MLB

Johnny Bench tells TMZ Sports he fully SUPPORTS the new anti-collision rule in the MLB -- but that doesn't make him a wuss. In fact, Johnny says he's still tough as nails ... and he's willing to prove it.

Johnny was out in D.C. Tuesday when he dropped some serious collision knowledge -- comparing speeding base runners to MISSILES who can seriously injure a catcher.

But when we asked if he still considered catchers "tough" -- the 66-year-old Hall of Famer challenged our guy to a collision right there on the spot.

Seriously, we're lucky our guy walked away in one piece.

If steroid-abusing Alex Rodriguez wants to be in Cooperstown, he's gonna have to buy a ticket like everyone else ... 'cause Frank Thomas says the guy will NEVER be enshrined in the MLB Hall of Fame.

The Big Hurt -- who's getting ready to be inducted with the 2014 HOF class -- couldn't have been more clear about A-Rod's chances ... telling TMZ Sports there are only TWO guys from the PED era who deserve to be in the Hall.

As for Thomas, Frank says he's working on his own Hall of Fame speech ... and can't wait to be inducted by his 21-year-old son (who has the greatest nickname ever) ... The Little Hurt.

Check out the clip -- gotta love Frank's honesty.

L.A. Dodgers star Andre Ethier says his life flashed before his eyes when he smacked the line drive shot that struck Sandy Koufax in the head on Friday ... telling TMZ Sports, "I'm glad he's OK."

78-year-old Koufax was carted off to receive medical attention after taking a shot off the bat of Ethier during spring training hitting practice in Arizona. Koufax was bleeding, but was never knocked off his feet.

"My heart was pumping out of my chest," Ethier says ... "Scary moment!"

Andre says he and Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly rushed over to Koufax ... and immediately began to apologize.

Ethier said Koufax forgave him ... but still, Andre says he was sorta freaked out for a minute -- "This is not what I want to be remembered for."

As for Sandy, he underwent a CT scan which ruled out internal bleeding -- and he's expected to be just fine.

L'chaim!

Pitchers are gonna think twice before throwing inside on Shane Victorino next season ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned, the Red Sox star is on a HARDCORE mixed martial arts training binge.

"The Flyin' Hawaiin" is getting into fighting shape with "UFC Fit" -- same MMA workout routine that helped UFC super stars like Johnny Hendricks and Thiago Alves get JACKED before fights.

Shane tells us, "As an athlete, I’ve taken part in a lot of training programs ... and UFC Fit takes things to a whole new level.”

Don Gold -- one of the honchos at the program -- tells us women's UFC star Ronda Rousey uses the system too ... "Mike Dolce and the UFC Fit team just recently trained Ronda for her UFC title defense and got her in the absolute best shape of her career."

Bottom line ... watch out for Shane when the benches clear next year.

Bad news for fans of Tim Lincecum and "50 Shades of Grey" -- you've just missed your chance to buy the right-hander's Seattle condo ... which is located in the SAME building Christian Grey lives in the book.

The 29-year-old ace dropped $1.575 mil on his hometown apartment weeks after he won the World Series back in 2010 ... and just unloaded the place for a cool $2.25 mil -- about $225K shy of what he was originally asking.

The 2,442 sq ft pad sits on the 28th floor of the Escala building ... which treats its residents to a private spa, gym with a yoga studio, a catering kitchen and dining hall, a massive private theater, and a dog run.

Inside the apartment you'll find ... a giant master suite with walk-in closets and spa-like bathroom ... an open kitchen with custom cabinetry ... granite counters ... and cherry hardwood floors.

There's also a sweet wrap around deck that rounds out the condo -- which features incredible views of downtown Seattle, the Puget Sound, and the Olympic mountains.

Derek Jeter has had a legendary career ... and not just on the field.

During his 19-year run with the Yankees, #2 took down more 10s than anyone else in pro sports ... chicks like Jessica Alba, Adriana Lima, Minka Kelly ... and the list goes on ... and on ... and on.

So even though he's retiring from baseball, it's clear Jeter will keep knockin' it out the park for years to come.

Derek Jeter just announced ... he's retiring after one final season with the New York Yankees.

Jeter just posted his explanation on Facebook ... saying, "I could not be more sure. I know it in my heart. The 2014 Season will be my last year playing professional baseball."

He continues, "For the last 20 years I've been completely focused on two goals: playing my best and helping the Yankees win. That means that for 365 days a year my every thought and action were geared toward that goal. It's now time for something new."

The 39-year-old continues, "I want to soak in every moment of every day this year, so I can remember it for the rest of my life. And most importantly, I want to help the Yankees reach our goal of winning another championship."

Back in November, Jeter agreed to take a pay cut ... and signed a 1-year deal for 2014 that will pay him $12 million.

Question: Darryl Strawberry and Charlie Sheen walk into a party in the '80s ... who does the first line of primo Colombian coke??

Turns out, Eric Davis can probably answer that question ... 'cause the former MLB superstar (who was BFFs with Darryl) tells TMZ Sports the Warlock was a member of his party crew back in the day.

Sheen is a die-hard Reds fan ... and Davis says Charlie used to hang out and practice with the squad during his run with Cincinnati.

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.