TMZ Sports - Page 50

Yankees legend Ron Guidry says CC Sabathia deserves a place right next to Derek Jeter in Monument Park ... telling TMZ Sports straight-up, "Why not?!"

CC has been pitching in pinstripes since 2009 ... logging 133 wins, a 3.75 ERA and 1,650 strikeouts -- and Guidry says those numbers should get him a place in center field at Yankees Stadium.

Of course, Guidry knows a thing or two about the honor -- his number is one of only a handful to ever be retired in Monument Park -- and he tells us CC "should be" in there right alongside him.

In fact, the former Cy Young winner -- who's also a 2-time World Series champ and 4-time All-Star -- is so high on Sabathia, he tells us the 38-year-old also belongs in Pro Baseball's Hall of Fame!!!

"Why not?!" Guidry says ... "He should be [in]."

FYI ... CC is a 6-time All-Star with one Cy Young on his resume. He's got 250 career wins and 3,043 total strikeouts.

Florida senator Rick Scott HATES the idea of the Tampa Bay Rays splitting time between Montreal and Florida, telling TMZ Sports, "I hope they can come to an agreement and stay [in FL] full-time."

The Rays have already got permission from MLB officials to explore becoming a two-city team -- the plan would be to play half their home games in Canada and the other half in Tampa Bay.

So, when we spoke with Scott in NYC after his appearance on "Squawk Box," he made it clear he wants the ball club in Florida FULL-TIME!!!

"I just wish them all to stay in Tampa," Scott says.

"Look, Montreal is a beautiful city. I've enjoyed the times I've had the opportunity to visit there. But, I hope Tampa spends all their time in Florida."

Scott says he's sat down with the Rays management team and says they made it clear they want a better stadium and a new location ... but making that a reality is super challenging.

As for the proposed two-city split, Scott says he understands WHY Montreal is pushing for the move -- they've wanted an MLB team in town ever since losing the Expos back in 2004.

"I'm sure they're anxious to get a team just like we're anxious to make sure [the Rays] don't leave."

Of course, the whole reason the Rays are reportedly pondering the move is because their stadium is ancient and fan attendance is alarmingly low.

Phoenix Suns baller Kelly Oubre Jr. traded his jersey for some oversized white robes on Sunday ... and it was all in the name of FASHION!!!

The 6'7" hooper was front and center at the Pigalle Paris Spring/Summer show at Paris Men's Fashion Week ... as part of the brand's collab with Converse.

The event had pretty much everything you could ask for -- people in silver head caps, creative director Stephane Ashpool in a wolf mask ... and of course, the prettiest player in the NBA.

Oubre is easily one of the most stylish players in the league ... and always takes advantage of every opportunity to show off his unique swag.

Wave Papi thanked Ashpool for the opportunity ... saying "Thank you my brother @stephane_ashpool for allowing me to be apart of your vision. Thank you for bringing ART back to Fashion. Amazing Show."

Ric Flair told us he wasn't gonna let his medical scare slow him down ... and he's proving it -- because the WWE legend ordered up a beer this weekend during an outing with his family.

Sporting a shirt with his own face on it (legendary stuff), the 70-year-old strolled into Hamilton's On Magnolia in Alabama (right near Auburn) flanked by his wife, Wendy Barlow.

Inside the restaurant, Flair was all smiles ... toasting his wife with a pint of beer.

Yeah, sippin' on brew may not be exactly what the doctor recommends just one month after undergoing heart surgery ... but Flair has told us he wants to live life to the fullest while he's still here on earth.

As we previously reported, Flair had a procedure to change up his pacemaker after a medical emergency in May.

When we spoke with Ric on the "TMZ Sports" TV show earlier this month, he told us he plans on living another 25 years ... AT LEAST!

The Justin Bieber vs. Tom Cruise hype train has left the station ... with UFC honcho Dana White saying the celebrity superfight would probably be the biggest Pay-Per-View event in combat sports history!!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... White said he is seriously interested in putting together the Bieber vs. Cruise fight ... after hearing from two "serious people" with connections to the stars that they'd be down to scrap.

And, we're also told Bieber's rep, Scooter Braun, spoke with William Morris Endeavor co-owner Ari Emanuel and Dana White on a secret phone call and said Bieber is "100%" down with it.

So, when White was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood on Sunday night, he told TMZ Sports he thinks there's a real shot this fight goes down.

"Weirder things have happened, let's put it that way," White said.

"I think it would be the biggest purse ever and I think it would be the biggest Pay-Per-View ever too."

White says the situation is still developing and he hasn't heard anything official from Tom's camp yet -- but he's hopeful he'll have more info in the coming days.

Until then, White seems excited to make it happen ... though he's keeping it real when asked about the actual combat.

You think Drake was happy when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA title?

His dad was even HAPPIER -- because Dennis Graham had $100,000 riding on the Raps ... AND WON!!!

"I am the happiest guy in the world," Dennis told us in Hollywood with 2 ladies on his arms.

"I bet $100,000 on the game and I won $300,000!!!"

You see this? Drake's dad is RICH!!! (Okay, *more rich). PIMP HATS AND CHAINS FOR EVERYBODY!!!

There's more ... Dennis also has some advice for the Raptors when it comes to visiting Donald Trump -- DON'T. He thinks the team should meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instead.

"Justin Trudeau is a much classier guy than that IDIOT Donald Trump," Dennis says.

Oh, and Dennis also explains why he wasn't at the Raptors victory parade in Toronto -- telling us he's got big things in the works in Hollywood that took priority.

Paul Pierce loves everything about the Boston Celtics' top draft selection Grant Williams -- telling TMZ Sports straight-up," That's a great pick!"

Boston picked the forward from Tennessee with the 22nd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft -- and they're expecting big things from the 6'8", 236 pounder.

Besides being a stud in college, where he was a 1st team All American and a 2-time SEC Player of the Year ... he's also been praised for being super smart -- something that runs in his family.

In fact, Grant's mother, Teresa Johnson, is an engineer for NASA -- one of the first black, female engineers to ever do it ... amazing.

This is why Grant confidently shot down Kyrie Irving's flat-Earth theory in a video that's going viral -- where the NBA rookie tells it like it is ...

"Kyrie's 'Earth is flat' theory is scientifically not true," Grant said ... "That's just not true at all."

By the way, Kyrie is still technically on the Celtics -- so things could get weird in the locker room.

Then again, Kyrie is expected to leave when free agency begins in a few weeks ... so crisis averted?!

Charles Barkley HATES LaVar Ball -- blasting the Big Baller as an "idiot" who should never be allowed on television again!

"Wherever LaVar Ball is, there's a village missing an idiot," Barkley said ... "We should just keep LaVar off television. That would be the best way to be."

Barkley's newest anti-LaVar stance comes in the wake of another Ball controversy -- he's been under fire for comments he made on-air to ESPN's Molly Qerim ... comments ESPN deemed "completely inappropriate."

Sir Charles clearly feels LaVar's antics are HURTING his sons -- especially Lonzo Ball, who just got traded to the New Orleans Pelicans -- and he wants LB to cut it out.

"It's really unfair to his son. His son is a good player and a nice kid."

When asked if LaVar can get a fresh start in Louisiana ... Charles said, "He's an idiot in all 50 states."

Charles also talked about Zion Williamson -- who a lot of people have compared to Barkley.

"He's a lot more explosive than I am," Barkley said ... "A lot more explosive."

"He's not as good of a basketball player as I am right now but he's got great potential and a great future."

Khloe Kardashian claims Tristan Thompson went overboard in showing remorse after he confirmed he cheated on her with Jordyn Woods ... to the point where he threatened to kill himself.

On Sunday's episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," Khloe was telling Scott Disick about Tristan's text messages to her after she confronted him about his fling with Woods.

She says she got her questions answered, but then her baby daddy bombarded her with messages of regret and sorrow ... including threatening suicide.

Khloe told Disick ... "He's like, 'I can't stop thinking about you and what a mess I have caused.'" She added, "He's doing this to get a reaction out of me. Oh, so I'm just allowed to say 'I'm going to kill myself' at any time? That's crazy."

Despite her disgust over Tristan's behavior, Khloe apparently asked his friend to check on him to make sure he was okay ... which Disick said "just goes to show that Khloe is an unbelievable person that loves so hard and so much."

Scott added ... "Somehow she just keeps getting the short end of the stick, and it's unfair and it's hurtful and it's really hard to me to sit and watch."

As you know ... Jordyn and Tristan's cheating scandal broke in February, and Woods explained her side during a 'Red Table Talk' interview shortly afterward, claiming she wasn't a homewrecker and there was just one kiss.

It seemed impossible ... but Nik and Lijana did it -- they walked a quarter of a mile across Times Square, 25 stories up and balancing the entire way on a tightrope.

The view looking down was incredible, and it was broadcast live on ABC. Thousands watched as Nik and Lijana met in the middle and he actually CLIMBED OVER HER -- around 18 minutes into the stunt.

It was especially daunting for Lijana, who broke almost every bone in her face after suffering a near-fatal fall a few years back.

She was more than confident Sunday night, having nailed the run-through 25 times in a row. Lijana sang biblical hymns and praised the Lord as she traversed the famous landmark, with neon lights glaring and the crowd roaring.

Nik and Lijana constantly talked with each other ... he especially offering words of encouragement to his sister. Their dad was in the control room, and Nik and Lijana seemed to draw comfort from that.

By the way ... the poles they held weigh 38 lbs!!!

Zak Bagans doesn't just collect haunted items for his museum -- he also goes the macabre route ... like adding the brothel bed connected to a death and an infamous overdose.

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... he's acquired the bed and bedroom furniture of Bunny Ranch and Love Ranch owner Dennis Hof, which eerily includes the mattress Hof died on. Which also happens to be the same mattress Lamar Odom was on when he overdosed 3 years prior, in October 2015.

Bagans says they never swapped out the mattress in the Love Ranch room, and now folks at the legal Nevada brother believe it's cursed ... and that's where Bagans steps in.

We're told the bed set is being donated to The Haunted Museum in Las Vegas, where, as we've reported ... Bagans displays spooky stuff like the "Devil's Rocking Chair" and a dybbuk box, along with creepy items like Ted Bundy's glasses.

Zak tells us the Love Ranch wants him to replicate Hof's entire bedroom, which as you can see ... maintained the same set up over the years, including when Odom OD'd in it.

We're told people at the ranch say Hof would have enjoyed his legacy being carried on this way ... because "that's how he was."

Now we just have to wait and see if Zak's new bedroom exhibit starts showcasing any signs of paranormal activity like that freaky rocking chair.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says moving away from the term "owner" makes sense -- telling TMZ Sports, "We moved away from that term years ago."

We broke the story ... multiple NBA teams (including the Clippers and 76ers) have stopped using the title owner because they feel it's racially insensitive in a league where the majority of the players are black.

When we saw Silver out in NYC, we asked if he supported the decision and how the league office is handling the issue.

"I don't want to overreact to the term because, as I said earlier, people end up twisting themselves into knots avoiding the use of the word owner," Silver said ... "But, we moved away from that term years ago in the league."

"We call our team owners 'Governor of the team' and 'alternate Governor.'"

Silver says the word owner has sometimes slipped through in an NBA memo -- but general rule in the office is to no longer use that term ... adding, "I'm sensitive to it and I think to the extent teams are moving away from the term, we'll stick with using Governor."

As for the feedback from the players, Silver says he's heard from both sides -- "Players have gone both ways. I think a few players have actually spoken out and said the greatest thing that ever happened was when Michael Jordan was able to call himself an owner."

Alabama born Mia Hamm was in her 20s when she shot to stardom after becoming the face of U.S.A.'s Women's soccer team as a midfielder and forward in both the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Summer Olympics.

Mia Hamm played alongside an incredible roster on American athletes referred to as the Fab Five -- including Julie Foudy as the big-blocking midfielder, Joy Fawcett as the daring defender, Kristine Lilly as the fast-moving forward and of course, Brandi Chastain as the iconic shirt stripping game-winner.

Hamm's last match as a U.S.A. representative was at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

4:12 PM PT -- Peete is ADAMANTLY denying the allegations in a new statement to TMZ Sports ... saying through a rep, "There was no scam."

Here's the statement in its entirety:

"First of all, the investor in this venture in question was not Carlos Rogers the NFL player but another Carlos Rogers altogether. Unfortunately, the error in naming the incorrect Mr. Rogers in the initial reporting caused him unnecessary involvement, confusion and inconvenience.

In 2016, Rodney Peete -along with other former NFL players as well as business and community leaders teamed up to create a dynamic coalition to craft a proposal to keep the Raiders from leaving Oakland, California, acquire a new stadium and develop the surrounding property.

The effort was a well documented, noble and hard fought one. It lasted about two years. There were several enthusiastic investors involved and hopes were high especially among the many Oakland Raiders fans and the Oakland community who had a strong emotional investment in keeping their beloved team from moving again. Tremendous amounts of hard work, sweat, passion, time, energy and money went into this effort. There was no scam or anything fraudulent or illegitimate about this venture or the people involved whatsoever.

It was and still is crushing to so many that it didn’t succeed but it was not from lack of effort.

Investors understand that not all investments pan out, but everyone who invested in the efforts for the Raiders to remain in Oakland fought with integrity to make that time and effort worthwhile, in honor of the millions of fans in Oakland and throughout the West Coast who have supported the team since 1960.

Rodney is very proud of the work he put into this project and would do it all over again

Currently attorneys are in active talks on a resolution to this matter."

1:25 PM -- We initially reported the man behind the suit, Carlos Rogers, is the former NFL star -- but that is not the case. The ex-NFL player named Carlos Rogers DID not file the lawsuit.

The Carlos Rogers who DID file the lawsuit is a real estate and business investor.

Ex-NFL star Rodney Peete is being sued for allegedly running a scam on an investor in a failed plot to keep the Raiders from moving to Las Vegas.

It's all in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... in which a man named Carlos Rogers says Peete approached him in 2016 to invest in a group that would provide financing for football facilities that would help sway the Raiders to stay in NorCal.

In his lawsuit, Rogers says Peete provided him with a real investment plan that looked solid -- and if the Raiders decided to move to Vegas, he was promised he'd get his investment back in full.

In fact, Rogers says Peete personally guaranteed that he'd get paid back -- a point he reiterated in emails. One read bluntly, "Everyone will be paid back."

Rogers says he wired $350,000 to Peete in 2017 -- but when the Raiders announced they were moving to Vegas, he never got his money back as promised.

Rogers says he pressed Peete, but Rodney repeatedly stalled and came up with excuses -- and he still hasn't been paid back.

Now, Rogers is suing for fraud -- claiming Peete never ever intended to pay back the money ... it was a scam all along.

He's seeking all of his money back PLUS $100,000 in punitive damages.

The Super Bowl ring didn't happen ... but the engagement ring did!!

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay just proposed to his smokin' hot Ukrainian model girlfriend, Veronika Khomyn ... and (shocker!) she said YES!

The two have been on vacation in the French Riviera -- where the 33-year-old busted out a diamond ring the size of Veronika's knuckle and popped the question.

"Can't wait to call him my husband," Khomyn said.

Sean and 29-year-old Veronika started dating somewhere around 2011 ... when she was a student at George Mason University in Virginia and he was an assistant coach on the Washington Redskins.

Since then, the two have been super tight ... she moved out to L.A. with him when he took the job to coach the Rams. They live together in a home in the San Fernando Valley.

UFC champ Daniel Cormier is keeping it all the way real when talking about Brock Lesnar -- telling TMZ Sports he's genuinely "disappointed" the guy pulled out of fight negotiations.

"I wanted to fight Brock," DC tells us ... "but you can only really worry about things that you can control. I can't control that he doesn't want to fight anymore. He's done."

Cormier says he appreciates the UFC and Lesnar for trying to make a deal -- but at the end of the day, Daniel thinks the WWE offered Lesnar too much money to stay out of the Octagon.

"I just think the WWE gave him such a great deal, they really always take care of this guy."

"Ultimately, you get paid that much money to go and wrestle as opposed to fighting me? There's no predetermined outcome there. I'm gonna try to kick your ass. So, I think he made the smart decision."

Cormier says he was friends with Lesnar before the fight talks began in July 2018 -- and says now that Brock's not a potential opponent anymore, they can go back to texting and talking on the phone.

"Maybe I can start going to watch him wrestle and do all that other stuff again."