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If you were expecting to sign a $300 MILLION contract, would you let someone hit flaming baseballs at you????

Kris Bryant did. And it's pretty incredible.

The Chicago Cubs superstar took the field in Tempe, AZ for a "hot corner"-themed Red Bull shoot ... where he fielded scorching baseballs that were lit up with gasoline and a blowtorch.

But fear not, Cubs Nation -- Bryant rocked flameproof gear and had the Tempe Fire Dept. on standby just in case.

"American Idol" winner Scotty McCreery was busted trying to bring a loaded handgun on a plane ... according to reports.

McCreery went through a security X-ray checkpoint at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina last week when the weapon was spotted. The black, 9mm, Smith & Wesson handgun was in the singer's backpack ... the screen also picked up two boxes of ammo with 63 bullets.

Reports say McCreery does have a permit to carry a concealed handgun ... but that doesn't allow him to carry a loaded one on a plane.

The season 10 'Idol' winner was cited with a misdemeanor violation for the incident.

Scotty tells us he'd been out shooting a few days before the flight and forgot the gun and ammo was still with him, he says he had his concealed weapon permit on him.

The Uber driver who claims he was attacked by NFL star Michael Oher was panicking when he called 911 ... crying and scared while the lineman allegedly chased him and beat him in the street.

"He's drunk. He's trying to attack me right now," the driver told 911 during the April 14 incident in Nashville.

The driver begins to scream and yelp while Oher allegedly gets violent. At one point during the incident, the driver says Oher either beat him or bit him in the back. Either way, he's scared and it's all recorded on an audio tape obtained by The Tennessean.

Oher -- the inspiration behind the movie "The Blind Side" -- was eventually arrested for assault. He's due in court in October.

Pacman Jones has finally received his NFL punishment over that hotel incident in which he allegedly assaulted a security officer and told a cop to "suck my d*ck" ... and he'll only miss 1 game.

The incident went down back in January and the aftermath was recorded on police cameras. Jones not only cussed out the arresting officer, he also wished death upon him.

Jones was initially arrested for disorderly conduct, assault and obstructing official business -- but the first two charges were dropped and he ultimately pled guilty to the 3rd.

The NFL says Jones will be suspended without pay for the first 2017 regular season game for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.

The NFL says it considered the crazy video of Jones going off on the cops when the league decided his punishment.

The league issued a letter to Jones saying, "As you acknowledged, your post-arrest words and actions reflected poorly on you and your family, the Cincinnati Bengals football club, and the NFL. While it is our understanding that appropriate apologies have been publicly extended, they do not completely negate your behavior and admission of culpability for the underlying conduct."

11:34 PM PT -- The White House has just announced Sarah Huckabee Sanders as the new Press Secretary and Anthony Scaramucci officially as Communications Director.

They won't have Sean Spicerto kick around anymore.

President Trump's Press Secretary resigned from his post Friday morning, saying he strongly disagreed with Trump's pick for Communications Director ... Anthony Scaramucci.

Scaramucci, a NY financier, would have been Spicer's boss, and he was reportedly not down with that power structure. Spicer was, arguably, the face of Trump's administration -- frequently arguing with reporters, and was famously portrayed by Melissa McCarthy on 'SNL.' A crowd fave, for sure.

Spicey's taking his motorized podium and heading home.

Even the guy who plays "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Dodgers Stadium was affected by the death of Chester Bennington ... and honored the Linkin Park singer with a musical tribute on the stadium organ.

Just before the Dodgers took the field against the Braves, team organist Dieter Ruehle played his own version of "Numb" over the loudspeakers.

That's not all ... during the game Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy used LP's "Figure.09" as his walkout music when he took the field.

While Chester was from Arizona, the band was especially big in L.A. -- where the founding members are from.

Alberto Del Rio is tappin' out on his day job as president of the MMA org. Combate Americas after an alleged domestic incident last week involving his WWE superstar fiancee Paige.

A rep for Combate -- a promotion featuring Latin fighters -- confirms to TMZ Sports that ADR is "stepping down" from the helm of the company.

We broke the story ... Alberto and Paige got into an altercation at an Orlando airport last Sunday. Police investigated, and have recommended that Paige face charges. Del Rio is still under investigation.

Alberto was appointed C.A. prez in October 2016 -- and once described himself as the Dana White of the company.

Now he's out of a job ... but won't have to hit the unemployment line. He's still employed by Global Force wrestling -- though he's currently suspended.

O.J. Simpson was just granted parole and he'll be released from prison as early as October.

The NFL Hall of Famer learned his fate Thursday after Nevada's Board of Parole Commissioners deliberated for a half hour and made the determination. The earliest O.J. can be released from Lovelock Correctional Center is October 1.

The panel included the chairman and 3 commissioners. The board brought up O.J.'s 1995 acquittal, but only to say it did NOT factor into their decision.

No one testified against O.J. at the hearing ... and Bruce Fromong, one of the victims in the armed robbery, testified supporting O.J.'s release. O.J. said Bruce has already accepted his apology.

O.J. has served 9 years of a maximum 33-year prison sentence after he was convicted of armed robbery in 2008. You'll recall he was attempting to retrieve some of his memorabilia in Las Vegas but said he had no clue the crew he was rolling with was armed.

The 70-year-old apologized for the role he played in the robbery. He said he offered no excuses during his 9-year stay behind bars and would have no problem with any parole conditions imposed on him.

In 1995, O.J. was acquitted of murder charges in the killing of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in the so-called "Trial of the Century."

WNBA star Sue Bird is going public with her sexuality for the first time ... revealing she's dating U.S. women's soccer player Megan Rapinoe!!

The 36-year-old All-Star opened up about her relationship with Rapinoe ... saying she's never purposely kept her relationship with the 32-year-old Seattle Reign star a secret to her close friends, but explains why it was time to finally go public.

"It's happening when it's happening because that's what feels right," Bird told ESPNW.

"So even though I understand there are people who think I should have done it sooner, it wasn't right for me at the time. I have to be true to that. It's my journey."

Another one of Cecil the Lion's sons has died the same way his father did -- shot and killed by trophy hunters in Zimbabwe.

Xanda -- a 6-year-old in his prime and himself the father of several young cubs -- was reportedly killed by professional hunter Richard Cooke ... the same guy who killed Xanda's brother.

Cecil was killed 2 years ago and his death -- at the hands of American dentist Walter Palmer -- sparked international outrage. Xanda was found dead still wearing an electronic collar just outside the Hwange National Park.

John McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Pathology was performed following McCain's surgery Friday to remove a blood clot, and tests showed the presence of a "primary brain tumor" known as glioblastoma.

The family is now considering treatment options with his Mayo Clinic team of doctors.

The 80-year-old Senator was resting at home following the removal of the blood clot last week. His absence from Congress led Republicans to defer the vote on the repeal and replacement of Obamacare.

His office did not reveal a prognosis.

Dallas PD has suspended the assault investigation stemming from an incident where a man was allegedly knocked out by Ezekiel Elliott ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The incident went down at Clutch Bar in Dallas Sunday night. Multiple witnesses have told us they observed Elliott punch a man in the face after a heated discussion.

A rep for Dallas PD confirms they've suspended their investigation 'cause they haven't been able to get a hold of the victim.

"Dallas detectives made several attempts to contact the victim through various ways but at this time have not been able to make contact. To date no witnesses have come forward to provide any additional information about this incident."

For Zeke's part, his reps have said he wasn't arrested or charged with any crime.

Ex-NFL player James Hardy III's death has been ruled a suicide by officials in Indiana ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Hardy -- who spent 4 years in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens -- was found dead in a Fort Wayne river on June 7.

Officials said his family had reported him missing a week earlier and that it appeared his body had been in the water for several days.

The Allen County Coroner said the cause of death is "Asphyxia due to drowning."

5:35 PM PT -- According to a report, a judge in NYC just ordered the auction site to remove the items.

4:07 PM PT -- A spokesperson for Gotta Have Rock and Roll website and Lutz tells TMZ, "Madonna and her legal army have taken what we believe to be a completely baseless and meritless action to temporarily halt the sale of Ms. Lutz’s legal property. We believe that her intent is nothing more than to besmirch the good reputations of the auction house and Ms. Lutz. Madonna's allegations will be vigorously challenged and refuted in a court of law in due course."

Madonna isn't gonna sit back and watch her jailhouse letter from Tupac get sold in an auction ... because she says it was jacked from her home.

Madge filed an emergency court order Tuesday in NYC to block the website gottahaverockandroll.com from hawking the letter and a ton of other personal memorabilia -- including personally worn panties.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Madonna says she was blindsided by the auction, and says she never knew some of these items were no longer in her possession. Madonna believes a former friend and art consultant, Darlene Lutz, betrayed her by taking the loot.

We broke the story ... Pac wrote an extremely revealing letter from prison explaining why he had to end his relationship with Madonna -- because she was white and continuing the relationship would hurt his image.

According to the docs -- first reported by the Daily News -- the Tupac letter, a pair of her "personally worn panties," letters from her pal, Rosie O'Donnell, and several other handwritten notes to family members were never sold or gifted to anyone.

Bottom line -- it's a material world, she's a material girl ... and she wants her stuff.

Jerry Jones has spoken out following Ezekiel Elliott's alleged bar fight ... saying Zeke's got to do a better job dealing with the "rock star" lifestyle.

The Dallas Cowboys owner didn't address the incident ... but made it clear the superstar RB needs to be more careful cause the cameras are always rollin'.

"Because of his style and personality, it’s like a rock star wherever he goes in terms of attention,” Jones told reporters.

"Certainly Zeke is evolving and being subject to needing to learn how to deal with the media and social media the way it is today. ... We want to continue (to) educate ourselves as to how behavior, how it can be portrayed."

Basically, ya gotta watch every step you take.

FYI, the Dallas PD's still investigating the incident ... but hasn't named any suspects.

TMZ Sports obtained two videos of the victim from witnesses who told us Zeke threw a punch -- injuring another bar patron.

It's been kinda obvious for awhile, but now we know for sure -- Cristiano Ronaldo's hot model girlfriend is preggers!!

The soccer superstar confirmed the news in an interview with El Mundo Tuesday ... when he was asked if he was happy about his GF Georgina Rodriguez's pregnancy.

His answer: "Yes, very much."

Georgina's been sporting a baby bump for months, FYI.

It's gonna be kid #4 for Ronaldo ... who introduced his surrogate twin babies, Eva and Mateo, last month. CR7's also got a 7-year-old boy from a previous relationship.