MLB

Ex-MLB player Cody Decker says that Nazi salute at the Oakland A's game is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to anti-Semitism in pro baseball ... insisting the problem is MUCH worse than it seems.

Decker -- who is Jewish -- was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2009 and made his MLB debut in 2015. He retired from pro baseball in 2019.

In other words, Cody's been around the game a LONG time and has personally dealt with anti-Semitism ... a lot.

"I mean the amount of Nazis jokes I've dealt with throughout my entire career is pretty staggering," Decker says.

When it comes to Oakland A's bench coach Ryan Christenson -- who threw up a Hitler salute during Thursday's game -- Decker says things would have gone down much differently after the game if he was on that team.

"If I was in that locker room, what I’d have to go into that office and have to do with that coach?! We would have to have a very harsh conversation or we would have to shut the door and maybe throw punches because that's unacceptable. Plain and simple."

During our conversation, Decker describes several times he dealt with blunt anti-Semitism from other players, coaches and fans ... and it's downright ridiculous.

"If you think ant-Semitism is not rampant throughout baseball!? ... It's a very, very, very Christian sport and not all of the players that are very, very Christian are the brightest of Christians. That's not knocking Christianity by any stretch of the imagination, I'm just telling you what I've death with throughout my career by being called multiple Jewish slurs by fans, by teammates."

So, what should happen with Christenson?

"I think a fair thing would be a suspension," Decker says ... while suggesting an educational component to educate Christenson on the dangers of anti-Semitism.

Ex-L.A. Angels employee Eric Kay has been charged with distributing fentanyl in connection with pitcher Tyler Skaggs' death ... and prosecutors say they have text messages to prove it.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports on Friday, federal authorities just hit Kay with the charge.

In the docs, prosecutors claim to have a text conversation between Kay and Skaggs from the night of the pitcher's overdose.

In the exchange, Kay asks "Hoe [sic] many?" ... to which Skaggs responded, "Just a few like 5."

Law enforcement officials say in the docs they believe Kay and Skaggs are discussing drugs ... clearly implying the exchange proves Kay is the one who supplied the pitcher with the lethal dose of the pills.

In the docs, law enforcement claims Kay provided "30 milligram oxycodone pills" to Skaggs on multiple occasions.

There's more, and it could spell out more problems for the Angels organization.

Investigators say they learned during the course of the investigation that "several individuals" who were associated with Kay and Skaggs "knew" that Kay was providing pills to the pitcher.

Investigators also say Kay would distribute pills to others "in their place of employment and while they were working."

Investigators do not say if these "others" worked for the Angels organization ... but it seems to be what they're pointing to.

As we previously reported, Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, TX in July 2019 ... hours before the Angels were set to play the Texas Rangers.

In the toxicology report released by the ME, the cause of death was a mix of "alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents."

The Angels released a statement Friday, saying, "It has been more than a year since the tragic passing of Tyler Skaggs, and all of us affected by this loss continue to grieve. The circumstances surrounding his death are a tragedy that has impacted countless individuals and families."

"The Angels Organization had fully cooperated with Law Enforcement and Major League Baseball. Additionally, in order to comprehensively understand the circumstances that led to his death, we hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation."

The statement continued ... "We learned that there was unacceptable behavior inconsistent with our code of conduct, and we took steps to address it. Our investigation also confirmed that no one in management was aware, or informed, of any employee providing opioids to any player, nor that Tyler was using opioids."

"As we try to heal from the loss of Tyler, we continue to work with authorities as they complete their investigation."

THIS IS SAVAGE!!!

Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire was epically trolled by the Atlanta Braves team organist mid-game Thursday ... and the scene was laugh out loud funny!!

McGuire -- playing in his first game since TMZ Sports posted video of his SUPER awkward masturbation bust -- was walking up to the plate in the 3rd inning when he was greeted by "Beat It" over the Atlanta loudspeakers.

The Michael Jackson tune played for several seconds ... and if you get the reference -- try not to smile!!

Of course, McGuire was stopped by cops in a parking lot last February after witnesses say they saw him inside of his car pleasuring himself.

In police footage of the incident ... McGuire apologized profusely for his actions, saying, "I've realized that I made a mistake having my pants down and doing what I was doing."

He added, "I really am apologetic. And, I know I shouldn't have been doing this."

McGuire eventually was forced to pay fines and fees over it all after cutting a deal with prosecutors ... but clearly, MLB teams ain't going to let him off that easy.

To make matters worse for McGuire ... he finished the night 0-for-3 with two strikeouts after the troll job -- AND the Jays lost in heartbreaking walk-off fashion.

Oakland A's bench coach Ryan Christenson says he "made a mistake" by throwing up a Nazi salute TWICE during Thursday's game against the Rangers ... insisting it was unintentional.

"I made a mistake and will not deny it," Christenson said in a statement.

Christenson made the salute while greeting players in the dugout at the end of the game. You can see pitcher Liam Hendriks trying to correct Christenson's salute into an "elbow bump" position.

But, R.C. eventually went back to the Nazi salute one more time.

Christenson says the whole thing was born out of an attempt to be more COVID-conscious.

"Today in the dugout I greeted players with a gesture that was offensive. In the world today of [COVID-19] I adapted our elbow bump, which we do after wins, to create some distance with the players."

"My gesture unintentionally resulted in a racist and horrible salute that I do not believe in. What I did is unacceptable, and I deeply apologize."

The A's acknowledged the move looked like a Nazi salute and apologized as well.

"We do not support or condone this gesture, or the racist sentiment behind it."

The hatred for the cheating-ass Houston Astros looks to be still rolling along smoothly ...

Here's video of Arizona Diamondbacks closer Archie Bradley appearing to flip off the 'Stros after a huge home run Wednesday night ... and it's pretty hilarious!!!

In the 5th inning of the D'Backs' rout of Houston in Phoenix ... Nick Ahmed blasted a moon shot bomb deep to left-center field that had Arizona's players going crazy.

The camera panned around to everyone while Ahmed was rounding the bases -- and when it got to the Diamondbacks' bullpen, you can see Bradley clear as day pumpin' a middle finger toward the diamond.

Was it directed at the 'Stros players? Seems like it. Was it because Houston was caught in a massive sign-stealing, cheating scheme that rocked baseball? Probably.

Bradley hasn't addressed the single-barrel salute with media yet ... so it's all unclear at the moment.

What is clear, though ... is everyone still hates the Astros for their roles in a 2017 cheating scandal.

Remember, Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly was just suspended 8 GAMES by MLB after he almost incited a brawl by nearly beaning both Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa in a game last week.

Ya don't buy a car without checkin' under the hood, right?

And, if you're Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, ya don't buy a pro baseball team without checking out the stadium!

That's what J-Rod did on Wednesday -- getting a VIP tour of Citi Field in Queens as part of their plan to buy the team.

J Lo -- sporting a flowing white sundress -- led the charge with A-Rod and a few other businessy-lookin' dudes.

As we previously reported, the power couple has been gunning to buy the team for months -- and recently linked up with some rich partners to add to their ownership group.

The most recent addition to Alex and Jen's team is Mike Repole -- who co-founded BodyArmor and Vitaminwater. He's rich and also a life-long Mets fan.

They had previously brought on a dream team of current and former NFL ballers including Travis Kelce, Brian Urlacher, Joe Thomas, and DeMarco Murray.

There are two NBA stars in the group as well -- Washington Wizards beast Bradley Beal and Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee.

J Lo and A-Rod had previously tried to buy the Mets for around $1.5 billion -- but it didn't exactly work out since the Wilpon family (which owns the team) was hoping to get around $2.5 billion.

Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen was the front-runner to buy the team -- he's loaded and has already made a $2 billion bid, according to the NY Post.

But, ESPN says the Wilpons would prefer to sell to Lopez and Rodriguez if they can come closer to the top bid.

As if 2020 couldn't get any weirder ... the Minnesota Twins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game was paused Tuesday afternoon -- and it's all 'cause a drone flew over the field.

The scene was wild ... in the middle of the fifth inning, umpires pulled players off the diamond when they noticed a flying object cruising high above Target Field in Minneapolis.

The drone hovered over the ballpark for several minutes -- causing a lengthy delay in the game.

Of course, drone flying over ballparks during play is illegal even without fans in attendance -- the FAA still prohibits it -- and MLB was obviously worried about player safety.

No one was hurt, however ... and the unmanned aircraft eventually left the scene and play resumed.

MLB star Yadier Molina says he's one of several St. Louis Cardinals dealing with coronavirus ... announcing Tuesday he tested positive even after following all the proper protocols.

The 38-year-old -- who some expect to be a lock for baseball's Hall of Fame -- said in a statement in Spanish on social media he's disappointed to have contracted the virus.

But, the catcher added he's doing everything possible to return to the team ASAP.

"As I recover," Yadi said, "I request that my privacy and that of my family be respected during my absence from the team."

The Cards said in a statement in addition to Yadi ... infielders Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa, and Rangel Ravelo, and pitchers Junior Fernández and Kodi Whitley have also agreed to publicly come forward with their positive diagnosis.

As we previously reported, the Cardinals are currently dealing with at least 13 cases of coronavirus on their team ... with GM John Mozeliak saying some have experienced symptoms like "headaches, coughs, sniffles, and low-grade fevers."

The Cards have had several games postponed due to the outbreak ... with their series against the Detroit Tigers this week already being moved.

The mess continues for the St. Louis Cardinals -- 13 members of the organization have tested positive for the coronavirus ... and the team's upcoming 4-game series with the Detroit Tigers has been postponed.

MLB confirmed ... 7 players and 6 staffers returned positive COVID-19 tests within the past week.

The team will remain in Milwaukee -- where they have been quarantined since Thursday -- until medical officials clear them to travel.

The Cards were supposed to play the Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit beginning August 4th -- but now, that has been pushed.

The plan, according to MLB, is for the Cardinals to "resume its regular schedule on Friday against the Chicago Cubs in St. Louis."

And, in unrelated bad news, the highly-anticipated Field of Dreams game between the Cards and White Sox in Iowa -- scheduled for August 13 -- has also been canceled due to a "logistical problem," according to the Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

The NY Mets are concerned about their star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes -- saying he didn't show up to the ballpark for Sunday's game -- and hasn't checked in with team officials.

In other words, they're concerned he may have gone missing.

The Mets are currently playing the Braves in Atlanta. Cespedes WAS in attendance for Saturday's game ... but never made it back to the field on Sunday.

The Mets issued a statement saying ... "As of game time, Yoenis Céspedes has not reported to the ballpark today. He did not reach out to management with any explanation for his absence. Our attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful."

Everyone's hoping there's a simple explanation for the situation ... like YS overslept his alarm -- but obviously, there are much more serious concerns at this point.

34-year-old Cespedes is a 2x All-Star and one of the most important players on the Mets.

TMZ Sports has obtained police footage of the moment cops busted MLB catcher Reese McGuire for allegedly masturbating in public ... and it's SUPER AWKWARD.

First off, police say cameras malfunctioned in the process of recording the video, which is why most of the picture is black ... but you can still hear audio of McGuire's encounter with officers in a strip mall parking lot in Dunedin, Fla. on Feb. 7.

The conversation begins with cops asking the 25-year-old Toronto Blue Jays player if he was aware that people had called them saying they had seen him while he was half-naked in his car pleasuring himself.

McGuire tried to explain the situation ... before telling the cops, "I realized, what an idiot. What a dumb place to be hanging out."

That's when one of the officers asked the MLB player straight-up, "Why would you come to a parking lot just to masturbate?"

Reese responded, "I just, I don't know."

To his credit, McGuire went on to tell the officer he was SUPER sorry for the incident ... saying, "I've realized that I made a mistake having my pants down and doing what I was doing ... I really am apologetic. And, I know I shouldn't have been doing this."

McGuire was eventually charged with 1st-degree misdemeanor exposure of sexual organs and was facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted.

Reese, though, cut a deal with prosecutors earlier this month ... pleading no contest to a reduced 2nd-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

In exchange, a spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office in Pinellas County told us his punishment was nothing more than fines and court costs.

Nic Naitanui -- Aussie Rules football's biggest star -- successfully completed 5 weeks in a bubble environment Down Under ... but cautions the mental health side of things is a real concern for athletes.

FYI, the Australian Football League (AFL) is currently running a hub system -- where teams are quarantined in separate bubble environments throughout the country.

Entry into each bubble requires 2 weeks of quarantine followed by strict testing -- and then it's off to a secure site, which in Nic's case was a Top Flight hotel.

The West Coast Eagles star admits it was "pretty tough" to adjust at first -- but he got into a routine and ultimately played really well on the field.

Now, Nic says sports leagues from all over the world have been contacting the AFL and the individual teams for advice on how to successfully pull off a bubble ... and he's got some solid tips.

The biggest warning, per Nic, is mental health for the players.

"The mental health side of things is massive because you are deprived of that social interaction with your family and friends and what not."

"I can tell why people probably do sneak out of the bubble. I see with the NBA boys because they're used to having that freedom and livelihood to do what they want and now you're being told -- its almost like a prison, albeit, a 5 star prison!"

The big question for us ... will the NFL follow the AFL's lead before time runs out?

The NBA, like the AFL, is having tremendous success so far in their bubble.

Patrick Mahomes will THRIVE in his new MLB ownership role ... so says George Brett, who tells TMZ Sports he's pumped for the NFL superstar to join the Royals' org!!

"They do things a little bit different here," says the K.C. legend, who's now in his 27th season as the team's VP of baseball operations. "Your family is number 1, baseball is number 2."

"And, I think he's going to fit right in with the ownership group and with the Royals culture that they have within the ball club."

Pat just used a portion of his new $500 MILLION contract to buy into the Royals this week ... and Brett says he couldn't be happier to welcome the Chiefs QB to the team.

In fact, the Royals G.O.A.T. says the two are actually golfing buddies ... so he knows Pat well -- and he tells us he's certain the move will be good for both the Royals and the NFL superstar.

"I'm sure everybody in Kansas City is real excited," Brett says. "Because, like me, they've adopted Patrick Mahomes."

By the way, we asked George about Mahomes' baseball prowess ... and the Hall of Famer told us from everything he's seen, he believes the 24-year-old could've been a hell of a pitcher.

But, if Brett had to face Pat in his prime? Ya gotta hear George tell us how that would've been an absolute laugher ...