz show legend -- who's battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer -- is also a HUGE hockey superfan. So, when the opportunity came to make a cameo for the 2020 Draft, Trebek accepted!

The Senators had the 3rd overall pick in the Draft -- and Alex set up the announcement from the "Jeopardy!" stage, with some help from the show's announcer Johnny Gilbert.

The Category: "The NHL"

The Clue: "With the 3rd pick in the 2020 NHL Draft the Ottawa Senators choose this player."

The Correct Response: "Who is Tim Stützle."

FYI, Stützle is an 18-year-old prodigy from Germany, who can play both center or wing.

This is bad. Really bad.

Another New England Patriots start has tested positive for COVID-19 -- Stephon Gilmore ... and now there are serious concerns about a major NFL outbreak.

Gilmore is one of the top players on the Pats -- a 3-time Pro Bowl cornerback who was a part of the Patriots 2018 Super Bowl team.

He's also the 3rd Patriots player to test positive over the past week -- following QB Cam Newton and practice squad defensive end Bill Murray. Newton had tested positive on Saturday, which led to the NFL moving the Pats vs. Chiefs game from Sunday to Monday.

The big concern, obviously, is that Gilmore played during Monday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs and was seen shaking hands with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes after the game.

Did Gilmore have COVID at the time even though he tested negative? It's possible. And, now everyone is concerned.

The Patriots have canceled their Wednesday practice while they try to figure things out. They're supposed to play the Denver Broncos on Sunday but now that game is clearly in jeopardy.

More bad news ... another Tennessee Titans player ALSO tested positive for COVID -- which means the team can't open their practice facility on Wednesday, as they were hoping to do.

It also puts their scheduled Sunday matchup with the Buffalo Bills in jeopardy.

EVEN MORE BAD NEWS ... a player on the Las Vegas Raiders has also tested positive. The Raiders are supposed to play the Chiefs on Sunday.

Remember, the NFL is NOT in a bubble environment -- though players and staffers are tested daily.

But, right now, there is serious concern about how the league can move forward if so many players continue to test positive.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it -- Brie Bella and her twin sister, Nikki, are using the same playbook for real estate ... as they did for childbirth. Allow us to explain.

Brie just listed her Phoenix home for a cool $1,695,000. The 4-bedroom, 4.5-bathrooms crib is 1 of only 16 homes in a coveted gated neighborhood ... and it comes with a spacious 3,000 square feet of living space.

It's a semi-custom, modern farmhouse with soaring ceilings, custom wood cabinetry, stone counters and hardwood flooring throughout. Now, if the "Total Bellas" star's move sounds familiar, that's because Nikki did this with her AZ property just over a month ago.

As we first reported ... Nikki put her place on the market back in August after living in it for barely 3 months, and we're told she already has a contingent offer on it.

Nikki, of course, lived right next to Brie ... and the building process was part of this past season's storyline.

Brie's home listing -- Greg Corbett of eXp Realty -- totally makes sense for the sisters. Remember, they were pregnant the same time, and Nikki gave birth to her baby boy on July 31 ... while Brie followed the next day, also having a boy.

They joked on the show that if they got on each other's nerves, Nikki could just up and sell the house. No word if that actually happened -- we doubt it -- but they're bolting together.

Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker Bud Dupree is giving a firsthand account into what it's like to play during the pandemic ... telling TMZ Sports his life really consists of 2 things right now -- "go to practice and go home."

The NFL was hit with its first COVID outbreak following Week 3 ... with the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots reporting positive tests within their organizations.

Dupree -- who had an unexpected week off when the Steelers' matchup with the Titans was pushed to later in the season -- says his team is being EXTRA cautious to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to them.

"We try to stay away as much as possible just so we won't be on that end of the stick," the 27-year-old tells us. "We don't wanna be the ones who are holding the game up."

Dupree -- a 1st-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft -- points out the league's strict guidelines have essentially prevented him from doing anything other than reconnecting with family at home during his bye week ... or he'd face a fine.

As for switching gears from preparing for the Titans to getting ready for the Philadelphia Eagles this week ... Dupree says Coach Mike Tomlin makes it easy.

"With a coach like Tomlin, anytime adversity hit, he already got us coded to just keep going," he says.

"Live in the moment, be ready for whatever, just keep the punches going. He does a great job of preparing us for the moments even throughout training camp."

Before this little Lakers fanatic was one of the most successful models in the world, she was just another basketball girl blowing out her birthday candles in Los Angeles, California.

This suited-up hoopster was raised in a famous family -- her younger sister follows in her modeling career footsteps and their mother is featured on 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.' She's walked the most renowned runways and been photographed on the cover of numerous magazines ... including 35 appearances on Vogue.

Recently, this sporty sweetheart had a baby girl of her own with her boyfriend, a former member of the band, One Direction.

LeBron James is paying tribute to Kobe Bryant before Game 4 of the NBA Finals ... entering the arena with a shirt honoring Mamba's life.

Rockin' his Beats By Dre headphones and a BBZ mask (the letters represent the names of his kids Bronny, Bryce, Zhuri) ... Bron made his way to the court in the NBA bubble at Disney World in Orlando with an image of his friend across his chest.

Below Kobe's picture, read the words, "More Than Ever" and "With Love 1978 - 2020."

LeBron has often talked about Kobe's influence on his life and his career -- and it seems pretty obvious he's trying to channel KB's "Mamba Mentality" for an important Game 4 against the Miami Heat.

Following Kobe's tragic death back in January, LeBron and his Lakers teammate Anthony Davis got Kobe-inspired tattoos on their legs to pay tribute to the NBA legend.

The Lakers are currently leading the playoff series 2 to 1 ... but the Heat looked pretty solid during their Game 3 victory over L.A.

Tony Finau -- one of the top golfers in the world -- has pulled out of a PGA Tour tourney this week after testing positive for COVID.

"Earlier today, I received a positive result for Covid-19 under PGA TOUR on-site testing protocols and have begun a period of self-quarantine to protect others around me," the 31-year-old said Tuesday.

"I am feeling well, and am otherwise in good spirits.":

Finau -- ranked #16 in the world -- was supposed to play in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas this week ... but obviously, COVID has derailed those plans.

"I look forward to returning to action as soon as I am able, and I wish everyone at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open a great week ahead," Finau said.

The diagnosis could also prevent Finau from playing in the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas next week, if he had intended on participating.

Finau -- who's 6'4", 200 lbs -- joined the PGA Tour in 2015 and won the Puerto Rico Open in 2016.

Incredible gesture by Houston Rockets superstar Russell Westbrook ... who showed his thanks to the NBA bubble housekeepers by leaving a fat, $8,000 tip!!!

Remember, most players were stuck in the same hotel room on the Disney World campus for MONTHS ... which means a LOT of stinky socks, clothes and shoes.

The 31-year-old gave mad respect to those doing the dirty work before the Rockets left the bubble ... gifting them the massive tip and leaving his room "virtually spotless," according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.

Brodie confirmed the act to Taylor Rooks, saying, "They took great care of us. Took the time & energy to do their job at a high level. That was the right thing."

The NBA players and coaches have reportedly been extremely kind to all Disney staffers with tips and other kind gestures throughout their time in the NBA bubble ... and this is just one of many instances.

"I sometimes laugh when people talk about down years for me because down years for me are career years for most quarterbacks."

AARON RODGERS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

The Green Bay Packers QB just dropped one of the least humble brags of all time Tuesday on the "Pat McAfee Show" ... and it was awesome!!

McAfee was asking the 36-year-old QB if he paid attention to any of the negative media criticism over the past year -- including claims that he was washed up at the end of 2019.

But, Rodgers (in his 16th season in the NFL) has been KILLING IT in 2020 -- with 13 TDs and ZERO interceptions while leading the Packers to a 4-0 start.

Some are saying he's already the frontrunner for the 2020 MVP.

So, when Aaron had the opportunity to clap back at his critics -- HE DELIVERED!!

McAfee's reaction is also incredible -- he lost this damn mind!!

When Pat finally calmed down, Rodgers smirked and said, "Hey, it's just the facts, bro."

A Colorado golfer nearly died on the 17th hole of a course Saturday ... after an elk rammed the man's cart and gored him straight through his back with its horn.

The story is insane ... Megan Bornhoft says her husband, Zak, was finishing up a round at Evergreen G.C. in Evergreen, Colo. with his buds -- when disaster struck at around 6:30 p.m.

Megan says an elk charged Zak's golf cart ... and speared the man in "the right side of his lower back" with its horn.

Megan says Zak was rushed to the hospital ... and after doctors checked him out -- they found some horrific injuries.

"His kidney was cut into two pieces," Megan said.

To make matters worse ... because of the dirt and bacteria on the elk's horns -- Megan says docs were deeply concerned about possible infection.

Fortunately, Megan claims her hubby -- despite being in a helluva lot of pain -- is expected to make a full recovery.

"The urologist thinks the kidney will be able to repair itself!" Megan said, before adding, "He continues to be in a tremendous amount of pain, but is handling it in true Zak fashion...dry humor!!"

For his part, Zak said of his injuries, "I’m in a little bit of a rough spot, but I’m gonna get through it."

As for the golf course, it issued a statement Monday warning golfers to avoid elk on the course at all costs.

LeBron James is showing love for Bronny from inside the NBA bubble ... wishing his oldest son a happy 16th birthday with a touching shoutout.

Remember, the James Gang children are not in Orlando to watch their papa in the NBA Finals ... with LeBron saying they're "too adventurous" to be in the bubble.

King James did the best he could for his son's big day ... sending his love in an emotional IG post.

"Happy 16 kid!!!!!" LeBron said Tuesday, "1 of a kind and I’ve loved every second of your existence so far in your young promising life!"

The superstar continued ... "You’re SPECIAL kid(always know that)! Continue to grow and continue to lead your generation to heights maybe you didn’t even think was possible because you guys are simply that SPECIAL!!"

Bronny's already become a star in his own right over the years ... he's one of the most popular high school basketball players in the nation -- and he's teamed up with the super famous FaZe Clan.

"Thank you for allowing me to be your inspiration, leader, listener, mediator, as well as many more things but most importantly simply being YOUR DAD!"

"Love you kid until the wheels fall off and when they do we push the car to our destination side by side! Enjoy your day, your existence, your LIFE!! Live.Laugh.Learn.Love! 🙏🏾❤️🤴🏾👑 bronny #YoungSimba🦁"