MLB

Chalk this one up as a WIN for Warner Wolf -- the legendary sportscaster's charge has been DROPPED in his battle over his gated community's "plantation" sign.

As we previously reported ... officials say Wolf ripped the word, "Plantation," off the sign of the private community where he lives, "Classics Plantation Estates" because he believes the word is offensive.

Wolf had lobbied the homeowners association to make the change for years -- but on Nov. 30, the 81-year-old was fed up and did the job himself.

Wolf was charged with felony criminal mischief last month ... but the 81-year-old says it was all worth it ... 'cause the case has been dismissed, he tells us.

“My attorney, Shannon Mcfee, called me last night and said the prosecutor had decided to have the charge dismissed. Criminal mischief,” Wolf says.

“I gave them $1,100 [for the damages] ... I was in jail for 4 hours. It wasn’t fun.”

Wolf is a sports broadcasting legend -- he worked for ABC Sports and called Monday Night Baseball, football and the Olympics. He also had a cameo in "Rocky IV."

Alex Rodriguez proposed to Jennifer Lopez with a heavy hand ... quite literally.

A-Rod and J Lo just released pictures from his beachy proposal over the weekend ... with the former MLB star's World Series ring from 2009 with the Yankees damn near taking center stage. You can see in the pics Alex down on bended knee with his lone WS ring on his right hand.

But, J Lo's eyes were laser-focused on her new diamond ring and seemed surprised as hell. If you click on the picture slides ... you can see the happy couple embrace each other with a kiss while A-Rod's still down on one knee. And, BAM ... both A-Rod's World Series ring and her gigantic diamond are both on display.

But, ya gotta wonder ... which ring's bigger?

Chuck Schumer's very happy for his friends Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, but when it comes time for their wedding ... he wants nothing to do with leading them through their vows.

The New York Senator was out in D.C. Monday and got asked about J Lo and A-Rod's recent engagement ... he seems to be all about it.

Schumer's not down with officiating their nuptials, though ... but it's nothing personal. Chuck says he has a bad track record so he's sworn it off forever -- basically, he's doing them a favor.

The Senator also has some solid and fitting advice for the power couple, who happen to be incredibly wealthy. Peep the clip.

Ex-MLB All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza just got sentenced to 36 months in prison after officials found him hiding 44 pounds of cocaine ... and he'll surrender next month.

As we previously reported, Loaiza -- who made more than $40 MILLION during his 14-year MLB career -- was arrested last year after cops say he was trying to move more than $500,000 in cocaine from a house located near a school.

Officials say Loaiza was using "sophisticated" smuggling devices to hide the 22 kilos of coke.

On Friday, the 47-year-old appeared in court in San Diego for his sentencing. He was facing life in prison -- but seems to be getting off easy ... with just a 3-year prison sentence.

Officials say he'll be deported to his native Mexico following his release.

The story about how he was caught is crazy.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Dept. says he was busted during a drug-smuggling sting by the Border Crime Suppression Team.

Loaiza was initially stopped by police during a traffic stop for a minor traffic violation -- but a search of his car led to the discovery of a "sophisticated aftermarket compartment used to conceal contraband."

Cops then got a warrant to search a home that Loaiza had been renting since early February -- located "steps away from an area preschool" -- and found roughly 20 kilograms of suspected cocaine.

Estimated street value -- $500,000.

Loaiza was initially booked into San Diego County Jail for 3 felonies -- Possession of Cocaine Over 20 Kilograms, Possession of Cocaine for Sale, and Transportation of Cocaine.

He later pled guilty to felony cocaine possession with intent to distribute.

Loaiza, the second-winningest pitcher from Mexico in MLB history, played for 8 different teams in his career -- earning over $43 million.

San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer and his wife have both met with law enforcement as a part of the investigation into their physical altercation that was caught on video, TMZ Sports has learned.

The SFPD launched a probe into the March 1 incident -- in which Baer was seen trying to wrestle a cell phone away from his wife, Pam, knocking her to the ground in the process.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the altercation -- which took place in a public park area in San Francisco -- and you can hear Pam scream for help.

Cops responded on the day of the incident and spoke with witnesses. Now, we've learned investigators reached out to both Larry and Pam ... who also agreed to speak with authorities.

Larry's attorney, Cris Arguedas, tells us Baer and Pam had separate meetings with law enforcement, but fully cooperated ... and they're confident no charges will be filed.

The case has been kicked over to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office -- which will review the evidence and decide whether or not to bring charges against Larry.

Arguedas tells TMZ Sports she's "never been more confident" Larry will not be prosecuted.

Pam has already commented publicly about the case -- chalking the incident up to a marital spat ... and stating that she still loves her husband.

Larry has stepped away from the Giants while cops and the MLB investigate the situation -- but he's also expressed remorse.

Baer has been involved with the Giants organization for decades. He was named chief operating officer in May 1996, team president in October 2008 and CEO on January 1, 2012.

Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver has been diagnosed with dementia and "has chosen to completely retire from public life" ... his family announced Thursday.

Seaver -- a World Series champ, 13-time All-Star and 3-time Cy Young winner -- played in the majors from 1968 to '86 ... and was a first-ballot entry into Cooperstown.

"Tom will continue to work in his beloved vineyard at his California home" the statement says ... explaining that he will no longer make public appearances.

"The family is deeply appreciative of those who have supported Tom throughout his career, on and off the field, and who do so now by honoring his request for privacy."

Seaver is one of the greatest to ever wear a Mets jersey -- he had his No. 41 jersey retired in 1988 and was given the nicknames "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise" during his playing days.

Seaver also played for the Reds, White Sox and Red Sox ... raking in 311 wins.

Mike Trout has officially reached legendary status ... 'cause after just 8 seasons in the MLB -- his rookie card just sold for an INSANE $186,000!!!

Okay ... it ain't just your average rookie card -- it's signed AND numbered to only 25 ... but that price puts the Trout RC in ultra-rare air.

Consider this ... a Michael Jordan autographed JERSEY card only sold for $95,000 last year -- while a WILT CHAMBERLAIN rookie card fetched just $60,000.

And, if you really want perspective on how insane that price is for Trout's card ... a similar Tom Brady autographed RC famously just sold for $400,000 -- AND HE'S THE G.O.A.T.!!!

So, what makes this card so special? Well, Trout has been absurd through 8 MLB seasons so far ... batting .307 with 240 home runs and 189 steals.

But, the card is graded out at a 9.5 (out of 10) with a perfect 10 surface and perfect 10 corners ... according to Goldin Auctions.

The craziest part of the auction? We're told the same Trout card sold for just $50,000 a little over a year ago ... and just $13,000 back in April 2016!!!

03/06 -- Maybin addressed the arrest Wednesday morning ... saying "Life's greatest lessons are usually learned at the worst times and from the worst mistakes."

"I take full responsibility for my actions and am deeply sorry to all those that I let down - my family, my friends, my supporters, my teammates, and the entire SF Giants front office."

"Life is about growth and I'm choosing to learn and grow from this valuable life lesson."

More bad news for the San Francisco Giants ...

This time, outfielder Cameron Maybin was arrested for drunk driving in Arizona -- after going on a sad 0-16 slump in spring training.

31-year-old Maybin was pulled over around 2:25 AM on Friday morning after cops say he was speeding and swerving in Scottsdale.

During the stop, Maybin told officers he had 5 glasses of wine at a fancy restaurant earlier that evening -- but tried to take a nap to sleep it off ... and thought he was fine to get back on the road.

Spoiler alert: he wasn't.

Cops say Maybin took a breathalyzer test and blew a .127 -- well over the .08 legal limit.

The Giants -- which just signed Maybin to a $1.75 million contract last month -- said they're aware of the situation and gathering information.

Maybin made his MLB debut back in 2007 for the Detroit Tigers -- he's bounced around the league ever since ... playing for the Marlins, Braves, Padres, Angels. He also won a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017.

It's been a bad month for the Giants ... just a few days ago, Giants CEO Larry Baer was caught on video in a physical altercation with his wife.

Baer has since stepped away from the team to take "personal time" to reflect on the incident.

The MLB has launched an investigation into the Baer incident and the Giants say they are cooperating with investigators.

Tim Tebow needs to get another J.C. in his life -- Jose Canseco -- with the ex-MLB slugger telling TMZ Sports he can turn Tim into a legit power hitter.

Jose is dead serious ... he wants to be Tim's personal hitting coach. And, he's offering up his services for FREE!

And, why? Jose sees real potential in Tim but says his swing sucks ... and he's just the guy to fix it.

"I can definitely turn him into a power hitter," Canseco tells TMZ Sports.

"He's extremely strong, extremely physical ... I can easily get him up to 35 to 45 home runs [at the MLB level]. At the AAA level, he could hit 50."

Jose says there's an art to power hitting -- and it doesn't appear like Tim has had proper instruction on how to hit the long ball.

This ain't a joke -- Jose says he really likes Tim, he's a big fan and he wants to help the guy make his MLB dreams come true.

Of course, Canseco has a pretty solid resume -- the guy hit 462 home runs during his MLB career. And, if you want to point to steroids, there were a TON of guys juicing up back then and Jose still outhit most everybody else by a mile.

Jennifer Lopez is all about that Magnolia Market life ... and who better to get the job done on J Lo's new beachfront crib than "Fixer Upper" star Joanna Gaines?!?

J Lo and Joanna finally got to work Sunday at J Lo and A-Rod's new Malibu home. The couple dropped $6.6 million last month for the house and, for their 2-year anniversary, J Lo revealed to Ellen DeGeneres the couple recruited Joanna to give the "Fixer Upper" house her magic touch.

For the uninitiated ... Chip & Joanna -- who made our hearts ache hard when they left TV in 2018 -- are coming back!!! Details are scant but here's what we know for sure ... the "Fixer Upper" stars announced last November they're teaming up with the Discovery Channel to get hammerin' and stylin' again. That explains the cameras on hand.

Ya gotta imagine this project's unlike any other for Joanna ... working with a power couple that's not all that worried about going a tad bit over budget. The 3-floor beach pad's pretty sick -- featuring 4 bedrooms, 3.25 bathrooms and a wraparound deck.

San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer says he's stepping away from the MLB team to take some "personal time" in the wake of a physical altercation with his wife that was captured on video.

TMZ Sports posted footage of Baer knocking his wife, Pam, to the ground during an altercation in a public park in San Francisco on Friday ... while his wife screamed for help.

Both Pam and Larry had chalked the whole thing up to a marital spat that got out of hand -- Pam said she would NOT be pursuing charges and had already forgiven her husband.

Now, Larry has issued a new statement admitting his behavior was "unacceptable" --- and will take time away from the team.

The Giants board of directors issued a statement saying, "Mr. Baer has acknowledged that his behavior was unacceptable, apologized to the organization and is committed to taking steps to make sure that this never happens again."

"He has also requested, and the board has accepted, his request to take personal time away from the Giants beginning today. The Board has asked the Giants executive team to manage the day to day operations of the Club during this period, reporting directly to the Board."

The team says they are also "closely monitoring the matter" and still gathering information.

"Major League Baseball is taking the lead in gathering all facts surrounding the situation. The organization is cooperating fully with the process."

Baer has been involved with the Giants organization for decades. He was named chief operating officer in May 1996, team president in October 2008 and CEO on January 1, 2012.

7:30 PM PT -- Larry Baer has released a new statement ... saying, “I am truly sorry for the pain that I have brought to my wife, children and to the organization. It is not reflective of the kind of a person that I aspire to be, but it happened and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that I never behave in such an inappropriate manner again.”

Pam Baer also released a 2nd statement ... saying, “I would like to clarify the events of today. My husband and I had an argument in public about which we are quite embarrassed."

"I took his cellphone. He wanted it back and I did not want to give it back. I started to get up and the chair I was sitting in began to tip. Due to an injury I sustained in my foot three days ago, I lost my balance. I did not sustain any injury based on what happened today. Larry and I always have been and still are happily married.”

2:36 PM PT -- MLB released a statement addressing the incident involving Baer ... saying, “Major League Baseball is aware of the incident and, just like any other situation like this, will immediately begin to gather the facts. We will have no further comment until this process is completed.”

2:09 PM PT -- Police are currently interviewing witnesses, including the person who shot the video, and are investigating the incident, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

1:47 PM PT -- Baer spoke with the San Francisco Chronicle about the incident ... saying, "My wife and I had an unfortunate public argument related to a family member & she had an injured foot and she fell off her chair in the course of the argument."

"The matter is resolved. It was a squabble over a cell phone. Obviously it’s embarrassing.”

San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer was involved in a physical altercation with his wife at a public park Friday ... with his wife screaming as he knocks her to the ground -- and it was all captured on video.

Multiple people witnessed Baer and his wife, Pam, in a loud verbal argument around noon on Friday at a park in San Fran. At one point, Larry was trying to pry a cell phone out of Pam's hands, which she clearly did not want to give up.

During the struggle, Larry knocks Pam out of her chair and onto the ground -- you can hear her screaming, "Oh my god. Help!"

You can see Baer walking away from the altercation with the phone in his hand -- while telling his wife, "Stop. Pam, stop."

Pam continues to repeat, "Oh my god. Oh my god."

In between video clips, the person who shot the footage tells us he got involved and helped break up the altercation. Another witness corroborated that.

Witnesses tell us police were not called to the scene. Unclear if they were contacted after the altercation. We're reaching out.

We spoke with Pam on the phone who told us, "We were having a family fight about someone in my family and that's it."

We've also reached out to Baer's camp for comment. So far, no word back.

Baer has been involved with the Giants organization for decades. He was named chief operating officer in May 1996, team president in October 2008 and CEO on January 1, 2012.

According to the Giants website, Baer and Pam co-chaired the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation Campaign Committee in support of the new hospital, which opened in 2016 as Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

The couple has 4 children together.

Originally published -- 03/01/19 1:03 PM PST.

Chuck Todd is MAD AS HELL that Bryce Harper left his beloved Washington Nationals to sign with the rival Phillies ... and used "Meet the Press" to rip the guy a new one!

"PHILLY?! PHILLY?! Seriously???"

"They will never love you the way Washington would have loved you ... I hope you enjoy 3rd place!"

Ouch.

Of course, Washington and Philly are both in the NL East -- Todd is clearly taking the move pretty hard.

"There will never be a statue of Bryce Harper at National Park in Washington D.C."

Bryce has 330 MILLION reasons to not give a crap about Todd's opinion -- because that's how much cash he'll be making over 13 seasons thanks to his new deal with the Phillies.

By the way, the Nationals only finished 2 games ahead of the Phillies last year -- and now that they have the Nats biggest bat, it ain't looking good in D.C.

Bryce Harper could have another HIGHLY paid teammate in the near future -- because Curt Schilling believes the Phillies are gearing up to make a serious run at Mike Trout.

Of course, Philly just signed Harper to a 13-year, $330 MILLION contract in a move that Curt believes immediately turns the Phillies into a World Series contender.

But, Schilling says he doesn't believe the spending ends with Harper ... telling TMZ Sports, "I believe after next season, Mike Trout goes on the market ... and I can see the Phillies making stupid money offers in that direction as well."

Trout is a 7-time All-Star, 2-time AL MVP and widely regarded as the best player in baseball. He's expected to fetch a contract in the neighborhood of $400 million when he becomes a free agent after the 2020 season.

Everyone knows Trout is a big Philly guy -- he's a staple at Eagles games -- and grew up nearby in south New Jersey.

"My god, could you imagine throwing Bryce Harper in right field and Mike Trout in center field?!"

Bryce Harper's having the best Thursday ever ... dude just made $330 million -- AND HE GOT A MANKINI STRIP SHOW FROM HIS NEW TEAMMATE, JAKE ARRIETA!!!

Bryce just inked a monster 13-year deal worth around $25 MIL per season with the Philadelphia Phillies ... and to celebrate -- his new team's stud pitcher decided to give him a show.

Jake popped on his bikini briefs and sandals ... and broke out his broom for a little victory dance.

"Getting the house ready for [Harper]," Arrieta said.

By the way, Jake spared no expense for the occasion ... 'cause the Versace skivvies he was wearing come in at a cool $225 a piece!!!

Not that that's expensive for Jake ... dude is in the middle of a 3-year, $75 MILLION contract of his own!!!

As for Harper's Phillies deal ... it's the richest free-agent contract in baseball history -- blowing by the 10-year, $300 million contract Manny Machado just inked with the Padres earlier this month.

But, some wonder if Harper could have actually gotten MORE ... saying his per-season salary is actually NOT ENOUGH for a 26-year-old MVP in his prime.

The Dodgers will pay tribute to the late Don Newcombe this season ... stitching a special No. 36 patch on their uniforms for all of 2019 -- the team announced Thursday.

The legendary pitcher -- one of the most important black athletes in MLB history -- died Tuesday at the age of 92 ... and the team says they plan to honor him on their jerseys.

Team president Stan Kasten says the patch will be on every uniform beginning on Opening Day next month ... with Newcombe becoming just the 7th Dodger player EVER to receive that honor.

Newcombe played 8 seasons for the Brooklyn-Los Angeles Dodgers from 1949 to 1958 ... winning Rookie of the Year honors, the Cy Young AND the NL MVP during his career.

Athletes all across the globe were devastated to learn of his passing from an undisclosed illness ... and current Dodgers paid tribute to the man all over social media this week.

"I learned so much from this man," star closer Kenley Jansen said ... "Sitting together, knowing his stories, his storytelling, what he, Jackie and Roy Campanella had to go through for us to be here today."

"He taught me about the history of the game."