MLB

Bored as hell during quarantine?? Hey, it could be A LOT worse ... 'cause a Texas Rangers pitching prospect just suffered a nasty knee injury tripping on his son's toy while at home.

The MLB farmhand -- former Seattle Mariners 4th-round pick James Jones -- was staying at his place Monday in Arizona when he reportedly tripped on his kid's toy and landed awkwardly.

Jones ended up shredding the patellar tendon in his right knee ... and immediately underwent season-ending surgery.

It's a brutal break for the 31-year-old lefty ... he was expected to compete for a bullpen spot on the Rangers' roster this year once MLB resumed play after its coronavirus suspension.

Of course, Jones is no stranger to surgery adversity ... the outfielder-turned-pitcher has already dealt with Tommy John surgery in his career and bounced back from that.

If it's good enough for Derek Jeter, it's good enough for Tom Brady!!

The newest Tampa Bay Bucs QB has picked his Tampa Bay-area home, according to the Tampa Bay Times -- and it's the 32,000-square-foot mansion Jeter built!!

TB12 has already begun to move into the sprawling waterfront estate in the exclusive and super private Davis Islands neighborhood.

The home is siiiiick -- 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, an entertainment room -- and a billiards room that wraps around a pool! There are also two boat lifts which allow access to Tampa Bay.

Jeter reportedly built the home in 2011 -- and it's the biggest mansion in a celeb-packed area. We're told Brady will have a bunch of famous and rich neighbors including a bunch of players from the Tampa Bay Lightening hockey team.

Chicago White Sox radio announcer Ed Farmer -- who played 11 seasons in the Majors -- died Wednesday night, the team announced. He was 70 years old.

Details surrounding his death have not been revealed. We're working on it.

Farmer was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 5th round of the 1967 Draft -- and went on to pitch for the Tigers, Phillies, Orioles, White Sox and more. He made the American League All-Star team in 1980.

He eventually transitioned over to the broadcast booth in 1992 where he spent nearly 30 years calling games for his beloved White Sox.

During his life, Farmer suffered from polycystic kidney disease -- in which cysts cluster around the kidneys, sometimes affecting their ability to function properly.

On the field, you might remember Farmer's issues with Al Cowens.

Famer hit Cowens with a pitch in a game in 1979 -- breaking his jaw and messing up his teeth.

Farmer insisted it wasn't intentional, but Cowens didn't buy it -- and when they played against each other the following season, Cowens charged the mound and attacked Farmer.

Farmer filed assault charges against Cowens -- but later agreed to drop the case if Cowens would shake his hand. Wild stuff.

As for the White Sox, the team issued a statement about Farmer's passing saying, "We mourn the death of Ed Farmer who passed away Wednesday night."

"Farmer worked as a radio broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox for nearly 30 years, played 11 seasons in the major leagues, including three with his hometown White Sox, and was a strong advocate for organ donation."

WARNING: THIS RANT IS NSFW!!!

Ex-MLB star Aubrey Huff just LOST HIS MIND on people hoarding toilet paper during the coronavirus quarantine ... saying, straight-up, "I hope your a**holes fall off!!"

And, yeah ... that's the LEAST offensive thing he said during the 25-second diatribe.

Huff's rant all went down Monday because he said after trips to THREE different stores to try to find some wipes for his bum ... he couldn't snag any TP.

"My question is, how is there no toilet paper on the shelves but there's plenty of groceries, plenty of booze?" he said. "I don't get this sh*t!"

Aubrey concluded his tirade with a simple, "F**k you!!"

Of course, Huff's overreaction is pretty funny ... but toilet paper hoarding seriously ain't no laughing matter -- 'cause government officials have already said there's no need to stockpile the stuff despite the global pandemic.

So, just take what you need and get out ... for everyone's sake!!

The estranged wife of Orioles closer Mychal Givens claims the pitcher has abused her and made her life "a living hell" over the past 15 months ... and TMZ Sports has learned the MLB is aware.

Mychal, however, tells us the allegations are false ... and vehemently denies the claims.

Tiffani Givens -- whom Mychal has children with -- says on several occasions over the last year the MLB player has stalked her, sent her abusive messages and stole from her.

Tiffani -- who married Mychal in 2014 but is in the process of divorcing the pitcher -- spelled out a lot of the allegations in several Facebook posts ... and says cops have been involved frequently.

In fact, when we reached out to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office this week ... they told us officers have been called to Tiffani's home in Tampa, FL four times since March 2019 over domestic disputes.

The most recent one came just this week ... when on Wednesday, cops were called to Tiffani's house after she alleged Mychal broke in and stole items.

Cops tell us no criminal charges were filed -- they say since the two are married, it's a civil issue -- but Tiffani wrote of the incident, "He continues to be emotionally and mentally abusive to me and doing all of this today IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN."

"Pray for me guys I have tried EVERYTHING to maintain sane in this 15 months of hell and this sh*t is still continuing how does one deal with this for so long the emotional and mental toll this takes on you is absolutely draining and NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE AN OUTLET FOR THIS TYPE OF ABUSE."

We're told the MLB is involved in the situation ... however, it's unclear if league officials are investigating the 29-year-old pitcher for domestic violence.

For Mychal's part, his reps tell us, "Unfortunately, the parties are going through a divorce and recently concluded a two-day custody trial. The false Facebook allegations have already been taken down, but warrant a few points of clarification."

"The police have never found wrongdoing by Mr. Givens. The police have never detained him, nor charged him with anything. Instead, he peacefully collected his personal belongings and left the residence."

"Also, during the recently concluded two-day custody trial, nobody made any allegations of abuse of any kind. Mr. Givens vehemently denies the false Facebook allegations. Divorce is always an incredibly difficult, personal matter for everyone involved. He is pleased the divorce is being properly handled by the court."

Tim Tebow has the cure for those coronavirus blues -- THREE INSANELY ADORABLE PUPPIES!!!!

Meet Paris, Chunk and Kobe ... the newest members of the Tebow family!!

The baseball stud and his new wife Demi-Leigh Tebow debuted their fur-babies on social media -- where they even started an IG page for the dogs called, "The Tebow Pack."

Yeah, you may think it's goofy, but they've already cracked 7,000 followers!!!

And, since we know you're thinking it ... no, we don't know if the dogs are rescues or from breeders. We're trying to get more info.

Based on their appearance, seems Kobe is a Golden Retriever. Chunk looks like a Bernese and Paris has all the markings of a Dalmatian.

Tebow LOVES dogs and was devastated when he had to put his beloved pet Bronco to sleep back in November saying it was "one of the toughest goodbyes."

As for Kobe, unclear if Tebow named the pup -- or if someone else came up with the monicker, but a cool Mamba tribute nonetheless.

Congrats!!

A woman claims the Dodgers are at fault for serious injuries she suffered in a Bird scooter crash at their stadium last year ... and now, she's suing the MLB team over it all.

Samantha McGowen says she and her boyfriend hit up the Dodgers-Rockies game on Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles ... when they left their box seats in the 7th inning to head home (typical L.A. fan early exit).

The problem? McGowen says when she grabbed a Bird scooter to jet over to the ride-sharing area of the stadium's parking lot ... she crashed over a root/cement uprising on the ground.

McGowen says she was injured BADLY in the fall ... claiming she fractured both sides of her jaw, ruptured her jaw joint, cracked 6 teeth and also broke her leg.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, she says there wasn't good lighting around the root ... and the hazard yellow lines the team had painted on the uprising were faded.

She says she's suffered severe emotional distress and constant pain since the accident ... and now wants the team to pay up.

McGowen is suing for damages ... asking for an undisclosed amount.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO WILL MAKE YOU CRY!!!

NY Mets superstar Pete Alonso surprised a sick fan with a video message -- and the gesture was so heartfelt, it brought her to tears!

The story behind the footage is touching ... shortly after 82-year-old Kathleen Selig tragically learned she was given just weeks to live after a small cell lung cancer diagnosis, her granddaughter reached out to the Mets over social media.

18-year-old Ally Henglein explained of her "Gammy," "She is a diehard Mets fan and has been since the start."

"The Mets have helped her through the lonliest of times," Henglein wrote. "So much so, she has asked us to spread her ashes at Citi Field when the time comes."

So, how did NY respond? Not only did its best player make her a personalized vid ... new manager Luis Rojas also surprised her with a phone call -- and her reaction was priceless.

You can see in the footage ... the woman tears up with joy over seeing Pete's face -- and then is overcome with emotion when Rojas gets on the phone.

It's super touching ... and the Mets clearly couldn't have been happier to do it for their biggest fan.

As for the aftermath of the amazing moment, Selig's granddaughter wrote, "I’ve never seen her so overcome with emotion. I know she’ll fight to see opening day after all of this love and support."

L.A. Dodgers minor leaguer Connor Joe -- a former MLB 1st-round pick -- underwent surgery for testicular cancer Tuesday ... but the utility player says he's very optimistic about his recovery.

"The good news is that we caught it early, and cases like mine are very curable," Joe said. "I have started treatment, underwent surgery yesterday and am in my recovery process now."

Joe -- who was picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2014 MLB draft -- left Dodgers' spring camp a couple weeks ago with the ailment.

Connor revealed doctors discovered the cancer after a battery of tests ... but the 27-year-old is hopeful for a "quick and full recovery" after his operation earlier this week.

"I recognize the road ahead may be challenging and uncomfortable at times, but God is good and I am staying positive," Joe said.

Connor -- who's had a successful minor league career the past few years -- had a cup of coffee in The Show with the SF Giants last season, recording 1 hit in 8 games.

He was attempting to compete for a roster spot with the Dodgers at spring training this year before his cancer diagnosis.

The MLB and MLBPA are teaming up to do what they can during the coronavirus pandemic ... donating a HUGE amount of money to put food on the table for thousands of people in need.

Of course, President Trump has declared a national emergency as a result of the spreading infection ... with many being told to stay home from work and unable to provide for their families.

MLB and the Players Association are looking to help those affected by the pandemic ... by shelling out $1 million total to Feeding America and Meals on Wheels.

Commish Rob Manfred released a statement on the decision, saying, "In these difficult times of navigating this pandemic, it is important that we come together as a society to help the most vulnerable members of our communities."

"As an institution, Baseball is extending our commitment to addressing childhood hunger and food availability issues during this crisis."

Feeding America plans to use the donation to help food banks in highly impacted areas ... while Meals on Wheels plans to extend its service to senior citizens in need.