TMZ Sports - Page 50

How much does CC Sabathia HATE Tony La Russa for the Yermin Mercedes drama in Chicago?

"This s*** is terrible. He shouldn't be f***ing managing that team ... s*** is stupid as f***."

Yeah, that much.

The former New York Yankees superstar went absolutely IN on the White Sox manager Thursday ... blasting the 76-year-old on his 'R2C2' podcast for starting unnecessary beef with his players.

If you missed it ... the whole ordeal boils down to this -- Mercedes hit a home run off a position player on a 3-0 count in a blowout win over the Twins earlier this week.

And, while nobody seemed to have an issue with it ('cause, ya know, it was a 15-4 game and a position player was pitching) -- La Russa decided to railroad Yermin anyway.

The manager publicly called out his rookie and said he'd punish the young, budding star for the swing. Which, of course, ultimately led to the Twins throwing at Yermin in their ensuing matchup.

Fast forward to Thursday ... and Sabathia could not have been more upset at La Russa for igniting the entire situation.

"Tony La Russa's out of touch with the game, cuz," Sabathia said. "He should not be managing one of the best teams in the American League. Period."

CC continued, "You got a rookie that's basically been carrying your f***ing team these first six weeks of the season, this guy's been carrying you and now you don't have a problem with the f***ing weird-ass Minnesota Twins throwing behind one of your biggest hitters?! That's just f***ing stupid."

CC then went in on the Twins for the situation too ... saying, "I was so mad, cuz. Then I was re-pissed off yesterday when [Tyler Duffey's] weird ass threw behind him!"

"You guys look f***ing stupid," CC said of the Twins. "You guys were losing 15-4, cuz! ... Play better! You guys f***ing suck!"

Nationals manager Dave Martinez LOST HIS DAMN MIND after an awful call in a game Wednesday ... screaming, yelling, and even throwing and kicking a base!!!

The epic outburst all went down in the 7th inning of the Nats' game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field ... when after Trea Turner was inexplicably called out due to his route to first base, Martinez exploded.

Dave CLEARLY felt his star shortstop had taken a perfectly acceptable path ... and then began a tirade for the ages.

He screamed at the home plate ump ... demonstrated Turner's run himself -- and then pulled the base straight out of the ground and spiked it!!!

He wasn't done there, though ... 'cause then he kicked the hell out of the base so far that it nearly landed in the dugout!!

Martinez was then obviously ejected and he's now subject to both a fine AND a suspension ... but afterward, he really didn't seem to care about any of it.

Martinez ripped the call -- and implied he'd continue throwing temper tantrums if umps made similar rulings down the road.

"Honestly, I am beside myself now with this whole out-of-the-baseline thing, I really am," Martinez said, adding ... "I'm over it. I really am over it."

"I'm tired of it. I'm going to argue a thousand times when that happens. I really am. I'm sick of it. I mean, you guys saw it. It's a brutal call. And I'm done hiding it."

If this all sounds familiar ... it's because it is -- Turner and Martinez were involved in a nearly identical situation back in the 2019 World Series!

In that game, Trea was also called out for running inside the baseline ... and Martinez was also promptly ejected for arguing.

Seems all of the bitchin' and moanin' is working for Dave, though ... his team went on to win the World Series that year -- and the Nats won Wednesday night too!

Jake Paul is following in the footsteps of boxing legends like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao ... he just signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime Sports.

Both Jake and the network have confirmed the deal -- which also means Paul's run with Triller is over for now.

No word on how much money Paul will pocket from his new contract with Showtime -- or when he's expected to get in the ring.

But, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reports the two sides are in "advanced talks" about locking in Paul's next opponent -- as well as a date and location.

Also, no word on how much cash Paul will make from the contract.

But, it's huge news for the 24-year-old YouTube sensation who's been destroying opponents like Nate Robinson and Ben Askren since turning his focus to the sweet science a few years back.

Paul -- who's now 3-0 as a pro -- was the main event for the Triller Fight Club PPV event on April 17, when he knocked out Askren in the 1st round.

Paul bragged the event pulled in more than 1 million PPV buys -- which is massive ... begging the question, why would Triller let him walk?

Triller honcho Ryan Kavanaugh told The Athletic's Mike Coppinger there were NO plans for Paul to headline a card moving forward and the April event was simply a novelty.

"Paul being anything other than an undercard for us would change it from novelty to unacceptable,” Kavanaugh told Coppinger.

He also commented on Showtime signing Paul -- "Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery."

As for Jake, he's fired up about the move -- saying, "BOUTTA PUT ON ANOTHER SHOW."

Gotta hand it to the New England Patriots ... once again using their resources to help combat the global COVID pandemic.

This time, Robert Kraft's team sent the Patriots jet to El Salvador to deliver 500,000 doses of the COVID vaccine.

Photos show the plane at Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport on Tuesday delivering the payload ... great news for a country that's been trying to roll out the vaccine to its 6.4 million citizens.

So far, El Salvador has recorded more than 71,000 cases and 2,100 deaths. The CDC has issued the country a "3" rating, which indicates a high level of COVID, noting "travelers should avoid all nonessential travel" to El Salvador.

Officials in El Salvador have said the country is on track to reach its goal of immunizing the entire population "very soon" ... thanks, in part, to the Patriots.

Back in April 2020 -- and the beginning of the pandemic -- Kraft sent the Patriots team jet to China to bring back more than 1.2 million N95 masks to distribute to people in need in the U.S.

Sure, you can hate the team on the field ... but gotta hand it to the Patriots for making a real impact off of it.

LeBron James says he was damn near BLIND during his game-winning shot Wednesday night ... explaining to reporters his eye injury had him seeing "3 rims!"

The Lakers superstar had been poked in the left peeper just minutes before he uncorked a 3-pointer to beat the Warriors in their play-in game at Staples ... and Bron said the injury was so bad, he barely had any vision when he pulled up for the big shot.

"The first thing I did when KCP kicked it out, I looked at the shot clock," LeBron told reporters after his team's huge 103-100 victory.

"The second thing I saw was three rims from being poked in the eye on that previous possession when I drove to the hole and then in transition. So, I just aimed for the middle one."

The shot was incredible -- it was about 5 feet beyond the 3-point line -- and when ya factor in the pressure AND what his face had just gone through ... it's pretty big time.

Even Drake loved it!!!

As for the injury going forward, LeBron was clearly fortunate to have escaped serious issues ... 'cause after he was jabbed by Draymond Green on the possession prior to the game-winner, things did NOT look good for L.A. or its superstar.

But, LeBron -- with his eye clearly watering and swelling -- said after the game he expects to be all right as the Lakers move on into the playoffs.

Bombshell news out of Argentina where SEVEN people have been charged with homicide in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona.

Maradona passed away back in November from heart failure -- just 2 weeks after undergoing brain surgery. He was only 60.

The Maradona family had suspected there was something fishy behind his death -- which led to a special investigation into the situation.

Police in Argentina raided the house and private clinic of Dr. Leopoldo Luque (the surgeon who performed the brain operation) in the days following Maradona's death -- and clearly, they believe they found enough evidence to prove criminal wrongdoing.

Now, prosecutors in San Isidro, Argentino have announced 7 people -- including Dr. Luque -- have been charged with "simple homicide with eventual intent," according to ESPN.

The other 6 people facing charges include Maradona's psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov -- along with 2 nurses and other medical professionals.

If convicted, they each face up to 25 years in prison.

According to reports, prosecutors believe there is evidence showing Maradona received insufficient medical care following the brain surgery.

In other words, they believe Maradona's death could have been prevented had the medical team performed their jobs correctly.

It's unclear WHY prosecutors believe the medical team, failed to perform their duties -- some have suggested a nefarious motive.

Torah Bright says her handstand breastfeeding wasn't meant to bring anyone down -- and despite some mothers apparently feeling that way ... there were even more who were supportive.

The Olympic gold medalist snowboarder will be on "TMZ Live'" Thursday to clear up her M.O. behind the now-viral photo -- which shows her balancing herself upside down topless, with her baby boy latching on to her breast and sucking away.

There were A LOT of reactions to it ... including good old-fashioned, pearl-clutching indignation -- but as Torah explains here, there were also some moms who genuinely felt they were being shamed for not being as fit and/or capable of doing something similar.

For anyone who might've perceived it like that ... Torah's here to set the record straight, telling us that was NOT her goal in posting this, noting everyone's breastfeeding experience is different -- and that she was simply sharing her own in a way she thought was fun. She also says it's a testament to the bond between mother and son.

That leads us to her next point ... which is that as big of a "backlash" she got from this, there was more love she says she got that toppled it -- which is great to hear.

The man who bleeds Denver orange and Colts blue is now throwing his support behind Green Bay ... with Peyton Manning telling TMZ Sports he'd REALLY like to see the Packers resolve the drama with Aaron Rodgers.

We got the future Hall of Famer out at Dulles on Wednesday ... and he explained to us that he'd prefer it if Rodgers stayed put with the Packers.

"When I think of Aaron, I think of him as a Green Bay Packer," Manning said. "Hopefully they can get it worked out."

Of course, things currently aren't looking super promising for GB in that department ... because while Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been begging for a Rodgers return, the star QB has been vacationing in Hawaii, seemingly dug in on his trade demands.

Manning -- who had to famously leave the Colts for the Broncos at the end of his career -- told us he knows a move could happen, but he'd really rather not see it.

"He's done such a great job there in Green Bay," Peyton said.

As for if Rodgers could -- and perhaps should -- leave it all behind to host "Jeopardy!" full-time ... Manning didn't seem to love that idea, explaining he thinks Aaron could do both!

By the way, when it comes to Manning's own off-the-field endeavors ... he still doesn't sound ready to jump into a broadcast booth or an NFL general manager role -- telling us he's content just coaching kids in baseball and flag football for now.

Though he did admit, he's had to do some explaining to parents given his history as a leader of children ...

For the first time in more than 2 months, Deshaun Watson has posted on social media to remind everyone he's still an elite NFL quarterback.

... and yeah, he looks good.

The last time we heard from DW was on Twitter back on March 16 -- when he posted a statement to try and get ahead of the sexual misconduct allegations that were coming down the pike.

Watson denied wrongdoing and proclaimed his innocence -- saying, "I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect."

He added, "This isn't about money for me -- it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that."

After that, the Houston Texans QB went radio silent -- and his attorney, Rusty Hardin, has been doing all the talking ever since.

But, as the NFL season draws closer, Watson is clearly trying to remind teams -- including the Texans -- that he's still focused on football and ready to play.

There are a few issues ... the NFL is still investigating the sexual misconduct allegations against Watson from more than 20 accusers who say the QB crossed a line during what were supposed to be routine massage therapy sessions.

If the league finds he violated the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, he could be suspended -- which could make teams nervous about trading for him.

Fernando Tatis Jr. can clearly do EVERYTHING on the baseball diamond -- including hitting a full split to steal a bag in a game!!

The MLB superstar showed he's got that in his bag of tricks during the Padres' tilt with the Rockies on Wednesday ... twisting like a gymnast to make sure he was safe at second.

The play was seriously awesome ... the 22-year-old got on first base in the second inning via a single to center and took off for 2nd just moments later.

He slid into the bag underneath the catcher's throw ... but in order to ensure he didn't come off the base -- he dropped it real, real low!!

What makes it even more impressive? Tatis Jr. is 6'3", 217 pounds!!!

Oh, and by the way, El Niño wasn't done there ... he went to hit a home run just two innings later.

Los Angeles County is calling out Vanessa Bryant ... claiming she's subjecting Sheriff's deputies to harassment by revealing their names in the lawsuit she filed over photos taken at the Kobe helicopter crash site.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, attorneys for L.A. County say Kobe Bryant's widow is aggressively conducting a "fishing expedition that is taking first responders away from their jobs." The County is referring to the fact Vanessa posted the names of 4 deputies who allegedly took pics of remains.

As we reported ... she won a legal battle in March to obtain the names of the deputies and promptly put 'em on blast on her IG.

In the docs, L.A. County attorneys say Vanessa is going too far with a "straightforward case" ... and her social media posts are exposing the deputies to threats.

This is getting VERY interesting ...

Matt Barnes wants to settle his feud with Kwame Brown once and for all ... saying he's had enough of the Internet smack talk and wants to meet in person -- AND HE'S READY TO THROW HANDS!!!

Barnes is clapping back after the 2001 #1 overall pick has gone on a tirade this week ... saying he's caving in and giving Brown the attention he wanted.

"Kwame Brown, brother Brown, you've been ranting for about 5 days now," Barnes said Wednesday. "Your cry for help, your need for attention worked."

"I heard your Instagram following has grown over 30,000 the last handful of days since you had my d*** -- I mean, my name -- in your mouth."

Barnes gives Brown a personal invite to join his podcast to clear the air ... saying, "You got a story to tell obviously. You're hurt. Like I said, you can play it off with humor, but you're hurt and I get it. But, come on the show."

"Talk that s***, tell your story face-to-face."

But, Barnes is prepared to do much more than talking -- saying he's down to scrap with Brown to squash the beef.

"If me and you gotta box before, during or after and shake hands to get this s*** done, you know I'm always with the s***."

Remember, Brown went for Barnes' jugular earlier this week, saying, "The only joke you got is about basketball, I got a joke about your life, you punk bitch" ... referencing Barnes' infamous incident with Derek Fisher in 2015.

He also referred to Barnes as "Becky with the good hair" among other insults.

Now, it appears the two guys can settle things with their hands ... that is, if Brown is down for it.

Bryce Hall hasn't even thrown down in his first official boxing match yet ... but he's already planning #2 -- explaining Wednesday he wants a scrap with KSI badly!!!

The TikTok superstar -- who's all set for a celeb fight with YouTuber Austin McBroom next month -- said on "TMZ Live" he's got a beef brewing with KSI that he wants to settle in the ring next.

"KSI -- the one that beat [Logan Paul] -- was talking crazy about me," the 21-year-old said. "So, I mean, I'm down to do him next."

As for how the feud between the two social media stars started ... it's unclear, but they've exchanged verbal jabs repeatedly on Twitter over the last few weeks.

In fact, KSI trolled Hall after his wild brawl with McBroom in West Hollywood on Tuesday ... showing a picture of Bryce and asking, "You good?"

The fight would be an interesting one -- KSI is considered one the best boxers from the social media world -- but, of course, Hall's gotta get through McBroom first.

Charles Barkley's gotta do his best Oprah impression next time he visits his old high school -- 'cause the NBA legend is handing out $1,000 donations to every employee!!

The 58-year-old Alabama native gave back in a huge way for his alma mater Leeds City Schools during the COVID-19 pandemic ... donating laptops and WiFi hotspots for students learning from home.

On top of that, the school says Barkley wrote a check for $1,000 to each employee in the school district to help out during the tough times.

FYI -- that's reportedly 226 employees!!

ATTA JOB, CHUCK!!!

The school thanked Barkley for his continuous support over the years on Tuesday ... saying, "We are humbled and wish to express our sincere gratitude to Charles Barkley for providing a $1,000 gift to each and every Leeds City Schools employee for going the extra mile this school year."

The school adds Barkley has privately donated more than $3 million in scholarship money to Leeds graduates over the years ... and has remained supportive of the boys and girls basketball programs.

By the way ... Barkley was a superstar athlete for Leeds during his senior year ... helping the team reach the state semifinals in 1981.

"We are beyond thankful to know our hometown hero and benefactor, Charles Barkley, recognizes the hard work and dedication of the Leeds staff, even under the toughest of circumstances. Thank you, Charles!"

Welp, Aaron Carter's chances of beating Lamar Odom next month ain't looking great ...

Video of the pop singer getting destroyed by an amateur's body shot has just surfaced ... and, yeah, somewhere Odom's got to be smiling.

TMZ Sports has learned it all went down on May 4 ... when Carter was in a Santa Monica gym prepping for his June 11 Celebrity Boxing tilt with the ex-NBA star.

We're told Carter was mixing it up with Ian Feiner -- a fellow gym-goer who he had sparred with several times before -- when he got caught by a right hook to the gut.

The video shows Carter didn't exactly handle it well ... he crumpled to his knees in pain and the session ended just a few moments later.

We reached out to Carter for his side of the story, but so far, no word back yet.

Feiner tells us Carter was "fine overall" ... but it's clear, even though this was over two weeks ago, AC's going to need some work to avoid a loss to Odom.

You'll recall ... Odom's looking GOOD in his recent training sessions -- and was already the heavy favorite heading into the fight.

With Ben Affleck back in the picture, the Boston Red Sox clearly see an opportunity to land a huge (possible) free agent ... Jennifer Lopez!

Yeah, we know ... Jenny's from the Bronx, but since she split with A-Rod, it's hard to see her rooting for the Yankees any time soon.

Plus, the NY Mets rejected her offer to buy the team a few months ago -- guessing she ain't supporting them either.

So, leave it to Boston to make a move to win over one of the most famous celebs in the world ... and they might have a real shot!

The Red Sox posted a video to TikTok reflecting on the time J Lo took in a game at Fenway Park back in 2019 -- when the Sox played the visiting L.A. Dodgers.

A-Rod was working the booth for ESPN that night -- and while he was distracted, seems Jennifer really hit it off with the Red Sox mascot, Wally!

Now, with Lopez spending some quality time with Affleck -- one of the most diehard Boston fans on the planet -- the Red Sox are hoping she'll join him back at the Park the next time he catches a game in person.

"To the girl on the Monster from Sunday Night Baseball in 2019, We will never forget you," the Red Sox posted ... "Come back soon. We miss you."