MLB

Kate Upton's sending a message to her baseball star boyfriend -- get on your game or your gonna lose me ... to a guy who dresses up as a dragon for a living!

We got Kate BOUNCING (if you know what we mean) through LAX ... on her way back from Orlando, FL -- where, If you missed it, she got a marriage proposal from the Orlando Magic mascot over the weekend.

Thing is ... Stuff the dragon kinda snaked Kate's bf, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander -- waiting until he walked away from their seats to pop the question..

Watch the vid (especially if you're Verlander) ... Kate says the proposal was a "huge honor" -- and definitely did NOT say she's turning down the dude who plays dress up.

Babe Ruth's most famous signed ball -- and possibly the most storied artifact in baseball history -- just sold for a whopping $250,642 at an online auction tonight ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's the story -- Babe gifted the ball to a seriously ill little boy named Johnny Sylvester during the 1926 World Series ... inscribed with the promise "I'll knock a homer for Wednesday's game."

Sure enough ... the Bambino blasted three homers that Wednesday against the Cardinals in Game 4 of the World Series -- and miraculously, Little Johnny recovered from his potentially fatal illness.

88 years later the ball has a new home ... after Johnny Jr. -- who inherited the heirloom when his dad passed away in '90 ... decided to hock the thing for major cash at GreyFlannelauctions.com.

The auction house tells us, "We're very happy! It's a huge number!"

For a $250K price tag ... seems like a real home run.

Tracy McGrady has a snowball's chance in hell when it comes to making an MLB roster ... so says Superman himself, Dean Cain.

The former "Lois & Clark" star -- who played a little pro football back in the '80s -- was brutally honest about the NBA star's future the other day ... telling us the odds of McGrady getting a pro pitching gig are "very, very slim."

As we previously reported, McGrady is gunning for a spot on an independent pro team in TX ... and says he's been working out every day with a pitching coach to make his baseball dream come true.

Former NBA superstar Tracy McGrady tells TMZ Sports ... he's 100% serious about pursuing a career in baseball as a pitcher -- saying, "My pitching coach told me I have a little Bob Gibson in me."

McGrady -- a 7-time NBA All-Star and 2-time NBA scoring champ -- is currently battling for a roster spot on the Sugar Land Skeeters ... an independent pro team in Texas.

Tracy says he's been playing baseball for most of his life and LOVES the sport more than basketball. In fact, he says if given the chance, "I absolutely would've played baseball over the NBA."

The 34-year-old tells us he's been working with a pitching coach everyday for months -- "I'm taking this serious. I've been out there in 30 degree weather practicing. I love baseball. I'm going out to play."

There have been reports that McGrady has fired the ball up to 91mph -- but when we spoke to Tracy, he was more focused on his slider.

"I have a nice slider. I picked it up in 10 minutes. I also have a good splitter ... and my command is pretty good."

As for a baseball nickname, T-Mac says it's a work in progress, because his last hardball moniker is a little outdated -- "My number in Little League was '00,' they called me 'Buckshot.' But I'm gonna need a better nickname than that."

Jackie Robinson ... Don Drysdale ... Lasorda ... Fernando ... Kirk ... so many legendary Dodgers -- but when we asked Peter O'Malley to name the greatest of all, only one name came to mind.

O'Malley's opinion counts -- he and his family owned the Blue Crew for nearly 5 decades before selling the club in 1998 (He's now the owner of the San Diego Padres).

So, who'd he pick? Here's a hint: He once gave up an inside the park home run to Mr. Ed.

Russell Wilson will serve as a mentor to minor league players in the Texas Rangers organization when he appears in the team's spring training camp in AZ ... a rep for the Rangers tells TMZ Sports.

With Wilson's baseball agent already confirming that the Seattle Seahawks quarterback will be on hand when the team gets together in Surprise, AZ in a few weeks ... many were wondering if the former baseball star would actually suit up and get on the field.

FYI -- Wilson was a bigtime baseball prospect ... and his MLB rights currently belong to the Rangers after they acquired him in a deal with the Rockies back in December.

But the Rangers tells us ... Wilson won't need his cleats when he shows up to camp -- because he'll be "in a role of talking to our minor league players as opposed to a player."

The team says, "His leadership skills are off the charts and we feel it could be very beneficial for our young guys to be around him."

He didn't like the way Philip Seymour Hoffman portrayed him in "Moneyball," but former Oakland A's manager Art Howe tells TMZ Sports he never held a grudge against the actor ... saying, "He was just playing the part he was given."

Howe says he was "in shock" when he learned PSH had passed away Sunday ... explaining, "We never got to meet. I remember reading an article where he said he wanted to meet me and apologize for how he portrayed me. Now we're never going to have that chance."

Howe says he was very unhappy with the way he was portrayed in the flick -- but says he points the finger at the producers and the writers ... not PSH.

"Even though I didn't agree with the way I was portrayed, I didn't blame him -- he was just playing the part he was given," Howe says.

Dodgers superstar pitcher Brian Wilson's 100+ MPH right arm ain't the only gun in his arsenal anymore ... 'cause the guy just got a sweet revolver permanently inked on his non-pitching hand.

The '10 World Series champ was walking his beard out of a tattoo parlor in L.A. yesterday ... when he unholstered the freshly-inked pistol on the back of his left hand.

Wilson's already one of the most tatted up players in MLB ... but unfortunately, this one's going to get covered up by his glove while he's on the mound.

Seems the cop in the Yasiel Puig case overreacted when he said the Dodgers star could've killed his mom on a FL highway ... because officials have now dropped the reckless driving charge saying Puig is nothing more than a common speeder, TMZ Sports has learned.

We posted the video of the crazy arrest ... in which Puig, sporting pink shorts, was pulled out of his Mercedes and berated by an angry Highway Patrol Officer who caught the MLB star doing 110mph with his mom in the car.

At the time of the Dec. 28th arrest, the cop insisted Puig was driving recklessly and hauled him to jail. If convicted, Puig could have been sentenced to 90 days in jail.

But today the State dropped the case against the 23-year-old ... saying speeding alone on an open highway doesn't constitute "reckless driving" and he wasn't doing anything else to warrant a charge other than "speeding."

So in the end ... Puig gets a speeding ticket ... and that's it.

Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen tells TMZ Sports ... just because he makes a fortune doesn't mean he pays for team dinners -- in fact, it often comes down to CREDIT CARD ROULETTE.

The reigning National League MVP (who signed a $51.5 mil contract in 2012) was in NY and told our photog he's happy to cover family 100% of the time -- and even rookies get a free meal every now and then -- but when it comes to his highly paid teammates, luck often dictates who gets stuck with the bill.

For the record, credit card roulette is super popular with athletes -- everyone gives their card to the server, who then picks one at random ... and that unlucky S.O.B. pays for the entire check, tip included.

Cutch, who recently proposed to his GF on the "Ellen" show, also admits the one downside of being engaged ... he often gets "stuck" watching his fiancee's favorite show -- the Kardashians.

Justin Verlander and Kate Upton are back together, and no one's happier than a boat load of teenage boys in Tampa.

Sure, sources tell us the boys in this video shot today were definitely cheering more for getting a peek of Kate in-person (primo material for any hormone-filled boy) -- and probably never noticed the Cy Young winner.

But still ... the Detroit Tigers ace and the supermodel were spotted all over each other -- partying on a boat for Tampa's annual pirate-themed Gasparilla festival.

Justin sported the traditional buccaneer eye patch as a costume. Kate's costume -- just looking hot.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Carl Crawford says his baby mama is trying to shake him down for more cash ... despite the fact he gives her AT LEAST $10,000 per month, this according to docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

Crawford -- who's in the middle of a $142 MILLION contract -- is also in the middle of a custody war with ex-girlfriend Amy Freeman, the mother of his 2 minor children.

As we first reported, Crawford's pissed that Freeman recently picked up and moved the family from Arizona to L.A. -- claiming she's trying to squeeze him for more money with the help of CA's more favorable child support laws.

Now, Crawford has filed new docs claiming the judge should force her to stay in AZ because it's not only best for their children ... but because he takes damn good care of her in the Grand Canyon state.

Crawford says he's not only paying for the kids to go to fancy schools, but has showered his ex with multiple homes, cars and $10k per month in child support.

L.A. Dodgers star Yasiel Puig has something in common with one of the fastest pitchers ever -- they both reach speeds of 110 miles per hour. The only difference ... the pitcher gets in the Hall of Fame and Puig gets arrested.

Yasiel was pulled over this morning in Collier County, Florida. Cops say they clocked him at 110 in a 70 MPH zone. He was arrested for reckless driving and taken to the local jail.

This is Puig's second arrest this year for the same offense. He was arrested in April for going twice the speed limit.

12/29 -- The L.A. Dodgers tell TMZ Sports, "We have spoken to Yasiel and made it clear that we, as an organization, are very disappointed in his recent behavior."

Larry King's wife pulled a risky move Friday night ... throwing a surprise birthday for her 80-year old husband ... but don't worry, the T.V. legend made it out alive.

Larry's wife Shawn King planned the whole thing without her husband having a clue ... and the look on his face when he realizes it's a surprise party is classic.

Guests like Pat Boone, Paul Anka and Warren Beatty arrived early to hit some balls on the field ... and they all had a fancy dinner after the big reveal.

It reportedly costs upward of $25k to rent out Dodger Stadium for a private event.

Take that Kim and Kanye!

David Ortiz wasn't chugging cheap champagne during his crazy World Series celebration last night -- the stuff Big Papi was pounding runs $100,000 per bottle ... TMZ has learned.

You've seen the pics -- Ortiz hoisting a giant gold bottle of bubbly, while the rest of his Boston Red Sox teammates celebrated their victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Now, we've learned ... the booze was a 15 litre bottle of Armand de Brignac Nebuchadnezzar Champagne, also known as "Ace of Spades" ... and it runs between $100k and $150k in the club scene.

These bottles are SUPER rare -- a Russian billionaire once splurged on a bottle for Zac Efron and Heather Graham when he spotted the actors at a bar in Chicago.

The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals are facing off on the field tonight for Game 1 of the 2013 World Series -- but the real battle is between two bearded baseballers.

With beards like this, both teams are clear winners.