Baseball

MLB umpire, Brian O'Nora, was arrested in a sex sting operation in Ohio this weekend ... after officials say he tried to solicit a prostitute online.

57-year-old O'Nora -- who's been an MLB umpire since 2000 -- was 1 of 14 alleged "Johns" who went online seeking to illegally purchase a sex act, according to police.

But, O'Nora didn't get sex ... instead, he got nailed by the Liberty Township Police Department, which was working with a task force that specializes in busting human trafficking operations.

Details of what exactly went down during the sting operation are unclear -- we're working on it -- but O'Nora and the others were all arrested and charged with misdemeanor soliciting and misdemeanor possessing criminal tools.

"John stings deter those seeking to purchase sex -- reducing the demand for human trafficking -- and serve as a reminder that these crimes are more prevalent and closer to home than you may think," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Monday.

The whole case rings similar to sex stings involving New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, and pro golfer Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey.

As for O'Nora, he went viral back in 2013 when he was hit in the neck by a pitch ... but still made a "ball four" call despite being in serious pain.

O'Nora has been assigned to cover an MLB All-Star Game on 3 occasions during his umping career ... and he also worked the 2012 Giants vs. Tigers World Series.

A piece of Dodgers history just hit the auction block -- the jersey Tommy Lasorda was wearing during Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series homer!!!

Yep, the folks at Lelands Auctions say they've authenticated the #2 jersey as the same one Tommy wore as he came jumping out of the dugout at Dodgers Stadium on that legendary Oct.15 night!

Gibson's home run has widely been regarded as one of the top moments in World Series history ... he was badly injured, could barely walk -- but Lasorda sent him up to face Dennis Eckersley in the bottom of the 9th anyway.

The Dodgers were down 4-3 to the Oakland A's in Game 1 of the Series -- and on the 7th pitch of the at-bat (with 2 strikes), Gibson -- using only his upper body -- casually flicked his bat at Eckerlsley's slider.

The ball sailed over the right-field fence, sealing the win for L.A. -- and sparking the Dodgers to eventually win the whole Series.

Now, 32 years later, the white #2 Dodgers jersey that Lasorda wore (and later autographed) while making one of the most BRILLIANT managerial decisions in the history of Major League Baseball is up for grabs.

Lelands says the jersey has been photo-matched for authenticity -- and still has its original Rawlings 'Size 46' tag in the neck!!

Oh, and if you're wondering what happened to the home run ball ... NOBODY KNOWS ITS WHEREABOUTS!!

Tragic news from Washington Nationals catcher Tres Barrera and his wife, Lindsey ... the couple just announced their baby boy passed away during delivery last week.

"2020 has been a tough year for many, but it has definitely beaten us more than anything before," Tres said on Instagram on Friday.

"On Sunday November 29,2020 my wife delivered our son at 7:12 am. Unfortunately our God decided he needed him in heaven before he was able to take his first breath."

He continued ... "The emotion, the pain, are all things that one can not describe. As we mourn the loss of our baby boy, our faith remains strong and we will continue to take strides one day at a time in His name."

Tres and Lindsey -- who tied the knot back in January 2018 -- shared the news of the pregnancy back in September ... saying they couldn't wait to meet the "little man."

Tres praised Lindsey's strength through the challenging time ... saying, "I am most proud to call my myself the husband of my wife Lindsey. She is the strongest person I know and she will forever be my hero."

"Forever our angel ... Kaius Lee Barrera"

Tim Tebow has a VERY REAL chance of making the NY Mets' roster next season ... so says star reliever Dellin Betances, who tells TMZ Sports the guy is seriously dedicated to the game.

"He's definitely an athlete," Dellin said of the former Heisman Trophy winner. "He showed some good things last year."

Dellin spent time with Tebow at Mets camp last spring before the coronavirus pandemic put the MLB season on pause ... and the big right-hander tells us he was impressed with what he saw.

In fact, Betances -- who was out doing some awesome charity work with CC Sabathia on Tuesday in the Bronx -- said it wouldn't shock him one bit to see the ex-NFL QB batting somewhere behind Pete Alonso in the Mets' big-league lineup in 2021.

"The guy, he's determined," Dellin said of Tebow. "So, he works hard. He's determined to get there. You never know."

Tebow just recently told Mets president Sandy Alderson that he'd be coming back for another run at the team's major league roster in 2021 after COVID wiped out the entire minor league season this year.

Here's yet another reason Tommy Pham is SERIOUSLY lucky to be alive after his terrifying stabbing incident in October ... the San Diego Padres star says he needed 200 stitches to close his wound.

The 32-year-old was gashed by a blade during an altercation in the parking lot of a San Diego strip club on Oct. 11 ... and video from the aftermath of the incident showed he was covered in blood after the slashing.

Now, Pham is revealing what it took to get him healthy again ... and it's pretty shocking.

In what appears to be his first appearance on video since the stabbing ... Pham said he needed 200 stitches to repair the damage on his back and he has "still a ways to go."

The good news? Pham looks to be in insane shape despite only being 7 weeks removed the incident ... he was sprinting on a treadmill at what he says was a 22 MPH pace.

As we previously reported, Pham has sued the strip club over the stabbing incident ... claiming employees and venue security didn't do enough to help protect him.

In his lawsuit, Pham said the injuries he suffered were "catastrophic" ... and hurt his "earning capacity as an elite professional baseball player."

Tommy Lasorda's recovery is moving in the right direction -- he's now taking phone calls in his hospital room from friends and former players!

The 93-year-old is still being treated at a hospital in Orange County, CA -- where he was admitted roughly 2 weeks ago.

We broke the story, Lasorda was initially admitted due to heart issues ... but things took a turn for the worse while he was there, and he needed to be put on a ventilator. We're told the issues were NOT coronavirus related.

At the time, sources close to the situation told us Lasorda's long-term prognosis was not clear ... given his age and medical issues.

But now, a great update courtesy of Dodgers spokesperson Steve Brener who told the AP things are looking up!

Brener says Tommy is taking "online calls" from former players and coaches -- which is great because Lasorda is widely known as a social butterfly who loves choppin' it up with people!

Hopefully, he'll continue to make progress and get home soon!

Lasorda is widely known as one of the greatest MLB managers EVER -- the dude won 1,599 games in 21 years as the Dodgers' honcho ... and earned Manager Of The Year honors twice.

Don't dig a grave for Tim Tebow's MLB career just yet ... HE'S COMING BACK TO THE METS IN 2021!

... so says Mets president Sandy Alderson who made it clear the franchise isn't ready to move on from the former NFL quarterback.

Remember, the minor league baseball season was scrapped in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic -- leaving players like 33-year-old Tebow contemplating his baseball future.

But, Alderson said he spoke with Tebow over the weekend -- and it seems they reached an agreement to resume the Tim Tebow experiment next season.

"He’s anxious to come back," Alderson told the NY Post.

"And I told Tim, ‘Look, why would you want to end your quest based on a COVID-related reason? You didn’t get a chance to perform this year.’ He was hurt a little bit the previous year. So I think Tim is committed to coming back. And I think we’re committed to giving him an opportunity to do that and we’ll see where it goes."

Alderson says both sides realize Tim's baseball career will end at some point -- but that time isn't now!

"This is not a quest without end. At some point it will culminate. But I think that will be at a time when Tim and the organization come to some agreement about where he is and what his potential is. But I didn’t want him to go out based on some COVID-related interruption."

Tebow signed his deal with the NY Mets in 2016 -- and while it's been fun to watch him compete, his numbers haven't exactly been stellar -- he's only batting .223 in his 3 minor league seasons.

He spent a short stint at the Triple-A level in 2019 -- but didn't exactly shine there either ... with a .163 batting average in 264 plate appearances.

After spending three seasons in the NFL, Tebow decided to give baseball a shot. He was signed by the Mets in 2016 and has moved up through the team’s minor-league system. Tebow reached Triple-A briefly in 2019, and will likely begin 2021 at that level.

Tebow recently spoke about his baseball career to MLB.com -- acknowledging the end could be near.

"It’s not something that I want to do forever," Tebow said ... "because there’s a lot of other things that are in my heart that I want to pursue."

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder, Randy Arozarena, is the subject of an MLB investigation stemming from an alleged violent incident in Mexico involving the mother of his child and the woman's father.

25-year-old Arozarena was reportedly detained at the woman's home, according to local media outlets.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reports Arozarena "allegedly tried to take his daughter from her mother and assaulted the woman’s father."

Reports out of Mexico indicate Arozarena showed up to the home with gifts for his daughter -- but things went awry when he arrived and he allegedly tried to take the child from the house without permission from the mother.

Video has surfaced allegedly showing a standoff between Arozarena and neighbors -- while Arozarena is holding a child.

Mexican authorities have said they will release more information about the case in the coming days. In the meantime, MLB has officially launched an investigation to gather information.

Rob Kardashian is ON FIRE -- the sports card collector just pulled an ultra-rare Honus Wagner autograph ... and the video is epic!

Here's the deal ... Rob K. has established himself as one of the top dogs in the high-end sports card market -- often buying boxes of pricy, rare cards in the hopes of hitting big.

AND HE KEEPS HITTING BIG!!!

This time, Rob paid $750 for a chance at the contents of the BullPen BullChest at the Bullpen card shop in L.A.

Basically, 6 people pay $750 each to split the contents of the BullChest which is loaded with expensive PSA graded cards, boxes of unopened cards ... sometimes just packs of rare cards.

The collectors get to select 1 item from the chest in an order that's randomly selected by the shop.

This time, Rob was 5th to select (not the best position) -- but it worked out for him this time!

Rob decided to pick an unopened box of 2020 Topps Dynasty cards -- which usually runs around $500 and only contains ONE CARD!!

But, when the Bullpen staffer opened the pack (Rob was watching virtually on a live stream) ... he went CRAZY when he realized he pulled a special 1-of-1 Honus Wagner auto!

Wagner died in 1955 -- but the people at Topps secured an authenticated autograph used it as the base of a new card.

Unclear what it's worth ... but it's fair to say Rob EASILY made back his investment!

As we previously reported, Rob recently pulled an ultra-rare Tom Brady card that some believe could sell for more than $200k!

A ball Patrick Mahomes signed back in high school is hitting the auction block ... and check out the signature -- the NFL superstar had a John Hancock like a pro even as a teenager!!

TMZ Sports has learned the K.C. Chiefs QB put pen to ball back in 2013 ... and now, it's the earliest Mahomes auto EVER to go up for auction.

We're told the story behind the ball is pretty special ... the guys at Lelands say Mahomes and his entire Whitehouse H.S. Wildcats baseball team in Texas signed it for a boy who was battling Leukemia.

Leland's reps say the boy threw out the first pitch at one of the team's games (with Mahomes catching it) -- and later, the kid got the whole team to sign it.

Check out the piece ... in the sweet spot, "2013 Whitehouse Wildcats" is handwritten. Just above it is Mahomes' auto, which features his signature with the "#5."

21 of Mahomes' other high school teammates also signed the ball.

Unclear what it's ultimately expected to fetch -- it is awfully hard to price such a unique item, after all -- but bidding has started at $500.

And, if that price sounds crazy ... consider this -- a ball signed by a teenage Michael Jordan in 1976 just sold this year at auction for $36,000!!!

Robinson Cano has been popped for a banned substance again ... and this time, it'll cost him the entire 2021 season AND a fat paycheck.

The New York Mets star second baseman tested positive for PEDs, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, and he's now been suspended for all of next year.

38-year-old Cano will also forfeit $24 MILLION in salary due to the season-long ban, Passan added.

The 8-time All-Star had previously been busted for using a banned substance back in 2018 ... when MLB hit him with an 80-game suspension.

At the time, Cano admitted to taking Furosemide -- which MLB has barred because it can act as a masking agent for PEDs -- but the baseball star claimed he did NOT use it for performance enhancement on the diamond.

"Furosemide is used to treat various medical conditions in the United States and the Dominican Republic," Cano said in '18. "This substance was given to me by a licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic to treat a medical ailment."

"While I did not realize at the time that I was given a medication that was banned, I obviously now wish that I had been more careful."

Unclear what Cano tested positive for this time ... but his absence next year will sure hurt the Mets.

Cano had a monster 2020, batting .316 and hitting 10 home runs in just 49 games.

Before the suspensions ... Cano was considered a Hall of Fame candidate -- with a career batting average of .303 and 334 total home runs.

It's the most wonderful time of the year for Dodger fans -- the team has officially announced a drive-thru holiday extravaganza to help celebrate L.A.'s World Series title!!

The team can't currently celebrate with a normal parade through the City of Angels in honor of their 7th championship (thanks, COVID) ... so they came up with a safe way to honor the victory while spreading some holiday cheer at the same time.

Dubbed the "Holiday Festival," the Dodgers say the event will include "a light show, LED video displays, fake snow and interactive displays honoring the Dodgers World Championship and celebrating the holidays!"

The party will take place at the Dodger Stadium parking lot ... but don't get it twisted -- attendees will still be required to wear face masks when their car windows are down (we're looking at you, Justin Turner) ... as well as maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles.

The event starts the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) and runs through Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) ... and tickets go on sale Tuesday.

Retired MLB star Jim Edmonds is pissed at his estranged wife for being reckless with COVID -- he claims her partying and jet-setting ways put his family in danger.

Jim's estranged wife, "Real Housewives of Orange County" alum Meghan King, says she's isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. Jim's rep, Steve Honig, tells TMZ ... Jim thinks Meghan has a lot of explaining to do because she attended a major Halloween event in St. Louis before jetting down to Miami, where she continued to party.

So, he says Jim's hardly surprised she announced she tested positive ... but he is pissed.

Videos and pictures from the Halloween bash show Meghan rubbing elbows with tons of people, the vast majority of whom are not wearing masks.

And, photos from Meghan's trip to Miami again show her with lots of maskless folks. She says she loves feeding her "wanderlust spirit" ... even in a pandemic.

A source close to the situation claims Meghan came over to Jim's house after her Miami trip to pick up their kids ... after allegedly being exposed to the virus. The source claims Meghan was hugging and kissing the kids, putting not only their children at risk, but also Jim's girlfriend.

Our source claims Meghan's lying about the timing of everything to make it seem like her reckless partying has nothing to do with her positive COVID diagnosis.

We're told after Meghan went public with her diagnosis Sunday, Jim reached out to her directly and expressed disappointment with her lack of responsibility.

Legendary Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda is in serious condition at a Southern California hospital in the ICU with heart issues, TMZ Sports has learned.

Lasorda was admitted a week ago and his condition took a turn for the worse. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Tommy was hooked up to a ventilator and sedated. We're told he's now resting comfortably, so it seems he's improved.

Our sources say, his condition is NOT COVID-related.

One source noted Tommy is 93 with medical issues so his prognosis is uncertain.

Lasorda had a storied career in baseball, first signing with the Phillies in 1945. He also played for the Royals

Lasorda retired in 1960 and joined the Dodgers as a scout and then a manager. And, he was one of the most colorful managers in the sport, leading the team to 8 National League West division titles, 4 pennants and 2 World Series championships.

Tommy, who became a TV pitchman for various products, retired in 1996 because of health issues. He has a wine company -- Lasorda Family Wines.

After retiring from managing, he became Vice President and then interim general manager of the team in 1968.

Tommy was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

The Miami Marlins have just made a groundbreaking hire -- with the team welcoming baseball exec Kim Ng as the first female general manager in major pro sports history.

The hire makes Ng the highest-ranking woman in baseball operations among all 30 MLB teams.

51-year-old Ng started her front-office career as an intern with the Chicago White Sox in 1991 ... working her way up the ladder and becoming assistant GM to Brian Cashman with the New York Yankees in 1998.

Ng joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2001 ... and served as assistant GM until becoming Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations for MLB in 2011.

Ng spoke about the new gig in a statement, saying, "I entered Major League Baseball as an intern and, after decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins as their next general manager."

"We are building for the long-term in South Florida, developing a forward thinking, collaborative, creative baseball operation made up of incredibly talented and dedicated staff who have, over the last few years, lady great foundation for success."

She continued ... "This challenge is when I don’t take lightly. When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a Major League team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals."

FYI -- Ng's boss is Derek Jeter ... who, of course, was on the Yanks when she worked as assistant GM from 1998 to 2001.

Ng had interviewed to be GM for other teams like the Giants, Dodgers, Angels and more in the past ... and now she's gunning for ultimate success with her first opportunity.

"My goal is now to bring championship baseball to Miami. I am both humbled and eager to continue building the winning culture our fans expect and deserve."

Congrats!!!

Things are REALLY looking up for Mets fans ... just 2 days after their new owner promised to build a winner -- Noah Syndergaard showed his right arm can still throw missiles!!

... oh, and he did it all sweaty and shirtless!!

Syndergaard -- who had to undergo Tommy John surgery back in March -- posted video of him rocketing fastballs Thursday ... and it's gotta have people in NY ecstatic.

There was obviously concern the 28-year-old might not have the same firepower after the elbow operation ... but it's clear in the footage, Thor should be throwing close to 100 MPH again in no time.

The video comes on the heels of new Mets owner Steve Cohen saying Tuesday he wouldn't cut corners in the process of building the team into a premier MLB franchise.

"This is a major-market team," Cohen told reporters. "It should have a budget commensurate with that."

Syndergaard -- who didn't have the world's greatest relationship with the Wilpons (the previous owners) -- seems fired up to play for the guy ... he even changed his Twitter bio recently to reflect that.

"Dear Steve Cohen," Syndergaard wrote. "Hi, I’m Noah. Some ppl call me Thor. I’m a Met, working out in Florida, and I just want to win for Mets fans just like you."