TMZ Sports - Page 50

Boston Celtics players are outraged at Massachusetts' governor over changes the politician asked for in a new police reform bill ... and they're now pleading with the guy to reverse course.

Seventeen players -- including Kemba Walker, Tristan Thompson and Jayson Tatum -- all penned a lengthy piece in The Boston Globe on Wednesday spelling out their issues with Gov. Charlie Baker's requests.

In the article, Celtics players say they have a major problem with how Baker -- a Republican -- wants to amend a technology portion of a bill that would make sweeping changes to Massachusetts police.

Specifically, the Celtics say they're pissed Baker asked lawmakers to remove a portion of the bill that would bar cops from using facial recognition technology.

The Celtics players say this piece MUST remain in the bill ... claiming officers' use of the tech has led to countless wrongful arrests in the Black community -- and even deaths.

"Studies confirm that face recognition surveillance technology is flawed and biased, with significantly higher error rates when used against people of color and women," the Celtics said in the article.

"This has real consequences. One false match can lead to an interrogation, arrest, and -- especially for Black men -- even a deadly police encounter."

The Boston players added, "Baker’s rejection is deeply troubling because this technology supercharges racial profiling by police."

The Celtics are urging Baker to reconsider ... writing, "The Legislature should return these important regulations to the governor and he should sign the bill."

For his part, Baker said last week his reasoning for wanting to keep the technology available is because it can play an "important role" in solving crimes.

"I’m not going to sign something that is going to ban facial recognition," Baker said.

Took long enough ... but Major League Baseball will finally recognize the Negro Leagues as a part of the Major Leagues.

MLB Commish Rob Manfred said the move will correct a "longtime oversight in the game’s history."

So, what does the distinction mean? A lot, actually.

Every single one of the 3,400 players who competed in the Negro Leagues from 1920 to 1948 will now be recognized by MLB as Major League ballplayers.

"Accordingly, the statistics and records of these players will become a part of Major League Baseball’s history," MLB announced.

It's a huge deal ... some of the greatest players of all-time were relegated to the Negro Leagues because of baseball's racist policy against Black players.

Of course, Jackie Robinson finally broke MLB's color barrier in 1947 ... and several players followed shortly after including Larry Doby, Roy Campanella, Satchel Paige, Willie Mays and more.

"All of us who love baseball have long known that the Negro Leagues produced many of our game’s best players, innovations and triumphs against a backdrop of injustice," Manfred said.

"We are now grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong: as Major Leaguers within the official historical record."

MLB honored the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues on August 16, 2020 -- with all MLB players, managers, coaches and umpires wearing a symbolic Negro Leagues 100th Anniversary logo patch during that day’s games.

You're a mean one, Mr. Darts Player!!!

Professional Darts Corporation star Peter Wright channeled his inner Grinch for his opening round of the World Championship on Tuesday ... by dying his hair bright green and throwing on a 'fit inspired by the iconic Dr. Seuss character!!

The defending champ made one hell of an entrance at Alexandra Palace in London ... doing some wild dance moves while Pitbull's "Don't Stop The Party" blared over the speakers.

Watch the video. It's super entertaining!!!!

But, the green grandiose entrance didn't affect the 50-year-old's game one bit -- beating Steve West 3-1 to advance to the next round.

Wright spoke about his decision to go full Grinch after his win ... saying, "It's all about trying to make people smile, because we've had a horrible year, people's had a horrible year, lost loved ones. People lost jobs and stuff like that."

He added ... "I just wanted to cheer everyone up. I think I've done that."

BTW -- Wright is known for his eye-popping looks ... from wild multi-colored mohawks to outrageous outfits.

When asked about his critics calling him a "clown," Wright says he simply doesn't pay it any mind.

"I don't care because it's me just trying to make people happy. If I lose, I lose, if I don't, I don't."

It's a pretty wild statement from Wright ... considering the tourney has a $3.37 million prize fund ... so there's money to be made!!!

Omar Vizquel -- one of the greatest defensive shortstops ever -- is under MLB investigation over claims he beat his estranged wife ... but the ex-Cleveland superstar is flat-out denying the allegations.

According to The Athletic, Blanca Vizquel -- who married Omar in 2014 -- left the ex-baseball player in August and filed for divorce a short time later after she claims he was abusive toward her.

Blanca says the worst incident happened in 2016 ... claiming an argument escalated into a physical fight between the couple.

Blanca says she placed dumbbells behind a door to keep Omar away from her after the initial argument began ... but she claims the 5'9", 180-lb 3-time All-Star still barged through and shoved her nonetheless.

Blanca claims she injured her shin and broke nails as a result of the push ... and, initially, she sought to press charges against Omar -- who was arrested and booked for 4th-degree domestic assault as a result of the incident.

But, per The Athletic, Blanca later told prosecutors in a letter that she was changing her story and did NOT want the baseball player to criminally prosecuted. The case was dropped as a result.

Blanca -- who also claims there was a 2011 incident in which Omar was violent with her -- says things never quite got better, explaining everything all came to a head in Aug. 2020.

Blanca says the two got into a heated argument ... and she packed some belongings, called a domestic violence hotline, and bolted to a women's shelter some 10 hours away in Texas.

The Athletic reports she filed for a divorce a short time later.

"I made a decision to leave the house and not come back,” Blanca said. “I didn’t want to feel that feeling where you didn’t know if you’re gonna be safe.”

Omar, though, is ADAMANTLY denying any claims of abuse ... with his attorney saying the former shortstop "flatly denies any allegations of domestic violence.”

Omar himself added, "I don’t have anything to say. This is a divorce and I know she’s really pissed off. There is a lot of things [being said] out there about things supposedly happening behind closed doors, you know. I don't have anything to say about that, either. It’s just a divorce."

MLB officials say they're investigating everything ... and while Omar has not been employed by a team since he managed the White Sox's minor league affiliate, the Double-A Barons, in 2019 -- league officials are saying any punishment would affect a future role he receives in the MLB.

BRO, IT'S NOT WORTH IT!!!

A golfer in Florida risked his own life to retrieve a golf ball off a live alligator's tail -- and the video is wild!!

The man shooting the footage is Kyle Downes -- who was golfing with his brother on Dec. 14 at the Coral Oaks Golf Course in Cape Coral, FL when they stumbled upon the MASSIVE gator.

Kyle's brother noticed a golf ball resting on the tail and decided he was going to try and retrieve it ... so naturally, Kyle whipped out his cell phone and hit record.

You can hear Kyle warn his brother, "It's gonna whip you with that tail dude!!!"

But, his bro soldiered on ... and successfully grabbed the ball as the gator charged into the water.

And, get this, the gator is sorta famous at the golf course -- he's a 10-footer named Charlie ... apparently a local celebrity, according to NBC2.

Fortunately, no one was harmed -- neither the human nor the animal -- but don't forget how dangerous these gators can be.

Just ask Chubbs!!!!

Kobe Bryant told the author of his novel to base one of the important characters on his daughters -- so says the author who reveals, "That was very important to Kobe."

Kobe's new book, "Epoca: The River of Sand," (a novel for young adults) dropped this week -- the ex-NBA star co-authored it with Ivy Claire.

Basically, Kobe had a vision for the story and the characters -- and Ivy was tasked with putting it all together.

Vanessa Bryant loved the final product and conducted a Q&A with Claire on IG this week to explore what it was like for Ivy to work with her husband.

During the session, Vanessa asked Ivy to name her favorite character -- and that's when things got emotional.

"I love Vera," Ivy said ... "who's not the main character or the secondary character. She’s just this amazing athlete who’s competitive."

Ivy continued, "She just embodies pure athletic drive, but she’s also the kindest and the most reasonable and the person who doesn’t have to be told to be a good friend. It just comes naturally to her."

Vanessa noted ... "Vera reminded me a lot of Gigi."

Ivy replied, "We rewrote it for her to look like your daughters. That was very important to Kobe … and she’s supposed to, so I'm glad that comes through."

There's more ... Vanessa and Ivy also revealed a line that removed from the book before it was published because Vanessa didn't feel it was in line with Kobe's Mamba mentality!

"I remember there was one line of this book that said, 'Friends come first, practice comes second' -- and I remember telling you there is no way in hell Kobe would ever agree because he used to always tell the kids, 'Your friends will be there after practice.'"

Ivy said she took the line out at Vanessa's request -- and praised Vanessa for taking such an involved role in the editing process.

Don't worry ... Brandon Moreno's nuts are okay!!

This, after the UFC star took a ferocious kick to the gonads from Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 256 -- a shot that was so powerful Moreno was dry heaving in the Octagon.

It's been 4 days since that insane fight between Moreno and Figueiredo -- an instant classic that was judged a majority draw -- and you can see the bruises all over Moreno's face.

So, we had to ask ... how his "twins" were doing after that ferocious low blow, and Brandon filled us in.

“In that moment, it was very painful. Was very, very painful because he throws a really, really hard direct to there. I don't say it was intentional, but man it was a nasty kick directly to my balls," Moreno says.

"I think this the first time when a referee told me if I wanted to rest a little bit, my first time saying, 'Yes, please I need this moment.'"

Naturally, one of the first things Moreno's wife, Shirley, asked about after the fight was her husband's junk.

"My wife asked me the same, 'Hey, you fine?' Like, 'Yeah baby, no problem.'"

There's more ... Moreno says he doesn't feel any sympathy for Figueiredo after learning his opponent was hospitalized until 2 AM on fight day with a bad stomach infection.

"Before the fight, I don't know anything about [Deiveson] being sick. He was in the hospital, but man, in this world of Martial Arts, that is very normal. I had like two fights in the company, I was very sick to my stomach, but I never said nothing because it's my problem."

In fact, Moreno thinks Deiveson is using the medical situation as an excuse for not winning the fight.

Kevin Holland blasted Jacare Souza's face until he was unconscious ... and now the UFC star says he's coming for Israel Adesanya and all the top middleweight fighters ... starting with Derek Brunson.

TMZ Sports talked to the 28-year-old fighter after his 5th (yes, 5th!!) UFC win of 2020, and the 6'3", 185 lb. striker tells us there's no time for R&R ... he wants to get right back in the Octagon, ASAP, with #7 ranked Brunson.

“I know a lot of people don’t know the name, but Derek Brunson. That's who I want to smack,” Holland tells us.

Why the beef??

"[Derek] said something about slamming me on my head 1 time. I was like, 'Oh, okay. That's how you think we play.' That may be how you play with other wrestlers, but I’m a striker. Know what I mean?," Holland says.

"You think you’re gonna slam me on my head, that’s alright. I think I'm gonna punch you in the head a couple times. I can take a slam. He can’t really take too many punches.”

FYI, Brunson is on a 3-fight win streak ... and recently handed up-and-coming star Edmen Shahbazyan his first loss.

Holland tells us his plan is to beat Brunson, then take out ALL the high-ranked guys in the division ... before ultimately snatching Adesanya's belt.

“So, if I beat Derek Brunson, I’d be number 6. Then I gotta go through 5, 4, 3, 2, champ. Then that’s 6 fights in a year. That’s a good year. Then no one can say [I] didn’t fight tough competition.”

We also asked Holland about 26-year-old phenom, Khamzat Chimaev ... who Kevin called out after beating Souza at UFC 256 on Saturday.

Jerome Bettis is putting on his Superman cape this Christmas ... 'cause the NFL legend is rushing to the rescue after someone allegedly stole a bunch of goods intended for kids in need from a charity.

A rep from Family Resources -- an org. Bettis is helping fundraise for this year -- tells TMZ Sports that at around 9:30 AM Tuesday morning, they realized a TON of gifts had been taken from their headquarters in Pittsburgh.

The rep says everything, from toys to coats to clothes, intended for around 400 victims of child abuse were all gone when officials checked in a conference room.

In total, the rep claims around $1,900 worth of items were taken in the heist.

But, after Bettis learned of the problem Tuesday ... he raced in to help -- offering up some cool gifts to fans on social media in exchange for donations to the charity.

"We can't let the Grinch steal Christmas," Bettis tweeted out on Tuesday -- adding he's now giving away some signed Steelers jerseys to help raise funds for the kids.

A rep for Family Resources says Bettis' shoutout has already yielded tremendous results ... with $2,000 worth of contributions already pouring in Tuesday.

The rep also says Pittsburgh Steelers star Stephon Tuitt is expected to hand over a large check to the org. soon as well.

University of Florida basketball star Keyontae Johnson is in critical condition after collapsing on the court in the middle of a game.

It's terrifying to watch. The game -- Gators vs. Seminoles -- was in timeout. Just before that, Keyontae successfully finished an alley-oop and was celebrating the move from the sidelines.  The team broke its huddle, and as Keyontae walked onto the court he collapsed hard.

His teammates screamed for help and Keyontae was taken off the court by stretcher and was rushed by ambulance to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

Keyontae had tested positive for COVID this past summer. It appears one of the side effects was myocarditis ... inflammation of the heart muscle.

He's in critical but stable condition. We wish him well.

"Conor, you're scared. Dana, you're scared. Sign the f**king contract, you idiots."

Jake Paul is pulling out all the stops to book a boxing match with Conor McGregor ... going nuclear on the UFC superstar and Dana White in a wild video on Monday.

Oh, and get this -- the YouTube superstar says his team has offered Conor $50 MILLION to make the fight happen!!

"My team sent you a $50 million dollar offer this morning -- 50 million dollars cash, proof of funds, the biggest fight offer you've ever been offered," Paul says while sitting in his $350,000 Lamborghini.

"But, you're scared to fight me, Conor!! You're ducking me because you don't wanna lose to a f**king YouTuber. You're 0-1 as a boxer. I'm 2-0 as a boxer."

Jake seems to be channeling his inner Notorious throughout the video ... smoking a cigar and holding a glass of whiskey with an Irish flag draped over his shoulders.

While the $50 million number sounds crazy, Paul posted parts of the contract sent to Conor's camp, which says, "Jake Paul has acquired backing for this event who is willing to guarantee a purse of Fifty Million Dollars ($50,000,000.00) for Conor McGregor to participate in this event."

Jake backs up his talk ... pointing out how big of a success his fight with ex-NBA star Nate Robinson was on the Mike Tyson and Roy Jones, Jr. card.

"I just came off the 8th biggest Pay-Per-View event in history but you wanna fight Dustin (Poirier), who has less followers on Instagram than my f**king dog -- that's a fact."

Remember, Jake recently told TMZ Sports he was in talks with McGregor's camp after knocking out Robinson last month ... but Dana told us there was "zero chance" it would happen.

Clearly, Jake got wind of our interview with the UFC honcho.

"Dana White, you're a f**king p***y, too, you ugly f**king bald bitch! You said there's 0% chance this fight happening, but there's 0% chance of you getting some f**king p***y."

We're reaching out to Dana for comment -- stay tuned.

Tristan Thompson was recently seen breaking bread with a lady who isn't Khloe Kardashian -- but there was no funny business, just real estate business ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us the mystery blonde Tristan was seen having dinner with in Boston on Sunday is simply his estate manager, who handles his housing affairs ... which she's doing in Beantown, because he's moving there for his new team, the Celtics. They were photographed during their meal, and the Daily Mail pics kicked the rumor mill into high gear.

We're told the estate manager's name is Julia, and we're told she also set up Tristan at his pad in CA. She's looking to do the same for him in Boston.

Our sources say there was nothing romantic about the dinner, and everything about it looked super casual. Julia's wearing a sweater and her hair's up in a bun -- not exactly a date look.

As for Khloe -- who was in California over the weekend while Tristan was away -- we're told she and their daughter, True, are now in Boston with Tristan as he gets established. Mind you, Khloe isn't making a permanent move, as we've previously reported. She plans to make extended visits to Boston, but won't leave L.A. -- so this seems to be one of those trips.

The Great One now owes a great deal of gratitude toward cops in Canada ... 'cause police in Ontario say they've recovered a bunch of Wayne Gretzky's memorabilia after it was stolen from his dad's home in the summer.

Cops say back in August 2020 ... Gretzky family members reported a bunch of Wayne's game-worn items and awards had been jacked from the home of his 82-year-old father, Walter Gretzky.

Police say memorabilia that was taken included game-used sticks, jerseys, gloves, pants and even a Player of the Year award.

But, good news ... cops say after a 3-month investigation -- they were able to recover a bunch of the items AND arrest some suspects.

The Brantford Police Service announced Tuesday they executed search warrants this month and recovered Gretzky gear that was estimated to be worth over $500,000.

The BPS also revealed it arrested and charged two 58-year-old suspects, one female and one male, in connection with the theft.

"On behalf of our family, I would like to thank the Brantford Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for everything they have done regarding this investigation," Glen Gretzky, Wayne's brother, said in a statement.

"I would like to sincerely thank every member of the team; the professionalism, dedication and support they have shown has been greatly appreciated."

How the hell did Tony Ferguson survive that NASTY arm bar from Charles Oliveira on Saturday night at UFC 256????

Simple ... Tony says it's a combination of crazy genetics and mental fortitude.

The UFC star opened up about his jacked up arm on social media late Monday -- saying it's not as bad as it looked.

"My Arm Is Aright," Ferguson posted on IG ... "The Armbar Was Really Tight."

"The Thought Of My Son ArmandAnthony’s Ability To Be Double Jointed In His Elbow During That Sequence & My Mental Capacity To Endure Pain Got Me Through It. # Breathe # MentalTUFness."

There have been rumblings that Ferguson could consider wrapping up his MMA career after 2 bad losses in a row ... but T-Ferg says he ain't going nowhere.

"We Are Far From Being Retired," Tony said ... while dropping a middle finger emoji to his haters.

"I Can’t Wait Til We Compete In Front Of A Big Loud Crowd Again, It’s Not The Same Without You All."

In the meantime, Ferguson says he's working on healing up his arm -- with a focus on increased blood circulation.

He even underwent some cupping therapy to help out.

Washington's NFL team, Cleveland's MLB team ... and now the Vancouver Canucks?

The NHL squad is now feeling pressure to change ... this after an Indigenous Studies expert claims the main logo featured on the team's uniforms is cultural appropriation.

Sean Carleton -- a University of Manitoba history professor -- spelled out his concerns in a lengthy social media thread this week ... explaining why he feels the team's orca logo should be replaced.

Carleton says the whale -- which was created nearly 3 decades ago and has elements of artwork designed by Haida in it -- is hurting indigenous people.

Carleton explains he essentially believes the Canucks took the design and now are making money hand over fist with it -- all while diminishing indigenous people's art.

"How can you continue to develop meaningful relations with Coast Salish nations when you continue to profit from branding that is appropriating their art style," Carleton wrote on Twitter on Monday.

"People will say, but Sean the imagery is a 'a sign of respect.' How respectful is continuing to make piles of money from a business you operate on stolen land all the while branding that business with stolen imagery. That's the logic of colonial capitalism for you."

Carleton says the Canucks should do a better job of working with indigenous people and allowing them to be part of the team's design processes going forward.

"[The Canucks should] work with Indigenous peoples to develop iconography in appropriate ways, giving Indigenous artists a platform and a way to participate and benefit."

We've reached out to the Canucks for comment ... but so far, no word back.

Previously, back in 2019, Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini had said the team isn't considering a logo change ... telling reporters at the time, "It’s indigenous to the region. We’re going to keep it."

It should be noted the Canucks have worn alternate uniforms -- throwback-inspired threads -- over the past few seasons that do NOT have the orca design on them.

A racehorse owner who named a 3-year-old filly "Jungle Bunny" has been ordered to pick a new name ASAP ... because the old one is racist as hell!!!

Owner David Evans -- who's also the horse trainer -- entered the horse to run at the Wolverhampton Racecourse in the U.K. on Saturday ... and as soon as "JB" hit the track, there was outrage on social media.

FYI, the term "JB" is a super racist term for Black people that racists have been using for decades.

But, Evans insists racism played no role in how the horse got its name -- instead, he claims his daughter innocently came up with the moniker, inspired by a video game.

"David's daughter gave us the horse and there's a computer game called Jungle Bunny Run," his wife Emma told The Daily Mail.

"I just thought, that'll do. I had no idea. It was completely innocent and that is the gospel truth. None of the staff said anything, nobody else said anything and I'm totally flabbergasted."

The British Horseracing Authority is PISSED the name wasn't flagged before Saturday's race -- and claims it's now taking proper action.

"This name is deeply offensive and should not have been permitted," the BHA said on Twitter.

The BHA later issued a 2nd statement saying, "We have taken steps to ensure the horse was renamed immediately. It is now called Jungle Bells. This will be reflected in records of the race result and horse form."

"We are deeply concerned as to how this happened and are reviewing the processes for approving the names of racehorses."