Philadelphia Phillies

One of baseball's most dangerous power hitters ain't done swinging for the fences just yet ... 'cause 38-year-old Ryan Howard tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to return to the MLB this season!!

We spoke with the 2006 National League MVP about his future in baseball ... and the 3-time All-Star makes it very clear he's not ready to walk away just yet.

"I'm still active, so we'll see what happens. Right now, we're kinda in the belly of the beast," Howard says.

Howard blew up early in his career ... leading the league in homers 2 different seasons. He spent most of last season bouncing around the minor leagues, but wants to put any retirement talk to rest:

Darren Daulton -- a former all-star catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies -- has died after a long battle with brain cancer.

The Phillies released a statement Sunday night saying Daulton had passed away ... no other details immediately available. Daulton was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2013 after having 2 tumors removed. He announced he was cancer free in 2015, but the disease returned.

Daulton played professional baseball since 1980, and played almost his entire career with the Phillies before retiring in 1997. He was a key part of the Phillies winning the National League Championship in 1993 ... during which he had 24 home runs and 105 RBIs. He also went on to win a World Series with the Marlins in his final year.

Daulton was inducted into the Phillies' Wall of Fame in 2010.

Pete Rose is betting on himself again ... opening the Pete Rose Bar & Grill in Las Vegas -- where you can definitely watch sports ... but can't bet on them.

Charlie Hustle says the Pete Rose Bar & Grill will open on Las Vegas Blvd. in mid-October ... and says the place will be chock full of TVs so sports fans can booze and eat and watch ANY sporting event they want.

As for the menu ... Rose says it's essentially a love letter to the cities where he played with items like:

-- Cincinnati Chili on Spaghetti for the Cincinnati Reds
-- A classic Philly Cheese Steak for the Philadelphia Phillies
-- And a spin on Poutine for the Montreal Expos, topped with brown gravy and cheese curds.

As for gambling, we're told there will be NONE -- not even those video poker machines at the bar -- because Rose says he really wants to focus on the food and the atmosphere.

Two days after tying the knot, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and his Eagles cheerleader bride Krystle Campbell took a break from enjoying their honeymoon to take part in the bizarre ritual of
trashing their wedding dress for a photo shoot in Maui on Monday.

For those who don't know, it's become somewhat of a trend for a newlywed couple to destroy the bride's expensive wedding gown -- often at a beach or lake -- and capture it on film.