You Might Want to Rethink

It's a good thing Todd McFarlane's rich ... because the Mark McGwire baseball he bought for $3 MIL back in the day has depreciated LIKE CRAZY!!!

Like, not even worth $500k ... according to some of the top sports memorabilia auction houses in the world.

Todd -- one of the most famous comic book artists ever -- famously purchased Mark's 70th HR ball at an auction in '98 ... right after the end of the '98 season.

The final gavel price was around $2.7 -- but after taxes and fees, Todd says he dropped "a hair over $3 million."

In fact, Todd showed off the ball as part of his amazing collection in the opening scene of ESPN's 30 for 30, "Long Gone Summer."

"This is the big boy," Todd said ... "This is the 70. [It's] been scuffed up a little bit 'cause it got hit 400 feet."

Remember, in '98 the home run chase with Sammy Sosa was the biggest sports storyline in America. There was tremendous interest in any memorabilia from the HR race. Demand was high!

But, in the years that followed, Barry Bonds broke McGwire's record and Mac later admitted he was on steroids that season anyway. Demand plummeted.

Not good for long-term value ... so says our experts.

Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions now estimates the ball's current value at $250k to $300k.

David Kohler, who runs SCP Auctions, is a little more optimistic ... "$250,000 to $400,000, tops."

These guys know the business ... Ken's been dealing with high-end collectibles for decades and recently sold a rare Mike Trout baseball card for more than $900,000.

David specializes in game-used historic baseballs ... selling some of the most famous HR balls ever including Barry Bonds 762 ball, A-Rod's 500 and 600 HR baseballs and more.

In other words, they know the market.

McFarlane has said over the years that he isn't too bothered by the steroid controversy ... insisting the ball will always be a piece of sports history and therefore, valuable.

Todd also happens to own the famous Barry Bonds #73 ball from the 2003 season, which he reportedly bought for $500k.

At least 2 L.A. drivers were NOT down to go around protesters marching for Black Lives Matter and Pride -- instead, they went right through them, hitting pedestrians.

Two different cars were seen driving through demonstrators Sunday. First up, some maniac in a BMW SUV on Hollywood Blvd ... who came in kinda hot and then slowed as he or she approached a crowd blocking the road. However, they refused to come to a complete stop, or even attempt to go around ... and rammed right through at least 2 marchers.

One victim was dragged along on top of the hood before getting thrown off, and another man was knocked down. The psycho sped off and got away, but it sounds like someone caught the license plate, and we're told police are searching for the driver.

Meanwhile, in WeHo ... there was another driver who didn't quite do the ramming that the Hollywood lunatic above got away with. But still, she crept through protesters blocking her path, and they let her know they weren't too pleased with her impeding.

"My wife, my family have been attacked and abused on social media. It’s just heartbreaking.”

That's the reaction NASCAR truck series driver Ray Ciccarelli says he's received since he threatened to quit over the sport's confederate flag ban ... and now, he just wants it to all stop.

The 50-year-old gave a lengthy interview to TobyChristie.com shortly after his infamous Facebook post ... saying he believes all of his comments were "misconstrued."

Specifically, Ray says he does NOT necessarily support the confederate flag ... he just supports people being allowed to fly whatever flag they want at races.

"In no way shape or form was I defending the Confederate flag," he said. "Everything I was saying was the fact that I understand both sides' feelings toward the flag."

"My viewpoint, all I was trying to say is how do you take [the flag] from one group and help support the group that it offends and then what do you do to the group that you took it from? Now, they get outraged."

Ray says his comments on kneeling during the national anthem were also twisted a bit ... saying he has NO issue with protestors there as well.

Ciccarelli claims he just has a problem with NASCAR implementing rules on both matters "out of left field."

"I had seen the news thing come through referring to, NASCAR now allows you to kneel during the anthem, It just irritated me some,” Ciccarelli said. “I believe in standing for the national anthem, and I believe that if you want to kneel during the anthem, you should kneel."

"It just kind of triggered me, because we’re being told you can’t kneel, now you can kneel. It just set me off."

Ciccarelli says he's hopeful his clarification on his comments will get critics off his back, saying, "This was a very educational learning experience."

Check that ... a source with direct knowledge of the situation tells TMZ ... Stassi's entire tour has been canceled.

6/12 -- The fallout continues for Stassi as more dominos continue to fall in wake of her alleged racist behavior. She had scheduled events at The Chevalier Theatre in Boston, The Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, The Pageant in St. Louis and Charleston Music Hall in South Carolina ... but they've all now been canceled.

Stassi Schroeder is feeling the fallout after losing her ''Vanderpump Rules'' gig due to alleged racist behavior -- 'cause now her revived speaking tour's hit a speed bump.

The reality TV star's "Straight Up with Stassi LIVE" roadshow -- which is based on her podcast and began in late 2019 -- was set to return at New Jersey's Basie Center in January ... but the venue just announced its cancellation.

Stassi's tour was already on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on the heels of getting fired by Bravo, losing sponsors and streaming platforms dropping her podcast -- it's starting to look like the whole tour could be done ... according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

So far, though ... only the NJ stop's gotten the official ax.

As we reported ... Bravo fired the 'Vanderpump' OG, along with her fellow costar, Kristen Doute, over claims they were racist "Mean Girls," basically, toward former cast member Faith Stowers.

Faith, who's Black, says Stassi and Kristen lied to police, saying Faith fit the description of a woman who was drugging and robbing L.A. men in 2018. They both fessed up, and went on an apology tour.

Too little, too late ... they've lost their spots on 'VR,' and Stassi's on the verge of losing even more.

The mayor of the nation's capital is calling for Washington's NFL team to finally ax the "Redskins" nickname ... saying it's "past time" to come up with something else.

The name controversy has raged for years -- with U.S. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez most recently calling out the team and demanding a re-brand.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke about the issue to The Team 980 & 95.9 FM .. and she's siding with AOC.

"I think it’s past time for the team to deal with what offends so many people and this is a great franchise with a great history that’s beloved in Washington," Bowser says. "And it deserves a name that reflects the affection that we’ve built for the team."

Bowser was also asked if the team's name is hurting its chances of getting a new stadium in D.C. ... and she believes it's an "obstacle."

"It’s an obstacle for us locally but is also an obstacle for the federal government who leases the land to us."

Ever wanted to stuff your face with a burger filled with cotton candy and Cracker Jacks!?!?

Us neither ... but a South Carolina minor league baseball team is giving you the opportunity to do it anyway -- and it looks as gross as it sounds!!!

(COUNTERPOINT: The person editing this post -- a proud junk food-aholic -- disagrees and thinks the burger looks BOMB AS HELL!! Put it in my faaaaaaace!!!!!).

Here's the deal ... the Charleston RiverDogs have been doing some awesome things during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering food for their community while also providing meals for the needy.

This week, in an effort to spice up their takeout menu at the ballpark ... they concocted a hamburger nobody was asking for -- and they seem proud as hell of it.

The burger features a bun, special sauce, an Angus beef patty, a rich slathering of cotton candy ... and it's all topped off with some flavored Cracker Jacks.

Yeah, ew.

(COUNTERPOINT: Inject this straight into my veins!!!!!)

If that somehow intrigues you ... the team says it'll only cost ya $12.99 -- and hey, it even comes with truffle fries!!!

We'll pass on that one ... but if you don't -- get the dentist appointment ready STAT!!!

George Floyd's name could be worth a lot of money in the entertainment business ... and now one man is looking to lock up the rights to his name for movies and TV shows.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a man named Munemo Mushonga filed a trademark application to use the name George Floyd in the "production and distribution of television shows and movies."

It seems Mushonga is looking to capitalize on the Black Lives Matter movement that sprouted up in the wake of Floyd's killing, because he has no known connection to George's family and wouldn't tell us his grand plans.

Mushonga was mum when we asked him what he hoped to gain from the trademark, if approved, and refused to divulge why he filed the application or the inspiration behind it.

The guy could be facing an uphill battle in his quest to lock up the rights to George Floyd's name ... the United States Patent and Trademark Office generally doesn't allow trademarks for people's names unless certain conditions are met, such as getting the consent of the person, the name being very unique, or the name being part of a unique and widely recognized brand.

NASCAR truck series driver Ray Ciccarelli -- who has 0 career wins in the series -- is QUITTING over the organization's new Confederate flag ban ... saying it's all a bunch of "political BS."

The 50-year-old -- who joined NASCAR's Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in 2017 -- teed off on the ban on his Facebook page Wednesday night ... announcing his plan to leave over the matter.

"Well its been a fun ride and dream come true but if this is the direction NASCAR is headed we will not participate after 2020 season is over," Ciccarelli's post read.

"I don't believe in kneeling during Anthem nor taken ppl right to fly what ever flag they love."

Ciccarelli insists he "could care less" about the Confederate flag, but claims he's standing up for the people who take pride in it. Ciccarelli believes love of the flag alone doesn't make someone racist.

"All you are doing is f***ing one group to cater to another and i ain't spend the money we are to participate in any political BS!!"

"So everything is for SALE!!"

Of course, NASCAR banned the confederate flag Wednesday -- after Bubba Wallace spoke out about the issue.

Wallace -- the only black driver at NASCAR's highest level -- pointed out the Confederate flag is offensive to black people and shouldn't be welcomed at NASCAR.

Confederacy President Jefferson Davis just suffered his second biggest defeat ... a statue honoring him in the former Confederate capital is no longer standing.

A crowd cheered as the Davis statue was toppled late Wednesday night, and left it in the middle of an intersection -- continuing a trend that started last weekend of protesters taking matters into their own hands when it comes to problematic historical figures.

The Davis statue -- which stood in the former Confederate capital since 1907 -- was eventually picked up by a flatbed tow truck as protesters chanted "F**k that statue!"

Even that was a classier send off than Christopher Columbus got. As we reported, 2 of his monuments were beheaded this week -- one of which got dumped in a lake -- and in the UK, slave trader Edward Colton's statue was tossed into a river. All of this is the result of worldwide protests of the killing of George Floyd.

Ol' Prez Davis could be the first domino to fall in Richmond which also has statues honoring Generals Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson.

Fun Fact: tennis great Arthur Ashe also has a statue on Richmond's Monument Avenue. Pretty sure that one will be alright.

Tony Hawk is proudly showing off the wild x-rays from his most recent skateboarding accident ... saying docs had to cut his wedding ring off in order to put his fingers back in place.

Of course, the GOAT revealed he dislocated his fingers in a nasty accident over the weekend ... when he was skating with his son and some friends at an empty backyard pool.

"The session was fun until I did a backside smith stall as a set up for a backside blunt, and suddenly found myself on the flat bottom with my fingers bending in new directions," Hawk said at the time.

Hawk was rushed to the hospital to get his fingers locked back into place ... and luckily, he's gonna make a full recovery.

Now, the 52-year-old has some new souvenirs in the x-rays following the debacle ... and the way he describes what the docs had to do is CRINGE.

"They had to cut my ring off before returning my bones to their full upright and locked position. My fingers are still sore / stiff / swollen but mostly functional."

But, if you think this is gonna stop Hawk from skating again ... you're DEAD wrong.

A journalist covering the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis is suing the city and its police chief, claiming cops left her permanently blind in one eye ... courtesy of rubber bullets.

In the lawsuit, journalist Linda Tirado claims cops ignored her press credential and targeted her with a ballistic tracking round ... before firing foam bullets at her face.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Tirado says she was covering the protests on May 29 -- the first night the city implemented a curfew -- and was left with blood dripping down her face as she repeatedly cried "I'm press." She claims officers ignored her and it was protesters who got her to a medic who transported her to the hospital.

Tirado claims by the time she got to the hospital her left eye was permanently destroyed. She says doctors told her "in connection with her injury, she now has a flat aspect and no depth perception.”

The mother of 2 also says the injury will have long-term effects on her children. She says her oldest is 9 years old and is autistic and "will need therapy to work through her trauma associated with her mother’s injury." Tirado also says her youngest, 7, may also need therapy.

Faith Stowers -- the former black cast member on 'Vanderpump Rules,' who set into motion the mass firings handed down by Bravo this week -- tells us while she's glad Lisa spoke up on the issue of racism ... there's another person in the 'VR' world she has even more respect for.

First off, Faith tells us that even though Bravo did the right thing by firing Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens, and Brett Caprioni ... she notes nobody from the network hit her up personally to get more details about her story, which sorta kicked this whole thing off.

That's pretty telling in and of itself -- but moving on ... Faith goes on to say she gives Lisa props for speaking out on the problem among her staff so eloquently, even though she didn't mention Faith by name.

Someone who did remember to reach out to Faith ... one Lala Kent, whom Faith says made the big gesture despite some bad blood between them in the past. Watch -- sounds like it's all water under a bridge now.

Lisa Vanderpump is giving her two cents on the 4 cast members from her show that were given the boot over past racist remarks and behavior, and her message is ... our company is better than that, lemme show ya.

The restaurateur and TV personality released a statement over the goings-on at Bravo these past couple days -- including the firing of Stassi Shroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni -- and she reflects disappointment, but also hopes for better.

Lisa says, "As we’ve seen such devastating sadness that has played out globally, we all have a part to play to create a kinder, more just society. My hope is for this generation to treat each other with respect and humanity, and realize that actions have; and should have, consequences." She prefaced that by saying she couldn't have spoken more on this issue until final decisions were made, which they obviously were on Tuesday.

She adds, "I love and adore our employees and I am deeply saddened by some of the lack of judgment that has been displayed. As many of you know, after watching me for 10 years, I have always been an equal rights activist and ally - my family, my businesses and I condemn all forms of cruelty, racism, homophobia, bigotry and unequal treatment. We’ve never tolerated it in the workplace or our lives." She also says the show only shows off a small fraction of her workforce, which she says is way more diverse ... and something she plans to show off in future seasons.

Lisa ends by saying, "The world needs to move forward with a kinder generation. Everybody deserves to feel safe, heard and appreciated in their communities."

Lisa Vanderpump's signature L.A. eatery is boarded up and now covered in spray painting that seems perfectly timed ... now that Bravo's fired 4 "Vanderpump Rules" cast members over racist behavior.

Check out these photos of Lisa's PUMP restaurant in West Hollywood -- where a lot of her fellow cast members work and mingle on her reality show. As you can see, it's been heavily tagged with Black Lives Matter.

It's some of the best-timed graffiti ... considering Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were just canned by Bravo this week over resurfaced comments and acts that reeked of racism.

It appears the tagging, and boarding up, happened before the news came down Tuesday about the 4 cast members getting fired. BLM graffiti's been popping up all over L.A. during the George Floyd protests.

Of course, LV did NOT fire Max or Brett after learning of their old, bad tweets -- some of which used the n-word multiple times. During last week's reunion show, she basically forgave them, saying everyone's made mistakes ... and that if she fired everyone who'd screwed up, no one would be working.

A few days later, Bravo stepped in and yanked the 4 cast members, anyway.

A top cop in the Tulsa Police Department brazenly says his boys in blue aren't firing on African-Americans as much as they should ... something he says he's basing on crime data.

Major Travis Yates made the shocking statement during a podcast he was on, discussing George Floyd police brutality protests. Leading up to his controversial statement, he was talking about how black people -- at least in his jurisdiction -- appear to commit more crimes, so their run-ins with law enforcement increase.

Yates' interpretation of those numbers is, "All of the research says we’re shooting African-Americans about 24 percent less than we probably ought to be, based on the crimes being committed."

Yes, he knew this was being recorded and aired.

During the Monday podcast, Yates also claimed studies from Harvard economist Roland Fryer and research from the National Academy of Sciences will back him up.

He went on to say that the protests and riots that have followed the death of George Floyd were not achieving the justice they claim to be after, saying ... "Justice at this point has been done. Well, then it turned into systematic racism, systematic police brutality."

Now, obviously the guy is getting tons of criticism for the remarks -- but he defended himself by saying the notion cops should be shooting black people more than they're already doing is outrageous and not at all what he meant. He claims his words are being taken out of context.

A Wisconsin gym is catching major heat over posting a workout titled "I Can't Breathe" ... and now, the fitness center's owner tells TMZ Sports she's "deeply" sorry for the offensive sign.

Here's the deal ... Jen Dunnington, co-owner of Anytime Fitness in Wauwatosa, WI, says one of her trainers attempted to "honor" George Floyd by posting a workout for members this week.

She says the group of exercises was meant to "be a workout so hard that we felt what he felt" ... but when people in the community viewed the whiteboard for the workout, it was immediately hit with backlash.

Hundreds of people commented on the sign -- which featured the words "I Can't Breathe" and "don't you dare lay down" with a drawing of a kneeling person -- calling it inappropriate and appalling.

Dunnington tells us she regrets the sign's verbiage, saying, "I deeply apologize."

"I was not aware of the signage that it was posted in that way," she said. "I didn't read it in that way, but I do definitely apologize that those words were on there."

Dunnington -- who posted a video apology to the gym's social media page but deleted it shortly after -- insists she and the gym did not mean to offend anybody by the workout.

In fact, Dunnington says the "I Can't Breathe" line was meant to be a motivator ... calling the line a rallying cry used by protestors all over the country.

As for the "lay down" line ... Dunnington added, "I apologize that it said that, the line on there should not have been on there."

For corporate Anytime Fitness' part, it released a statement prior to Dunnington's gym's workout ... saying, in part, "We are committed to listening and learning, so that we can take action that helps our communities heal and grow in real and meaningful ways."

The woman who slapped the crap outta Phoenix "Karen" was scared she'd get the short end of the stick if cops got involved, which made her reluctant to speak out ... until the video went viral.

Karina Rodriguez tells TMZ ... she considered contacting police after her weekend altercation with "Karen" at the gas station, but decided not to because she feared cops might racially profile her, and blame her for the run-in.

She says she didn't want it to be her story of what happened against the word of a white woman, so she decided to let it go.

Karina tells us she was also hesitant to go public after getting word that "Karen" -- real name Tamara Harrian -- has a lawyer husband. However, he's already said he's actually on Karina's side.

Fortunately for Rodriguez, video of the incident -- shot by Greg Conn, another customer -- has gone everywhere, and makes it clear who was in the wrong.

Greg tells us he and Karina spoke after the incident, and she messaged him on Facebook to thank him for posting the video. He says she told him the outpouring of support made her feel comfortable to speak out.

As for why Tamara didn't call the cops -- Greg says the attendant Tamara originally yelled at before arguing with Karina, followed her outside and calmed her down. Then, she just left.

Joe Exotic says the prison he's in is shutting him off from the outside world, but officials there say it was nothing personal -- the whole facility was on pause for a bit.

A rep for the Bureau of Prisons -- the federal agency overseeing Joe's new home in Fort Worth, TX -- tells TMZ ... all of their prison institutions went on a national lockdown last week in response to protests and riots breaking out.

While they were on lockdown, BOP says inmates temporarily had limited access to phones and email -- but as of Monday, lockdown's been lifted and everything's pretty much the same as it was before.

In regards to letters Joe claims he hasn't received -- implying prison guards are keeping them from him, including potential mail from his hubby, Dillon -- BOP flat-out denies that. We're told even during lockdown, snail mail was being delivered to inmates like usual.

As we reported ... Joe said Dillon had gone ice cold on him in terms of communication, but Dillon says he'd been sending letters, and is dismayed to hear Joe's not getting them.

Now, BOP refused to comment on Joe's specific living or medical conditions -- which he described as hellish -- for safety and privacy reasons.