MLB

Former pro baseball star Gabe Kapler has filed for divorce from his wife of 14 years ... and in the divorce docs he's made it clear -- he wants his maiden name back!

Kapler -- who's now an analyst on Fox Sports 1 -- filed the docs in L.A. County Superior court in an effort to end his marriage to Lisa Kapler, who he married back in 1999.

According to the docs, Gabe is serving as his own lawyer in the divorce ... and appears to have filled out the complicated docs himself ... which might explain some of the strange requests.

For example -- Gabe checked the box asking to have his former name restored ... and included the name "Jansen" ... his wife's maiden name. Oops.

Kapler also checked the box asking for spousal support ... odd, considering he earned millions of dollars over his 12 year MLB career. Again, ooops.

The couple has two minor children together. Gabe is asking for joint custody.

7:36 AM PT -- Well, our suspicions were correct ...

We spoke to Gabe who confirms there WAS a clerical error made on the document and that he's now "looking into it."

9:05 AM PT -- MLB is lashing out against Alex's lawsuit -- calling it "nothing more than a desperate attempt to circumvent the Collective Bargaining Agreement."

MLB adds, "While we vehemently deny the allegations in the complaint, none of those allegations is relevant to the real issue: whether Mr. Rodriguez violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by using and possessing numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years and whether he violated the Basic Agreement by attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner's investigation.”

A-Rod has come out swinging by filing a lawsuit against Bud Selig and MLB, claiming they paid off the star witness against the Yankee slugger ... paid him millions of dollars to help force A-Rod out of baseball.

The suit claims Selig and MLB paid $5 million to Anthony Bosch, head of the Biogenesis Clinic -- the place A-Rod allegedly went to in order to obtain undetectable steroids.

The upshot -- A-Rod believes the testimony is tainted by the hefty price tag.

The suit claims A-Rod has been unfairly targeted for a 211-game suspension -- which A-Rod's lawyer claims is a witch hunt.

The suit claims Selig and MLB interfered with A-Rod's contracts and business relationships.

Sources connected with A-Rod tell TMZ he's been tested for performance enhancing drugs 11 times since 2011 and they've come up clean every time.

This video of Dodgers superstar Matt Kemp -- limping around on crutches -- is gonna make you really sad ... or really pumped up for the baseball playoffs.

Talk about bittersweet ... the Dodgers are heading into the playoffs, but Kemp will be benched due to a swollen bone in his foot.

So, last night when we caught Matt gingerly making his way into a movie theater he confessed ... "I'm sad" -- but then added a prediction about the Dodgers' NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.

In Kemp's words ... "We gonna win."

Christopher McDonald earned his Yankees fan pinstripes last night by being the coolest guy ever when an obnoxious fan interrupted his night at the Stadium.

It went down during the late innings of future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera's final game at Yankee Stadium ... so an important game for a native New Yorker like Christopher to enjoy without being disturbed.

But you gotta see how he handled a young lady -- who may or may not have been over-served ... and wanted nothing more in life than to have a photo with Shooter McGavin. Total class act.

As the beer lady put it during the clip ... "Last call, last call!!"

Hey Chris, at least the fan left before Mariano took the mound.

Todd's wife Christy tells TMZ ... they had no idea the Rockies would be gifting him a horse during his send off -- but it's not a problem ... cause they just happen to have a 4,000 acre ranch (perks of earning more than $160 million).

We're told the horse -- named A Tru Bustamove -- is worth $45,000 and the Heltons already have a nickname for him ... "Busta."

Woo ha! Woo ha!!

QUESTION: What does the all-powerful Warlock think about while on jury duty?
ANSWER: Baseball.

Charlie Sheen was ripping cigs this morning outside the L.A. courthouse where he's performing his civic service ... when we asked about his take on MLB this season.

He's got some pretty interesting thoughts on this year's World Series contenders -- plus what the best MLB iPhone app is -- but the real interesting part is his new policy on betting ... or NOT betting. Check the clip.

Alex Rodriguez -- who signed a $275 million contract with the Yankees in 2007 -- is now pinching pennies by downsizing in a spectacular way.

A-Rod -- who dumped his $30 million oceanfront Miami palace -- just bought a nearby condo for $2.1 million -- around 15 times cheaper than his previous digs.

And when we say it's modest, we mean it. The "luxury" condo, purchased last month, is 1,725 sq. ft with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms -- a broom closet in ARod's world.

The Miami mansion was a comfortable 19,861 sq. ft., with 9 bedrooms, 11 full bathrooms (plus 2 half bathrooms), a 4-car garage, a state of the art security system with 16 cameras, and a Zen garden.

A-Rod appears to be gearing up for a long winter in an uncertain future.

Randy Johnson -- one of the legendary players from the team -- tells TMZ ... Hiroshi's death has left a major void in the video game world.

The Big Unit -- who broke a slew of records on Yamauchi's watch -- tells us he was friends with HY back in the day ... but won't be attending the funeral in Japan since its for family and people super close to him.

Randy adds, “Mr Yamauchi was a great man who changed the world with his mind and spirit. He will be greatly missed."

Another fun fact: Yamauchi never attended one Mariners game ... go figure.

Rose's tax problems are legendary -- just last year, the federal government smacked Pete with a tax bill of $120k for 2009 and 2010.

And before that, Pete racked up a $973k debt with Uncle Sam for stiffing the govt. from 1997 to 2002, though he ultimately paid off that debt.

Dodgers Stadium could be renamed Beamish Waterproofing Stadium unless the team antes up more than $4 million ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained liens that have been filed against the Stadium, for services that have gone unpaid. Here's the breakdown:

-- Raymond-Southern California, Inc. ... $2,037,689 for improvements of IDF rooms, clubhouse, press box, concessions and retail

-- Mark Beamish Waterproofing, Inc. ... $129,014 for caulking and sealants

-- ValleyCrest Landscape Development, Inc. ... $443,609.50 for tree location, landscaping and irrigation

-- Safe Scaffolding ... $63,808.02 for erecting and dismantling scaffolding

-- Muir-Chase Plumbing, Inc. ... $1,180,684.94 for plumbing materials and labor

Total delinquency: $3.854,985.46 ... plus interest.

A spokesman for the Dodgers tells TMZ ... this is a big misunderstanding, "It is not uncommon to have liens while the process of verifying bills goes on," adding, "all payments are now being processed." The rep expects the liens to be removed shortly.

Cincinnati Reds 2nd baseman Brandon Phillips is in deep-fried trouble with a pro-fat person organization after blasting a sports reporter as a "fat motherf**ker" ... TMZ has learned.

The National Association for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) had their ears (and probably their mouths) open when Phillips went off on C. Trent Rosecrans during a news conference with Reds manager Dusty Baker.

Rosecrans -- who happens to sport a fuller figure -- had gotten on Phillips' bad side for criticizing his on-base percentage ... and while CTR was talking to Baker, Phillips interrupted and called him a "fat f**k" and a "fat motherf**ker."

Baker just sat there ... refusing to call out Brandon.

But the NAAFA is hungry for an apology ... and also probably pizza ... and meatballs ... telling TMZ, "[Brandon's] poor choice of words indicates that he may have missed the fact that verbal aggression and threats are bullying."

The org. says they're especially upset because the Reds participate in anti-bullying campaigns -- "Putting on an anti-bullying face then allowing the blasting of a reporter's body-size is not acceptable."

We've reached out to the Reds -- so far, no word back.

Another punch straight to the gut for ex-MLB star Dwight 'Doc' Gooden -- TMZ has learned, his own lawyers just sued him for not paying the tab on his divorce.

Doc's wife Monique filed for divorce back in November after 3 years of marriage and an extremely tumultuous relationship. Back in 2005, Doc was even accused of hitting Monique after she allegedly threw a cell phone at him.

Doc's lawyers claim the ex-pitcher hired them soon after Monique filed, and Doc agreed to pony up $325/hour for their services. They claim Gooden has since refused to pay ... and has racked up $15,254 in unpaid bills.

Rough summer for a guy who was once king of NYC, and a 3-time World Series champ.

Last month Doc and Monique (who were living together despite the divorce) were evicted from their Jersey mansion for not paying rent.

And now, a statement from Brian Wilson's million-dollar beard: "I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH MONEY'S ON THE TABLE ... NOBODY'S CUTTING ME!"

Thank you, Beard.

Despite a flurry of reports the Dodgers pitcher was in negotiations to shave his famous facial hair for a six-figure payday ... Wilson's reps tell TMZ, the Beard was never in jeopardy.

The crew over at MVP Sports Group tells us they never took the razor company's offer seriously because Brian refuses to even trim his trademark, and, in fact ... he's told them the beard is "going with him to the grave."

So, keep calm Blue Crew -- the Beard abides.

It doesn't matter if they played like crap last night (and lost to the sorry ass Marlins), the Dodgers can GO CLUBBIN' all they want, as long as they stay in first place ... so says Magic Johnson.

The Dodgers played like crap last night -- with Yasiel Puig (0-for-5) and Carl Crawford (1-for-4) looking especially bad ... no surprise considering they hit the Miami nightclubs HARD just hours before the game.

But Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson doesn't seem to mind an off night every now and then ... as long as the team keeps destroying the majority of their opponents.

"We just gotta come back and win tomorrow," Johnson said ... "They're grown men. They can hang out. They can party. I mean ... they're grown."

He added, "We're having a great season ... so, one game is not gonna hurt us."

Johnson said there will absolutely be NO disciplinary action taken against the players -- who dropped more than $20k at LIV nightclub early Monday morning while partying with LeBron James.

An official high up in the Dodgers organization tells TMZ ... "They party all the time. It's no big deal."

Didn't take long for the L.A. Dodgers to shake off the sting of defeat after finally losing a game in Philly yesterday ... 'cause hours later, the biggest stars on the team flew into Miami AND WENT CLUBBIN' with LeBron James, TMZ has learned.

Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford all rolled into LIV Nightclub in Miami around 1AM Monday morning ... where they were greeted by LBJ ... and proceeded to party their faces off.

Sources inside the club tell TMZ ... the 4-some dropped more than $20,000 on Ciroc, Moet, Patron, Belvedere, and fancy champagne.

FYI -- The Dodgers (which had won 10 games in a row before losing to the Phillies) are in Miami to play the Marlins.

We're told Kemp was partying particularly hard ... but it's not like he's gotta work today anyway (injury) so, good for him.

It's good to be a pro athlete.

Alex Rodriguez not only feels the MLB is singling him out ... he feels "persecuted" in the PED scandal -- and plans to SUE if the league doesn't COMPLETELY recant ... TMZ has learned.

Sources directly connected to A-Rod tell us he's prepared to march into Federal court next month ... unless the 211-game suspension the MLB slapped him with last week isn't entirely lifted.

The reason for A-Rod's bold demand -- A-Rod sources familiar with the investigation tell us Alex hasn't tested positive and never "knowingly" used PEDs since 2003 ... the last season he admitted using 'roids. Our sources say A-Rod has been drug tested 11 times between 2011 and the present ... and all of the results were negative.

Our sources fume it's "absurd" Ryan Braun -- who reportedly tested positive in 2011 and then lied about it -- was only benched for the duration of this season. They say it proves MLB's investigation of A-Rod and the Biogenesis Clinic has been "abusive and borderline illegal."

As for rumors A-Rod impeded baseball's PED investigation -- our sources say the league has "no proof" the Yankees slugger did any such thing, and further claim MLB is the one that has harassed and intimidated witnesses.

According to our sources, Alex will sue for various things, including a violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players' union and the league.

So, from 211 games to nothing ... or else.

Pretty big cojones for a guy accused of using steroids.