Baseball

A 45-year-old man is now in police custody after cops claim he stole and destroyed a beloved Jackie Robinson statue in Kansas ... but authorities say they believe his actions were NOT motivated by hate.

According to the Wichita Police Department, Ricky Alderete has been hit with four criminal charges -- including felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property -- after authorities say he nabbed the famed JR monument from outside a youth baseball facility late last month and then burnt it down to a pile of rubble.

Cops say their investigation revealed Alderete committed the act in order to cash in on the figurine's metal scraps.

Officials added they believe there might be more individuals involved in the crime.

"Our detectives remain committed to gathering information to identify and charge all individuals involved in the theft and destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue," cops said in a statement Tuesday. "The WPD extends its gratitude to the community for their support, patience, and information related to this case."

City officials, meanwhile, have already said they plan to replace the Robinson sculpture with another one in the near future.

Un hombre de 45 años está bajo custodia policial después de que los policías afirmaran que robó y destruyó una estatua del querido Jackie Robinson en Kansas, aunque las autoridades piensan que sus acciones no fueron motivadas por el odio.

De acuerdo con el Departamento Policial de Wichita (WPD), Ricky Alderete ha sido golpeado con cuatro cargos criminales, incluyendo un delito grave de robo y otro de daños a la propiedad criminal agravado, después de que las autoridades dijeran que agarró el famoso monumento de Jackie Robinson desde fuera de una instalación juvenil de béisbol a finales del mes pasado y luego lo quemara entre un montón de escombros.

La policía dice que su investigación reveló que Alderete cometió el acto con el fin de sacar provecho de los restos de metal de la estatuilla.

Añadieron que creen que podría haber más individuos involucrados en el crimen.

"Nuestros detectives siguen comprometidos con la recopilación de información para identificar y acusar a todos los individuos involucrados en el robo y destrucción de la estatua de Jackie Robinson", dijo la policía en un comunicado el martes. "El WPD extiende su gratitud a la comunidad por su apoyo, paciencia e información relacionada con el caso".

Los funcionarios de la ciudad, mientras tanto, ya han dicho que planean reemplazar la escultura de Robinson con otra en un futuro próximo.

Alyssa Milano is once again defending herself over her GoFundMe move to raise cash for her kid's baseball team -- pointing out that even though she's a celeb ... she's a parent too.

The actress is still facing backlash from an attempt to fundraise for her pre-teen son's trip to Cooperstown -- something she made evident with some screenshots of people apparently attacking her boy on social media, with the kid having to stick up for himself and his mom.

She added a lengthy caption, writing ... "Every parent raises money for their child’s sports teams and many of them do so through GoFundMe. I am no different."

AM elaborated by saying ... "As much as I’d love to pay for the entire team and their families for travel, transportation, hotel, food and beverage, uniforms, trading pins and all the things teams do for this kind of trip—I can not afford to do so. Maybe someday."

She also points out that if she hypothetically did pay for everyone -- as the public has strongly suggested she do -- then she believes trolls would find a way to criticize her for that too ... and Alyssa's probably right.

One final sentiment from her on this issue ... "Leave the kids alone. Let them play baseball. If you are against donating—don’t donate. If you’d like to donate to help the team’s families — we appreciate it—the link is in his bio."

Grab a pen and paper, Shohei Ohtani -- former Dodgers star Justin Turner has some solid pointers on how the MLB superstar can succeed with his new team ... telling TMZ Sports there's one simple way to win the fanbase over (if he hasn't already).

Turner -- who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason -- will forever have a special place in the hearts of Dodger Nation ... after all, he was part of the World Series-winning squad in 2020 and also secured the NLCS MVP when they made it to the Fall Classic in 2017.

With Ohtani deciding to join the "real" L.A. team after spending his first six seasons with the Angels, we asked Red what the two-way athlete would have to do to get the diehard fans on his side ... and he pointed out everyone's probably already over the moon about the historic signing.

"I think he's doing a pretty good job with that already," Turner said this week.

When we asked for one thing in particular that could earn the fanbase's trust ... his solution was simple.

"Hit homers."

There's a ton of hype surrounding Ohtani's move to the Dodgers following his record-breaking 10-year, $700 million deal ... but it's clear Turner thinks he'll fit right in.

We also asked for some L.A. recommendations -- considering Anaheim is NOT the same thing -- and Turner thinks Ohtani's got it all figured out by now.

La estatua de Jackie Robinson que fue robada de fuera de un parque de béisbol juvenil la semana pasada ha sido localizada, pero por desgracia para los fans, se encontró destruida sin posibilidad de reparación.

Las autoridades de Wichita -Kansas- dieron la triste noticia el martes, diciendo que el departamento de bomberos recibió una llamada alrededor de las 8:40 AM por un incendio de basura en un parque local. Una vez extinguidas las llamas, los bomberos descubrieron trozos de bronce entre los escombros, lo cuales resultaron ser de la estatua.

Se determinó que la figura de Robinson - que se encontraba fuera de la Liga 42 McAdams Park durante años - no era salvable.

Los funcionarios de la ciudad ya están planeando hacer las cosas bien de nuevo para la comunidad, con el miembro del consejo -Brandon Johnson- diciendo en una conferencia de prensa que se asegurará que haya una réplica fuera del estadio de béisbol de nuevo.

"Vamos a seguir invirtiendo en esta comunidad, y este trágico incidente no eliminará esa esperanza que todos tenemos para la zona", dijo Johnson.

Como informamos anteriormente, la estatua de Robinson fue tomada la madrugada del jueves después de que alguien la cortara por los tobillos y se la llevara en un camión.

No hay arrestos por el momento, pero los funcionarios están llamando a cualquier persona con información para seguir adelante.

The Jackie Robinson statue that was stolen from outside a youth baseball park last week has been located ... but unfortunately for fans of the beloved tribute, it was found destroyed beyond repair.

Officials in Wichita, Kansas shared the sad news on Tuesday ... saying the fire department received a call around 8:40 AM for a trash fire at a local park. Once the flames were extinguished, firefighters discovered pieces of bronze in the rubble, which turned out to be from the statue.

It was determined the Robinson figure -- which stood outside League 42's McAdams Park for years -- was not salvageable.

City officials are already planning on making things right again for the community ... with council member Brandon Johnson saying in a press conference he will ensure a replica statue will stand outside the ballpark again.

"We will continue to invest in this community, and this tragic incident will not remove that hope that we all have for the area," Johnson said.

As we previously reported, the Robinson statue was taken early Thursday morning after someone cut it at the ankles and hauled it off in a truck.

No arrests have been made at this time ... but officials are calling on anyone with information to come forward.

12:34 PM PT -- Alyssa Milano took to Twitter/X to address the backlash over the GoFundMe she set up to help fund her son's baseball team saying ... “I’m getting media inquiries about whether I have financially contributed to my son’s baseball team."

Alyssa continued, "I’ve paid for uniforms for the entire team and coaches, thrown bday parties and sponsor any kid who can’t afford monthly dues. The kids also do fundraising themselves—car washes, movie nights, and many other fun things!"

"Thank you to all who have contributed to the gofundme! You’ve made things easier for these boys and their families.”

Alyssa Milano asked her many followers/fans to chip in for her son's youth baseball trip -- and because she's perceived as incredibly wealthy ... she's getting dragged through the coals.

The actress posted a link to a GoFundMe account that she and her husband, David Bugliari, started on behalf of their kid's 12U squad ... which she calls a travel fund that'll help the boys get to Cooperstown for a big baseball tournament, plus other expenses.

She wrote, "My son’s baseball team is raising money for their Cooperstown trip. Any amount would be so greatly appreciated. You can read more about the team and make a donation here" ... after which, she linked to the GFM page, which has a goal of raising $10,000.

The cash, the page says, will go toward travel costs, uniforms and family dues for players -- and it benefits the whole team, of course ... not just Alyssa's son. Still, the internet's pissed.

You can hop into the "Alyssa Milano" trend this AM to get a sense of what the hell everyone's so angry about because of this -- but it's pretty straight-forward ... people are complaining that AM is a huge star, who's presumably loaded and who can afford this with the snap of her finger. So ... why is she going around soliciting donations like a normie???

As you can imagine, the jokes are flying at Alyssa's expense -- but a lot of folks are genuinely outraged that she'd try to fundraise considering her position. Even more interesting is the fact that in the list of visible donors, none appear to feature her name.

She hasn't addressed all the hand-wringing just yet -- but TBH, this feels like a case of people making assumptions about her on a number of fronts ... and we'll just leave it at that.

A statue honoring baseball icon Jackie Robinson was stolen from outside a youth baseball facility in Kansas this week ... and cops are now searching for the scumbags who ran off with it.

Local police shared surveillance footage of the heist that went down at League 42's McAdams Park in Wichita early Thursday morning ... which appears to show someone cut the Robinson tribute at the ankles, put it in the back of a truck and flee the scene.

Wichita PD shared an image of what's left of the Dodgers legend's bronze figure ... just two feet standing on top of a home plate.

The station said the "community is devastated" over the vandalism ... and is calling on anyone with information regarding its whereabouts to come forward.

"The actions of those individuals who had the audacity to take the statue of Jackie Robinson from a park where kids and families in our community can gather, learn the history of Jackie Robinson, an American icon, and play the game of baseball should upset all of us," Wichita Police Chief Joseph Sullivan said.

"What troubles me even more is that this theft occurred just before the beginning of February, which marks the start of Black History Month."

"Our city wants the statute returned. We also want the individuals who robbed our community of a treasure to be held accountable for their actions."

League 42 was created in 2013 to help children in Wichita learn the sport without worrying about high registration fees ... with hundreds signing up each year. Robinson's trailblazing career and breaking the MLB color barrier served as inspiration for the organization.

9:56 AM PT -- Yasiel Puig y su agente están abordando la pelea e insisten en que estaba tratando de pacificar las cosas y que solo se defendió cuando fue golpeado en la cara.

La ex estrella de la MLB Yasiel Puig se encontró en medio de una pelea en la banca durante un partido de béisbol profesional en Venezuela, lanzando puñetazos y recibiendo golpes de vuelta mientras ambas partes se enfrentaban.

El caos estalló durante el Juego 2 del campeonato de la Liga Profesional de Béisbol Venezolana en la Universidad de Caracas el miércoles, cuando el compañero de equipo de Puig en Tiburones de La Guaira, Maikel García, anotó un jonrón de dos carreras en la parte inferior de la octava entrada para poner a su equipo 10-8 sobre los Cardenales de Lara.

Mientras García daba vuelta a las bases, apareció de frente a la banca del equipo contrario y se puso a hablar de más hasta que llegó lentamente a su sector de la cancha.

Naturalmente, los jugadores de los Cardenales se molestaron con la ostentación y un jugador comenzó a aplaudir a García.

La odiosa confrontación llevó a ambos equipos a dejar sus banquillos y ponerse a pelear.

Puig, que jugó en la MLB para los Dodgers de Los Ángeles, los Rojos de Cincinnati y los Cleveland de 2013 a 19, terminó justo en medio del violento altercado, lanzando puñetes y recibiendo golpes en el proceso.

Después de unos minutos, la acción se calmó y ambos equipos regresaron a sus lugares.

Sorprendentemente, nadie fue expulsado por la improvisada pelea y el equipo de Puig se aferró a ganar el partido, 12-10.

Dato curioso, se suponía que otra estrella de la MLB iba a estar en el campo, Ronald Acuña Jr., quien estaba jugando para La Guaira antes del torneo, pero ha estado parado recientemente para prepararse para la temporada 2024.

9:56 AM PT -- Yasiel Puig and his agent are addressing the brawl ... insisting he was trying to play peacemaker in the scuffle, and only defended himself when he was hit in the face.

Ex-MLB star Yasiel Puig found himself in the middle of a bench-clearing brawl during a professional baseball game in Venezuela this week ... throwing punches and getting hit as both sides duked it out.

The chaos broke out during Game 2 of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League's championship series at University of Caracas Stadium on Wednesday ... when Puig's Tiburones de La Guaira teammate Maikel Garcia knocked a two-run dinger in the bottom of the 8th inning to put their team up 10-8 over Cardenales de Lara.

As Garcia rounded the bases, he appeared to hot dog in front of the opposing team's bench ... running his mouth and slowly trotting before reaching home.

Naturally, the Cardenales players took issue with the showboating ... and one player started clapping back at Garcia.

The heated confrontation led both squads to leave their dugouts ... and a scrap broke out.

Puig -- who played in the MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland from 2013-19 -- ended up right in the middle of the violent altercation ... throwing hands and getting hit in the process.

After a few minutes, the action died down ... and both teams made it back to their dugouts.

Surprisingly, no one was ejected for the impromptu fight ... and Puig's team held on to win the contest, 12-10.

Fun fact -- another MLB star was supposed to be on the field ... as Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was playing for La Guaira prior to the tournament, but has been sitting out recently to prepare for the 2024 season.

The baseball world is rallying behind Chicago Cubs great Ryne Sandberg ... who just revealed Monday he is receiving treatment after being diagnosed with cancer.

The 64-year-old Hall of Famer shared the health update on his social media just minutes ago ... saying, "Last week, I learned that I have been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. I have begun treatment, and I am surrounded by my loving wife Margaret, our incredibly supportive family, the best medical care team, and our dear friends."

Despite the battle ahead, Ryno said he will remain in good spirits and "fight to beat this."

"Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time for me and my family," he added.

The comments section under Sandberg's post has been flooded with words of encouragement from fellow Cubs like Dexter Fowler and David Ross ... as well as countless others.

Sandberg played the majority of his career with the Cubbies from 1982-1997 ... earning 10 All-Star appearances, nine Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers and National League MVP honors in 1984.

His No. 23 jersey was retired in 2005 ... the same year he was enshrined in Cooperstown.

Following his playing career, Ryno managed the Philadelphia Phillies from 2013-15.

The Cubs addressed Sandberg's diagnosis in a statement ... saying, "We cannot imagine how incredibly tough it is right now for Ryne and his family, but we do know Ryne is one tough competitor and a winner."

Tom Brady never netted a dollar playing professional baseball ... but a card of him in uniform just made one seller a boatload of cash.

A baseball card of the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback sold for $158,600 online Saturday after a contentious bidding war on the site Goldin.

As we previously reported ... the happy seller is a Minnesota card collector who pulled the one-of-a-kind signed Bowman Tom Brady Montreal Expos Superfractor card ... talk about a lucky draw!

TB12 played catcher for his high school baseball team, and the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) took him in the 18th round, 507th overall ... not high enough to entice Tom away from his University of Michigan scholarship.

The rest is history ... Brady's gone down as the greatest QB of all time, a surefire Hall of Famer -- though it hasn't stopped people from imagining what could've been.

Topps put out a commercial reimagining Brady's life as an MLB player instead ... guy ended up being the G.O.A.T. in a different sport (no surprise there).

Trevor Bauer is making drastic changes to his intimacy preferences after years of fighting serious assault allegations made by a former fling ... revealing he's swearing off "rough sex acts" for good.

The former L.A. Dodgers pitcher spoke on his new sex life with OutKick's Tomi Lahren ... just months after settling a lawsuit with a woman who had accused him of sexually assaulting her on two occasions in 2021.

Other women came forward alleging sexual assault against the pitcher in 2022 and 2023.

Bauer never admitted wrongdoing and claimed it was just kinky sex ... something he has now apparently outlawed.

"I've stopped having, like, casual sexual relationships," the 32-year-old told Lahren. "Stopped agreeing to engage in rough sex acts."

"I'm looking for more people that add value to my life instead of something that I'm doing for a couple of hours on a night and then kind of forget about," he added.

For now, however, the former Cy Young Award winner says dating isn't remotely near his center of attention.

"I have other things that I'm focused on," he said. "I'd like to go back to work. I have a job, I run a business."

"Maybe I go back to dating at some point in the future but not something I'm focused on right now."

The one-time All-Star has not played in the MLB since the allegations surfaced in '21. He did, though, just pitch one season for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, where he logged a 2.76 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 19 games.

Alex Rodriguez isn't a pro athlete anymore, but don't tell his abs ... the legendary slugger shared a shredded shirtless photo, posing with his equally jacked girlfriend, and they look incredible!

48-year-old A-Rod and his fitness trainer boo Jaclyn Cordeiro are on vacation in the Dominican Republic ... and the couple shared some snaps from the trip. Alex's daughter Ella is also on the vacay.

Rodriguez last played baseball in 2016 as third baseman for the New York Yankees, before hanging up his glove and leaving the sport as one of the most feared hitters ever.

Despite being an immortal player, A-Rod admittedly let himself go a bit in retirement, so much so his family expressed concern for him in late 2021, saying he "looked unhealthy."

Rodriguez decided to make some changes to his life (more plants, less red meat, intermittent fasting, and walking) ... and he says it made all the difference.

In 2023, Alex revealed, with help and support from Jac, he'd lost 32 pounds!

Rodriguez didn't spend the whole trip posing without a shirt (though could you blame him?) ... he also spent some quality time with his fam, from some fun in the sun to a chess game with his daughter.

¡Alex Rodríguez ya no es un atleta profesional, pero no se lo digan a sus abdominales! El legendario bateador compartió una foto sin camiseta con su novia y se ven increíbles.

A-Rod, de 48 años, y novia y entrenadora de fitness Jaclyn Cordeiro están de vacaciones en República Dominicana y compartieron algunas fotos de su viaje. La hija de Alex, Ella, también está de vacaciones con ellos.

El atleta jugó al béisbol por última vez en 2016, como tercera base de los Yankees de Nueva York, antes de colgar el guante y dejar el deporte como uno de los bateadores más temidos de la historia.

A pesar de ser un jugador inmortal, A-Rod admitió que se dejó llevar un poco más de la cuenta durante su retiro, tanto que su familia expresó preocupación por él a finales de 2021, diciendo que "parecía poco saludable".

Rodríguez decidió hacer algunos cambios en su vida (más vegetales, menos carne roja, ayuno intermitente y caminar) y dice que hizo toda la diferencia.

En 2023, Alex reveló que, con la ayuda y el apoyo de Jac, ¡había perdido 32 libras!

Rodriguez no se pasó todo el viaje posando sin camiseta (¿podrían culparlo?), también pasó un buen rato con su familia, desde tomar un poco de sol hasta jugar ajedrez con su hija.

LeBron James says he's got next after a mysterious Fortnite session popped up on the Fenway Park scoreboard this week ... calling on his fellow Boston Red Sox owners to let him use the big screen to get in some Madden action of his own!!

A clip from outside the historic stadium made rounds on social media on Thursday ... showing an unidentified enthusiast playing the popular video game on the massive outfield display.

King James -- who owns an undisclosed amount of Fenway Sports Group, which includes the Sox -- got wind of the epic moment ... and he wants to flex his skills on the jumbotron, too!!

"Ayyyyeee!! Let me get some Madden games going on there! @FenwaySportsMgt @RedSox 🤣🤣👑," the Los Angeles Lakers superstar said on X.

Of course, James has a history of using scoreboards for his gaming hobby -- as we previously reported, he got in a Madden sesh on SoFi Stadium's scoreboard during an early birthday celebration in 2022.