Baseball

Greatness comes at a price, but Michael Jordan greatness? That's more like the cost of a house down payment -- just ask the person who now owns MJ's cleats.

The folks over at Heritage Auctions sold a pair of size 13.5 baseball cleats worn and signed by His Airness when he played for the Chicago White Sox's minor-league affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. The total cost ... a whopping $93,000!!!

MJ signed the cleats in bold silver ink. Legend has it ... the shoes were a gift from Michael to a White Sox announcer. The shoes were then obtained at MLB pitcher Jeff Reardon's Leukemia Charity Golf Tournament in 1995. The shoes come with a handwritten note from Reardon acknowledging the cleats are authentic.

As for the shoes, MJ -- whose first love was actually baseball and not basketball -- wore them during his short-lived campaign to reach the Major Leagues in 1994. You can clearly see the Air Jordan Nike cleats have incredible wear, with dirt and scuffs throughout. The Nike logo inside the heel is nearly worn off.

As we've reported ... tons of MJ memorabilia has hit the auction block, from a game-worn Bulls jersey to a $15k check Jordan signed over to Donald Trump's Indiana casino.

Rob Manfred says owners could lose $4 BILLION if the MLB is forced to cancel its 2020 season due to coronavirus ... claiming the economic fallout would be "devastating."

"We’re a big business, but we’re a seasonal business and, unfortunately, this crisis began at the low point for us in terms of revenue," the league commish told CNN on Thursday.

"We hadn’t quite started our season yet and if we don’t play a season, the losses for the owners could approach $4 billion."

Manfred says he and his staff are working tirelessly to figure out a way to avoid that possibility ... revealing to Anderson Cooper that they've come up with an 80-page protocol to keep players safe in a return scenario.

Manfred says the league is eyeing "frequent testing," quarantine plans for those who contract the virus and safety measurements like fan-less games to ensure players' health is the top priority if a comeback happens.

The problem? There's a disagreement right now between MLB owners and players over whether or not players should take a pay cut in a return to the diamond.

Rays ace Blake Snell blasted the notion this week ("For me to take a pay cut is not happening, because the risk is through the roof") and several MLB stars have since backed the 27-year-old.

Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper said on his Twitch stream Thursday, "He's speaking the truth, bro. I ain't mad at him."

Rockies megastar Nolan Arenado added, per The Athletic, "He made a lot of good points. There are some points he made that were true, that are facts."

Did Mercury coming out of retrograde cost Aaron Judge the rookie home run record?!?!

That's what Pete Alonso's saying ... admitting once the smallest planet in our solar system got back in line last summer -- his bat suddenly woke up from a weeks-long slump!!!

And, yeah ... the Mets superstar is DEAD serious about it!!!

"I saw something on Twitter," Pete said on "The Cookie Club" show this week, "I was in a rabbit hole one night after the game and it's like, 'Mercury is out of retrograde, and if you're born in a certain month, then it really affects you in a negative way and your performance at your job.'"

"And I'm like, 'Oh, Mercury's in retrograde!'" Pete added. "'It comes out of retrograde on this day, and I can't wait for that!' And, that day was probably like five days away."

Sure enough, Pete says as soon as that day hit on the calendar -- he went BERSERK at the plate ... and his teammates laughed their faces off over it all!!

"He came in the locker room screaming it," Mets stud Dominic Smith said. "'Mercury's out of retrograde!' And we're looking around like, 'What does that even mean?!'"

Smith added, "And, I was just like, 'Whatever, Pete's back!' And, I'm telling you, he went off! Like I couldn't believe it!"

FYI, Alonso used that game and about three dozen more following it to ultimately break Judge's rookie home run record ... finishing with 53 jacks in one season.

As for Alonso repeating that feat in 2020 ... he seems confident he's got the skills to do it -- although Mercury is set to go in retrograde from June 18 to July 12.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell says there's no way in hell he's stepping on the mound for a penny less than his guaranteed salary ...  slamming the MLB's recent proposal in an emotional Twitch stream.

Of course, the league came up with a plan for a shortened season and a 50-50 revenue split between the owners and players earlier this week ... in hopes of salvaging the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Y'all gotta understand, man ... for me to take a pay cut is not happening, because the risk is through the roof," The Cy Young winner said Wednesday.

"It's a shorter season, less pay."

FYI -- 27-year-old Snell is in the middle of a 5-year, $50 million deal and was set to make $7 million in 2020.

He continued ... "I gotta get my money. I'm not playing unless I get mine, okay? And, that's just the way it is for me. Like, I'm sorry you guys think differently, but the risk is way the hell higher and the amount of money I'm making is way lower. Why would I think about doing that?"

When fans criticized Snell's stance in the Twitch comments ... he doubled down.

"Bro, I'm risking my life. What do you mean it should not be a thing? It should 100% be a thing. If I'm gonna play, I should be getting the money I signed to be getting paid."

The revenue split is likely to get rejected when it's officially presented to the MLB Players Association ... considering the league already agreed to $170 million in up-front money to keep players paid during the pandemic back in March.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer also weighed in on the proposal ... and he's siding with Snell.

Did you know Barry Zito had a hell of a curveball AND an amazing voice?!?!

It's true ... the former World Series champ sang his face off all season on "The Masked Singer" -- with his voice even making Nicole Sherzinger cry before he was eliminated from the show Wednesday!!

The 42-year-old sang a rendition of Tim McGraw's "Humble And Kind" under the guise of The Rhino ... and it was so good, the Pussycat Dolls star was moved to tears.

Check out the footage ... Zito's twangy sound really had Nicole wiping away the waterworks!!

But, as it turns out, even that wasn't enough to save the former Cy Young winner from elimination ... he was booted from the show just short of making next week's finale.

Of course, it was a valiant effort from the ex-San Francisco Giant ... he finished in fourth place, and the judges praised him for being super authentic throughout the competition!!

BTW, Zito's been doing the music thing for a while -- and told us back in 2017 why he hopes to add a Grammy to his trophy case one day.

Also, don't feel too bad for Barry about the exit -- it's pretty much the only L Zito is taking in 2020 ... he just had a new baby, and his family is cute as hell!!

Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is killing it when it comes to the autograph market -- with the value of DT signed baseballs more than doubling in price since he took office.

Authentic Trump signed baseballs are selling in the $2,000 to $3,000 price range ... a huge jump from the $1,000 price point most memorabilia shops were getting for DT balls when he moved into the White House in 2017.

In fact, Steiner Sports -- one of the biggest sports autograph dealers in the country -- is asking $2,663.99 for an authentic Trump signature on an MLB baseball.

TMZ Sports spoke with Ken Goldin, who runs Goldin Auctions -- another major player in the sports collectibles market -- who says Trump memorabilia is still in super-high demand, despite the criticism he's received in office.

"The more he's in the news, the more demand there is," Goldin tells us.

Goldin recently sold a copy of the Trump impeachment documents with Donald's signature for a cool $81,000 ... and says the buyer was NOT a Trump fan.

Goldin says some of the biggest Trump collectors are actually Trump haters!

"People who even are not fans of his probably would say, 'Hey, I'd like to have a signature baseball, this is kind of unique."

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez are callin' it -- reportedly ending their pursuit to buy the NY Mets after it became clear they were way too far apart on price.

As we previously reported, the power couple was looking for investors to buy the team for somewhere around $1.5 billion.

The current owners, the Wilpon family, were looking for something closer to $2.5 bil.

J-Rod had reportedly teamed up with billionaire investor Wayne Rothbaum to make a run at the team -- but there were 2 major snags in negotiations, according to the NY Post.

First, the price ... Rothbaum was hoping to get the team for a cool $1 BILLION.

How, you ask? The $2.6 billion valuation accounts for the team's stake in the SNY cable network (the primary local broadcaster of Mets games). Rothbaum reportedly has no interest in the network and feels the team is worth significantly less without it.

Plus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on MLB, he thought he could get the team at a "fire sale" price.

The other issue ... Rothbaum reportedly wanted more control over the team than Alex and Jennifer were willing to give up.

Our sources told us Alex feels there's tremendous upside in buying the Mets -- and saw it as a huge business opportunity -- but for now, it just ain't working out.

Here's a video that'll hit you right in the feels ... a baseball dad watched his son hit his first home run -- and pop's reaction to seeing it fly over the fence was PRICELESS!!!

The father-son duo is Cory and Asher Willig ... and during quarantine out in Georgia -- they've been getting in some batting practice to pass the time.

Turns out ... all the BP work paid off last Friday -- 'cause little Asher hit a moonshot dinger that Dad couldn't have been more proud of!!

The video will make ya get a little misty-eyed ... Ash (with a sweet lefty swing) took a fastball DEEP to center, and Cory lost his freakin' mind!!!

There were hands in the air ... jumping around, and screams -- and it was all capped off by a massive hug!!

"All those times in front of our house this past month paid off!" Cory said. "So proud of you son!"

AWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

By the way, did you take note of Asher's epic bat flip after the ball cleared the wall??? Somewhere, Tim Anderson's smiling big!!!

The Baseball Hall of Fame has voted unanimously to postpone Derek Jeter's induction to 2021 ... not exactly the "unanimous vote" he was hoping for.

Of course, the New York Yankees legend -- along with big-hitters Larry Walker, Marvin Miller and Ted Simmons -- were all set to be honored in Cooperstown as the Class of 2020 on July 26.

But ... COVID-19 screwed it all up!

Given the global coronavirus pandemic, the Hall's Board of Directors took a vote -- and ultimately agreed it was best to push the festivities to 2021 to steer clear of any potential safety risks.

"Our Board of Directors has voted unanimously to cancel 2020 Induction Weekend, due to health and safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic," HOF officials said in a statement.

A spokesperson says the HOF is "disappointed" but the decision was made in the best interest of everyone involved.

"We care deeply about every single person who visits Cooperstown."

Instead, the 2020 class will be inducted alongside the 2021 class next year ... and Larry Walker has already come out in support of the move.

"I fully understand and agree with the Board’s decision," Walker says. "It is most important to do the right thing for everybody involved, and that means not putting any participants in jeopardy, whether Hall of Famers or visitors."

The Houston Astros have essentially SHUT DOWN an auction for a 2017 World Series ring ... claiming they have a contract in place to buy it back for $1.

ONE. AMERICAN. DOLLAR.

The ring -- which originally belonged to Astros scout David Brito -- was listed with Goldin Auctions as part of its May 2020 catalog and some expected it to sell for as high as $60,000!!

Of course, Astros players, coaches and staffers each got a ring for defeating the L.A. Dodgers in the 2017 World Series ... despite the fact, they're cheating-ass cheaters who cheat.

100% of the proceeds from the auction were going to be donated to the CAMCare Foundation for COVID-19 related causes at hospitals and health care centers.

But, Goldin tells TMZ Sports ... the Astros reached out to them and demanded they pull the item -- claiming they have a first-look deal with Brito to buy it back for $1, which he signed in order to receive the item in the first place.

If this sounds familiar, it's because it's the same policy as the Academy Awards -- which requires winners to give the Academy the first option to buy the award back for $1 if the winner (or a family member) wants to get rid of it.

Goldin tells us ... they were unaware of the $1 contract when they agreed to auction the item -- but they will comply with the Astros' demand and return to the ring back to the consigner.

We're told the consigner is NOT Brito -- but a ring dealer.

Unclear if the consigner will give the ring back to Brito so he can actually sell the ring back to Houston -- but at this point, it probably makes more sense for him to keep it.

After all, why give the Astros another ring they really don't deserve to have?!

As for the ring itself -- it contains 214 diamonds, 16 natural blue sapphires and 9 natural orange sapphires.

Wonder if the contract says anything about melting it down and selling the raw materials?

Could Mannywood reopen in 2020?!!?

Manny Ramirez says that's the goal ... with the MLB legend telling The Taiwan Times he's gunning for a comeback in the Chinese Professional Baseball League!!

"My goal for 2020, is to find a roster spot in the CPBL," Manny says. "I have been itching to get back in the batter’s box and be able to compete again."

It's a stunning revelation ... considering the former Red Sox outfielder is 47 years old and hasn't swung a bat in a professional league since 2013!!

But, Ramirez claims he's been using quarantine times to get back in playing shape while also working on his swing.

"I know if I was given the opportunity to come in an organization as a player-coach," Ramirez says, "it would do great things for the organization and the league."

Man-Ram has experience in the CPBL ... he played for the EDA Rhinos in 2013, and actually crushed it, batting .352 in 49 games, before he ultimately got out of his contract and returned back to the U.S.

Ramirez says he wants to give it another run ... and even claims he's turning down offers from the Atlantic League to get another shot in Taiwan.

"My message to the CPBL clubs would be that I am still confident in my ability to serve as a player-coach and provide positive contributions to any ball club that is willing to have me on their staff/roster," Ramirez said.

Chemotherapy sucks.

It sucks even more when you’re going through it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But, MLB star Trey Mancini says he still feels "lucky" to have so many resources to battle his stage-3 colon cancer.

The 28-year-old Baltimore Orioles slugger opened up about his treatment in The Players' Tribune ... saying he's facing 6 months of chemotherapy, which will keep him out of baseball in 2020.

As we previously reported, Mancini underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his colon back in March ... after doctors discovered it during a colonoscopy.

Of course, the coronavirus pandemic is complicating things -- but Mancini is still maintaining a positive attitude.

"Chemo in the age of COVID-19 is crazy," Mancini says ... "Nobody is allowed to come in with me, and that’s completely fine by me."

"I don’t want anybody else being put at risk -- people that are close to me and that I love, and other people in the hospital. You just never know."

"COVID-19 has spread so quickly. I’m definitely trying to follow all the protocols, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because I don’t want to expose myself to anything, especially before going into chemotherapy."

As for the treatment itself, Mancini says doctors installed a mediport into his chest --explaining, "It’s where they’ll run the drugs into my body during chemotherapy."

Mancini is also praising his Orioles team doctors for flagging an abnormal blood test during a routine physical -- which led to his cancer diagnosis. He considers himself "so lucky" to have had a head start on proper treatment.

"Honestly, I love the Orioles," Mancini added ... "Our team trainers have been so on top of everything. I am so appreciative for them, and also for the Orioles’ front office and ownership. They have treated me like family."

Despite everything he's going through, Mancini says he's "OK," considers himself blessed and can't wait to play baseball again soon.

Red Sox nation is breathing easier today ... MLB just released its findings from its probe into cheating allegations -- and Boston's coming away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

The MLB found the Sox DID violate sign-stealing rules and regulations ... but commissioner Rob Manfred says the rule-breaking was minor and handed down minimal punishment.

Here's the deal ... Manfred says Red Sox staffer J.T. Watkins was officially responsible for LEGALLY decoding opponents' signs -- but took it too far at points during the 2018 season.

Manfred says Watkins ILLEGALLY used in-game live footage to help him with his sign-decoding assignments ... unacceptably gaining an advantage in getting opposing catchers' signs.

It should be noted Manfred says Watkins DENIED the allegations.

Manfred claims based on his interviews with current and former players ... the scope of the illegal activity was small -- saying Watkins' use of the in-game video was only episodic and even then, only useful when the Sox had runners on second base.

But, Manfred laid a small hammer down Wednesday nonetheless ... announcing Watkins is suspended without pay for all of 2020. Manfred also prohibited the guy from serving as a replay room operator for 2021.

Manfred also took a 2nd round pick away from Boston in this year's MLB draft ... but said no other Red Sox players or personnel would be disciplined.

It's a big breath of fresh air for Boston ... after the Houston Astros were caught and heavily punished for their sign-stealing scandal -- many in Beantown hoped to avoid a similar fate.

Of course, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was eventually canned for his role as a bench coach in the Astros' scandal ... but Manfred says in his report Cora was NOT complicit in the Sox's scheme.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are angling to join the movement among celebs to own a sports franchise -- like Magic, Jay-Z and Derek Jeter -- but insiders tell us it's strictly a business decision ... and we're told A-Rod has a vision for the New York Mets that will handsomely line his and his fiancee's pockets.

Sources familiar with the deal tell us ... A-Rod's weakness is also his strength -- he knows he doesn't have a background in business so he's going to leave the business part of running the team to people who know better than him. He's more of a "people manager" -- meaning his strength is inspiring players, but he's leaving the business part to people who know better than him.

We're also told A-Rod and J Lo are putting up a relatively small percentage of the cash necessary to make a deal. We're told they're looking for big investors who might put up somewhere between $25 million and $50 mil. At which point they could get financing from a bank for the balance.

As it was put to us ... the Mets have been "so mismanaged" that there is nothing but upside if he can right the organization. The danger -- we're told A-Rod has an interest in working with the players. The conventional wisdom ... Hall of Fame-level players typically screw up when they try to mess with the roster.

Our sources say it all comes down to money. There are reports the Mets are worth around $2.4 billion, but some of the financial people we've spoken with say that's way too high, and the team is worth more in the $1.5 billion range. Hedge fund manager Steve Cohen was previously in negotiations to buy the Mets in a deal valued at $2.6 billion, but that fell apart in February. Lots of people felt the offer was way over market.

As for A-Rod and J Lo, they've reportedly retained JPMorgan Chase to raise capital.

The man in charge of finding the money is JPMorgan Chase managing director Eric Menell, according to Variety.

Menell runs the company's North American media investment banking.

As we previously reported, the Wilpon family -- which currently owns the Mets -- are looking to sell in a big way.

If A-Rod and J Lo DID get the sale, it would be VERY interesting considering Alex played for the rival NY Yankees for years and Lopez brags about being from the Bronx, typically Yankees country.

One person who's NOT interested in buying the Mets -- superfan Jerry Seinfeld, who told us it's too much work!