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Who said baseball is boring?!?!

Tsuyoshi Shinjo, a professional baseball skipper for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, entered the stadium on a HOVER BIKE in his managerial debut ... and the video of it was incredible!!

Shinjo -- AKA "Big Boss" -- lived up to his nickname by arriving in style for his first game with the Nippon-Ham Fighters.

In the video, you can see the 50-year-old effortlessly flying the hovercraft around the stadium before his team took the field for the game.

In the clip, Shinjo gets pretty high off the ground, so you can tell he isn't afraid of heights -- he also sticks the landing smoothly ... as if he had some experience doing it before.

The "stunt" was on-brand for the Fighters' manager, who first gained a huge fanbase as a player ... making him a larger-than-life figure in Japanese pro sports.

Shinjo replaced longtime manager Hideki Kuriyama ... and told reporters that he wanted to be referred to as "Big Boss," presumably because he saw himself as a celebrity.

Tsuyoshi spent 3 seasons in MLB ... playing for the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. He was the first Japanese-born position player to play in the National League in 2001.

The former MLB outfielder appeared in the World Series with the Giants in 2002 ... but San Francisco came up short as they lost to the then Anaheim Angels.

Shinjo returned to Japan to play for the Nippon-Ham Fighters ... and led them to a title in his final season of pro ball.

Jada Pinkett Smith's husband may have tried to avenge Chris Rock's jab about her hair, but Jada herself said she couldn't care less what people think about it ... just days before the Oscars.

The "Red Table Talk" host posted a TikTok video just 4 days before Sunday night's ceremony, and it was all about hair ...  "Being a Black woman and dealing with hair in Hollywood, in the era I came up in, having your hair look as European as possible was always the thing, and that was really challenging because I liked my hair out wild and curly."

Jada says ... "I feel the freedom today. I don't give two craps what people think of this bald head of mine. Because guess what? I love it."

So, now the question ... if that was Jada's mindset going into the Oscars, was Will's reaction really about hair, or was it about simmering anger toward Rock? As you know, during the 2016 Oscar ceremony, Chris took potshots at both Will and Jada ... trashing Will's movie, "Wild Wild West," and calling Jada irrelevant after she said she was boycotting the ceremony.

Sources connected to both Will and Chris tell TMZ, there was love lost between Chris and the Smiths, and when Will and Jada watched Chris they were braced for another shot.

Donald Trump is setting the record straight, or at least so he says ... claiming in a statement Monday he did, in fact, sink a hole-in-one while golfing with Ernie Els over the weekend.

"It is 100% true," the former President said.

Trump released the statement after social media accused the 75-year-old and his pals of lying about accomplishing the feat. Fact is, Trump legendarily has cheated on the greens before.

According to Trump, he was out at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Saturday ... when he stepped to the tee box on a Par-3 with an iron in his hands.

"I hit a 5-iron, which sailed magnificently into a rather strong wind, with approximately 5 feet of cut," Trump said, "whereupon it bounced twice and then went clank, into the hole."

Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich shared video of the aftermath of the shot ... showing Trump and his golfing partners walking up to the cup with joy. Not a smoking gun, for sure.

In the clip, you can see Trump grab the ball out of the hole -- and high-five everyone in attendance, including Els.

Trump wouldn't say if the ace helped him and Els beat playing partners Gene Sauers, Mike Goodes, and Ken Duke ... but his wry statement sure seemed to insinuate it.

One famous feline is helping other animals in need ... raising $10k for animal relief in Ukraine!

Stepan the cat, whose Instagram account Loveyoustepan has 1.2 million followers, started collecting money over PayPal last week, looking to donate to 5 different animal charities in Ukraine ... as of Monday, they've raised $10,035!

The five charities -- Happy Paw, UAnimals, Mykolaiv Zoo, XII Months and Plyushka -- will help in a variety of ways, providing aid to animals in Ukraine affected by the war.

Stepan and co. have been documenting their journey, leaving Kharkiv and fleeing to France. They were woken up at the end of February to explosions that shook their windows ... seeing neighboring houses burnt before their very eyes.

Their house remained untouched for an entire week, until a shell flew into their neighbor's balcony, affecting their building. After escaping to France, they started the fundraiser, asking those able to help to donate what they could.

FYI, this isn't an ordinary cat ... he's caught the eyes of millions, including Britney Spears, who even reposted the kitty on her social media.

Stepan was rescued when he was 1 month old and has lived in Ukraine his whole life. He went viral on TikTok in 2019, appearing with his famous glass of red wine with Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" playing in the background.

U.S. men's soccer star Christian Pulisic gave a touching shout-out to a fan battling cancer during Sunday's game -- by fulfilling his request and doing the worm dance on the field right after scoring!!

The moment happened during USMNT's 5-1 win over Panama in World Cup qualifying on Sunday ... with the 23-year-old midfielder hitting the grass after scoring his second goal -- and busting out the iconic "worm" dance.

"Look at this," the FS1 broadcaster said as Pulisic executed the 1970s move.

"Okay!! Busting out the worm!"

As it turns out, Pulisic's reasoning behind the throwback celly will tug at your heartstrings -- the star says he did it as a promise to a fan named Mason Ogle, a 15-year-old high school soccer player who was diagnosed with bone cancer.

The two met during Saturday's workout ... which Pulisic mentioned after the game ... saying, "I met someone really special yesterday."

"His name was Mason, and his one request was that if I scored, he wanted to see a worm celebration," he said.

"That’s what that was for."

Kim Kardashian says her recent comments about work ethic and finding success weren't meant to be a dig at women ... they were just the reality of working hard to achieve your goals when everyone else doubts you.

Kim came under fire earlier this month when she told Variety her advice for women in business, "Get your f***ing ass up and work. It seems like no one wants to work these days."

However, Kim says the whole thing was taken out of context, telling Robin Roberts on 'GMA' Monday, "My message was to anyone who wants to be successful in building a business or brand having come from that very specific space — reality show or social media fame — is to work hard. It’s not easy. You don’t just post something on social media and overnight you become a success."

A source who was there for the interview, tells us Kim made it clear, her comment was not directed AT women, it was a part of her own personal experience, saying, "After 20 years at this I am still put in the box of “famous for being famous. I heard someone say that to me when we did that interview and that’s when my demeanor and tone shifted."

Finally, she states, "My statement was never intended to be a general blanket statement or to even allude to the idea that women don’t already work hard — and I’m sorry that it was received in that way."

Will Smith's got people in his corner following his on-camera altercation with Chris Rock ... getting a big hug from Trevor Noah at the Vanity Fair after-party, having a long, and private, conversation.

Will was still emotional when he got to the party Sunday night in Bev Hills, taking pictures with tears in his eyes ... which is when Trevor came up to the Best Actor winner.

They embraced for quite a while -- more than 1 minute -- clearly trying to have a conversation over the loud music blaring in the room. When it was all said and done, they smiled at each other and posed for some photos.

There's no doubt what they were discussing for so long ... Will slapped Chris Rock after his "G.I. Jane 2" jab at Jada Pinkett Smith.

The crowd, and even Chris, was stunned ... things got more real after Will continued to shout "Keep my wife's name out your f****** mouth" from his seat.

Trevor tweeted after the slap heard, and seen, 'round the world ... saying, "Wtaf????? That wasn’t scripted?????"

Safe to say he had some questions, and maybe got them answered when he and Will hugged.

Will went to the after-party with the whole family surrounding him -- Jada, daughter Willow, and sons Trey and Jaden.

The Man of Steel might actually be the Man of Snooze -- at least that's what one comic nerd thinks ... but they're getting drowned out by a swarm of fanboys who beg to differ.

A Twitter user that goes by "brandon" threw out a bit of a fireball of an opinion this weekend about good old Kal-El and his ability to titillate, writing ... "lmk if this is bad take but superman is an extremely boring superhero."

Well, the internet let him know ... and with fervor to spare. Superman lovers far and wide swooped in to defend their guy in tights, vehemently rejecting the idea he's a killjoy or a bore ... and they seem to have the evidence to back it up.

First off, some pointed out that Clark Kent is actually super relatable ... and in many instances, just like us when it comes to earthly matters -- especially in the embarrassing/overbearing parents department.

Others pointed to the source material in debunking Supes's alleged boring streak -- citing the very many comics and subsequent stories that have been written/drawn detailing his wild adventures. A handful of the ones a few felt would make Superman's case ... "Secret Identity," "Superman: Up in the Sky," "All-Star Superman," "Superman: Earth One" and more.

Reading these alone, some argue, will prove the Last Son of Krypton is a complex character ... who has to deal with a lot, and most definitely NOT dull or dry as far as caped heroes go.

Of course, there are others who simply offer up the many animations that have been made about Superman ... including the fabled 'Superman: The Animated Series' from the '90s, which many consider some of the best Superman depictions to date.

Somebody even threw together a quick compilation of the multi-Emmy nominated program ... reinforcing Superman battles not just people he has to beat physically, but politically and psychologically. Case in point ... Lex Luthor is considered one the best big baddies ever, and he doesn't even have powers or anything. He gets under Superman's skin in other ways.

And, finally, there are the live action movies and TV shows themselves ... with actors like Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh, Tyler Hoechlin, Tom Welling, Dean Cain, Kirk Alyn and Henry Cavill ... who've all donned the red undies at one point or another, to much acclaim.

So yeah, boring might be a bit harsh ... as Twitter has clearly unanimously decided.

Elon Musk seems to be following in Donald Trump's footsteps -- at least when it comes to social media ... because the tech wiz might just be mulling the launch of a new platform.

The Tesla chief just tweeted out some interesting thoughts on what he thinks needs to happen with Twitter itself, writing ... "Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy. Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?"

His question was accompanied by a poll, and out of the more than 2 million people that participated ... a little over 70% agreed that Twitter was slippin' on the First Amendment.

EM followed with yet another interesting tweet, adding ... "The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully." 👀

Finally, Elon showed us his cards (ish) by writing that Twitter has, by and large, become the de facto public town square of modern society ... and that if they aren't living up free speech principles, that's seriously hurting democracy as a whole.

Then, he poses yet another interesting query ... "Is a new platform needed?"

Of course, this might remind folks of Donald Trump's recent attempt to start his own social media space, which he's called Truth Social -- and which went live recently. While many right-wing Twitter users were happy to announce its launch, as well as their own new pages, the buzz is ... Truth Social hasn't taken off yet quite like some may have hoped.

Trump himself is said to have barely posted on there ... and some who've hopped on say it's a bit of a digital ghost town, even among some of its most ardent supporters initially. AKA, no one's really using it all that much!!!

The days of free-for-all movie theater seating is over ... something one man simply couldn't come to terms with in what turned out to be a hilarious meltdown that got him kicked out.

Check out this wild scene showing an older gent getting into a shouting match with cineplex staff ... all because he wouldn't go to his assigned seat, which he claimed was just a spot or two over from where he was in what appears to be a relatively empty screening room.

No word on where this exactly took place, or when ... but based on the video alone, you can tell the dude was not happy about the idea of pre-selected reservations -- and made a huge fuss over it.

The employees amazingly keep their cool in this tense situation -- eventually talking the guy down and convincing him to scram calmly ... even accommodating his request for a refund and a little extra. Indeed, the guy asked for a free drink ... and they said they could do it.

While it felt he was gonna have to get hauled out of there in cuffs, he ended up leaving on his own accord -- with a little help from the audience, which told him he was in the wrong.

Funny enough, he made sure to let everyone know he still felt he was correct in his stance ... saying he was the bigger person here. Finally, he turns to the room and sarcastically says he hopes they enjoy the show.

While it seems pretty cut-and-dried -- theoretically, you SHOULD sit in the seat for the ticket you bought -- some have wondered ... if there were plenty of chairs to spare, what's the big deal if he's in a seat or two over from where he should be??? In other words, who tattled???

An Applebee’s franchise executive had a bright idea on dealing with inflation ... pay employees less.

Wayne Pankratz -- a bigwig at American Franchise Capital, which owns and operates 50 Applebee’s locations throughout the Midwest -- spewed his corporate fat cat vision to his colleagues over an email, which leaked and has since gone viral.

In the memo, Pankratz muses that the higher gas prices being felt across the country could actually benefit their Applebee’s business -- namely, by forcing more people into the workforce out of desperation, which he thought would be great to exploit in lower wages for new hires.

Yep, it’s as bad as it sounds ... take a look for yourself -- he says as much clear as day here.

There’s more ... the guy goes on to describe much of their employees as “paycheck to paycheck” people -- and that too, he says, can help them in putting a little extra squeeze on their hourly rate. Since their disposable income would be depleted amid these higher prices, he theorized their Applebee’s restaurants would likely see an increase in applicants, who would be more likely to take less money than other hospitality jobs that might pay better.

Pankratz also gives the federal government a shout-out for finally putting an end to all the stimulus checks, which he believes has also forced people back to working for a living ... and which he also sees as a pro for his would-be plan.

It’s a bizarre economic philosophy, and it has NOT been well-received online ... frankly, people are tearing into this dude and Applebee’s by extension. Both his investment firm and Applebee’s corporate office have distanced themselves from him. Pankratz has reportedly been placed on leave, and each org has said his thoughts don’t represent their values.

Bill Maher went in hard on "toxic masculinity" ... saying Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a prime example of ... be careful what you wish for.

Nope, Maher's not trashing The Ukrainian Prez ... quite the opposite. He says Zelensky is living proof women actually want some of that masculinity in their men. He points to various polls and social media with an undeniable conclusion ... women, and some men find him incredibly hot.

As the "Real Time" host puts it ... the lesson from this war is that "the world needs grown-ass men!"

Bill's not saying toxic masculinity is always a good thing, but he is making a case that a little -- maybe a little more than a little -- is sexy and, indeed, essential.

His overarching point ... he says there's been such a push by women to make men more like them, the men are emasculated and women no longer are sexually attracted to them. He points to studies showing people having sex is at a 30 year low.

He uses an ad the Obama Administration put out to push Obamacare, and, well, you just gotta watch ... it's kinda brutal.

Bill says Zelensky is sexy because of comments like ... I don't need a ride, I need ammo.  As he says, when there's an invasion, you want a little big d**k energy.

It's a super interesting case he makes ... that some attributes traditionally characteristic of men are now problematic ... as he says, "It's like men were born wrong."

Popeyes has spoken ... condemning hateful language and offering up support after a racist customer went viral for hurling slurs at employees at one of its joints in Florida.

A rep for Popeyes tells TMZ ... they're disgusted over the video, adding Popeyes has zero-tolerance for this kind of hateful aggression at its restaurants. They're also working with the owner ... offering support and providing assistance to make sure employees feel safe.

The Popeyes rep goes on to say they'll review ways to better respond to negative and harmful customer interactions.

ICYMI, a video made rounds on social media of a white guy at a Popeyes in Okeechobee, FL. ... the dude is caught on camera, hurling racial slurs and threatening to lynch a Black female employee.

Doja Cat's music career is dead ... thanks to Twitter.

Well, that's what the singer and rapper's claiming, at least, after going toe-to-toe with the Twitter mob over a canceled concert in Paraguay. Her first mistake was hopping online after playing Lollapalooza in Brazil Thursday night.

Doja copped to not putting on "a good enough show," but promised she'd do better Friday night. Well, her fans in Paraguay got all butt hurt because she'd never tweeted them over missing a festival show there earlier this week. Mind you, that concert was canceled due to a deadly storm and flooding ... so, certainly not DC's fault.

Anyway, Doja's response to the ridiculous outrage was "I'm not sorry," and that ignited the Twitter war with fans and even journalists in Paraguay. She eventually fired back, "I moved on I'm just gonna let everybody be mad" ... and changed her Twitter handle to "I quit."

Then she rage tweeted, "I can't wait to f***ing disappear and I don't need you to believe in me anymore." She added, "I'm a f***ing fool for ever thinking I was made for this this is a f***ing nightmare. Unfollow me."

Doja topped it off by declaring, "This s*** ain't for me so I'm out. Y'all take care."

BTW, she's supposed to hit the road with The Weeknd this summer in North America ... so, we seriously doubt she's done done -- but, way to go, Twitter. Ya happy now?

Empower Field at Mile High Stadium -- the home of the Denver Broncos -- caught on fire on Thursday ... and images from the scene are alarming.

No word on what caused the blaze ... but Denver Fire says suite and third-level areas of the stadium seats underneath John Lynch's spot on the Ring of Fame were affected.

Several sections of the stadium were destroyed ... but luckily, DFD says the fire has since been put out, thanks to sprinklers and brave firefighters.

Huge clouds of smoke are filling the Denver skyline ... with several witnesses posting their views of the fire.

Mile High opened in 2001 ... and has hosted Broncos games, concerts and soccer matches. It could become one of the game locations for the 2026 World Cup.

"I want a beer" ... a simple and direct request, but a damn amazing one because it was uttered by a paralyzed man who's communicating for the first time in months, thanks to a life-changing brain implant.

In a testament to the power of science, and beer -- researchers in Switzerland outfitted a 36-year-old ALS patient with a chip in his brain, which allows him to spell out sentences one letter at a time, and he used it to order up a cold one.

On top of a brew, the guy also asked caregivers for a head massage from his mother, curry and soup fed through tubes, and wanted to rock out to the band Tool. In his words, he wanted it "loud."

The good folks doing the amazing research over at the Wyss Center in Geneva say it's the first instance of someone with no voluntary muscle movement being able to communicate.

The ALS patient, who consented to the brain implant back in 2018 when he could still use eye movement to communicate, is now completely paralyzed. The chip allows him to signal "yes" or "no" to a series of letters and spell out commands at a rate of one character per minute.

That means it took him more than 10 minutes to order a beer, but we're thinking he'd say it was well worth the wait.