TMZ Sports - Page 12

The Florida Panthers are gonna need sunglasses and Advil on Friday ... 'cause they partied their asses off to celebrate winning the Stanley Cup -- with a night out in Miami filled with fine dining and drinking!!

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of the whole victory tour ... which started off with a feast at new hot spot Maple & Ash, where the jocks chowed down on all the oysters, dry-aged meatballs, bluefin tuna tartare, bone-in ribeye, Mediterranean branzino and lobster spaghetti they could stomach.

Of course, the dudes in attendance -- Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola, Nate Schmidt, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundellm and Sergei Bobrovsky to name a few -- were also offered plenty of wine and champagne to wash it down -- even taking swigs from the Cup.

Scary scene at Thursday's Tampa Bay Rays game ... one of their pitchers, Hunter Bigge, took a line drive foul ball to the face while he was in the dugout -- leading to him being carted off the field.

It all went down during the top of the 7th inning. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman turned on a 3-2 pitch (he was way ahead of it) from Connor Seabold, sending the baseball directly at Bigge's face at 105 MPH, knocking him off his feet.

Ruthschman and Gunnar Henderson, who were in the on-deck circle, immediately reacted to the scary situation. The broadcast caught fans and players on both sides concerned for the Harvard graduate as medical professionals tended to him.

Shedeur Sanders is a household name in the football world, but at least one cop in Ohio couldn't recognize him earlier this month ... as new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows an officer initially had no idea he was performing a traffic stop on Deion's son.

Check out the footage -- after cops pulled over Sanders in Medina County, Ohio, for allegedly going 91 MPH in a 65 zone ... the NFL quarterback handed over an out-of-state ID that perplexed one of the troopers who was interrogating him.

"What's with the Mississippi ID?" the cop asked.

3:41 PT -- MLB just announced Santana will be facing punishment for his actions ... with the league handing him a four-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.
He is appealing the ruling, so his suspension won't begin until a decision is made.

Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana tried to smack the hell out of a heckler during his game Thursday -- and the wild altercation was captured on video.

The reliever's outburst went down during the second game of the Pittsburgh vs. Detroit doubleheader ... after Santana says a man sitting near the Pirates' bullpen "crossed the line."

Footage shot by fans near the incident shows Santana pointing out the trash-talker to security, before he leaps up and attempts to hit the man in the face with an open left hand.

The Lakers' rivalry with the Celtics apparently extends way further than the hardwood -- as Byron Scott was all smiles on Thursday realizing the sale of L.A.'s NBA franchise this week topped Boston's by nearly $4 billion!!!

The former Lakers player and head coach was thrilled to see Jeanie Buss get $10 billion for her beloved team on Wednesday ... happily gloating that it bested Boston's $6.1 billion sale in March.

"That's all that matters," Scott said of the price difference with a big grin. "We topped them. We topped them! We beat them by $3.9 billion!"

Pickleball star Zane Ford tried to unleash his frustrations on his paddle after he lost a match this week ... but as he quickly realized, his equipment is tough as hell!!

The fit of rage happened in front of fans at the Humana Championship Court for the Carvana PPA Tour ... where Ford went up against James Ignatowich.

While the two athletes were going back and forth, Ford hit the ball far left of the line ... and Ford immediately crashed out by violently slamming his paddle on the court.

Caitlin Clark has taken quite a beating from opponents to start her WNBA career ... and her college coach, Lisa Bluder, has a few ideas on how the league can put an end to it.

TMZ Sports spoke with the recently retired Iowa Hawkeyes women's hoops legend on Thursday ... and asked her all about the treatment her former superstar guard has received so far in the pros.

While Bluder doesn't believe Caitlin is intentionally being "targeted," she does think players are giving her their "best shot" night after night -- because "they think that's the way that they can stop her, is by physical dominance over her."

Chrishell Stause and G Flip took part in the Dodgers Pride Night festivities ... and now we know they took full advantage of the atmosphere with a little make-out session on the field.

The couple posted a series of snaps Thursday from the game that took place last Friday ... including a few with them packing on the PDA for all in attendance to see.

Along with their lovin' snaps ... CS posted pics of her with friends and fans -- making sure to give GLAAD a shoutout. Among the slew of shots ... CS included the Dodgers org message that federal agents were denied access to the stadium parking lots on Thursday -- clearly spurring her Pride post.

1:55 PM PT -- ICE is fact-checking the Dodgers' statement ... saying its agents were "never" at the stadium. But as Homeland Security said, CBP vehicles were present "very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement."

1:05 PM PT -- Homeland Security tells TMZ Sports the agents' presence at the stadium had nothing to do with the Dodgers.

Federal agents were denied access to Dodger Stadium on Thursday ... after the team confirmed it refused to allow the government vehicles from entering the venue's parking lots.

ICE vans and masked agents were spotted posting up outside one of the stadium lot's gates ... although it's unclear why exactly they were there. According to the L.A. Times, agents declined to comment on the details of their presence.

The outlet went on to say the federal vehicles attempted to move inside the stadium grounds ... but were rejected.

Aaron Rodgers' Wednesday afternoon featured a lot of beauty -- sand, sun and fresh air -- but one thing was missing ... his new wife.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was seen enjoying a lovely Southern California day during a mid-week Malibu beach stroll ... and while he had his guns out and wedding ring on, there was no sign of his forever partner.

It's, of course, not too surprising ... as Rodgers has kept tight-lipped about his marriage ever since he surprised everyone at this year's Kentucky Derby when he showed up with a new band on that finger.

The NBA Finals won't end Thursday night ... so says coach Mike Woodson, who tells TMZ Sports he's confident the Indiana Pacers will force a Game 7.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are one win away from their first championship as they head into Game 6 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse ... and if the Pacers don't win, their season is cooked.

Woodson -- who coached the Indiana Hoosiers from 2021 to 2025 -- believes Tyrese Haliburton and Co. can live to see a few more days ... with homecourt advantage being the main factor.

Former NFL superstar Adrian Peterson got into a fistfight with a poker player following a dispute over a hand ... and the tussle was all captured on video, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The shocking scene unfolded back on May 27 ... while Peterson and others were playing cards at JokerStars -- a social club in Houston, Texas.

Peterson tells us ... he and one of his buddies were involved in a disagreement while at a gaming table, "one thing led to another," and they squared up.

The Vatican City is slowly turning into the Windy City ... 'cause Pope Leo XIV was back showing major love for his Chicago White Sox this week!!

The Pontiff put his fandom on display as White Sox chants erupted during the General Audience address on Wednesday ... acknowledging the message of support for the ball club as he cruised around on the Popemobile.

Since being elected, Leo has embraced his South Side ties with open arms ... and he is no stranger to wearing his fandom on his sleeve.

Serena Williams looks ready to come out of retirement -- the tennis legend put her incredible figure on display on Thursday ... and her fans can't get enough of her look!!

The 43-year-old posted the snaps of her in a two-piece 'fit at cryotherapy ... posing under a sign that read just how cold the treatment was -- an unimaginable -110 degrees.

The practice exposes the body to intense cold temperatures ... and is believed to be effective for weight loss and other health benefits.

AEW star Brody King had fans talking Wednesday night in Mexico City -- but it wasn't just about his match -- the pro wrestler rocked an "Abolish ICE" shirt as he made his way to the ring.

King's bold statement came during AEW's "Grand Slam Mexico" event ... as he prepared to compete in a 12-man tag team match in the country's capital.

As he took off his jacket ... the message was revealed, calling for the dismantling of Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement -- the federal agency charged with enforcing immigration laws in the United States.

The sale of the Los Angeles Lakers is getting a big stamp of approval from one of the organization's biggest stars ... with Luka Doncic saying he's ready to win some championships under new owner Mark Walter.

"The Lakers are an amazing organization," the 26-year-old Slovenian hooper said Thursday. "I'm looking forward to meeting Mark and excited about the future."

As we previously reported, the Buss family is giving up their majority stake in the historic franchise ... but Jeanie will remain as team governor for years to come, which Doncic was thrilled about.