Baseball

Cal Ripken ain't ready to ride in on a white horse and save the struggling Orioles -- he tells TMZ Sports he's happy right now and doesn't want a front office role in Baltimore ... yet.

"I don't know about this phase of my life," the Hall of Famer says ... "I kind of like relaxing a little bit."

It's almost like Cal watched the whole Magic Johnson experiment with the Lakers and decided, "Hey, that's not for me!"

Of course, the Orioles are the second worst team in baseball this season ... and haven't been a threat in the AL East since in years.

They've traded away Manny Machado and Zach Britton, dropped Adam Jones ... and have one of the worst rosters in the sport today.

But, Cal tells us he ain't ready to be a part of the front office that fixes it all ... saying he's happy with what he's doing these days -- which is basically being an unofficial ambassador for the sport.

Ya gotta see the way Ripken still signs autograph after autograph ... just like he did when he played.

Cal does have hope for Baltimore nonetheless ... he says he "kind of likes" these rebuilding periods, telling us, "Every time this happens, young guys get an opportunity."

4:20 PM PT -- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has addressed Urias' arrest ... saying the team will let the league's investigation "run its course" to gather more information.

2:50 PM PT -- The MLB has confirmed Urias has been placed on administrative leave while the league conducts an investigation into the matter.

An MLB rep says the administrative leave is effective today and can last up to 7 days.

Sources tell TMZ Sports the administrative leave can be extended -- potentially multiple times -- while the investigation is active.

Bottom line -- it could be a while before Urias takes the mound again.

8:55 AM PT -- The Dodgers are commenting on the Urias arrest ... telling TMZ Sports, "We learned about the alleged incident this morning and are in the process of gathering information."

"As a result, we have no comment at this time regarding the incident. However, every allegation of domestic violence must be taken seriously and addressed promptly, and we will cooperate fully with the authorities and Major League Baseball to ensure that that happens in this case."

L.A. Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias -- a rising star in the organization -- was arrested for domestic violence Monday night ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 22-year-old was arrested at 9:30 PM in Los Angeles after an incident at the Beverly Center, an upscale shopping area.

We're told a witness called cops claiming Urias was in the parking lot arguing with a female companion and shoved her to the ground.

Cops responded and spoke with the woman, who denied anything physical took place ... and insisted it was nothing more than a heated verbal argument.

However, sources connected to the situation tell us ... witnesses were adamant they saw Urias push the woman and video from the scene appeared to back up the witness accounts.

Urias was arrested and transported to a nearby station where he was booked for misdemeanor domestic battery.

He spent the night behind bars and bailed out early Tuesday morning after posting $20,000 bail.

The left-hander made his MLB debut in 2016 when he was 19 years old. He missed a lot of time over the last couple of years due to injuries but he's been on fire in 2019, winning 2 games and saving 2 games for the 1st place Dodgers so far this season.

Ex-World Series MVP John Wetteland is denying allegations he repeatedly sexually assaulted a little boy in his family ... with his attorney telling the media, "He is innocent."

Wetteland has been accused of forcing the family member (now an adult) to give him oral sex on three separate occasions between 2004 and 2006 when the boy was under the age of 14.

A grand jury indicted the former All-Star pitcher on 3 felony charges of child sexual assault in March ... and at his first court appearance Monday, his attorney strongly denied the allegations.

"What they've accused him of, the only thing worse is murder," Derek Adame told the Dallas Morning News ... "He was completely shocked [by the allegations]."

Adame said Wetteland intended to enter a not guilty plea ... and is planning on fighting the charges vehemently.

"We look forward to the opportunity to prove our innocence, which is what Mr. Wetteland is," Adame said ... "He is innocent and is looking forward to his day in court."

Wetteland is due back in court for another hearing in July.

Here's A-Rod talking about how he and J Lo have gone to multiple strip clubs together and spent thousands on dancers ... but he SWEARS it had nothing to do with getting freaky.

It was all for "research" ... and Alex says it was the BEST work he's ever done!

Of course, Lopez is starring in the upcoming stripper flick "Hustlers" -- and Alex told the guys on "The Breakfast Club" he was more than happy to help Jen get ready for the role.

"I was out in L.A. She's in New York. She says, 'Baby, I'm going to the strip club.' I said, 'WHOA!! I'll be there on Thursday. We can go Thursday and Friday,'" Alex said.

"I mean, it's part of due diligence, right?"

Alex says Lopez was a total pro -- and tried to learn everything she could about dancers ... but Alex says he's kind of an expert when it comes to the booty club.

"She read and read and read [about strippers] ... I said, 'Baby, stop reading and just ask me. I got the info!'"

Alex says he almost knew "too much" about the stripper world -- "which was kind of scary."

Inside the clubs, Alex says the couple would pay THOUSANDS to women ... not to dance, but to talk.

"We sat down with the girls, and we literally just interrogate them, ask them questions. Then, we would hit 'em up with $400 or $500 or $600. We weren't there for dancing, we were literally there for work."

The Boston Red Sox are back ... and it's all 'cause of Donald Trump -- so says the President himself, who says it was White House visit magic that turned their season around!!

Of course, the Sox didn't get off to a great start this season -- they were just 2-8 in their first 10 games -- the worst opening record EVER for a team with 100-plus wins in the previous season.

But, Trump says their championship visit to the White House last week has changed everything -- saying, "Has anyone noticed that all the Boston @RedSox have done is WIN since coming to the White House!"

Boston has notched 3 straight victories since heading to 1600 Penn. Ave. last Thursday ... and now, Trump is claiming visits to the White House are an anti-curse!!!

"The White House visit is becoming the opposite of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated! By the way, the Boston players were GREAT guys!"

Teams haven't exactly been open to White House celebrations under Trump ... no NBA team has visited since he took office and even several Red Sox players themselves protested last week's trip.

But if the visits are now in fact good luck charms, could that change future champions' minds???

Donald Trump heaped TONS of praise on the Boston Red Sox at the White House -- calling out individuals like Chris Sale and J.D. Martinez ... while leaving out the key players who didn't show up.

As we previously reported, Sox manager Alex Cora boycotted the trip because he doesn't "feel comfortable" with Trump over the way POTUS handled the hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.

Other Red Sox players who refused to attend include Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, David Price and Red Sox legend David Ortiz.

Betts was the A.L. MVP last season and Price CRUSHED IT during the playoff run -- but got NO LOVE from Trump since they didn't show up to the White House on Thursday.

Same with Alex Cora.

Trump had glowing remarks for Chris Sale -- complimenting his World Series performance and the fact he struck out 14 batters Wednesday night in a regular season game against the Orioles.

Trump also invited the Red Sox players and staff in attendance to a personal tour of the Lincoln Bedroom -- a room that's supposed to be off-limits to the public.

TMZ Sports shot footage of some of the key execs arriving at the White House before the ceremony -- including VP of Baseball Operations Tony La Russa, owner John Henry, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski and others.

Earlier Thursday, the Red Sox visited the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the D.C. area -- where they visited patients.

Addison Russell was booed by his OWN fans in his return from a domestic violence suspension Wednesday ... with Wrigley Field lighting up the guy with jeers during his first at-bat.

As we previously reported ... the star infielder was banned from the Cubs for 40 games after his ex-wife accused him of physically and verbally abusing her.

Melisa Reidy -- who has a child with the 25-year-old -- accused Russell of name calling, intimidating with personal force and putting his hands on her during their 2-year marriage.

Addison began serving the suspension late last season ... but the Cubs brought him back for their game against the Marlins on Wednesday -- and fans weren't exactly pleased to see him.

For the team's part ... President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said before the game Russell didn't deserve cheers from the home crowd, telling reporters, "I think he will receive an appropriate response and that's something he needs to take responsibility for."

4:05 PM PT -- Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein announced late Wednesday the team has identified the fan and banned him from Wrigley Field for life.

"We've made clear how egregious and unacceptable that behavior is, and there's no place for it in our society, in baseball and certainly no place in Wrigley Field," Epstein said.

The Chicago Cubs are trying to find -- and possibly BAN -- a fan who flashed a hand sign sometimes associated with white power, the team announced Wednesday.

During Tuesday night's broadcast of the Cubs-Marlins game ... a fan flashed a hand sign that looks like an upside-down "OK" gesture.

In recent years, the hand sign has been used by white supremacist groups. But, the symbol obviously has another -- non-hateful meaning -- and the Anti-Defamation League warns that people have been falsely branded as racist for using it without racist intent.

This particular incident went down in the bottom of the 3rd inning ... when the telecast cut to commentator Doug Glanville -- and a fan made sure to make the sign viewable for the camera.

The Cubs now say they're investigating the incident ... and are considering removing the guy from Wrigley Field forever.

"An individual seated behind Mr. Glanville used what appears to be an offensive hand gesture that is associated with racism," Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said.

“Such ignorant and repulsive behavior is not tolerated at Wrigley Field. We are reviewing the incident thoroughly because no one should be subjected to this type of offensive behavior."

"Any derogatory conduct should be reported immediately to our ballpark staff. Any individual behaving in this manner will not only be removed from the ballpark, but will be permanently banned from Wrigley Field."

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is getting high praise from Elizabeth Warren -- who says she "admires" Cora for his decision to boycott Trump's White House over his treatment of Puerto Rico.

"He's right," Warren said about Cora ... "It's bad over there."

Cora -- who's from Puerto Rico -- announced he would NOT join the Red Sox at the White House on Thursday to be honored by the President for winning the 2018 World Series.

In his statement, Cora said he doesn't feel "comfortable" visiting Trump after the way POTUS handled recovery efforts in his native Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricane.

And, when we saw Senator Warren [D-Mass] in D.C. Tuesday morning, she told us why she's throwing ALL of her support behind the MLB manager.

"He did this in a clear and respectful manner but he said, 'I can't go and show up for a photo op with someone who's been withholding funds from Puerto Rico.'"

"There's a lot of suffering going on over there," Warren added ... "I admire what [Cora is] doing."

Cleveland Indians superstar Trevor Bauer says he received death threats after getting rocked in his start Monday night ... claiming one fan told him, "I will kill you."

Bauer -- one of the frontrunners for the AL Cy Young this season -- gave up 10 hits and 8 runs to the White Sox ... and when he returned to the locker room to check his phone, he says it was filled with hate.

"I really hope you and your family die in a car crash," Bauer says one fan wrote.

"I am Chinese. I will kill you," he says another sent him.

Bauer claims one even said, "How do u let white sox smack the sh*t out of u. F**king f**."

Bauer took to Twitter to blast Instagram for allowing the comments to hit his phone afterward, saying, "Stop online harassment, bullying, and hate speech."

"@instagram your platform doesn’t seem to give me a way to report this crap. Do you condone this type of behavior on your platform?"

Bauer's been one of the top pitchers in the MLB this year ... he was 4-1 heading into Monday's start.

Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati turned into a nightmare scene straight out of "My Girl" on Monday ... when a swarm of bees invaded the stadium -- forcing officials to delay the start of the game.

The Reds were gearing up to take on the San Francisco Giants when the bees came ... you can see in photos and video there are THOUSANDS (maybe millions?) of the flying insects on the field.

In one shot captured by NBC Sports Bay Area, you can see just how close the bees came to the Giants dugout. Scary stuff.

At one point, Reds outfielder Derek Dietrich grabbed some beekeeping stuff and charged out on the field -- jokingly trying to help officials get rid of the bees.

No word if it actually helped ... or not. Also, unclear if anyone was stung.

The good news ... officials say the swarm eventually moved on and the game is now underway.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora says he will NOT join the team to visit Donald Trump on Thursday ... and several Red Sox players are boycotting with him.

The team was invited to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to be honored for winning the 2018 World Series -- and it's all set to go down on Thursday -- but Cora says he ain't going.

The 43-year-old issued a statement in Spanish saying he doesn't feel "comfortable" visiting Trump after the way POTUS handled recovery efforts in his native Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricane.

"Puerto Rico is very important to me," Cora said ... "Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting. Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane María struck."

"Even though the United States Government has helped, there’s still a long road ahead and that is OUR reality."

"I’ve used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten and my absence [from the White House] is no different."

"As such, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable celebrating in the White House."

Cora said he told Red Sox officials about his decision before informing the media.

Other Red Sox stars who will NOT go to the White House include shortstop Xander Bogaerts, David Price and Mookie Betts.

Trump has hosted a bunch of athletes recently -- including NASCAR champ Joey Logano.

CC Sabathia is hands down a slam dunk Hall of Famer, so says a guy who tried to beat him for YEARS ... 'cause Jake Odorizzi tells TMZ Sports the Yankee belongs in Cooperstown.

"He's a surefire Hall of Famer," the Minnesota Twins pitcher says ... "I really enjoyed watching him pitch."

It's a pretty big compliment from Jake ... considering the guy threw against CC PLENTY from 2013 to 2017 when Odorizzi was a Tampa Bay Ray and Sabathia was in NY.

But, game recognizes game ... and Odorizzi says CC is one of the best to ever do it.

And, why? Jake tells us the way Sabathia changed his approach from a flame-throwing lefty to a crafty pitcher is really impressive.

"He's the third lefty that's ever got 3,000 strikeouts," Jake says ... "So, I think that's pretty special."

38-year-old Sabathia has a pretty strong resume -- 6-time All-Star, 2009 World Series champion and he won the Cy Young in 2007.

Plus, he won the MLB in wins in 2009 and 2010.

Houston Astros star George Springer has been disciplined by the MLB ... and it's over a homophobic slur he mouthed at an umpire after a strikeout.

The incident went down back on April 23 during the Astros-Twins game -- when Springer was called out on strikes by umpire Angel Hernandez on a pitch GP clearly thought was WAY too low.

As Springer was venting about the call in the dugout ... cameras caught the outfielder mouthing the words to Angel, "f**king c*** sucker!"

Now, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has issued a statement to Outsports ... saying the MLB has internally punished the 'Stros star for the vulgar language.

"This inappropriate behavior was addressed with Mr. Springer and the Houston Astros,” Manfred said ... “and he has been disciplined.”

Unclear what the punishment was for Springer ... but he has NOT been suspended for the altercation.

Neither Springer nor the Astros have yet to comment on the situation.

RIP to Yasiel Puig's bat ... the Cincinnati Reds slugger snapped his lumber over his knee like the Hulk on Wednesday ... and it looked incredibly easy.

Puig Your Friend is no friend to the wood -- the dude is known for destroying his bat after frustrating plate appearances... and he put his special talent on display during the 4th inning of the Reds vs. Mets game after striking out swinging.

If you're not impressed by this ... pick up a wooden bat and try to do it yourself and NOT be in a world of pain after. Actually, don't do that ... just trust us.

Puig's been known to break bats during his career ... so he was able to regroup and walk back to the dugout without so much of a limp.

More proof LeBron James is a lifetime member of the #GetBetterGang (shout-out Stephen Jackson) 'cause here's video of the King getting a little shooting practice in at his son's hoops game.

Bronny had a run this weekend at the Elite Youth Basketball League in Atlanta, and during a little down time in the action, his pops took the opportunity to get some shots up.

The L.A. Lakers star drained two shots (not exactly NBA range), all while the players were off the court. BTW, we also got video of LeBron rebounding while the kids shot around ... dude's a team player.

As for Bronny, a hoops superstar himself ... he had a very special guest in attendance to watch him hoop ... Duke's Mike Krzyzewski was in the building.