MLB

Ozzie Guillen wants back in the MLB ... and tells TMZ Sports he's learned so much in his time away from the dugout -- he'll be WAY better this next time around.

Of course, O.G. used to be one of the game's best managers -- winning a World Series with the White Sox in 2005 -- but, his MLB tenure came to an end after a brutal 2012 season in Miami.

But, 54-year-old Guillen says he's learned a ton in the last 6 years -- especially from his time as an analyst and as a manager in the Venezuelan winter league -- and wants another shot.

"Try me," Ozzie says ... "Get to know me. Ozzie Guillen's not the same way 14 or 15 years ago."

Part of the problem Guillen's facing with today's GM's and owners? He was known for his hot head and mouth ... but Ozzie explains to us why that's all faded now.

In fact ... Guillen tells us he thinks he'd have a MUCH EASIER time managing in this era than when he was in his prime with the Sox!!

Disappointed in this year's World Series games?? Here's something that'll cheer you up ... the players' smokin' hot WAGS!!!

Boston and L.A. haven't played the most competitive W.S. so far ... but they've hit plenty of home runs off the diamond -- just look at their wives and girlfriends!!!

Justin Turner's wife, Kourtney Turner, steals the show ... but Kike Hernandez's fiance, Mariana Vicente, and Alex Wood's wife, Suzanna Villarreal, came to play too.

In Boston's lineup, Catherine Rodríguez is as hot as an Eduardo Rodríguez fastball ... and Matt Barnes' fiance, Chelsea Zara, rocks the hell out of a bikini.

Ozzie Guillen tells TMZ Sports ... he REALLY believes the Dodgers can come back and beat the Boston Red Sox even though they're down 0-2.

But, they're gonna need to take his advice ...

Of course, Ozzie knows how to win in the World Series -- he managed the Chicago White Sox when they won it all in 2005.

So, how would Ozzie do things if he was in Dave Roberts' shoes? Ozzie breaks it down for us and tells us why everyone counting out the Dodgers is straight-up wrong.

One big point ... Ozzie says L.A. needs to take a page from Bill Belichick and remember to do their jobs!

"Don't be a hero," Ozzie says ... noting that sometimes "players want to be the hero, try to do too much."

Fresh off getting destroyed by the Red Sox ... Astros superstar Alex Bregman is ridin' with Boston in Game 3 Friday night ... predicting a road win over the Dodgers!!

Of course ... Bregman knows both teams well -- the 'Stros beat the Dodgers in last year's World Series and just got knocked out by Chris Sale's boys in the ALCS last week.

So, listen up if you're trying to make a buck off tonight's game.

But ... Alex tells us he ain't so sure about the Red Sox in Game 4 on Saturday -- saying a sweep ain't easy!!!

As for advice for the Dodgers ... Alex doesn't exactly have a Herb Brooks speech for them, saying, "They know how to do it, they're a good team."

Rae Sremmurd wants to sing the national anthem at the World Series so badly, they're auditioning RIGHT OUTSIDE IN L.A. ... while smoking a bunch of weed.

... and it's actually pretty good (aside from skipping a bunch of the words).

Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee tell TMZ Sports ... they REALLY want the Dodgers to come back and take down the Red Sox and if they can sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before one of the home games, it would energize the hell out of the Blue Crew.

"Home runs out the ass!"

That's when Swae put his pipes on display and gave us a taste of what the Rae Sremmurd anthem would sound like ... after a few drags from a blunt.

Hey, at this point ... Dodgers might wanna consider bringin' 'em in!!!

BTW -- the rap superstars just inked a $20 MILLION deal with Belaire ... so if the Dodgers turn things around to win the Series and need some bubbly, they know who to call.

Alex Rodriguez was rollin' around L.A. in style on Thursday -- hitting up Bev Hills in a custom Jeep made by the "Pimp My Ride" crew ... and he gave us an inside look right on the street!!!

A-Rod's 2018 Jeep Wrangler was customized by West Coast Customs as part of a Celebrity Customs challenge (yeah, XZIBIT was there) -- and it's SIIIICK.

It even features a functional cigar humidor right on the center console.

There's more ... it also features a custom grille, giant 26" Forgiato wheels, LED lighting, an iPad Pro embedded on the dash, souped-up wheels and tires and a nightclub-quality sound system.

Not too shabby!

We also asked Alex -- who was headed to Mastros to host a D'USSE dinner for his FOX colleagues -- to help break down the World Series ... and tell us if he REALLY thinks the Dodgers have a chance at a comeback.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred doesn't seem to think there will be any issues with the World Series champs visiting Trump's White House after the season ... despite all sorts of evidence to the contrary.

Here's what Manfred told the media before Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday.

"I think as an institution, Major League Baseball has always had the greatest respect for the office of the presidency. That doesn’t change, no matter who’s there."

He continued, "Often we’ve had situations where individuals, players, whatever, don’t agree with all of the policies of the individual that occupies the office. I think the important thing is respect for the office.”

Wishful thinking but probably not realistic ... as Red Sox manager Alex Cora has expressed displeasure with Trump just last month for "disrespecting" his native Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

"To be tweeting about 3,000 people [dying] and being efficient, it's actually disrespectful for my country," Cora said. "We see it that way. I know he probably doesn't feel that way."

On the Dodgers side, Magic Johnson HATES Trump -- and has previously compared him to a "dictator."

So, no drama? Yeah right ...

The Boys in Blue were looking out for the Boys in Blue during Game 1 of the World Series -- check out the heavy LAPD presence in front of Yasiel Puig's home on Tuesday!

As we previously reported, cops had reached out to several Dodgers players to help make sure their homes were protected during the series -- unlike last year when Puig's home was burglarized during Game 7.

Cops believe Puig -- and several other high-profile people -- were targeted by a burglary ring that knew when Yasiel (and others) would be out of their homes.

So, this time ... with Puig and the Dodgers in Boston, the LAPD sent a few units to Yasiel's house to make sure the bad guys know they ain't playin' around this time!

As a diehard Yankee fan -- Michael Rapaport has a message for Red Sox nation before Game 1 of the World Series ... "KISS MY ASS!"

Here's why ...

"Listen, I grew up a Yankee fan hating the Dodgers, hating Rick Monday, hating Steve Garvey and his butt nose. That being said, I can not stand the Boston Red Sox. I want the Dodgers to kick their ass."

"I can't stand Big Papi, Pedro Martinez, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice -- they can all kiss my ass," Mike added.

So, in conclusion ... Rap says he's "rocking with the Dodgers and Magic Johnson 150 percent."

One last shot -- "They should knock down Fenway Park and rebuild it!"

Alex Rodriguez says enough is enough -- he's been paying his ex-wife a king's ransom for a decade, his income has plummeted, she's now rich and he wants his support payments drastically reduced.

Sources connected to A-Rod tell us, the former Yankee has been locked in a spousal/child support war with Cynthia Scurtis for months. He's been paying $115,000 a month tax free in combined spousal and child support since the couple divorced in 2008. They have 2 daughters, 13-year-old Natasha and 10-year-old Ella.

We're told the agreement was always meant to be adjusted when A-Rod retired from the Yankees. A-Rod claims his income has dropped by 90% ... from $30 million a year, while he was on the Yankees, to around $3 million a year.

Our sources say Alex is especially vexed because he claims Cynthia is now a rich woman with millions in the bank, 3 homes and multiple cars. He grouses she has a master's degree in psychology yet chooses not to work. He also says she has a new child and a fiance, and he feels he's now bankrolling all of them.

A-Rod says the expenses for his 2 kids are somewhere between $7k - $12k a month, yet he's willing to pay $20k a month plus expenses for the kids, including tuition.

We're told Cynthia is negotiating, but wants nearly $50k a month so the ex-couple is at an impasse.

We attempted to reach Cynthia ... so far, no luck.

The LAPD has reached out to several L.A. Dodgers stars -- including Yasiel Puig, Justin Turner and Clayton Kershaw -- to make sure their homes are protected during the World Series ... unlike last year.

Remember, Puig's home was hit by burglars during Game 7 of the 2017 World Series -- and cops have said the suspects specifically targeted the place because they knew he'd be at Dodger Stadium at the time.

L.A. Rams wide receiver Robert Woods was also hit by burglars during a Rams game this year -- cops believe the suspects are the same crew of burglars that hit Puig.

Even though cops made multiple arrests, they still believe some of the suspects are on the loose, and they're concerned about copycats and other crime crews. Bottom line -- they don't want to take any chances this time around.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... LAPD officials have reached out to MLB security, agents for the players, personal assistants and other personnel in the hopes of protecting the homes of Dodgers players and staffers.

We're told cops are working with the players to make sure home security systems are up to snuff and, in some cases, additional security personnel are watching their houses.

And, cops will continue to make extra patrols in the neighborhoods where the players live.

Thomas John -- the famous psychic who correctly predicted the World Series teams back in July -- is taking his gift one step further ... predicting the WINNER. And, it's bad news for L.A. fans.

Remember, when John made his prediction back in July, the Dodgers were in 3rd place in the NL West behind the Diamondbacks and the Rockies. It was a tight race and the Dodgers were definitely not a lock for the playoffs at the time.

But, he assured us the Dodgers and Red Sox would make the Series -- and he was right.

So, when we saw the "Seatbelt Psychic" star at Avra in Bev Hills Monday we asked for his World Series winner prediction and he came through with the answer from beyond!

We also mined for info about the Super Bowl -- and that's when John had even MORE good news for Boston fans.

Tom Brady says when the Red Sox beat L.A. in the World Series ... it'll be doubly sweet for him -- 'cause the Patriots legend says he freakin' LOATHES the Dodgers!!!

Tom made the revelation Monday on the "Kirk & Callahan" show on WEEI ... saying, because he grew up a Giants fan in the Bay Area -- he's always hated the Dodgers.

In fact ... when Brady was asked which L.A. player he disliked the most -- the QB said the list is MASSIVE!!

"There was a lot of them, oh my God."

But ... Tom admits Fernando Valenzuela was Brady Enemy No. 1.

As for this World Series ... doesn't seem to be much doubt in Tom's mind that Boston will be celebrating once the final out is recorded.

"It couldn't set up any better for the Red Sox to win the World Series and I think they're going to do it."

Sorry, Dodgers fans -- it ain't gonna happen ... the Dodgers will LOSE to the Red Sox in the World Series, in part because Clayton Kershaw's no Sandy Koufax ... so says Ben Shapiro.

The conservative firebrand is also a die-hard baseball fan -- and even though he's from L.A., the 34-year-old tells us he's rooting for the Red Sox because of his Boston connection.

Fun Fact: Shapiro went to law school at Harvard where he graduated cum laude in 2007.

As for Kershaw, Shapiro says he likes the pitcher -- but doesn't have a lot of confidence based on previous disastrous playoff outings.

So, what's Kershaw's legacy?

If he doesn't get it done this year, Shapiro says he'll go down as the greatest REGULAR season left-hander of all time.

Before Curtis Granderson steps into the batter's box Friday night ... he needed a visit to the dentist's chair -- 'cause dude JACKED UP his tooth sliding into second base Wednesday!!

You'll remember ... The Grandy Man legged out a double in the 9th inning of the Brewers' Game 5 loss to the Dodgers -- and his helmet whacked him square in the mug on the slide.

Curtis ended up with a fat lip AND a broken front tooth to go along with the L ... and even said afterward the chipped piece got STUCK IN HIS LIP!!!

BUT ... the story has a happy ending -- 'cause Curtis hit up Mykleby & Thao Family Dentistry in Wauwatosa before Friday night's first pitch ... and he's cheesin' like normal now.

The smile might be fleeting, though ... Milwaukee's on the verge of elimination.

The Boston Red Sox had a locker room rager for the record books after clinching a World Series berth on Thursday ... dousing each other in beer and champagne ... and the video is insane!!

The BoSox just knocked the Houston Astros outta the playoffs with a 4-1 win to close out the ALCS last night ... and celebrated their Fall Classic with champagne showers of epic proportions.

Craig Kimbrel set the mood for the boys ... declaring, "You're too dry!!" before drenching his teammates with bubbly.

Seriously -- watch the video and tell us we're overreacting. This is wild and we wish we were a part of it.

Next up for the Sox -- either the Dodgers or Brewers, depending on who wins this weekend.

By the way, we spoke with "Seatbelt Psychic" star Thomas John BACK IN JULY -- and he predicted Red Sox vs. Dodgers in the World Series.

Now, he's ONE GAME AWAY FROM BEING RIGHT! PSYCHICS ARE REALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!