Health

Orioles star Ryan Mountcastle drilled a fan in the face with a home run ball last week ... but he more than made up for it Wednesday night -- gifting the dude a signed bat!!!

The story behind it all is pretty damn funny ... during a June 4 game against the Indians, Mountcastle hit a blast into left field that clanked off of Jake Jones' dome as it crash-landed in the seats.

Jones' failed catch attempt did major damage ... he claimed on Twitter the ball hit his forehead so hard, he had a concussion and needed stitches to repair the damage.

But, Jones was still jacked over Mountcastle's knock regardless ... and decided to reach out to the 24-year-old slugger to congratulate him on the blast.

Turns out, Ryan felt bad about hitting the guy ... and promised him an autograph when he returned to Camden Yards.

Fast forward to Wednesday night ... and Mountcastle delivered!!

The Baltimore designated hitter signed a bat for Jones ... and the dude loved it, writing on Twitter, "LEGENDARY."

Stop what you're doing. Get some tissues ready.

This video of Greg Olsen's 8-year-old son, TJ, telling his brother and sister that doctors found a heart donor for him will reduce you to tears in less than 15 seconds.

The ex-NFL star says the footage was taken exactly 1 week ago -- when the family was notified that a donor heart had become available for TJ.

"1 week ago, we were notified that we received an offer for a heart transplant," Olsen said ... "A special angel donor, somewhere, allowed Tj to share the news himself w/ Tate and Talbot."

FYI, TJ was born with a serious heart condition -- and underwent 3 open-heart surgeries before his 3rd birthday. Doctors recently advised the family his heart was in trouble and he needed a transplant, stat.

So, when Greg and his wife, Kara, got the news on Thursday, they let TJ inform his siblings -- and the reaction is pure love and joy.

"You know how I need a heart transplant?" TJ asks ... "and they've been trying to find one? Today, this morning -- they found one!"

The 3 kids hug and cheer and smile -- it's amazing. You can hear a voice off-camera remind the Olsens, "Just be gentle with him!"

TJ is over the moon as he tells his brother and sister the surgery will likely happen the next day (which it ultimately did).

And then, he drops even more good news -- "I got a covid test and it came back negative!"

Of course, TJ did undergo the procedure on Friday and doctors say it was a success. A few days later, TJ posted a video thanking everyone for their support.

Funny guy Jeff Garlin ain't laughin' when it comes to his beloved Cubs, Jake Arrieta and the COVID vaccine ... saying his favorite team will NEVER win the World Series if it keeps dodging inoculation.

The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star -- who's a Chicago native and a huge baseball fan -- didn't hold back on the "Waddle and Silvy" show on ESPN Chicago this week ... saying a W.S. trophy won't touch Chicago unless the team gets vaxxed.

"If you don't get to 85% [fully vaccinated], I will wager everything I've got 'No' on the World Series," Garlin said. "If you're playing somebody who doesn't have to worry about that, it's a whole different world."

"If we're playing the Braves in the National League Championship, we're losing."

If you missed it ... the Cubs are one of several teams in the MLB struggling to get all of their players to receive their COVID shots -- with Arrieta being VERY vocal about his skepticism of it all.

In fact, Arrieta and the team are lagging so much on their shots, president Jed Hoyer just said last month he's "disappointed" that it appears the Cubs will not get to an 85% vaccination rate this season.

Of course, that's the MLB's magic number that it's requiring for teams to relax some of the league's strict COVID rules and regulations.

Garlin says the fact that this is an issue inside the clubhouse at Wrigley Field is straight-up "disgusting."

"I don’t get it," Garlin said. "I find it disgusting because I don’t think it's political and I think it’s your responsibility as a human being, part of the human race, to get that shot."

David Ortiz is still dealing with medical issues stemming from the 2019 attempt on his life -- reportedly undergoing surgery Wednesday to remove two stomach hernias related to his gunshot wound.

Exactly 2 years ago TODAY -- the 45-year-old Hall of Famer was shot in the back while sitting in an outside patio area of a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic.

The bullet struck Ortiz's liver and his small and large intestines -- he required emergency surgery to save his life, which included the removal of his gall bladder. He spent several days in the ICU.

Ortiz has been rehabbing ever since ... and made a pretty incredible recovery. He was healthy enough to join FOX's MLB postseason coverage later that year.

While the Red Sox slugger's surgery Wednesday is related to the shooting, the procedure is considered to be "low risk" and has been scheduled since February, according to ESPN.

As we previously reported, 13 people were arrested in relation to the incident ... and officials believe Ortiz was NOT the intended target.

Rolfi Ferreira Cruz -- the alleged shooter -- has said on the record that Ortiz was not his target.

The preliminary trial is set for July.

Armie Hammer's checked himself into an in-patient facility in Florida to get treatment for several addiction issues ... amid several months of sexual abuse allegations against the actor.

Hammer checked himself in at a rehab facility outside of Orlando on May 31 and has been getting treatment since then. According to Vanity Fair, which first reported he was getting help, Hammer's agreed to stay as long as it takes to get healthy.

VF sources say Hammer contacted his estranged wife, Elizabeth Chambers, in late May to inform her he was leaving the Cayman Islands -- where he'd been staying for months -- to seek treatment for drugs, alcohol and sex. Elizabeth and the family are reportedly supportive of his decision.

As for what led up to this -- Armie's been in a custody battle in his and Elizabeth's ongoing divorce, and he's been embroiled in a sexual assault scandal since January.

As we reported ... several women accused the actor of emotional abuse, manipulation and sexual violence on social media, leading to his exit from a Jennifer Lopez movie that started filming in February.

At the time he responded by calling the allegations "bulls**t claims" and "vicious and spurious online attacks against me" ... and so far, that's all he's said publicly about them.

Liam Payne says he was going through an addiction hell while he was a member of One Direction, and he's also opening up about suicidal thoughts.

The singer was on Steven Bartlett's "Diary of a CEO" podcast when he said there was a time while the band was on tour that he was heavy into alcohol and prescription drugs.

He points to pictures of himself on a boat where he looks bloated ... calling it his "pills and booze phase." Liam added, "My face was 10 times bigger than it is now. The problem was, the best way to secure us was to lock us in a room, and what is in the room? A minibar."

Liam said that environment quickly lent itself to throwing a huge party for 1 "that seemed to carry on for years." When asked if the drinking and drugging led to suicidal ideation, Liam admitted ... "Yeah. There is definitely some stuff I have never spoken about to do with it. It was really, really severe."

Liam was 16 when he joined One Direction ... which became the biggest boyband in the world after their 2010 launch on "The X Factor." They split up in 2015.

Greg Olsen's 8-year-old son is speaking out after his heart transplant ... and the kid is simply incredible.

"Hi everybody, thank you for thinking of me," TJ Olsen said in a video shot from his hospital bed and posted Monday morning.

"Thank you for praying with me. Congrats, all of you have gotten a win! We love you guys!"

TJ underwent his heart transplant surgery on Friday -- and his ex-NFL star father said doctors at Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, NC were "very happy" with the way things went.

Greg also noted TJ would "be sedated for a few days but his road to recovery has begun."

Now, TJ is up and talking -- AND CHARISMATIC AS EVER!

Think about what he's been through over the past few days/weeks -- and to be able to sit up in your hospital bed and talk make a video thanking a bunch of strangers?

This kid is incredible.

TJ was born with a serious heart condition -- and underwent 3 open-heart surgeries before his 3rd birthday.

Just a few weeks ago, Greg announced TJ's heart was "reaching its end" -- and he needed a heart transplant ASAP.

After the procedure, Greg issued a statement sending love to the donor family for their gift of life.

Lisa Banes was almost killed by someone who mowed her down with a scooter and fled the scene out in New York City ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the "Cocktail'' actress was struck late Friday evening on the Upper West Side near the Lincoln Center -- where she was reportedly on her way to meet up with her wife and some friends for dinner ... and was passing through a cross-walk.

We're told she had the right of way ... when someone on an electric scooter of some sort blew past a red light and slammed into her -- and then made an escape without stopping to help or call the police. Per reports, the scooter is described as red and black.

Our sources say 911 was called and EMS arrived on the scene to find Lisa on the ground with severe head trauma. She was transported to Mount Sinai Saint Luke's Hospital shortly thereafter, where we're told she remains in critical condition. Word is she's in the ICU.

No information has surfaced about the suspect's description -- but we're told cops are on the case now and are trying to hunt down the culprit. An investigation is underway.

Buff Bagwell has a message for all his fans that are worried about the former wrestling superstar following his recent arrest ... thank you for the concern, but I’m doing fantastic!!

... and Buff proved it by showing off his jacked body.

TMZ Sports talked to 51-year-old Bagwell -- only days after the ex-WCW star was booked for hit & run, open container, providing false info to police and other charges in Georgia -- and we straight up asked ... are you OK??

"Dude, I'm 245. I look absolutely incredible. I'm in the best shape of my life. I feel better than I've ever felt in my entire left," Bagwell says.

Buff later continued ... "As you can see, if I'm in shape, Buff Bagwell is not hurting."

If you weren't a '90s pro wrestling fan and aren't familiar with Bagwell ... he was one of World Wrestling Championships (WCW) biggest stars for a decade.

"I just don't understand why everybody's worrying. I just think, honest to God brother, I really, really am thankful for them reaching out with their prayers and I thank everybody for that," Buff says.

"I just want to say I'm fine, thank you for your prayers. Without the wrestling fans, there is no Buff."

Jon Rahm had the news broken to him that he had COVID-19 live on TV during a PGA tournament ... one that he was leading the pack in before having to withdraw.

The Spanish golfer -- and reigning champion of the Memorial Tournament, which he was again ahead in on Saturday -- was filmed being approached by PGA officials ... who told him he'd tested positive for the virus, which means he'd have to leave the premises and the game entirely.

It made for such a bizarre moment, as there were cameras all around on the course ... and they captured the exact moment he learned about it, which left him looking defeated. Rahm covered his face and then crouched down in disappointment -- before being led off.

The interaction was filmed from at least a couple different angles ... and the second picked up on some audio as well. You can hear Rahm say something that sounds like "Not again" ... seemingly suggesting he's gone through this before during the pandemic.

The CBS anchors who were covering it live had trouble making sense of what had just happened, but they knew some bad news had just been delivered. As Rahm made his way inside ... his crew pushed away photogs who attempted to follow, presumably for privacy.

Billy Baldwin isn't sweating Gavin Newsom's refusal to fully reopen CA -- saying vaccine rates need to go up ... and that, eventually, we'll all have to play ball to get back to normal.

We talked to the actor Saturday in Bev Hills, where our photog asked what he made of Gov. Newsom's apparent backtracking on his June 15 date ... which is when he was supposed to lift all COVID restrictions, but clarified he wouldn't lift the state of emergency just yet.

Many are taking that as Newsom going back on his word -- but according to Billy ... it probably won't make a big difference in the short term. He says people are already out and about, and things are looking a lot like they used to now more than ever.

He also makes this point ... if ya want things to truly get back to normal faster than Newsom's timeline, the only way to do it is to get vaccinated ASAP -- there's no other way around it. He makes an even better point about holdouts and what lies ahead. Watch.

BB clearly doesn't get the outrage over requiring vaccines, when we have a long history of doing exactly that in schools and elsewhere for kids. So, in his mind, one more can't hurt.

Antonio Brown is ready to follow his QB into battle again for the 2021 NFL season -- sharing kind words about Tom Brady ... this while engaging in even kinder acts with the community.

We got this video of AB out at Northeast High School Saturday in Oakland Park, FL ... where the star Buccaneers receiver was hosting a free youth football camp for 200 inner-city kids with his charity "Live Your Vision Foundation" ... with the help of some other star footballers like Michael Vick, Frank Gore and more.

As Antonio was making his way to the field to mingle with the youngsters who showed up in droves for a workout ... he did a quick stop and chat with a photog, who asked about another season with Tom at the helm, at age 43 no less.

Check it out ... AB weighs in on how much longer TB12 can play for -- and he does a great job teasing Tom's play, as well as what the rest of the team are expecting to do this year following their Super Bowl championship. Sounds like he thinks Tom can beat Father Time!

He also notes that he himself is feeling great health-wise, after undergoing off-season knee surgery, and based on the way he's moving in this clip -- we believe him.

"You making the millions, you're doing the media."

That's Marcellus Wiley telling TMZ Sports ... Naomi Osaka should NOT get a pass from speaking with reporters after matches -- even if she's claiming it's for mental health reasons.

The former NFL star says the tennis player straight-up just HAS to do the post-match sessions ... explaining the interviews are one of the biggest reasons for the sport's popularity.

"How do they think that this sport is driven?" Wiley said. "Just because people show up and pay for cotton candy? That's not it!"

"It's all of the investment that goes into the sport and participation."

In other words, the host of FS1's "Speak for Yourself" says Osaka's boycott could cost the sport fans' interest ... and in turn, take money out of players' pockets.

As for the mental health argument ... Wiley admits it's important for Osaka to deal with that aspect of her life -- but he claims she should still have to do media regardless.

"Handle your mental health -- you!" Wiley tells us. "And, then show up when you're ready and don't burn down the house."

As we previously reported, Osaka had initially planned to do no press conferences at the French Open ... saying it was all in an effort to improve her mental health.

A Tampa Bay Rays prospect was hit so hard in the head by a line drive Thursday, he began convulsing on the mound ... and the scene was absolutely horrifying.

Tyler Zombro was pitching for the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, the Durham Bulls, when the tragedy struck ... and the Bulls say the 26-year-old has since been hospitalized.

The team added he's currently in "stable" condition.

The play was as scary as any as you'll see on a baseball diamond ... in the 8th inning of the Bulls' tilt with the Norfolk Tides, Zombro was hit flush in the head by a comebacker.

You can see in video of the incident, Zombro appeared to lose consciousness as soon as the ball hit him ... and just seconds later, his body began twitching.

Trainers rushed in to help him, and he was eventually stretchered off the field and taken to a local hospital.

The game, meanwhile, was called after the play.

"[Zombro] is currently undergoing further treatment and observation," the Bulls said in a statement after the game.

"Additional updates will be provided as they become available. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tyler, his family and his teammates."

Get well soon, Tyler.

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was thrown off his horse and kicked in the head by another during a race Thursday ... but somehow, the dude miraculously avoided serious injuries.

The rider's agent, Steve Rushing, announced the good news on Friday ... saying that despite the horrifying fall, Ortiz Jr. will only need to miss a couple weeks from his job.

"He said he felt better today, than he did last night," Rushing told Daily Racing Form. "I told him I don’t know what brand of helmet you have, but make sure you get another one."

Rushing added Ortiz Jr. needed 6 stitches in his head and 5 in his arm ... but is expected to make a full recovery in a matter of days.

It's all quite frankly incredible, given just how gnarly the accident was.

Footage from the track showed as Ortiz Jr. was coming down the stretch ... his horse stumbled and bucked the rider to the ground.

When Ortiz Jr. hit the dirt, he was then kicked in the head by a trailing horse ... and ultimately needed to be stretchered off the track.

Ortiz Jr. was set to ride Known Agenda in Saturday's Belmont Stakes ... but he'll miss the event now. A replacement rider has not yet been named.

Winnipeg Jets superstar Mark Scheifele says his family is being targeted by angry fans upset with his cheap shot hit on Jake Evans ... and he's begging for them to stop.

Scheifele just received a 4-game suspension for taking out the Montreal Canadiens forward in Game 1 of their playoff series earlier this week.

The hit knocked Evans unconscious -- and was widely condemned by hockey fans and players alike who say Scheifele viciously targeted a defenseless player in a compromised position.

On Friday morning, Scheifele finally spoke to the media about the suspension -- saying he will NOT appeal the 4-game ban because he does not want to be a distraction to his team.

But, he also revealed his family has been harassed non-stop since the Wednesday incident ... and he's very upset about it.

"I'm a big boy. I signed up for this. I can handle this," Scheifele said ... "But, to put my parents, brother and sister, my loved ones through this, is unacceptable."

He continued, "I got held accountable. But, there's no right to go after my parents and my loved ones."

Scheifele says he's praying for Evans -- and hopes he can make a full and speedy recovery.

Evans suffered a concussion on the play -- and so far no update on when he's expected to return.