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Listen up, Hank Steinbrenner ... Jennifer Lopez says she's got the PERFECT candidate for the next New York Yankees manager ... her BF, Alex Rodriguez!!

The Yanks have been interviewing managerial candidates since they let Joe Girardi go last month. A-Rod -- who's been linked to the gig -- has publicly said he ain't really interested in the job.

But looks like things done changed ... 'cause J Lo just fired the ex-Bombers' hat into the ring ... saying, "It couldn’t be clearer...#arodforyankeesmanager" ... along with a link to an article titled, "The Best and Only Choice for Yankess Manager is obvious..." on Instagram.

Jim Nabors, who starred in the massive '60s hit, 'Gomer Pyle,' died Thursday.

Nabors became famous as the bumbling mechanic on "The Andy Griffith Show" and then went on to do his own show, which ran for 5 years.

He also appeared in movies, including "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "Cannonball Run II."

He also was an accomplished singer, who recorded dozens of albums and scored 5 gold and 1 platinum records.

One of his iconic songs is the staple of the Indy 500 ... "Back Home Again in Indiana." He last appeared at the race in 2014.

Nabors was gay and long before social media there was gossip -- which was false -- that he secretly married Rock Hudson.

In real life, Jim was married to his partner of more than 40 years. They lived in Hawaii.

Nabors was 87.

RIP

Matt Lauer has a new job -- cleaning up the mess he's created in his personal and professional life.

The fired "Today" show co-host says he's "embarrassed and ashamed" ... but also claimed that some of the allegations against him are "untrue or mischaracterized."

Lauer's ex co-workers, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, read his statement at the top of the "Today" show Thursday morning -- and in it, he said his new full-time job was doing some "soul searching" in order to repair the damage.

He did not specify which of the myriad of allegations of sexual misconduct were untrue, in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Lauer's former cohorts soldiered on without him Wednesday night -- Al Roker, Hoda and Savannah looked tense during a break from taping the annual Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting special.

Johnny Manziel is finally free and clear of his domestic violence charge in Texas ... almost 2 years after the alleged assault went down.

Manziel's then-GF, Colleen Crowley, told cops JM hit her several times after a day of boozin' in January 2016. He was indicted for misdemeanor assault.

JM struck a deal with prosecutors in Dallas last December ... agreeing to take an anger management course and keep his nose clean -- in addition to other terms -- in exchange for having the charge dropped.

In court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the Dallas District Attorney asked the judge to dismiss the case ... and he signed off.

Russell Simmons is stepping down from his multimedia empire as a new woman, Jenny Lumet, comes forward claiming he raped her in the early '90s.

Jenny, a filmmaker and daughter of director Sidney Lumet, says the alleged incident happened when Simmons offered her a ride to her Manhattan apartment. But instead, she says the Def Jam founder locked the SUV doors and took her to his place, despite her repeatedly asking to be taken home.

She claims he first forced himself on her in his elevator, and then once inside his place ... he took her to the bedroom and raped her. Jenny told The Hollywood Reporter, "I made the trade in my mind. I thought, 'just keep him calm and you'll get home.' Maybe another person would have thought differently, or not made the trade."

Simmons says he has a different memory of that evening, but acknowledges Jenny's "feelings of fear and intimidation are real." He apologized saying he's "been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades." He says he's stepping down from his companies, which include Rush Communications, several clothing lines and part ownership of his baby, Def Jam.

Conor McGregor knows how to make an entrance, but it's his exit that stole the show at a court appearance for a speeding violation -- by peeling out of the parking lot and relaying this message ...

"Come and get me."

The UFC superstar was ordered to appear in court on Thursday after reportedly getting busted for driving 158 km per hour (that's 98 mph) in a 100 km zone in Dublin earlier this year. He pled guilty to the offense and was handed a 400 euro fine ($475 U.S. bucks), according to local reports.

But The Notorious didn't seem fazed one bit by the violation ... speeding outta the parking lot in his BMW i8 ... which starts at $150k!!

Dodgers star Alex Wood and his red hot wife have ditched the L.A. "winter" for the sunny sands of Saint Lucia ... makin' it rain MLB money all over their Caribbean honeymoon!!

The newlyweds are droppin' around $3K PER NIGHT for their "Galaxy Sanctuary" suite at the Jade Mountain Resort -- which comes equipped with a 900-SQUARE FOOT infinity pool.

As you can see in the video ... the sunset views are a 10/10 -- as is Mrs. Wood, Suzanna Villarreal -- one of the MVPs from our World Series WAGs showdown.

Yeah ... guessing Alex is over Game 7.

Congrats!

Matt Lauer exposed himself to a female co-worker, and gave another one a sex toy as a present -- and that's just the tip of the iceberg -- according to dozens of current and former NBC staffers.

The former "Today" co-host also allegedly enjoyed playing the game "F**k, Marry, Kill" in regards to his female co-hosts at NBC. The bombshell allegations came out in a Variety investigation.

One woman says Lauer once delivered a sex toy to a female co-worker, and attached an explicit note ... detailing how he'd use it on her. Several accusers claim his office was ground zero for much of the sexual misconduct. For instance, he allegedly called a female employee into his office ... dropped trou, and flaunted his penis.

That particular allegation is interesting, considering a Dec. 2014 skit that aired on "Today" depicting Lauer removing his pants after a spill, showing off his boxers to female co-hosts and saying, "Drink it in, ladies."

According to the report ... Lauer's office also had a secret button under his desk, so he could lock the door without getting up.

One former producer claims several of Matt's office flings were consensual, but added they were still problematic because of the power he had as the face of the network. The producer added, "He knew people wouldn't ever complain."

Colin Kaepernick ain't on an NFL roster, but he'll be taking the field against the Texans this Sunday ... courtesy of Tennessee Titans star Rishard Matthews' cleats!!

The 28-year-old receiver revealed his custom kicks for the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign this weekend ... which allows players to wear any creative design supporting a charity of their choice on their cleats during the game.

Matthews explained his decision to support Kaep's Know Your Rights Camp ... saying "I don't have a foundation so I have chosen to support my brother (Colin Kaepernick's) foundation."

"He has paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to bring true everyday issues to light."

Chicago Bulls player Nikola Mirotic says he's ready to bury the hatchet with teammate Bobby Portis ... saying he's accepted Portis' apology for punching him during a practice last month.

Mirotic -- who had been sidelined since Oct. 17 with 2 broken bones in his face -- returned to practice on Wednesday ... and told reporters he's ready to move past the incident.

“We are teammates. We’re fighting for this team. We’re going to do what we need to do to make it work," Mirotic said.

“Bobby and me, and the team, we’re doing what we’re supposed to do and being professional.”

Eric Reid -- the first player to kneel with Colin Kaepernick -- says Malcolm Jenkins and Anquan Boldin are playing members of their Players Coalition ... privately negotiating with NFL execs on the league's proposed $100 million donation for social justice reform.

As a result, Reid says he's out ... and possibly doing more work with Kaepernick.

"When we agreed to be a part of the Players Coalition, we were under the impression that it would be our organization. We were under the impression that we would all have equal say," Reid told ESPN.com.

"But we've come to find out that it's actually Malcolm and Anquan's organization. Nobody else really has a stake in the organization. Malcolm actually wants us to -- he calls it invest, I call it donate -- to the company to pay salaries for his staff. But again, we would have no equity."

Reid says he and other members aren't happy with how only Jenkins and Boldin have consulted with commissioner Roger Goodell on how the money should be allocated ... and don't get why players have to green-light the proposal now when NFL owners have 'til March to decide.

So, while the coalition members are expected to discuss the proposal tonight ... it appears Reid is turning his attention to Kaep -- who's working on his own community initiatives.

9:10 AM PT -- According to the accusers attorney, Ari Wilkenfeld, he and his client met with NBC's HR and legal teams for several hours Monday night. Wilkenfeld says he believes at this time, NBC acted swiftly and appropriately given the allegations.

5:55 AM PT -- The New York Post is reporting the incident that triggered the firing occurred at the Sochi Winter Olympics, when Lauer allegedly assaulted a female NBC staffer.

5:46 AM PT -- Sources connected to NBC tell TMZ the network has been investigating Lauer for weeks and multiple media outlets -- including The New York Times -- were working a story about the anchor and sexual harassment. As one source put it, "Lack tried to get ahead of the story before it broke."

Matt Lauer is no longer the face of NBC's "Today" -- he's been fired for "inappropriate sexual behavior."

The stunning announcement was made on the air at the top of NBC's "Today" by Savannah Guthrie, who read a memo from NBC News Chairman Andy Lack -- "We received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company's standards. As a result, we've decided to terminate his employment."

Savannah was joined by Hoda Kotb ... and both anchors shared their shock, saying they had found out just moments before going on the air. Savannah had a very shaky voice as she said "we are devastated and we are still processing all of this." She also said she was "heartbroken" for the "brave colleague" who made the complaint.

In the memo, Lack added this was the first complaint reported to NBC, but they "were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident."

Lauer had been, in many ways, the face of the entire Peacock network for more than 20 years as he anchored "Today" ... which is NBC's biggest moneymaker.

Story developing ...

Meghan Markle is officially saying sayonara to her day job ... and her bosses at "Suits" couldn't be happier for her.

USA Network congratulated Meg and Prince Harry saying, "Meghan has been a member of our family for seven years and it has been a joy to work with her. We want to thank her for her undeniable passion and dedication to 'Suits,' and we wish her the very best."

There was speculation Meghan would be leaving "Suits" as she and Harry got tighter, and she hinted she'd be leaving after the engagement news broke. Works out well ... her lead character on the drama also got married.

She told the BBC she was proud of her work on the show, "and now it's time to work as a team [with Harry]."

Royal life over TV life. Ya can't blame her.

FSU kicker Ricky Aguayo told police he was attacked by several Florida State frat guys after the 2016 Florida game ... and it's all detailed in newly surfaced police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Tallahassee Police Dept. was called to the Pi Kappa Phi frat house around 3 AM on Dec. 2, 2016 and found Aguayo and teammate Ryan Izzo (tight end) walking down the street.

Aguayo told cops several Pi Kappa Phi members had been heckling him about missing field goals during the Nov. 26 Florida game ... in which he missed 2 kicks.

"He said that he was rushed by several members of the fraternity and that they had 'jumped' him," the police report said.

"He said he was punched in the face and various other places on his body."

Cops say Aguayo had blood on his face and shirt and that his shirt was ripped.

When cops spoke with Izzo, he told police he wasn't there for the fight -- but was called afterward to help Aguayo.

But there's another side to the story ... one of the frat members told police Aguayo had called him a "sorority f**got" and punched him in the face 4 times. He also claims Izzo also attacked him and threatened another fraternity member.

In the end, neither side wanted to press charges.

Here they are ... newlyweds Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian chillaxin' on an insanely expensive private island in the Bahamas during their honeymoon -- that they booked on Booking.com.

We're told the villa runs $35k per week -- and you can only get to it if you have an aircraft or a boat.

The photos of S & A at the villa were taken by a drone but we're told the couple willingly participated in the shoot in connection with Booking.com ... so, it wasn't a crazy rogue paparazzo invading their privacy.

Serena also posted on Instagram about the villa -- "A week in paradise. Thanks @bookingcom for helping us find the perfect honeymoon villa. #BookingYeah."

All signs point to Serena getting either paid or a huge discount for the endorsement -- despite the fact both she and her Reddit co-founder husband are LOADED!

#HowTheRichStayRich

The couple that bedazzles together ...

Christmas came early for Alex Rodriguez this year ... by way of a blinged-out coffee cup, courtesy of his smokin' hot girlfriend.

After Jennifer Lopez iced out her own coffee mug, she decided she wanted A-Rod to have a matching sipper ... and surprised him with one of the fanciest coffee cups ever -- complete with his company logo.

As we previously reported, Jennifer's cup cost around $600 ... and A-Rod's runs around $500.

You fancy, huh?!