MLB

If you needed further proof Tim Tebow is the sweetest boy on Earth -- here it is ...

The former Heisman Trophy winner granted a 105-year-old's birthday wish this week ... sending an adorable video shout-out to the woman -- and the whole thing was cute as hell!!

Here's the deal ... Cora Belle Edison has been a Tebow superfan for YEARS, never missing one of his games and even calling the former quarterback "handsome!" during her 105th bday party last week.

And, after she told local station WJTV in Jackson, Miss. her wish for her big 1-0-5 was to meet Tim ... TEBOW ACTUALLY REACHED OUT!!!

The 33-year-old -- alongside all his dogs -- sent the woman a heartfelt message ... saying, "Hey, Mrs. Edison. This is Tim Tebow. I wanted to make this video to say happy birthday."

"I know last Tuesday that you turned 105 years old and that is so incredible."

He continued, "I also know we have a lot in common. I know that you have five children, and I’m the baby of five, so we have that in common. And, I know that you were a nurse, and you loved helping people and that's also what I feel called to do. But, most importantly, I also know that you love the Lord, which is most important."

Tebow then praised Edison for the legacy she's left on the planet ... and added, "I really hope I get the chance to see you and give you a hug."

"But, even if I don’t get the chance to give you a huge here on Earth, I know I will in heaven and I look forward to that day."

MLB superstar Yasiel Puig admits he DID have a sexual encounter with the woman accusing him of sexual battery -- but insists the whole thing was consensual.

We broke the story ... Puig was sued in 2020 by a woman using the pseudonym, Jane Doe -- who claims Yasiel followed her into a bathroom at Staples Center during the Lakers game on Oct. 31, 2018, and sexually assaulted her.

The woman later claimed she did NOT know Puig before the alleged incident.

Now, Puig is firing back ... claiming it was the woman who initiated the sexual encounter.

"Let me be clear and set the record straight once and for all: these allegations are totally false," Puig said in a statement.

"The evidence proves they are false, and I look forward to all the facts and the truth coming out.”

"The fact is that I had consensual sex with a woman I met at a Lakers game after she propositioned me."

"Afterward, we talked about going out together, but she said she did not want her fiancé to find out. We messaged each other afterward and plan to get together again, but we never did. She’s now suing me based on completely made up allegations."

Puig's attorneys, Alan Jackson and Caleb Mason, claim they have Instagram messages and text messages which show "she initiated contact with Mr. Puig earlier that evening."

"[The accuser] had designs on meeting him, and she sent him repeated Instagram messages along with her cell phone number and a heart emoji -- all unsolicited by Mr. Puig."

"After the game [the accuser] sought out Mr. Puig in person at the Chairman's Club [at Staples Center] and asked him to go into a bathroom with her for a consensual sexual encounter."

Puig's attorneys claim the two continued to message each other in the days and weeks after the incident ... with the accuser sending him a "series of affectionate and endearing messages" that aren't consistent with someone who was sexually assaulted.

This is disgusting.

Cleveland Indians infielder Yu Chang was the target of vile and racist hatred after making a game-ending error on Monday ... and now he's calling out the scumbags behind the hateful comments.

Chang -- who is Taiwanese -- was playing 1st base for Cleveland in their tilt against the Chicago White Sox when he made a throwing error in the bottom of the 9th (with 1 out) that ultimately cost Cleveland the game.

Of course, Chang probably felt terrible for the error -- but what made things worse is the tidal wave of hate that came onto his social media pages.

Chang decided he wasn't going to let the racists idiots behind the messages get away with such horrible comments -- and put them on blast Tuesday morning.

The comments are despicable -- using disgusting anti-Asian slurs to attack Chang. One person even brought up SARS and the coronavirus. Really terrible stuff.

25-year-old Chang says he's open to legitimate baseball criticism -- but he won't stand for racism or other offensive comments.

"Exercise your freedom of speech in a right way, I accept all comments, positive or negative but DEFINITELY NOT RACIST ONES."

"Thank you all and love you all. #StopAsianHate."

The comments come at a time of unrest for the Asian community -- Stop AAPI Hate recently released a report claiming there have been more than 3,800 anti-Asian incidents in the past year.

Sports stars have been using their platform more than ever to combat anti-Asian hate -- NBA player Jeremy Lin recently revealed he was called the "coronavirus" during a recent G-League game ... and vowed to do whatever it takes to prevent others from going through similar hurtful experiences.

Chang was a highly touted prospect coming out of Taiwan -- and impressed MLB's scouts with his stellar performance at the 2011 World Youth Championship.

The Minnesota Twins will NOT be taking the field Monday afternoon -- the team has postponed its matchup with the Boston Red Sox following the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright at the hands of a police officer.

"Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players and community to not play today's game," the team said in a statement.

20-year-old Wright was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center.

Cops say they were trying to take him into custody after learning he had outstanding warrants ... and Wright attempted to flee.

BC Police Chief Tim Gannon claims the officer meant to use her taser during the incident, but accidentally shot Wright instead. He died at the scene.

Protests and riots broke out in the area following the tragedy ... and the National Guard was deployed on the scene.

The Twins -- who were set to open a 4-game series with the Sox -- say they worked with MLB, local and state officials to reach its decision ... and will announce a makeup date at a later time.

One of the most epic beards in baseball is no more ... Rougned Odor shaved his famous face sweater after being traded to the Yankees -- AND IT LOOKS WEIRD!!!

The 2nd baseman was jettisoned from the Rangers to New York last week ... and, in complying with the Yanks' no facial hair policy, he busted out the razor for the first time in YEARS.

And, check out the 27-year-old's new appearance ... he's damn-near unrecognizable -- even to his own 3-year-old daughter!!!

"It was weird. I feel weird,” Odor said of his newly shaved face. "Even my daughter, she didn’t even want to look at me. It is what it is. I’m happy to be here."

Don't worry ... Odor didn't lose any of his baseball magic after he ditched the follicles -- in fact, dude came in CLUTCH for the Pinstripes against the Rays in his 1st appearance with the team Sunday.

After starting the game 0-for-4, Odor knocked in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning with a single to centerfield. He later came around to score, too, helping NYY win 8 to 4.

Good luck in your new smooth-faced journey Rougned ... try not to punch anyone!

The L.A. Dodgers got their World Series rings on Friday -- and good lord, SO. MANY. DIAMONDS!!!!!

The ring ceremony took place right before the Dodgers home opener against the Washington Nationals ... and it was special!!!

Each of the Dodgers players was introduced to the crowd by their childhood MLB heroes.

So, Mookie Betts was intro'd by Jimmy Rollins. Chase Utley introduced Cody Bellinger. And "Big Papi" David Ortiz did the honors for Julio Urias.

But, let's get to the hardware ...

Of course, each ring featured the Dodgers iconic "L.A." logo on top -- made from 17 genuine blue sapphires.

Notice the baseball diamond design -- featuring 4 large diamonds representing each of the bases.

The "infield" is loaded with 29 smaller diamonds, representing the number of home runs hit by the Dodgers during the 2020 postseason.

There are 16 more sapphires and 44 diamonds surrounding the perimeter of the top of the ring.

And, the sides??? You guessed it -- MORE DIAMONDS!!

According to MLB, the total number of diamonds just on the sides totals 96!

So, congrats to the champs -- the 32-year drought is over! Just make sure to keep those things in a safe!

The L.A. Dodgers will receive their World Series rings before their game on Friday ... Max Muncy is making sure Tommy Lasorda is a part of the big day.

The Dodgers infielder hit up Stadium Custom Kicks for a special pair of cleats featuring Tommy, who passed away in January at age 93.

Lasorda is one of the most important and iconic Dodgers of all time -- he played for the team back in the '50s, managed the team through the '70s, '80s and '90s and served as a team executive right up until his final breath.

So, when the Dodgers get their World Series rings to commemorate their victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, Muncy wanted to make sure Tommy was properly represented during the ceremony.

The kicks are awesome -- featuring Tommy's face, his #2 uniform number and one of his most famous quotes.

"I bleed Dodger blue and when I die, I'm going to the big Dodger in the sky."

Touching moment in the MLB on Thursday ... Kolten Wong got a standing ovation in his return to St. Louis -- and he was so emotional about it, he had to take his ensuing at-bat in tears.

It all went down in the 1st inning of the Brewers' tilt with the Cards ... when Wong -- who played in STL from 2013 through 2020 -- was set to take his first AB as an opposing player at Busch Stadium.

But, as soon as his name was announced over the PA system ... fans roared so loudly for the Cards' former second baseman, the game was paused for several seconds.

Even Wong's ex-teammates, pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina, took a few bows to pay their respects to the 30-year-old.

And, all of love clearly hit Wong HARD ... 'cause he spent his entire ensuing at-bat crying.

Fortunately for Wong, Wainwright didn't throw him a single strike on four pitches ... and he was able to head down to first base pretty quickly to re-collect himself.

Babe Ruth secretly penned a handwritten letter to his mistress -- behind his wife’s back -- nearly 100 years ago ... and now the super unique item just sold for a fortune at auction, TMZ Sports has learned.

An undisclosed buyer dropped $201,851 on the letter at SCP Auctions ... which was discovered years ago in the scrapbook of Nell Wilson -- Ruth’s alleged woman on the side.

Ruth wrote ... “Dear Nell, Very sorry but my wife jumped over on me without me knowing it this is the first time she ever did that she is watching me so don’t get mad and I will see you Monday night."

Bambino continued ... "The club is watching so the only way I will be able to see you all night is for you to stop in at the Aldine Hotel and I can see you. Babe”

After signing his name, Ruth -- the most famous baseball player in the world -- terrified of his wife catching him, wrote ... “Nell, don’t call me up.”

Ruth married as a 19-year-old in 1914 -- tying the knot with Helen Woodford -- a waitress he met at a Boston coffee shop during his rookie season with the Red Sox.

Over the years, the Sultan of Swat picked up a reputation as a hard-partying womanizer ... which obviously caused serious problems in his relationship.

But, Babe and Helen were devout Catholics ... so divorce wasn’t an option

The letter -- written around 1922 -- shows proper wear on the edges, and contains a signature authenticated by PSA ... important for collectors.

The piece originally sold back in 2004 for $86k ... but like the rest of the collectibles market, the value exploded!

Ruth's letter isn’t the only awesome piece of Yankees history that recently sold ... SCP unloaded a one-of-a-kind signed photo of the '27 Bronx Bombers -- aka Murderers Row -- for $444,031.

Ask we previously reported, the photo contains sigs from Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Speaking of “The Iron Horse” ... one of the last bats ever used by the dying superstar sold for $715k.

So, go ask grandma if she ever dated a legendary baseball player.

Insanely scary moment on the MLB diamond Wednesday ... Reds star rookie Jonathan India was drilled in the forehead by a 94 MPH fastball, but thankfully, he appears to be okay.

India was at the dish for his second at-bat of Cincinnati's game against the Pirates ... when pitcher Chad Kuhl lost control of a fastball and accidentally plunked the 24-year-old in the head.

India immediately crumpled to the ground in pain ... and Kuhl got down into a squat in disbelief that he had just misfired that badly.

Miraculously, India popped up to his feet just a few seconds later ... and after a short talk with trainers, he stayed in the game.

In fact, India was feeling so good ... in the next inning, he made a hell of a play throwing out a base runner at home plate!!!

It was an awesome throw ... but it was even more awesome that the dude's going to be all right after all that.

"ASTROS SUCK! ASTROS SUCK! ASTROS SUCK!"

Angels fans let the cheating-ass Astros HAVE IT during their game in L.A. on Monday night ... chanting insults at them and trolling them with a symphony of banging trash cans!!!

The scene was epic ... in right field at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, fans had a seemingly endless supply of garbage bins to heckle Houston players with.

It started early in the night when one fan lifted one over his head and banged on it incessantly.

Later, one person actually threw an inflatable trash can onto the field. Then, just minutes after that, someone dumped an entire bin over the wall!

Things got so relentless -- the Angels actually had to set up security in right field to make sure it all calmed down!!!

Eventually, the trash bins seemed to get to Houston ... 'cause it blew a 5-3 lead late in the game and ultimately lost, 7-6!

And, the limited capacity crowd sure let the Astros know about it ... joining in unison to chant "Astros suck!" at players.

Of course, the 'Stros are still hated by everyone after MLB officials determined they illegally stole signs and banged on trash cans to relay them to batters during their World Series run in 2017 and the following year.

The players caught a bit of a break last season with no fans allowed in stadiums ... but it's clear, they ain't gonna get the same kind of treatment this year.

MLB fans in Texas pretended like it was 2019 on Monday ... packing into the Rangers' stadium to see a game with absolutely no regard for social distancing.

The scenes from Globe Life Field are WILD ... there's hardly an empty chair in the 40,000-seat stadium -- and people wearing masks over their noses and mouths are few and far between.

In fact, it straight-up looks like nobody in the stadium has any worry that a global pandemic is still raging onward.

Of course, we knew this was coming ... the Rangers announced last month they would not put a limit on attendance for Opening Day against the Blue Jays -- something President Joe Biden blasted the team for.

"I think it's a mistake," POTUS said to ESPN last week. "They should listen to Dr. Fauci, the scientists and the experts. But, I think it's not responsible."

The Rangers have said repeatedly Monday will be a one-time-only event ... with team president of baseball operations Jon Daniels saying he believes there will be no more sell-outs following Monday's action.

"I think after Opening Day, reality is we're not going to be at full capacity, I doubt it," Daniels said.

The Rangers have insisted they'll enforce a mask policy -- only allowing fans to drop the face coverings to eat or drink.

The MLB has just suspended Nick Castellanos -- one of the league's best hitters -- TWO GAMES ... and it's all because the Reds star flexed in a pitcher's face on Saturday.

For real.

The ban is wild ... mostly because the events that led up to it were all fairly benign when considering the unwritten rules of baseball.

Here's the deal -- Castellanos had homered on Opening Day against the Cardinals, and pimped the hit with a bat-flip and a stroll to first base.

Clearly, the Cards didn't love that ... and pitcher Jake Woodford then drilled the Cincy outfielder in the ribs with a 92 MPH fastball in the ensuing game Saturday.

Castellanos hated it, talked a little smack and when he came around the bases to score a few pitches later ... he let Woodford hear it at home plate with a flex and a yell.

The benches ended up clearing, but no physical contact happened ... and Castellanos was ejected.

Most thought that would be that -- but MLB decided to drop ANOTHER hammer on Nick on Monday.

The league says it's banning Castellanos two games ... though it is allowing him to appeal -- which means he can still play until the conclusion of the process.

As for the rest of the players involved ... nobody else was hit with suspensions -- with just a few other players getting undisclosed fines.

The Governor of Texas is FURIOUS with Major League Baseball for moving the All-Star Game out of Georgia ... and says he's boycotting the org. as a result.

Starting with canceling a planned appearance to throw out the 1st pitch at the Texas Rangers home opener.

Gov. Greg Abbott just penned a strongly-worded letter to Neil Leibman, the President of Baseball Operations and COO for the Texas Rangers explaining why he won't support the league in the wake of the ASG move.

"Thank you for the invitation to throw out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers home opening game. I was looking forward to it until Major League Baseball adopted what has turned out to be a false narrative about the election law reforms in Georgia, and based, on that false narrative, moved the MLB All-Star Game from Atlanta."

Abbott continued, "It is shameful that America's pastime is not only being influenced by partisan political politics, but also perpetuating false political narratives."

"I will not participate in an event held by MLB, and the state will not seek to host an All-Star Game or any other MLB special events."

Abbott clarified that his beef is not with the Rangers -- he expressed "deep respect" for the organization from "top to bottom" ... but he wants to send a message to MLB.

MLB made the decision to move the game on Friday -- and it's drawn both praise and criticism from both sides of the aisle.

President Joe Biden -- along with top democrats and celebs like LeBron James -- have argued Georgia's new voting law is an unnecessary obstacle intended to detour minorities from participating in elections. Biden referred to the law as "Jim Crow on steroids."

Mark Grudzielanek -- a former MLB All-Star and Gold Glove winner -- has been accused of child abuse ... and he's now under police investigation, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Police documents show Grudzielanek is alleged to have committed the crime at around 10:30 PM on March 16 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

In the docs, Grudzielanek -- a 50-year-old who played in the MLB from 1995 to 2010 -- is listed as an "offender" ... and the alleged victim is described as a 12-year-old boy.

Details of the alleged incident are unclear ... but a source close to the case tells us the allegations stem from a physical altercation.

We've reached out to Grudzielanek for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Grudzielanek broke into the Big Leagues in 1995 with the Expos ... and he was named an All-Star the following year.

The Midsummer Classic will no longer go down in Atlanta this year ... MLB announced Friday it's relocating its 2021 All-Star Game after Georgia passed its new voting law this week.

League commish Rob Manfred just made the surprising announcement ... explaining he and the MLB do not agree with GA's new law that many believe suppresses the voting rights of minorities in the Peach State.

"Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views," Manfred said.

"I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft."

Manfred continued, "Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box."

Georgia's new law imposes more red tape for those looking to vote absentee, it cuts the number of drop boxes for ballots, and it reportedly will allow government officials more power to intervene in elections.

The law also makes it illegal for members of the public to hand out food and water to people waiting in line to vote.

Opposers of the law have claimed all of the new rules and regulations are designed to make it more difficult for minorities to vote in the state ... and President Joe Biden made it clear this week he shares the same opinion.

Biden spoke with ESPN on Wednesday night and ripped the new law ... calling it "Jim Crow on steroids." Biden also said he'd support MLB officials if they decided to move the ASG out of the state over it all.

Manfred said Friday it's unclear where the game's new location will be ... but he added, "We will continue with our plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities."

"In addition, MLB’s planned investments to support local communities in Atlanta as part of our All-Star Legacy Projects will move forward."