MLB

Omar Vizquel -- one of the greatest defensive shortstops ever -- is under MLB investigation over claims he beat his estranged wife ... but the ex-Cleveland superstar is flat-out denying the allegations.

According to The Athletic, Blanca Vizquel -- who married Omar in 2014 -- left the ex-baseball player in August and filed for divorce a short time later after she claims he was abusive toward her.

Blanca says the worst incident happened in 2016 ... claiming an argument escalated into a physical fight between the couple.

Blanca says she placed dumbbells behind a door to keep Omar away from her after the initial argument began ... but she claims the 5'9", 180-lb 3-time All-Star still barged through and shoved her nonetheless.

Blanca claims she injured her shin and broke nails as a result of the push ... and, initially, she sought to press charges against Omar -- who was arrested and booked for 4th-degree domestic assault as a result of the incident.

But, per The Athletic, Blanca later told prosecutors in a letter that she was changing her story and did NOT want the baseball player to criminally prosecuted. The case was dropped as a result.

Blanca -- who also claims there was a 2011 incident in which Omar was violent with her -- says things never quite got better, explaining everything all came to a head in Aug. 2020.

Blanca says the two got into a heated argument ... and she packed some belongings, called a domestic violence hotline, and bolted to a women's shelter some 10 hours away in Texas.

The Athletic reports she filed for a divorce a short time later.

"I made a decision to leave the house and not come back,” Blanca said. “I didn’t want to feel that feeling where you didn’t know if you’re gonna be safe.”

Omar, though, is ADAMANTLY denying any claims of abuse ... with his attorney saying the former shortstop "flatly denies any allegations of domestic violence.”

Omar himself added, "I don’t have anything to say. This is a divorce and I know she’s really pissed off. There is a lot of things [being said] out there about things supposedly happening behind closed doors, you know. I don't have anything to say about that, either. It’s just a divorce."

MLB officials say they're investigating everything ... and while Omar has not been employed by a team since he managed the White Sox's minor league affiliate, the Double-A Barons, in 2019 -- league officials are saying any punishment would affect a future role he receives in the MLB.

The Cleveland Indians changing their name will prevent Native Americans from taking their own lives -- this according to leaders in the community, who insist there's a connection.

Suicide is an enormous problem among Native Americans -- it's the 2nd leading cause of death, and is especially dire among the young.

As for why the name of a baseball team affects the suicide rate -- when Native Americans see non-Natives wearing sacred headdresses and mocking their people with mascots, names, antics, etc. -- it screws with their heads in a big way ... so says Prairie Bighorn-Blount, Executive Director of the American Indigenous Business Leaders. This, we're told, profoundly diminishes self-esteem as well as pride, and can create a severe identity crisis.

There's actual, hard proof to back this up ... namely a study of 600 Native Americans, the overwhelming majority saying they were highly offended by pro sports teams using nicknames related to Native Americans.

The groups we spoke with are thrilled Cleveland's changing its name, but they won't be satisfied until other teams follow. They're talkin' to you, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Blackhawks.

The Cleveland Indians are reportedly going the way of the Washington Football Team -- they're finally changing their team name, although it's unclear what it will be.

The NYT reports an announcement from the team is expected sometime this week, and the news is they're dropping the "Indians" name -- which they've had since 1915 -- and will start a process of adopting something new.

Thing is ... the report says they'll probably keep their current name for the 2021 season, and officially lose it for 2022 -- all while engaging the public about an appropriate alternative. In the interim, the team is reportedly considering going by the Cleveland Baseball Team.

As for the famous logo of a Native American -- known as Chief Wahoo -- that image was retired a couple years back, and the team adopted a letter "C" as their new official symbol.

The move to drop "Indians" is a long time coming -- similar to how Washington dropped "Redskins" not too long ago. There's been mounting pressure for years from the Native American community, as many found the caricatures/nicknames downright degrading.

Some Cleveland fans love the original name -- but it's clear the team's management and ownership feel it's time to get with the times, and stop exploiting indigenous groups.

Tim Tebow would NOT be the best ex-NFL star in MLB if Russell Wilson changed sports ... so says the Seahawks QB himself, who explained Wednesday he thinks he's a better baseball player than Tim!!

"I always feel like baseball was actually my best sport," Russ said.

The 32-year-old Seattle star made the bold claim on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast this week ... saying he could have been a LEGIT MLBer if he had focused on that instead of football.

"Baseball was actually my love," Russ said. "I played that since I was young. That was probably the sport -- was probably one of my best sports."

So, when it comes down to Wilson vs. Tebow on the diamond ... Russ said he hasn't actually seen Tim play with the Mets -- but he's just that confident in his abilities.

"I'ma go with me," Russ said. "I'ma go with me. I can turn a mean double-play, Tim."

FYI -- Russ was a legit baseball STAR back in high school ... he was a projected top-10 round pick in the 2007 MLB draft who fell to the 41st round because he had told teams he was going to forego a baseball career for college.

Russ -- a middle infielder -- kept playing at N.C. State ... and actually got drafted AGAIN in the 4th round of the 2010 MLB draft.

Russ dabbled in the sport, playing in some minor league games for various MLB teams' affiliates ... but, obviously, football took precedent.

Wilson has done some celeb MLB appearances since ... remember, he famously got in a spring training game for the Yankees back in 2018 -- but he struck out in his lone plate appearance.

"I guess God had different plans for me," Russ said of his sports career. "Now I get to spin the rock and throw deep go balls to our guy DK Metcalf."

Thom Brennaman will be back in a baseball broadcasting booth ... just 4 months after he resigned from his last gig for using a gay slur on-air.

MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday the Roberto Clemente League -- which kicks off its season Tuesday -- has hired the former Reds play-by-play man to announce its games in 2020-21.

Of course, it's a huge deal for 57-year-old Thom ... just seconds after a hot mic picked up his homophobic comment during his broadcast of the Reds-Royals game on Aug. 19, he said he wasn't sure if he'd ever get another job in the industry again.

"I don't know if I'm gonna be putting on this headset again," Brennaman said at the time.

While the Roberto Clemente League isn't exactly the MLB ... it's still a respected gig in sports media.

The league -- which consists of 5 teams in Puerto Rico -- has current and former MLB players scattered throughout its rosters.

MLB umpire, Brian O'Nora, was arrested in a sex sting operation in Ohio this weekend ... after officials say he tried to solicit a prostitute online.

57-year-old O'Nora -- who's been an MLB umpire since 2000 -- was 1 of 14 alleged "Johns" who went online seeking to illegally purchase a sex act, according to police.

But, O'Nora didn't get sex ... instead, he got nailed by the Liberty Township Police Department, which was working with a task force that specializes in busting human trafficking operations.

Details of what exactly went down during the sting operation are unclear -- we're working on it -- but O'Nora and the others were all arrested and charged with misdemeanor soliciting and misdemeanor possessing criminal tools.

"John stings deter those seeking to purchase sex -- reducing the demand for human trafficking -- and serve as a reminder that these crimes are more prevalent and closer to home than you may think," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Monday.

The whole case rings similar to sex stings involving New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, and pro golfer Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey.

As for O'Nora, he went viral back in 2013 when he was hit in the neck by a pitch ... but still made a "ball four" call despite being in serious pain.

O'Nora has been assigned to cover an MLB All-Star Game on 3 occasions during his umping career ... and he also worked the 2012 Giants vs. Tigers World Series.

Tragic news from Washington Nationals catcher Tres Barrera and his wife, Lindsey ... the couple just announced their baby boy passed away during delivery last week.

"2020 has been a tough year for many, but it has definitely beaten us more than anything before," Tres said on Instagram on Friday.

"On Sunday November 29,2020 my wife delivered our son at 7:12 am. Unfortunately our God decided he needed him in heaven before he was able to take his first breath."

He continued ... "The emotion, the pain, are all things that one can not describe. As we mourn the loss of our baby boy, our faith remains strong and we will continue to take strides one day at a time in His name."

Tres and Lindsey -- who tied the knot back in January 2018 -- shared the news of the pregnancy back in September ... saying they couldn't wait to meet the "little man."

Tres praised Lindsey's strength through the challenging time ... saying, "I am most proud to call my myself the husband of my wife Lindsey. She is the strongest person I know and she will forever be my hero."

"Forever our angel ... Kaius Lee Barrera"

Tim Tebow has a VERY REAL chance of making the NY Mets' roster next season ... so says star reliever Dellin Betances, who tells TMZ Sports the guy is seriously dedicated to the game.

"He's definitely an athlete," Dellin said of the former Heisman Trophy winner. "He showed some good things last year."

Dellin spent time with Tebow at Mets camp last spring before the coronavirus pandemic put the MLB season on pause ... and the big right-hander tells us he was impressed with what he saw.

In fact, Betances -- who was out doing some awesome charity work with CC Sabathia on Tuesday in the Bronx -- said it wouldn't shock him one bit to see the ex-NFL QB batting somewhere behind Pete Alonso in the Mets' big-league lineup in 2021.

"The guy, he's determined," Dellin said of Tebow. "So, he works hard. He's determined to get there. You never know."

Tebow just recently told Mets president Sandy Alderson that he'd be coming back for another run at the team's major league roster in 2021 after COVID wiped out the entire minor league season this year.

Here's yet another reason Tommy Pham is SERIOUSLY lucky to be alive after his terrifying stabbing incident in October ... the San Diego Padres star says he needed 200 stitches to close his wound.

The 32-year-old was gashed by a blade during an altercation in the parking lot of a San Diego strip club on Oct. 11 ... and video from the aftermath of the incident showed he was covered in blood after the slashing.

Now, Pham is revealing what it took to get him healthy again ... and it's pretty shocking.

In what appears to be his first appearance on video since the stabbing ... Pham said he needed 200 stitches to repair the damage on his back and he has "still a ways to go."

The good news? Pham looks to be in insane shape despite only being 7 weeks removed the incident ... he was sprinting on a treadmill at what he says was a 22 MPH pace.

As we previously reported, Pham has sued the strip club over the stabbing incident ... claiming employees and venue security didn't do enough to help protect him.

In his lawsuit, Pham said the injuries he suffered were "catastrophic" ... and hurt his "earning capacity as an elite professional baseball player."

Padres star Tommy Pham is suing the San Diego strip club where he was stabbed back in October ... claiming it's the employees' fault that he suffered "catastrophic injuries" at the venue.

As we previously reported, the 32-year-old outfielder was at Pacers Showgirls International at around 10:35 PM on Oct. 11 when he was involved in an altercation in the parking lot that left him with a massive stab wound.

Cops say when Pham tried to walk toward his vehicle -- several people that were involved in a fight near his car confronted him.

Police say Pham "physically moved" one of the men near his ride ... and that's when cops say he was pushed down and ultimately slashed.

Police say Pham's wound was MASSIVE -- approximately 12 inches long and 5 inches wide -- and in video of the scene just after the attack, you can see Pham's shirt was soaked in blood.

Now, in new court docs, filed in San Diego last week, Pham is claiming the entire incident could have all been prevented by the strip club.

In the suit, Pham claims the employees "escalated the risk by participating in the fight and antagonizing" the people involved in the parking lot altercation.

Pham says he was initially "trapped inside the business" due to the commotion ... and he claims that despite the growing size and magnitude of the fight, nobody from the venue called authorities.

In the docs, Pham says he attempted to wait inside for the altercation to die down ... but adds when he couldn't stay any longer, he tried to go outside to the valet to get his car.

That's when Pham says he was attacked and stabbed "without any provocation" ... resulting in "catastrophic injuries" that he claims will hurt his "earning capacity as an elite professional baseball player."

Pham now wants the nightclub, its employees and its security to pay up over the incident ... claiming negligence and negligent hiring and supervision. He's also suing the unknown people from the fight for battery.

In the suit, Pham is asking for damages.

Don't dig a grave for Tim Tebow's MLB career just yet ... HE'S COMING BACK TO THE METS IN 2021!

... so says Mets president Sandy Alderson who made it clear the franchise isn't ready to move on from the former NFL quarterback.

Remember, the minor league baseball season was scrapped in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic -- leaving players like 33-year-old Tebow contemplating his baseball future.

But, Alderson said he spoke with Tebow over the weekend -- and it seems they reached an agreement to resume the Tim Tebow experiment next season.

"He’s anxious to come back," Alderson told the NY Post.

"And I told Tim, ‘Look, why would you want to end your quest based on a COVID-related reason? You didn’t get a chance to perform this year.’ He was hurt a little bit the previous year. So I think Tim is committed to coming back. And I think we’re committed to giving him an opportunity to do that and we’ll see where it goes."

Alderson says both sides realize Tim's baseball career will end at some point -- but that time isn't now!

"This is not a quest without end. At some point it will culminate. But I think that will be at a time when Tim and the organization come to some agreement about where he is and what his potential is. But I didn’t want him to go out based on some COVID-related interruption."

Tebow signed his deal with the NY Mets in 2016 -- and while it's been fun to watch him compete, his numbers haven't exactly been stellar -- he's only batting .223 in his 3 minor league seasons.

He spent a short stint at the Triple-A level in 2019 -- but didn't exactly shine there either ... with a .163 batting average in 264 plate appearances.

After spending three seasons in the NFL, Tebow decided to give baseball a shot. He was signed by the Mets in 2016 and has moved up through the team’s minor-league system. Tebow reached Triple-A briefly in 2019, and will likely begin 2021 at that level.

Tebow recently spoke about his baseball career to MLB.com -- acknowledging the end could be near.

"It’s not something that I want to do forever," Tebow said ... "because there’s a lot of other things that are in my heart that I want to pursue."

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder, Randy Arozarena, is the subject of an MLB investigation stemming from an alleged violent incident in Mexico involving the mother of his child and the woman's father.

25-year-old Arozarena was reportedly detained at the woman's home, according to local media outlets.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reports Arozarena "allegedly tried to take his daughter from her mother and assaulted the woman’s father."

Reports out of Mexico indicate Arozarena showed up to the home with gifts for his daughter -- but things went awry when he arrived and he allegedly tried to take the child from the house without permission from the mother.

Video has surfaced allegedly showing a standoff between Arozarena and neighbors -- while Arozarena is holding a child.

Mexican authorities have said they will release more information about the case in the coming days. In the meantime, MLB has officially launched an investigation to gather information.

Rob Kardashian is ON FIRE -- the sports card collector just pulled an ultra-rare Honus Wagner autograph ... and the video is epic!

Here's the deal ... Rob K. has established himself as one of the top dogs in the high-end sports card market -- often buying boxes of pricy, rare cards in the hopes of hitting big.

AND HE KEEPS HITTING BIG!!!

This time, Rob paid $750 for a chance at the contents of the BullPen BullChest at the Bullpen card shop in L.A.

Basically, 6 people pay $750 each to split the contents of the BullChest which is loaded with expensive PSA graded cards, boxes of unopened cards ... sometimes just packs of rare cards.

The collectors get to select 1 item from the chest in an order that's randomly selected by the shop.

This time, Rob was 5th to select (not the best position) -- but it worked out for him this time!

Rob decided to pick an unopened box of 2020 Topps Dynasty cards -- which usually runs around $500 and only contains ONE CARD!!

But, when the Bullpen staffer opened the pack (Rob was watching virtually on a live stream) ... he went CRAZY when he realized he pulled a special 1-of-1 Honus Wagner auto!

Wagner died in 1955 -- but the people at Topps secured an authenticated autograph used it as the base of a new card.

Unclear what it's worth ... but it's fair to say Rob EASILY made back his investment!

As we previously reported, Rob recently pulled an ultra-rare Tom Brady card that some believe could sell for more than $200k!

Robinson Cano has been popped for a banned substance again ... and this time, it'll cost him the entire 2021 season AND a fat paycheck.

The New York Mets star second baseman tested positive for PEDs, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, and he's now been suspended for all of next year.

38-year-old Cano will also forfeit $24 MILLION in salary due to the season-long ban, Passan added.

The 8-time All-Star had previously been busted for using a banned substance back in 2018 ... when MLB hit him with an 80-game suspension.

At the time, Cano admitted to taking Furosemide -- which MLB has barred because it can act as a masking agent for PEDs -- but the baseball star claimed he did NOT use it for performance enhancement on the diamond.

"Furosemide is used to treat various medical conditions in the United States and the Dominican Republic," Cano said in '18. "This substance was given to me by a licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic to treat a medical ailment."

"While I did not realize at the time that I was given a medication that was banned, I obviously now wish that I had been more careful."

Unclear what Cano tested positive for this time ... but his absence next year will sure hurt the Mets.

Cano had a monster 2020, batting .316 and hitting 10 home runs in just 49 games.

Before the suspensions ... Cano was considered a Hall of Fame candidate -- with a career batting average of .303 and 334 total home runs.

It's the most wonderful time of the year for Dodger fans -- the team has officially announced a drive-thru holiday extravaganza to help celebrate L.A.'s World Series title!!

The team can't currently celebrate with a normal parade through the City of Angels in honor of their 7th championship (thanks, COVID) ... so they came up with a safe way to honor the victory while spreading some holiday cheer at the same time.

Dubbed the "Holiday Festival," the Dodgers say the event will include "a light show, LED video displays, fake snow and interactive displays honoring the Dodgers World Championship and celebrating the holidays!"

The party will take place at the Dodger Stadium parking lot ... but don't get it twisted -- attendees will still be required to wear face masks when their car windows are down (we're looking at you, Justin Turner) ... as well as maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles.

The event starts the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) and runs through Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) ... and tickets go on sale Tuesday.

The Miami Marlins have just made a groundbreaking hire -- with the team welcoming baseball exec Kim Ng as the first female general manager in major pro sports history.

The hire makes Ng the highest-ranking woman in baseball operations among all 30 MLB teams.

51-year-old Ng started her front-office career as an intern with the Chicago White Sox in 1991 ... working her way up the ladder and becoming assistant GM to Brian Cashman with the New York Yankees in 1998.

Ng joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2001 ... and served as assistant GM until becoming Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations for MLB in 2011.

Ng spoke about the new gig in a statement, saying, "I entered Major League Baseball as an intern and, after decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins as their next general manager."

"We are building for the long-term in South Florida, developing a forward thinking, collaborative, creative baseball operation made up of incredibly talented and dedicated staff who have, over the last few years, lady great foundation for success."

She continued ... "This challenge is when I don’t take lightly. When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a Major League team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals."

FYI -- Ng's boss is Derek Jeter ... who, of course, was on the Yanks when she worked as assistant GM from 1998 to 2001.

Ng had interviewed to be GM for other teams like the Giants, Dodgers, Angels and more in the past ... and now she's gunning for ultimate success with her first opportunity.

"My goal is now to bring championship baseball to Miami. I am both humbled and eager to continue building the winning culture our fans expect and deserve."

Congrats!!!