Babe Ruth Signed 1933 Card Smashes Auction Record ... From 'Uncle Jimmy' Collection

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The Babe Ruth baseball card market is still ON FIRE!!!

Check out this rare 1933 Goudey #149 card-- signed by The Bambino himself -- that just sold for $761,100 at auction Sunday night ... more than DOUBLE the highest price ever fetched for this particular card!!!

The item was part of the legendary "Uncle Jimmy" collection -- an insane collection of ultra-rare cards that Jimmy Micioni had stashed away at his home in New Jersey since he was a kid.

Experts say Uncle Jimmy did such an amazing job preserving the cards, it's like they were printed yesterday!!

Micioni died in March 2020 at the age of 97 -- but his family has gone public with the incredibly valuable treasure trove of cards ... and they've been getting record prices at auction.

In fact, Jimmy had a SECOND signed Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #149 that sold in 2020 for $325,000 -- which was a record at the time.

The 2020 card quality was graded at a 4.5 (very good to excellent condition) and the Ruth signature on the card got a 6 grading.

The card that sold Sunday night was PSA graded 4 with an 8 on the autograph.

Final gavel price ... $761,100 -- a record for that particular card and proof the sports card market is still as hot as ever!!

The card sold through Wheatland Auctions -- which only expected the card to fetch somewhere between $300k and $600k.

Memorabilia collectors have always been fond of Babe Ruth -- remember, in 2019 someone forked over $1 MILLION for the bat he used to smack his 500th home run in 1929.

Moral of the story ... go check in with your great uncles and great aunts and hope to God they've got a secret binder of old baseball cards hiding in the attic!

Julio Urias Dad Gets Inked ... Huge Tat For Son's World Series Win!!!

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3:17 PM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Ortega Rojas about the ink ... and he tells us the tat was Urias' dad's first EVER!!

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Ortega Rojas says the art took nine hours in total to complete ... and it meant a lot to Urias' dad, who wanted the piece to be a symbol of the long and successful journey it took to get Julio from a youngster to World Series champ.

Julio Urias' dad just made sure he'll NEVER forget his son's World Series win ... the star pitcher's pops just commemorated the Dodgers' title with a HUGE tat -- and it's awesome!

The artist who did the work -- Andres Ortega Rojas -- revealed the piece Sunday night ... showing off the new, incredible ink that runs from the top of Julio's dad's shoulder to just above his elbow.

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The artwork features 24-year-old Julio celebrating inside the World Series trophy ... with "World Series Champions" inscribed at the bottom.

Of course, the depiction of Julio is now a famous image ... it's the pose he struck after closing out the Tampa Bay Rays in the 9th inning of Game 6 back in October.

"It was a pleasure to tattoo the dad of Julio Urias," Ortega Rojas wrote on social media.

Urias clearly approved of the ink ... he posed for a thumbs-up pic with his dad and Ortega Rojas after the tattoo was completed.

The thing is ... Urias and the Dodgers are the favorites to win this year's championship as well -- and it's got us all wondering, is there space on the other arm for portrait #2?!

Originally Published -- 12:29 PM PT

Cristiano Ronaldo Bougie Hairless Cat Hit By Car ... Recovering In Spain

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Cristiano Ronaldo's pet cat is down to 8 lives ... it's currently recovering in Spain after being hit by a car.

The animal, Pepe, is a hairless Sphynx cat -- the beloved family pet who travels everywhere with the Ronaldos on private jets, fancy cars and stays in mansions all over the world. Pepe has been a part of the Ronaldo family for about 2 years.

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But, Pepe was badly hurt recently -- after leaving the family residence in Turin, Italy and getting run over by a car.

"It was close to death and after a month and a half in intensive care at the vet’s, we’ve decided my sister Ivana should look after it," CR7's girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez told the Spanish magazine InStyle.

"Pepe’s now in Spain recovering ... now he's in the best hands."

Sphynx cats only have an average lifespan of 8 to 14 years ... and it sounds like the Ronaldos are doing everything they can to help little Pepe get to double digits.

Get well soon!

NJ Judge Esther Salas My Son's Killer Had Another Target ... Justice Sonia Sotomayor

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The lawyer who killed the son of New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas had his sights set on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor next ... according to Judge Salas.

Roy Den Hollander is believed to have posed as a FedEx delivery worker in July when he ambushed the home of Salas' family, fatally shooting her 20-year-old son and injuring her husband. At the time, Judge Salas was overseeing a case Hollander was arguing.

But Salas just revealed, on "60 Minutes" ... Hollander had more disturbing intentions.

After Hollander was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Salas says FBI agents found a locker belonging to him in which he had another gun, more ammo, and a manila folder with a "workup" of Justice Sotomayor ... including "her favorite restaurants, where she worked out, her friends."

Hollander's alleged hit list reportedly included information on about a dozen female judges -- so, now Salas is on a mission to raise awareness of the level of risk judges face for simply doing their jobs.

Woody Allen & Soon-Yi On HBO's 'Allen v. Farrow' Simply an Untrue 'Hatchet Job'

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The first episode of HBO's new documentary detailing Dylan Farrow's allegations of sexual abuse against Woody Allen is out -- and the famed director has choice words for it.

He and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, blasted the doc in a joint statement ... calling 'Allen v. Farrow' a "hatchet job" that they believe had no interest in pursuing the facts.

Allen and Previn -- through his sister, Letty Aronson -- say the filmmakers "spent years surreptitiously collaborating with the Farrows and their enablers to put together a hatchet job riddled with falsehoods. Woody and Soon-Yi were approached less than two months ago and given only a matter of days 'to respond.' Of course, they declined."

The statement notes Dylan's allegations -- and at the time when she was a child, her mother Mia Farrow's as well -- have been known about and investigated several times for years now ... with no wrongdoing found on the part of Allen, or charges brought against him.

It unequivocally asserts no abuse ever took place, while adding ... "It is sadly unsurprising that the network to air this is HBO -- which has a standing production deal and business relationship with Ronan Farrow. While this shoddy hit piece may gain attention, it does not change the facts."

The first episode in the 4-part series chronicled how Mia met Woody and got involved with him -- eventually introducing and incorporating him into the lives of her many children (some biological, others adopted). Obviously, it also focused on Dylan -- one of Mia's adopted children -- and what the filmmakers, and others, deemed Woody's fixation with her.

The episode has a major cliffhanger, where it's alleged Mia found nude photos of her adult adopted daughter, Soon-Yi, at Woody's place ... and discovered a love affair between them.

The final scene shows current-day Dylan reflecting to the camera, "Oh, I'm not the only one," implying Allen had taken nude photos of her too.

The statement was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.

Kris Jenner I Want In On The Beauty Biz ... Daughters Know Best!!!

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Kris Jenner is taking a page from her daughters' playbooks ... 'cause she's tapping into the beauty business.

The Kardashians matriarch filed trademark docs to lock up rights to a couple different names for beauty and skincare lines she presumably plans to launch ... including "Kris Jenner Beauty," "Kris Jenner Skin" and "Kris Jenner Skincare."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kris is looking to use her name on a wide range of products for hair, skin, nails and eyes, plus cosmetics and fragrances ... pretty much anything folks use to look and smell good.

Kris' daughters have already been down this road ... Kim has a massive beauty empire and makeup made Kylie Jenner a billionaire, while Khloe and Kourtney also have cosmetics lines with Kylie.

Guess Kris didn't want to follow Kendall in the tequila biz.

Humane Police Work Cop Pulls Over Great-Grandma ... Here's a Gift Card to Fix Brake Lights!!!

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GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND

This is the coolest video ... a cop could have given an elderly woman a ticket, but instead, he gave her a gift card to get her car repaired!

Sgt. Wayne Costa, a patrol officer with Orlando PD, stopped a woman who was driving with her brake lights out.

It's apparent Sgt. Costa felt the great grandmother was struggling financially, so giving her a ticket where she'd have to pay a fine would create additional hardship and make it even harder to fix her brake lights.

So, Sgt. Costa, armed with a $25 gift card to Advance Auto Parts, surprised the great-grandma with the card. The lady was driving with her great-granddaughter, who was strapped in the back seat with a seat belt, and suggested she also buy a car seat.

The interaction is heartwarming and, well, pretty incredible.

Promote this dude!

SEN. TED CRUZ Wife, Daughters Hit Beach In Cancun ... Wish You Were Here?

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Ted Cruz is back in the frigid cold, but his family doesn't have a lot of time to fret over the Senator's boneheaded move, because they're clearly enjoying fun in the sun in Cancun.

A bikini-claded Heidi Cruz is soaking up the sun on the beach with their kids ... you know, the ones their dad blamed for the trip.

Cruz's family clearly isn't letting the patriarch's troubles ruin a perfectly good vacay.

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BACK TO TEXAS

As you know, Senator Cruz did a quick turnaround after the s*** hit the fan, although he tried a lame excuse at first, suggesting this was just a quick turnaround to take his daughters south of the border. His suitcase tells the story -- hardly an overnight bag.

As if things couldn't get any worse ... Cruz also left behind Snowflake the family dog in their freezing home. The security guard was taking care of the pooch, but Heidi made it clear to friends in text messages before the family hopped on a plane ... their house was an icebox.

Wonder if a postcard's in the mail?

'Good Day NY' Host Rosanna Scotto Dylan Farrow Vid Accusing Woody Allen ... Will Make 'Your Stomach Turn'

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A video of young Dylan Farrow accusing her adoptive father, Woody Allen, of molestation is about to go public in an HBO documentary, and Rosanna Scotto says it's not for the faint of heart.

Rosanna -- co-host of FOX5's "Good Day New York" -- is very familiar with the subject matter of HBO's "Allen v. Farrow" because she covered it extensively in the early '90s ... and saw the footage of Dylan back then.

Rosanna suggests Allen's lawyer and "PR machine" kept the videotape under wraps, but she adds ... when people see it now, "I think that your stomach is going to turn."

The veteran journalist thinks Allen came out of the scandal largely unscathed because his image was favorable back then -- and she feels his PR team successfully painted Mia Farrow as a scorned ex.

Rosanna claims that's also how he avoided career suicide when he married Mia's adoptive daughter Soon-Yi.

Rosanna's pretty adamant the upcoming documentary, in which she's featured, will change some minds about Allen ... and offers one last anecdote about how it's been a long time coming.

Allen has always denied the allegations about being inappropriate with Dylan, and has never been charged with a crime. He and Soon-Yi declined to be interviewed for the documentary.

John Travolta Unloading Insane 20-Bedroom Crib ... For a Cool $5 Million

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John Travolta is getting rid of a hotel, or rather, a mansion that could double as a hotel ... 'cause his home in Maine has a whopping 20 bedrooms!

John's put the New England compound on the market for $5 million, which gets you all those bedrooms AND 7.5 bathrooms. The 3-story home features 14 guest rooms, all on the second floor, where they have to share a mere 4 bathrooms. Oh, the horror.

The third floor of the place is for kids -- it's been converted into a so-called Fantasyland ... featuring a classroom, library, diner, theater stage and 4 themed bedrooms, including a Peter Pan room and Princess room.

The mansion is 10,830 square feet, and it sits on nearly 50 acres ... on Isleboro, one of the many tiny islands off the Maine coastline.

John and his late wife, Kelly Preston, bought the sprawling estate back in 1991 ... the same year they got married. Architectural Digest featured the property in 2016.

Ted Cruz Back in Texas After Cancun Fiasco!!! 'It Was Obviously a Mistake'

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HOME, SWEET HOME?
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4:19 PM PT -- Cruz is back home and briefly spoke with reporters waiting outside. He says the trip was "obviously a mistake" and in hindsight, he wouldn't have done it ... explaining he was, "Trying to be a dad."

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His arrival comes on the heels of a NYT report claiming Ted's wife sent a text to friends just before the family left to Mexico, saying their house was "FREEZING" and revealing plans to stay until Sunday and inviting others along. If the report is true, it's a much different story than Ted's statement claiming he was only going to drop his girls off in Cancun.

Sen. Ted Cruz is back in Texas after his quick getaway to Cancun was seemingly shortened by the outrage over his timing -- amid the statewide emergency -- and now he has police protection.

Officers escorted Cruz as he deplaned in Houston to head to customs. Sounds like he's in a pretty chipper mood for a guy who pissed off millions of people in a matter of hours.

As we reported ... Cancun Cruz and his family boarded a United flight Wednesday night to begin a tropical getaway as millions of his fellow Texans are literally freezing and dying due to the winter storm-induced power outages.

The Senator quickly hopped on a flight back to Houston Thursday afternoon, hours after the backlash. He was reportedly trying to get an upgrade to business class, but as you can see he rode back in economy -- and passengers weren't shy about chatting him up.

Cruz says he only took the trip to be a "good dad" and chaperone his daughters to Cancun. He claims he had always planned to return today, but that seems suspect ... considering his wife was on the trip, and could've handled babysitting duty on her own.

Oh, and he had a pretty big roll-on bag too for a 24-hour trip. 🤔

Originally published -- 2:44 PM PT

Rush Limbaugh Scholarship Created in His Honor ... For Kids of Fallen Police and Military

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An organization Rush Limbaugh supported and donated millions to will now pay tribute to him ... with a scholarship bearing his name.

Ed Boran and Sue Boulhosa -- President and Executive Director respectively of the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation -- tell TMZ ... it regularly gives $35,000 scholarships to children who lost a parent serving in the Marines or a federal law enforcement agency.

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THE PASSING OF RUSH

We're told MC-LEF will launch a Rush Limbaugh Memorial "Giant of Philanthropy" Scholarship that will go to 12 to 20 families who've lost loved ones ... with the same $35k award.

Ed and Sue say the initiative will start right away and last for years, and the families receiving the scholarship will be notified in a condolence letter saying Limbaugh was the donor. Typically, the letter says the scholarship was contributed by "our loyal donors."

We're told Rush donated around $3.5 million over the years to the org, along with regularly encouraging his radio listeners to donate as well.

MC-LEF was founded in 1995 and Rush was critical in its first 32 scholarships following the Oklahoma City bombing. Last year the org doled out 169 scholarships to more than 100 families.

As we reported ... Limbaugh died Wednesday of lung cancer. This MC-LEF scholarship named in his honor comes a year after former President Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor.

Texas Mayor Quits Post After Slamming Residents as Lazy, Crybabies ... Amid Power Outages

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A mayor in Texas has thrown in the towel after going on a heartless rant ... calling residents lazy and crybabies as the state suffers from massive power outages in frigid temps.

Tim Boyd said he's resigning as Mayor of Colorado City, Texas ... just hours after he posted a lengthy rant on Facebook, grousing, "no one owes you or your family anything" and that "the city and county, along with power providers or any other services, owes you NOTHING!"

The diatribe came as most of the Lone Star State has gone without power and water for at least 3 days. Texas and much of the South is being slammed with a once-in-a-generation snowstorm ... resulting in at least 5 deaths.

But, even as the weather brought Texas to a halt and sent residents literally running for warm cover ... Boyd called the dire situation a "sink or swim" moment for residents. He also said he's "sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout."

The rant concluded with, "Bottom line, quit crying and looking for a handout! Get off your ass and take care of your own family!" Boyd later apologized and said, "I would never want to hurt the elderly or anyone that is in true need of help to be left to fend for themselves."

Vincent Jackson Foundation Thanks Fans For Donations ... After NFL Star's Death

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Vincent Jackson's foundation is thanking fans for making donations in the NFL star's honor following his death ... saying the support will keep his legacy alive for years to come.

The 38-year-old ex-NFL star was found dead in a Florida hotel room on Monday. Officials have not yet determined the cause of death.

The Jackson In Action 83 Foundation -- which provides support and resources to military families -- released a statement following the tragic death ... saying, "While there is a hole in our hearts that can never be filled, we take solace in knowing that Vincent positively impacted so many lives."

"His legacy will continue through the work of the Jackson in Action 83 Foundation and our support of military children and families."

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FYI -- Both of Jackson's parents served in the military ... and the 3-time Pro Bowler often invited families involved in the armed forces to games throughout his career.

The statement continued ... "A military child himself, Vincent took great pride in the foundation’s work, and we know he would not only want it to continue but to grow."

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"We ask that in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the foundation. Your support will allow for Vincent's commitment to military families to continue in a meaningful way, which truly honors a life that meant so much to so many."

Larry King Widow Contests Handwritten Will ... We Could've Made Up!!!

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The battle over Larry King's estate is getting nasty ... his widow's contesting his handwritten will, which left everything to his kids and nothing to her.

Larry's seventh wife, Shawn Southwick King, claims in new legal docs ... the late talk show host was no longer pushing their divorce case and reconciliation was possible before he died.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Shawn claims Larry's handwritten will does not change her position as executor under his 2015 will, and also violates 2 post-nuptial agreements between Larry and her regarding his ability to give gifts to his children. So, in her book the new will has no legal effect.

As we first told you ... Larry scribbled his most recent will on October 17, 2019, about 2 months after filing for divorce from Shawn, saying he wanted his funds equally divided among his children.

According to the docs, Shawn claims Larry suffered a stroke around the time he hand-wrote his latest will, and she's arguing he had "questionable mental capacity" at the time.

One of Larry's surviving sons, Larry King Jr., has filed docs asking to be appointed a special administrator of the estate, noting his father was in the middle of divorce proceedings when he died ... but Shawn claims Larry didn't even know about Jr. until his son was well into his 30s.

In the docs, Shawn also claims Larry Jr. received improper gifts from his father's secret account, so he can't be the one to administer the estate ... and besides, she says she's the one with the most knowledge about Larry's businesses, assets and wishes.

As we reported, Shawn was butting heads with Larry's children right around the time he filed for divorce.

According to documents, Larry's estate is worth about $2 million, but a lot more is likely held in separate trusts.

Shawn wants the judge to deny Larry Jr.'s request to admit the handwritten will and deny his request to become special administrator of the estate.

H.S. Hockey Team Line Up Outside Hospital To Support Teammate After Serious Spinal Cord Injury

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RALLYING BEHIND A.J.

H.S. hockey player A.J. Quetta -- who suffered a serious spinal cord injury during a game last month -- was transported to a rehab center for further recovery this week ... and his teammates gave an incredibly emotional tribute along the way.

As we previously reported, Quetta -- a senior at Bishop Feehan HS in Attleboro, MA -- underwent emergency surgery after he slammed head-first into the boards during a game on Jan. 26. It is unknown whether he would be able to move his body again.

Now, Quetta is heading to a rehabilitation center in Atlanta for further treatment ... and his teammates decided to give him a pretty awesome show of support as he made the journey.

The players grabbed their jerseys and sticks and headed over to the hospital to meet Quetta as he left the building ... forming a tunnel for their teammate as he departed to his next destination.

The players also had signs thanking the workers at the Massachusetts General Hospital and showing encouraging messages for Quetta.

There has been an outpouring of support for Quetta following the tragic incident -- The Boston Bruins hosted a raffle for his cause that eclipsed its largest jackpot ever at $300,000 ... and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft donated $25,000.

The GoFundMe in support of A.J.'s recovery has crushed its initial goal of $10,000 ... bringing in an amazing $914K.

A.J.'s father, Anthony Quetta, Sr. thanked everyone for their support on Monday ... saying, "Words can’t express our steadfast appreciation to all the donors during this time. This would not be possible without all the support we have received."

"AJ realizes how awesome and incredible the support has been. He is determined to beat the odds and return to his family and friends. He is very motivated."

You got this, A.J.!!