MLB

No one loved to cuss people out in autographs more than Mickey Mantle -- and now, a signed baseball in which he refers to Joe DiMaggio as "f**ker" has just sold ... for $12,000!!!

It's unclear exactly when Mantle signed the ball, but the people at Steiner Sports tell us Mantle signed it right after spilling a drink on DiMaggio at some sort of event back in the day.

The signature reads, "I'm sorry I spilled a drink on this f**ker. MM."

Joe DiMaggio also signed the ball ... and we're told both signatures have been authenticated.

Mantle LOVED to screw around when it came to signing his name ... sometimes dropping F-bombs because he thought it was funny (and most of the time it was) ... like here and here.

As for who bought the DiMaggio ball ... so far, the buyer's identity has not been revealed.

Minnie Driver's lyrical screwup during the "Star Spangled Banner" at the Dodgers game has clearly not affected her confidence ... telling us, "I did very well. I got a word wrong."

(For the record, she got TWO words wrong, but close enough)

Minnie says she was "very bummed" about the mistake ... and chalked the whole thing up to nerves.

Still, Driver says it could have been worse -- saying it was more important for her to stay in tune then to have gotten all of the lyrics right.

She may have a point ... right Carl Lewis?

Hip-hop superstar Wale just revealed a super awesome branch of his family tree ... telling TMZ Sports Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper ... is his actual cousin.

Wale was out in L.A. when we decided to do a little D.C. sports rundown with the DMV representer, asking about the Wizards and then about Harper ... who's currently tearing up the Major Leagues.

That's when Wale dropped the bombshell that's sure to make Donald Sterling's skin crawl ... telling our camera guy that he loves Harper ... mainly because Bryce is actually his cousin!!!

Ok ... so maybe he was joking ... but maybe he's not ... why can't they be related?

The L.A. Dodgers have announced the team is bringing back LGBT night at Dodger Stadium next month ... with a bunch of huge stars including Lance Bass.

It's the 3rd time the Dodgers are hosting the event -- all set to go down on June 19th when the Dodgers take on the San Francisco Giants.

The team says Lisa Vanderpump will throw out the first pitch.

Openly gay country music singer Ty Herndon will perform the national anthem.

Former Dodgers player Billy Bean -- who came out after his playing days were over -- will also be a part of the event.

The Dodgers say they are also partnering up with GYM Sportsbar -- the first and only gay sports bar in Los Angeles -- in promoting the event.

Hannah Davis better watch her perfectly sculpted ass ... 'cause Jose Canseco's hot model daughter is gunning for her spot in the 2016 SI Swimsuit Edition.

Turns out, Josie Canseco is an aspiring model ... who's making a serious run to get into the most famous bikini mag in the country.

In fact, she shot a video for SI's Swim Daily to better her chances, here are the highlights ...

-- She thinks lingerie is sexy
-- She doesn't like dudes with crazy chest hair
-- And thinks most women want to date a version of their father

So, pay attention you smooth-chested, athletic roid-heads ... you may have a shot.

When you're an MLB catcher ... there are serious hazards of the job.

Being farted on by the home plate umpire is apparently one of those hazards ... so says former Yankees superstar Jorge Posada.

Don't worry, Jorge tells us if an ump hit him with a stink bomb -- he always got even ... "I returned the favor."

Good news for the concession stand employees at Camden Yards ... the Baltimore Orioles are PAYING EVERYONE for the games that were canceled due to the Baltimore riots.

As we previously reported ... SIX GAMES were either rescheduled or moved do the civil unrest surrounding the stadium in the wake of the death of Freddy Grey, who fell into a coma while in police custody and later died.

It was a big deal for concession stand employees -- many of whom were counting on the paychecks.

Now, the Orioles have posted signs around the stadium saying, "Due to the extraordinary circumstances that led to several cancelled or reschedule games, the Orioles organization will compensate all hourly employees for hours that would have been ordinarily worked the week of April 27."

Solid move.

With Josh Hamilton out of the picture, 'Real Housewives' just picked up ANOTHER former Angels star ... World Series champion Jim Edmonds ... who just signed on to the show with his wife.

Jim -- a 4-time All Star and 8-time Gold Glove winner -- will appear on the upcoming season of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" with his wife, Meghan.

We're told Jim and Meghan will be "full time" cast members.

And get this ... we're told Hamilton, who was just recently shipped back to Texas, will appear on the show with his estranged wife ... but in a "friend of the cast" capacity.

Traditional ... or edgy?

Safe ... or risky?

White shirt, black tie ... or crazy red stripe and a white tie?!

That was the fashion dichotomy between Derek Jeter and Dwyane Wade in NYC Monday night ... with one star pushing the envelope and the other one ... well, not.

Question is ... who looked better?

BTW -- same situation with Aaron Rodgers and Odell Beckham ... with the QB going the Jeter route ... and OB rockin' a crushed velvet purple jacket!

Charlie Sheen has a message for MLB superstar (and recovering substance abuser) Josh Hamilton -- "F**k AA" ... have a drink and go hit some bombs."

Sheen is FURIOUS at the Los Angeles Angels for the way they treated the embattled slugger -- claiming they did him dirty by trading him to the Rangers after admitting drug use.

Now, Sheen isn't just blasting the team -- but the whole concept of Alcoholics Anonymous altogether ... with a scathing new message on Twitter.

"Dear Josh Hamilton, How you are being treated by the 'Devils' is shameful. F*ck AA. Have a drink and go hit some bombs!"

We're gonna guess AA is going to respectfully disagree with Mr. Sheen's position. We're calling 'em for comment -- stay tuned.

12:00 PM PST -- AA says it does not comment on statements made by individuals ... and will not respond to Sheen.

'Hangover' star Brody Stevens says the vendors and concession workers at Camden Yards are getting SCREWED ... and tells TMZ Sports the "empty stadium" solution is a total disaster.

As we previously reported ... the concession stand workers at Camden Yards are pissed -- because no fans, means no concessions ... which means no work. Which means no paycheck.

Which brings us to Brody -- who's not just a hilarious comic, but one of the most die-hard baseball fans in the country -- who used to work in a baseball stadium himself back in the day.

But Brody didn't just bitch about the problems ... he's got solutions.

It wasn't just the stands that were empty at the Baltimore Orioles game today -- the concession stands were also bare ... and now several employees are furious ... wondering if they're going to get paid for the work they were forced to miss.

Of course, the decision to close the ballpark to the public was made by the MLB, the Orioles and the Baltimore PD for the safety of the fans ... in the wake of the riots.

But several concession stand employees were counting on gameday paychecks -- paychecks they might not be getting since they were told to stay home.

And it's not just today's game -- stadium employees didn't work Monday or Tuesday either since those games were cancelled. And the 3 home games scheduled for this upcoming weekend have been relocated to Florida. In total, that's 6 games worth of work.

"They have not spoken to us about compensation," one concession worker tells TMZ Sports ... "I've received emails from [my employer] regarding the cancellation of games, but nothing mentioning pay."

Another worker says, "I have a daughter. I ride my bike to the bus to get to work. I'm trying to provide for my daughter. I need this work."

Cecily Strong went in HARD on President Obama and the Secret Service with an envelope-pushing joke about cops killing black men -- and she did it just miles from the Baltimore riots over that very issue.

Cecily hosted the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night, and got the biggest reaction from the room when she said the Secret Service is "the only law enforcement agency in the country that will get in trouble if a black man gets shot."

The crowd was still gasping when she unleashed another racially charged follow-up.

Around the same time -- 30 miles outside the Beltway -- the Baltimore riots over Freddie Gray's death in police custody turned so violent police told Orioles fans to stay inside the stadium after the game.

We're guessing Cecily's jokes were written long before Baltimore erupted -- still, it was front page news all day leading up to the WHCD. So, we gotta ask ...

With Alex Rodriguez just 2 home run from tying Willie Mays as #4 on the all-time MLB home run list ... NY Congressman Peter King says NO ONE should celebrate ... 'cause A-Rod's a dirty cheater.

In fact, the Yankees are practically ignoring A-Rod's impending accomplishment (odd since the Yanks usually celebrate EVERYTHING) ... but King says it's definitely the right move.

"I think they're right because it's obvious that so many of [A-Rod's] home runs were tainted," King told TMZ Sports.

"I think it would be wrong to be celebrating ... since for all we know, hundreds of those home runs probably occurred when he was taking steroids."

Of course, Rodriguez has admitted to using illegal performance enhancing substances -- and was suspended for the entire 2014 season.

Josh Hamilton's wife Katie says she was completely "blindsided" by her husband's decision to file for divorce -- telling TMZ Sports she'll always love the baseball star.

Hamilton filed the divorce docs back in February ... seeking to end their 11-year marriage.

"It came out of nowhere," Katie says ... "There was no big fight or blow up. Nothing sparked it."

As for reports that Katie cheated on Josh, Katie says they're ENTIRELY FALSE ... "I never cheated on my husband. Are you kidding me? I did my marriage the entire right way."

Despite the shocking split, Katie says she has nothing but love for Josh -- and wants nothing more than for him to be happy and successful in life.

"I've always stood by him and I'll always stand by him. I support and love him now and down the road."

Katie and Josh have 4 young children together.

Just one month before Josh filed the divorce docs, the couple seemed as into each other as ever ... and went to a romantic dinner at Mastros. She posted a pic to Instagram and wrote, "Date night with my love."

Larry King made a strong case for green-lighting HGH in baseball.

King was leaving Craig's in WeHo Saturday night when our photog asked about the hormone.

King clearly thinks the ban is ridiculous, comparing it to aspirin. Larry seems to think of HGH more as a healing Rx than a fountain of youth drug.

Larry also reveals how long he's been on the pill ... and it's a LONG time.