TMZ Sports

The Washington Nationals players have VOTED against traveling to Miami to play a 3-game series with the Marlins in the wake of a COVID outbreak ... and ya gotta wonder, is this a wrap for MLB?!

The Nats were scheduled to play a 3-game series with the Marlins beginning Friday and ending on Sunday.

But, after 15 Miami Marlins players and 2 coaches tested positive for coronavirus, the Washington players decided it was just too damn risky.

The players took a vote -- and the majority of the team felt strongly AGAINST playing.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal says the MLB now has to figure out what to do ... but if the players don't feel safe, how can you force them to play?

As for the Marlins, they are still in Philadelphia -- where they wrapped up a series against the Phillies.

They will be cleared to return to Florida following a series of negative tests -- but who knows how long that could take?!

The 2020 MLB season seems to be in danger -- though Commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday night he thinks the league will be okay ... and insists they have protocols in place for a reason.

Patrick Mahomes is the king of Kansas City -- the Chiefs superstar is now a part-owner of the Royals, the team announced Tuesday.

Just weeks after inking a 10-year, $503 million deal with the Chiefs, Mahomes is now in business with the city's MLB franchise -- joining the Royals ownership group.

We know what you're thinking -- Mahomes is already spending that fat new contract -- but right now, we don't know how much he paid or what percentage of the team he owns.

That said, both Mahomes and the Royals are stoked about the partnership.

"I'm honored to become a part-owner of the Kansas City Royals," Patrick said. "I love this city and the people of this great town. This opportunity allows me to deepen my roots in this community, which is something I'm excited to do."

Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman added, "We are very proud and excited to have Patrick as our partner in the ownership group of this franchise."

"Consistent with the entirety of our ownership group, he has a deep commitment to Kansas City and a real passion for the game of baseball – dating back to his childhood."

Patrick's connection to MLB is well-known -- his father, Pat, was a pitcher in the big leagues for 11 seasons.

The move makes 24-year-old Mahomes the youngest owner in MLB history.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are looking to make a quick milli off their Malibu "fixer-upper" ... listing the beach house for a cool $7.99 million.

The power couple bought the pad in 2019 from Jeremy Piven for $6.6 million -- but Lopez famously described the home as a "fixer-upper next to the water."

So, she enlisted Joanna Gaines (star of HGTV's "Fixer Upper") to help with the redesign on the 3-level home -- and she doesn't come cheap!

But now, J-Rod is apparently ready to move on from the 5-bedroom, 4.5-bath home ... and their loss will definitely be someone else's gain!

The place is pretty sick -- 4,400 square feet of real estate located right on the Pacific Ocean, listed by Carl Gambino of Compass.

Incredible unobstructed views, outdoor deck, sauna, giant closets -- basically everything you could imagine in an $8 million beach home!

The place was originally built in 1949 on a beach reportedly known as "Jane Seymour Beach" ... because the actress lives in the area.

No word on why the couple is selling -- but they've got real estate all over the country ... including a $28 million mansion in Bel-Air, a $10 million mansion in the Hamptons and a compound in Coral Gables, Florida.

In other words, they've got plenty of places to crash!

First Roy Jones Jr. ... then Conor McGregor?!

Mike Tyson says if the UFC superstar was his next opponent in his return to the boxing ring ... he'd beat the hell out of The Notorious -- saying, "I'mma kick his ass!"

Iron Mike went on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on Monday to promote his new huge comeback fight with RJJ ... when Jimmy decided to play a little "Who Would Win?" game.

Rocky? Mike says he'd dominate. Ivan Drago? Tyson says he'd beat that ass too. Drago's too bulky and too damn slow.

As for McGregor? Mike says that'd be no issue ... as long as they played by boxing rules!!

The clip is funny ... Tyson says there IS one opponent who'd beat him -- the 'Karate Kid' -- saying, "I'mma have to surrender to him on this one."

By the way, a fight between Conor and Mike would almost certainly never go down ... the age gap (54 to 32) is huge, and the two are great friends these days. They even smoke weed together!

7/28 -- More bad news for the Miami Marlins ... 4 more players have tested positive for COVID, bringing the total number of positive tests for players to 15.

12 Miami Marlins players -- and 2 coaches -- have tested positive for coronavirus ... and now their Monday night game has been canceled.

The Marlins were scheduled to leave Philadelphia after their series with the Phillies -- and travel back to Florida to play the Baltimore Orioles in their home opener on Monday, but now that's off according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The Marlins will remain in Philly -- the flight back off -- and the team will continue to quarantine and undergo testing there until they are cleared to leave.

We already knew 4 players had tested positive over the weekend -- but the team and Major League Baseball were all hoping it wouldn't spread.

But now, seems everyone's worst fears were realized -- the team is dealing with a medical crisis and MLB is scrambling to figure out what to do next.

The 2020 season only began on Thursday -- and already one team has a major COVID issue. Not a great start.

The Marlins played the Phillies in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon -- so now, ya gotta wonder if that team is dealing with an epidemic as well!

Besides the players and coaches, MLB must be concerned about umpires, reporters, staffers and others who were at the stadium interacting with the team.

ALSO, THE YANKEES ARE SUPPOSED TO PLAY THE PHILLIES IN PHILLY ON MONDAY.

The big question -- will the Yankees actually play the game? Will they bail? This is all developing.

Basically, this is a doomsday scenario for MLB.

MLB ratings have been way up since the season kicked off on Thursday — in fact, the opening day games on ESPN scored the network its biggest numbers for an MLB regular-season game since 2011.

Donald Trump reportedly invited himself to throw out a first pitch at Yankees Stadium in a fit of jealousy over Dr. Anthony Fauci ... and was forced to cancel on it all when he couldn't actually make it happen.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation told The New York Times that's how things went down when POTUS made the surprising announcement last week that he'd throw out a ceremonial first pitch for the Yanks on Aug. 15.

Per the report, Trump was so bothered by the attention Fauci was getting in the leadup to his first pitch at Nationals Park on Opening Day last Thursday that he informed staffers to call the Yanks to get him on the mound.

The NYT says BOTH the Yankees and White House personnel were surprised by Trump's wishes ... and never officially locked in a date despite Trump saying they had.

Of course, Donald -- who was reportedly already booked elsewhere for Aug. 15 -- pulled out of the event just days after the announcement ... saying in a tweet his focus on the coronavirus wouldn't allow him to make it.

Trump added, "We will make it later in the season!"

Donald has never thrown out a first pitch since taking over office in 2016 ... but the Times says he DOES have a longstanding informal offer from the Yankees' team president to throw one out for them at some point.

MLB launched a probe into a video that allegedly shows Yankees staffers illegally recording another team during the 2018 season ... but we're told the Yankees were ultimately cleared of wrongdoing.

The video has been quietly making the rounds for about a month -- and this week, began to surface on social media.

The footage appears to show a person with a high-end camera recording an opposing team's catcher.

We were told there are multiple players who strongly believe the footage is smoking gun proof of the Yankees stealing signs from the Boston Red Sox during a 2018 ALCS playoff game.

But, our MLB sources are adamant that's just not the case -- telling TMZ Sports the league investigated the footage and found a couple things.

First, we're told the video is NOT from the 2018 ALCS. MLB believes it was shot during a regular-season game in May 2018 -- and the opposing team was NOT the Red Sox,.

Second, a league source tells us the MLB probe ultimately "found nothing in violation of our rules."

When, and if, the NFL returns ... THIS is what many of the players' helmets will look like -- names like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor emblazoned on the back.

TMZ Sports obtained a few of the mocked-up images the league plans to release shortly ... confirming a report players would be able to honor victims of social injustice.

The images show the full names of victims like Floyd, Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Botham Jean. When Front Office Sports first mentioned the plans for these decals ... most people probably expected initials or some sort of commemorative sticker, but these images show the plan is to make the tributes wayyyy more prominent.

We're told the NFL will also roll out a new catchphrase ... "It Takes All of Us" ... which will be painted across the back of the end zones.

NFL Commish Roger Goodell has recently said the league is focusing on social justice initiatives -- and working with players to help make an impact.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech has filed for divorce from "Riverdale" actress Vanessa Morgan ... just 5 months after tying the knot.

Speculation started to swirl after Morgan announced she was expecting a baby boy at a gender reveal party on Friday ... with no pictures or mention of Kopech.

Now ... we know why.

Court records show Kopech -- who opted out of the 2020 MLB season due to personal reasons -- filed the docs on June 19.

Kopech and Morgan started dating back in 2018 ... and got engaged back in July 2019 near the Grand Canyon. The Chicago Tribune reports Kopech is the father of Morgan's child, which is due in January.

24-year-old Kopech -- who also famously dated reality star Brielle Biermann -- is considered a rising star in baseball ... but missed all of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery recovery.

Morgan stars as Toni Topaz on the CW's hit show ... and also starred on "Degrassi."

Ex-NFL star Dana Stubblefield was just found guilty of raping a mentally disabled woman stemming from a 2015 incident ... and now he faces up to life in prison.

49-year-old Stubblefield was first arrested back in May 2016 after officials say the former 49ers superstar raped a woman he found on a babysitting website and had invited to his Santa Clara, CA home for a job interview.

Stubblefield had argued the sex was consensual -- and claimed he can prove it with a lie detector test.

He was initially hit with 5 felonies -- but in January 2018, prosecutors uncovered evidence they believe proved Stubblefield used a gun to commit the alleged rape. Bail was revoked and he was remanded back into custody.

He spent the next several weeks locked up in Santa Clara County Jail.

The case ultimately went to a jury -- and Monday, following a 9-month trial, Stubblefield was formally convicted of forcible rape while using a gun. He now faces 15 years to life in prison.

Stubblefield was a 1st-round NFL Draft pick in 1993 and went on to make 3 Pro Bowls. He was a key part of the 49ers 1994 team that beat the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.

Back in 2016, Stubblefield's attorney Ken Rosenfeld told TMZ Sports the accuser was lying in an apparent shakedown.

"Dana Stubblefield is being unfairly targeted due to his celebrity and wealth by someone with full motivation to lie," Rosenfeld told us at the time.

"The clear motivation here is money."

Stubblefield was remanded into custody after the verdict was read. His next hearing is not until August 29.

Stubblefield was married at the time of the incident — but his wife filed for divorce right before the rape allegations went public. They have 2 children together.

More bad news for baseball ... the Chicago White Sox say they're quarantining their manager, Ricky Renteria, after they say he woke up Monday displaying COVID-19 symptoms.

The team says 58-year-old Renteria had a "slight" cough and nasal congestion ... and immediately went to the hospital for coronavirus testing.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn says Renteria will quarantine at the team's hotel -- and will NOT manage in Monday's game against Cleveland -- while he awaits testing results.

Of course, MLB is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases ... the Marlins had a large outbreak over the weekend that reportedly included 11 players and 2 coaches.

In fact, the worry of COVID spreading through the league is so rampant ... MLB announced it's postponing Monday's Marlins vs. Orioles game as well as the Phillies vs. Yankees game.

The White Sox, meanwhile, say they'll be managed by bench coach Joe McEwing when they play Cleveland at 4:10 PM PT in Ohio.

Ja Morant from wayyyy downtown ... JUST HOOKED HIS MOM UP WITH A DOPE NEW CAR!!!

The NBA star is currently stuck in the NBA Bubble in Orlando -- but wouldn't let the distance stop him from sending a sweet, expensive gift to his mother on Monday!

Check out the footage ... Ja had a brand new white Audi A8 L delivered to his mom Jamie (who presumably still lives in South Carolina where he grew up) ... and her reaction is AWESOME!

Don't worry, one of the people had Ja on FaceTime so he could witness the whole thing live!

"Got you dat car you wanted," Ja later posted on IG ... "I love you my queen."

Remember, the 20-year-old Memphis Grizzlies star hooked up his DAD with a fancy new ride before he left for the bubble earlier this month.

Soooo ... best son ever!?!

Of course, it helps that Morant -- the #2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft -- signed a 2-year, $17.8 million rookie contract!

Plus, he's been beastin' on the court -- averaging 17.6 pointer per game and 6.9 assists -- potentially ROY.