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Arizona superstar David Johnson did his best "Top Gun" impression Tuesday ... hitting up Luke Air Force Base to copilot an F-16 -- and the video is awesome!

Unclear exactly why he was there during game week ... but the 6'1", 224-pound RB stuffed himself into the back of a jet anyway ... and was DEFINITELY nervous as hell for it all.

"Pray for me," D.J. said before take off.

Don't worry AZ fans ... David met a better fate than Goose -- making it back to the ground just fine.

As for the dudes at the base ... they were jacked up about the experience, tweeting, "We had a blast hosting @DavidJohnson31 today and showing him how we train the world’s greatest fighter pilots!"

The Boston Red Sox murdered the New York Yankees' season on Tuesday ... and danced on their ALDS playoff graves with champagne and beer bottles.

The BoSox narrowly escaped the Yanks' last-ditch effort to tie up the series by winning Game 4 at Yankee Stadium ... and celebrated the 4-3 win by drenching themselves in champagne. And, LOTS of it.

The lit fest kicked off with a motivational speech from Sox manager Alex Cora -- who warned his guys about their next matchup ... the Houston Astros.

But, Mookie Betts and Co. don't seem fazed one bit, 'cause that's when the corks start flyin' (right into a local reporter's face).

The ALCS kicks off on Saturday -- start hydrating now!

Arnold Schwarzenegger says he shouldn't have used the words "girlie man" to insult his political rivals -- saying, "In the long term, it's better to not say that."

The former California governor famously used the term at the 2004 Republican National Convention --saying, "And to those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say, don't be economic girlie man!"

At the time, the comments were met with thunderous applause from politicians like Rudy Giuliani and Dick Cheney (both gave Arnold a standing ovation).

But now, Arnold tells Men's Health he wishes he didn't use the term -- but not because it's offensive to women or effeminate men ...

"I called them girlie men because they weren’t willing to take risks," Arnold said ... "They were afraid of everything."

"Politicians in general want to do little things so there’s no risk involved. But it was shortsighted. In the long term, it’s better to not say that, because you want to work with them."

In the 30th Anniversary Issue, Arnold also talked about his treatment of women before the #MeToo movement ... saying, "Looking back, I stepped over the line several times, and I was the first one to say sorry. I feel bad about it, and I apologize."

Back in 2003, several women came out and accused Arnold of sexual misconduct earlier in his Hollywood career ... claiming he would grope them against their will.

Arnold had said most of the allegations were untrue -- but fessed up to "behaving badly sometimes."

Fast forward to the new interview ... where Arnold explains, "When I became governor, I wanted to make sure that no one, including me, ever makes this mistake. That’s why we took sexual harassment courses, to have a clear understanding, from a legal point of view and also from a regular-behavior point of view, of what is accepted and what is not."

That didn't take long -- fired "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn is bouncing back from controversial tweets by landing a gig writing "Suicide Squad 2."

As you know ... Disney canned Gunn in July over a bunch of years-old, yet horribly offensive tweets -- including comments about 9/11, AIDS, the Holocaust and rape.

Despite the controversy, Warner Bros and DC Films confirm they've snatched up Gunn ... and he'll now be tasked with improving the studios' much-maligned 'Suicide' franchise.

For what it's worth, Gunn's old 'Guardians' cast backed him immediately after Disney and Marvel let him go, saying he was the victim of "mob mentality." Selma Blair also publicly supported her friend.

Deadline first reported Gunn's new job ... which most superhero movie fans have said is exactly what DC needs -- a taste of the Marvel Cinematic Universe success. Critics might say ... at what cost?

WWE Hall of Famer Sunny is a free woman after spending most of 2018 behind bars ... TMZ Sports has learned.

45-year-old Tammy Sytch -- considered the first ever WWE Diva -- was arrested in New Jersey back in March following 2 DUI arrests, one in January and another in February.

After the arrests, she blew off multiple court dates and was considered a "fugitive of justice" -- but was eventually taken into custody in New Jersey in March.

Roughly 3 weeks later, Sytch was later transferred to a Pennsylvania jail where she's been locked up ever since.

But now, according to officials at Carbon County Correctional Facility in PA, Sytch was released on parole Tuesday morning.

Sunny has a grocery list of run-ins with the law -- she's had 5 DUI arrests, as well as 5 arrests from 2012 where she was busted for things like burglary and crimes related to domestic violence.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has returned to Dagestan -- and people filled a STADIUM to see their hero!!!

The UFC star was cheered by the masses Monday at Anzhi Arena after defeating Conor McGregor at UFC 229 and eventually took the mic to address his adoring crowd.

"One thing I am asking for is not to be remembered for that incident when i jumped out of the cage," Khabib said ... "I wanted to show the difference between my nation and his nation."

"Because we're all here to know what great history we have ... we know our ancestors and all the ordeals our nation had to go through and nothing can break us."

Khabib told his fans that he hoped he made them proud -- adding, "You can't keep an eagle in a cage!"

He continued, "The inspiration I have comes from here -- from Dagestan -- from all the people who were waiting for me here. Thank you very much."

"We are all Dagestani people. Let's stay united."

You knew DeMarcus Ware could jump over his "Dancing with the Stars" partner ... but did you know he could shoulder press her too???

It's true ... 'cause the ex-Dallas Cowboys superstar lifted Lindsay Arnold straight over his 6'4" frame Monday night -- and it was awesome!!!!!!

D-Ware's been killin' the dance game with his NFL athleticism -- hoppin' over Lindsay in his 'DWTS' debut last month and then throwing her around like a rag doll in Monday's tango.

So, how'd it go over with the judges???

THEY LOVED IT!!!

"Almost a superhuman display of strength," judge Len Goodman said.

Ware scored a 26 outta 30 -- and staved off elimination for another week. Which is huge ... 'cause the competition (Tinashe, Alexis Ren, Juan Pablo Di Pace) is STIFF.

President Trump and Kanye West are officially teaming up to ... make America great again, and their plan will kick off with lunch at the White House.

Kanye and 45 are set to meet on Thursday, and their agenda will include discussing boosting American manufacturing and preventing gang violence, especially in Ye's hometown of Chicago ... according to the White House.

They'll also continue the convo on prison reform ... which Trump started with Kanye's wife, Kim Kardashian West, during a September meeting.

When he was here at TMZ last week, Ye said he'd been trying to encourage Colin Kaepernick to sit down with POTUS ... now he gets to work the other side.

This will be their first face-to-face meeting since late 2016 when the rapper, shoe and fashion mogul met with then President-elect in NYC.

George Taliaferro -- known as the "Jackie Robinson of Football" after becoming the 1st black player drafted by an NFL team -- died Monday ... his alma mater, Indiana University, confirmed.

He was 91 years old.

Taliaferro was a superstar at IU back in the late 1940s ... playing running back, quarterback and punter -- and garnering All-American honors three times.

When he left the school in 1949, the Chicago Bears picked him in the 13th round ... becoming the first-ever black man to be drafted into the league.

Taliaferro made three Pro Bowls in 1951, 1952 and 1953 ... and finished his career with 1,300 receiving yards, more than 2,000 rushing yards and 1,633 passing yards.

"All of us at Indiana University are deeply saddened by the passing of George Taliaferro," IU said in a statement.

"The 'Jackie Robinson of football,' he went on to become the first African-American player to be drafted by the National Football League, where he excelled at a remarkable seven positions and earned Pro Bowl honors in three of his six seasons."

"A man of enormous talent, courage and determination that helped him shatter racial barriers and earn a special place in the annals of our state and its flagship public university."

Ronda Rousey knows how John Cena feels -- because she got straight-up blindsided by Nikki Bella on Monday night ... and got her ass kicked in the process.

Rousey and the Bella Twins were part of a 6-way tag team match against the Riott Squad on "WWE Raw" in Chicago ... and things were going great, until Rousey got double-crossed.

After the ref had raised their hands in victory, Nikki hit Ronda with a clothesline from behind ... knocking her to the ground.

Brie Bella then rushed over and continued the beatdown -- stomping her out and throwing her into the steel ring stairs.

Yeah, we know ... fake (blah, blah, blah) -- but watch the video, Ronda's body took some real damage here.

So, what happens next?

Revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge.

Alvin Kamara is using his wardrobe to show he's standing with Colin Kaepernick ... rocking the QB's old jersey and a hat parodying Trump's MAGA slogan after a huge "Monday Night Football" win.

The Saints star running back wore the ex-49ers star's jersey in the Saints locker room after beating up on the Washington Redskins in a 43-19 victory ... and a hat that reads "Make Africa Home Again"

Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune snapped a pic of the 'fit ... which A.K. was happy to show off.

Unclear if Kamara specifically commented on his decision to wear the jersey Monday night ... but it's obvious he's supporting Kap and other players Trump has referred to as "sons of bitches" for kneeling during the National Anthem.

The starting safety for the USC football team claims he got hit with a 28-MONTH suspension for an underage boozing incident back in February ... and he's so upset, he's leaving the school.

19-year-old Bubba Bolden was a HIGHLY recruited safety out of Bishop Gorman High School -- and was touted as a future star for the Trojans.

But, Monday Bolden announced he's leaving SC and it appears it's all because he feels he was unfairly punished over an incident involving alcohol and trash talk.

Bolden acknowledged he was at the party -- and "participated in mutual trash talking with fellow partygoers" -- but claims he left without incident and has witnesses that can back him up.

But, Bolden says the party hosts reported him to school officials claiming they had felt "threatened" by the football player due to his actions that night and wanted him to be disciplined.

Bolden says, despite the fact he was not charged with a crime and had witnesses that supported him, the school slapped him with a 28-month suspension based on the projected graduation dates of the hosts.

Bolden penned a goodbye letter on Monday -- and kept it classy -- but you can tell he's pissed off and plans to continue his football career somewhere else.

In his note, Bolden did say his behavior on the night in question was "not reflective of my character" -- which acknowledges he wasn't exactly a perfect angel that night.

We reached out to SC -- but a rep for the school declined to comment.

Bolden's listed at 6'3", 200 lbs and was recruited by some of the top schools in the country, including Ohio State, Michigan and Oklahoma.

The Houston Astros are back in the ALCS for the second year in a row ... but they're celebrating like it's their first time -- drenching their locker room with TONS of beer and champagne!!

The 'stros just finished off their sweep of the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS with an 11-3 win on Monday ... and Jose Altuve & Co. made themselves right at home in the visitor's locker room at Progressive Field.

What's more incredible than their blowout win over the Tribe -- the amount of booze that is flying through the air at one time.

LeBron James is straight-up PISSED that one of his NBA rivals lost a great player ... dropping an f-bomb when he learned Spurs baller Dejounte Murray was done for the season.

Murray's right knee buckled as he went up for a layup against the Rockets in San Antonio's preseason game Sunday ... and the team announced Monday he suffered a torn ACL.

Bron wasn't the least bit pleased to know one of his Western Conference rivals took that big of a blow, saying, "Man I feared that would be the case when I saw the play! F*#% man!"

In fact, the Lakers superstar made sure the 22-year-old knew he can lean on him if he needs him through the recovery process.

"You know how to reach me and where to find me if needed. Love lil bro!!"

As for Murray ... he was keeping his head up, writing on social media, "I Will Attack This Process Every Single Day And Use This Time To Become Even Sharper In All Aspects."

BTW ... Murray's still dating Jilly Anais ... which has gotta soften the blow at least A LITTLE bit, right??

WWE superstar Big Show was stoked to watch the NY Jets beat the Broncos this weekend -- but he was FAR more interested in some VIPs at the game who are battling cancer.

Big Show -- along with fellow WWE superstars Bayley and Curt Hawkins -- hit up MetLife Stadium as part of the "Crucial Catch: Intercept Cancer" campaign.

Behind the scenes, the wrestling stars got to hang with the real stars of the game -- the brave kids from Goryeb Children’s Hospital in New Jersey.

Besides the great seats and the cool meet-and-greet with the WWE stars, the kids also served as honorary captains during the coin toss.

The good news ... the Jets emerged victorious -- beating the Broncos 34-16.

We spoke with Big Show about the experience ... and he tells us why spending time with the kids is one of the best parts of being a WWE superstar.

Conor McGregor wants a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov ASAP ... and he's already hitting up Dana White to make it happen.

Just days after suffering a brutal loss at UFC 229, White says Conor called him to set up another fight with the Russian superstar -- but it doesn't sound promising.

"He has to go before the (Nevada State Athletic) Commission, we have to see what's gonna happen with Khabib with this whole mess," White told "First Take" on ESPN. "But, Conor McGregor has already called me wanting a rematch."

It probably won't happen until we find out if Khabib will be punished by the NSAC. But, it sounds like Dana's got his eyes on someone else for Nurmagomedov first.