TMZ Sports - Page 50

Wanna see how far one of the MLB's best power hitters can launch a golf ball??

Good ... 'cause Minnesota Twins slugger Nelson Cruz pulled out the driver at a Top Golf earlier this month -- AND HE SENT A BALL TO THE FREAKIN' MOON!!!!

The Babe Ruthian swing all went down on Nov. 1, when Cruz was getting in some offseason golf hacks at the range.

Cruz only posted one video ... but it was seriously epic -- he blasted a ball that appeared to clear the top of the netting some 300-ish yards away!!!

Of course, Cruz is 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and is used to killin' balls ... he's hit 37 or more home runs in the MLB for 6 straight seasons.

But, it ain't like power in one sport always translates to another ... just ask 6-foot-6, 284-pound NBA beast Zion Williamson, who REALLY sucks at golf!!!

As for Cruz, the 39-year-old seemed impressed with himself after the hack ... writing on his social media page, "¿Futuro golfista?"

Chase Young is still practicing with the Ohio State football team -- despite being suspended indefinitely -- and team officials say they're hoping he's reinstated this week.

Young -- the projected #1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft -- admitted he accepted a loan from a family friend so he could fly his GF out to the 2018 Rose Bowl, which is a big no-no with the NCAA.

The 20-year-old defensive end claims he repaid the loan, but the NCAA put him on ice anyway and he could face a 4-game suspension.

OSU is going to bat for Young and has engaged the NCAA in hopes of reducing the punishment to a 1-game suspension since he already sat out last weekend when OSU played Maryland. OSU won 73 to 14.

This week, the Buckeyes are gearing up to play Rutgers -- and Tuesday, coach Ryan Day told reporters, "We're going to prepare for him to be back this week."

Young leads the nation in sacks (13.5) and is one sack away from the school's single-season record. Day says Young has been practicing with the team during the suspension.

Dwight Gooden is locked in for his first-ever "Celebrity Boxing" match ... and we just learned his opponent will be a self-described redneck who squats more than 600 pounds!!!

The 54-year-old MLB legend will square off with 29-year-old "Nitro Comedy Tour" star Catfish Cooley, who's gone viral on YouTube for his redneck comedy.

We're told the fight will go down on March 7 at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City.

Gooden has been in business with "Celebrity Boxing" for a while and stepped up to be the ref for the Bagel Boss vs. Lenny Dykstra fight (before Lenny pulled out).

But, Doc feels training for a fight is a good way to keep himself in shape while focusing on his sobriety -- so he decided to strap on the gloves and train up!

Of course, Gooden was a superstar pitcher back in the day before substance abuse issues sank his baseball career.

Catfish was NOT pro athlete -- but he's got videos on the Internet where he's squatting 605 pounds like it's nothing.

JUST STOP WITH THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES ALREADY!!

There are people claiming Seattle Seahawks player Geno Smith called "tails" during the coin toss in Overtime during "Monday Night Football" ... but the ref thought he said "heads."

The coin ended heads up (and the Seahawks ended up winning the game) ... and some people are fuming, claiming the refs screwed the 49ers ... mostly due to a video with crappy audio that's floating around.

But, LISTEN TO A CLEAR VERSION OF THE AUDIO -- it's obvious Smith said "heads."

And, then make this all stop, please.

Sorry. It's early. We haven't had our coffee yet.

Also, the Seahawks won the game 27-24 because the 49ers' kicker botched a 47-yard game-winner.

Corey Maggette says the Clippers are doing a "phenomenal job" by giving Kawhi Leonard load management days ... saying if he had those when he was playing, they could've saved his career!

L.A. coach Doc Rivers has been under fire this month after he's given his superstar days off to prevent possible injuries down the road ... but Maggette says all that criticism is BS.

The former Clippers star -- who was out in L.A. this week with fellow ex-NBA stud Cuttino Mobley -- told us he absolutely LOVES the idea of load management days.

"I retired because of major knee injuries," Magette says. "So, I wish they would have had a position where, from me and Cuttino's perspective, that we had a chance to rest and get our bodies back to 100 percent."

In fact, Cuttino says if he was given days off similar to Kawhi ... his body might feel a hell of a lot better now than it currently does.

"Listen, if it were happening when we were playing, I wouldn't have so many aches and pains as we do now," Mobley says.

Of course, NBA fans don't really love the move ... it's led to some of the biggest stars sitting out of some of the biggest regular season games.

But, Mobley and Maggette's response to that??? Too bad!!!

"There's a lot of older guys that are walking around right now that can't really walk because they've been forced to play in their mind," Cuttino says.

Who knew Steve Ballmer was an aphrodisiac?!

Check out Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes sucking each other's faces off Monday night at the Clippers game at Staples Center ... getting more action than Ivica Zubac!!!

The couple was all over each other -- and EVERYBODY noticed -- since they were sitting in the best courtside seats in the house.

They kissed, they cuddled, they kissed more, they whispered secrets into each other's ears ... good times!!!

By the way, 22-year-old Camila and 21-year-old Mendes have been dating since July ... and have basically been seen getting intense with PDA all over the place.

Fresh off his controversial loss to KSI, Logan Paul tells TMZ Sports he's already thinking about his next opponent -- and it could be CM Punk or Dillon Danis!!

Of course, the 24-year-old YouTube superstar is coming off an impressive 6-round slugfest against KSI at Staples Center on Saturday ... and it's obvious he's not ready to hang up his gloves just yet.

Remember, KSI said he's NOT down for a 3rd fight with Logan -- but suggested Paul move to MMA to fight CM Punk next ... so naturally, we asked LP if he was down.

"I am ... I think I would destroy CM Punk if I'm being honest," Logan says. "I don't know if anyone would disagree with that."

41-year-old Punk is 0-2 in his pro MMA career -- he was choked out by Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in 2016 and got beat up badly by Mike Jackson at UFC 225 in 2018.

Paul tells us ... he would consider other opponents if he couldn't work out a deal with Punk.

As for Bellator fighter Dillon Danis -- Conor McGregor's good friend -- he's publicly called for a boxing match with either Logan or his little bro, Jake Paul. Logan says DD might get his wish.

Move over Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley ... Jamal Lewis says Lamar Jackson is the top runner in the NFL -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the Ravens QB is a future Hall of Famer!

"It's like watching the era of Michael Vick all over again," Lewis says.

Jackson has been shredding through defenses all season ... and Lewis -- a legendary Baltimore running back -- tells us he doesn't think there's any fluke at all to Lamar's year so far.

In fact, Lewis says he believes Jackson is only scratching the surface of his potential ... and is on pace to make the Hall of Fame one day.

"He's just only going to get better and better," Lewis says. "And, I think that that's where good coaching and a good organization like the Ravens bringing that all together is going to make him a future Hall of Famer."

As for Lamar's skill set now, Lewis says after watching that sick run the 22-year-old had against the Bengals on Sunday, he's convinced the guy is currently the NFL's best runner.

Charles Rogers' condition deteriorated so rapidly, scrambling ex-teammates and friends couldn't travel fast enough to get to the ex-NFL player in Florida before he died.

We spoke with CR's former Michigan State teammate, Chris Baker, who says he learned Rogers was sick through a recently formed group chat consisting of several players from their MSU football team.

Baker says Rogers had "disappeared off the radar" in recent years -- so getting info about him was tough. But, once he learned the WR was ill, the group did everything they could to offer support and resources.

In fact, Baker says he was planning on visiting Rogers on Tuesday because he didn't realize Charles' condition was as dire as it was.

"I knew he was in trouble, I didn't realize he was in this much trouble."

Rogers passed away Monday morning. Baker says he has intentionally tried NOT to seek out information about Rogers' condition -- but reports say he had been suffering from cancer and liver failure.

Baker and his teammates -- along with Charles' family -- are clearly devastated by the loss. When we spoke with Baker, he remembered Charles as a great athlete and a good dude.

"I bit somebody too ... it just wasn't on TV" -- Evander Holyfield.

Bombshell bite news is coming out of Mike Tyson's podcast, where the guy Mike famously bit admitted he ALSO weaponized his mouth during a boxing match back in the day!

Iron Mike invited his former nemesis to "Hotboxin' With Mike Tyson" -- where they discussed the infamous 1997 ear chomp ... and Evander explained why he ultimately forgave Tyson.

"People keep asking, 'How are you gonna forgive somebody?'" Holyfield says. "I say, everything that ever happened, at some point in time, I did it."

"Mike bit me, I say I bit somebody too ... it just wasn't on TV."

Evander continued ... "I bit a guy in his shoulder. He dropped me, and I didn't know when you had a concussion, you'll bite too."

Holyfield didn't name his bite victim during the podcast -- but says the guy called him up after the Tyson chew incident and said, "Remember when you bit me?"

Holyfield responded, "I sure did, bitch! You shouldn't have grabbed me!"

Both Tyson and Holyfield laughed about it ... and then Tyson made a business proposition involving weed and edible ears!

Long story short, Mike wants to sell THC edibles in the shape of Evander's chewed up ear -- and Holyfield says he's VERY interested!

UFC star Paige VanZant flew all the way to Israel to watch her husband fight this weekend -- but don't worry, she brought her bikinis!

Paige's husband, Austin Vanderford, is taking on Grachik Bozinyan at Bellator 234 on Friday in Tel Aviv ... and they touched down late last week to get all settled in.

During the trip, MMA couple hit the beach for work and for play -- with some training sessions in the sand ... before switching into relaxation mode.

They hit up the Dead Sea along with seeing the sites in Tel Aviv -- good times all around.

As for Vandeford, he's 8-0 as a pro fighter and has been wrecking people -- in fact, none of his last 5 fights have made it past the 2nd round.

As for Paige, the 25-year-old recently told TMZ Sports she's dying to get back in the Octagon and fight again ASAP but so far, there's nothing in the works.

Everyone wants to know if Cleveland Indians superstar Francisco Lindor will sign a new deal to keep him in CLE after the 2021 season.

So, we asked him about that ... and this video could have Indians Nation super worried!

Here's the deal ... Lindor was out in NYC this weekend and was super nice to our camera guy and other fans, talking about everything MLB related.

He gave love to Cleveland and called it "my home" -- but when we pressed him about staying with the Indians long term ... well, that's when the cat got his tongue.

Watch the video ... Lindor is chatty about every other topic except when we specifically asked about his career in Cleveland.

Of course, Lindor -- who's one of the 10 best hitters in the sport -- has a very uncertain future in Cleveland ... Indians owner Paul Dolan has already hinted he ain't willing to give the shortstop the FAT contract extension he probably deserves.

In fact, Dolan famously said before this past season, "Enjoy him. We control him for three more years. Enjoy him and then we’ll see what happens."

So, is Lindor's silence speaking volumes ... or is this a big ol' nothingburger?

It's not just the Indians fans in our office feeling some sort of way ... and even the non-CLE crowd was shocked by the non-answer answer.

Nothing ruins a romantic vacation quite like diarrhea ...

Just ask golf superstar Rickie Fowler who says he came down with a terrible case of food poisoning while honeymooning with his smokin' hot wife, Allison Stokke.

Fowler and Stokke got married on Oct. 5 down in Mexico ... and to celebrate the nuptials, the two hopped on Puma's private jet and took a sick vacay to some remote beaches.

But, at some point near the end of the trip, Fowler caught Campylobacter jejuni -- a nasty strain of food poisoning -- and told Golfweek he was pretty miserable.

"It was not a fun stretch," Fowler said.

In case you didn't know ... the Center for Disease Control's description of Campylobacter jejuni is awful -- symptoms include "diarrhea (often bloody), fever, and abdominal cramps."

Yeah, not good.

Rickie says he's taking meds to get better ... but the 30-year-old was forced to pull out of this weekend's Mayakoba Golf Classic while he rests up.

It's a bummer for Fowler ... but hey, a lifetime of Stokke should be more than enough to make up for it!!!

The NY Knicks fan who started a "Fire James Dolan" chant at Madison Square Garden on Sunday was confronted by security, but we're told he was NOT ejected.

The chant broke out as the Knicks were getting crushed by the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers  -- and as everyone knows, owner James Dolan doesn't like being heckled.

In the past, he's thrown out and banned fans who have directed similar taunts his way.

The man claiming to be the heckler is Andrew J. Padilla -- who went to social media tell his side of the story.

"6 security guards just took me out my seat at Madison Square Garden for chanting 'fire Dolan,'" Padilla said.

"I was escorted to the basement where they told me I could go back so long as I followed the 'code of conduct' ... Aka Not chanting #FireDolan."

"I chose to leave and spend my money somewhere else."

There are reports Padilla was ejected from MSG and subsequently banned from coming back -- but our MSG sources are adamant that's just not true.

As one source put it, "No one was ejected last night from MSG for any reason."

TMZ Sports has previously posted video of Dolan personally ejecting hecklers in the past -- including an incident from March 2019.

Dolan also famously had a sideline altercation with Charles Oakley that led to the Knicks legend being banned from MSG for a year.

Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts brought a special VIP guest to celebrate with the Sooners this weekend -- 12-year-old Rayden Overbay -- and the video is awesome!

Overbay is the special needs student who was targeted in violent attacks by classmates who mocked him for being autistic, diabetic and deaf in his right ear. He suffered serious injuries and had suicidal thoughts after the incidents.

But, MMA star Justin Wren took Overbay under his wing and has rounded up famous and non-famous friends to offer support. Stars like Baker Mayfield, Mick Foley and more stepped up.

And now, Overbay can add a Heisman Trophy candidate to his friend list -- with Hurts inviting Overbay into the Sooners' locker room after their 42-41 victory over Iowa State.

"You got a whole squad of people behind you," Hurts told Rayden ... who was STOKED to meet the football star.

Hurts tweeted about meeting Rayden on Sunday ... saying, "It was great getting to meet Rayden Overbay this weekend! He is a true soldier and such an inspiration to many."

"He has a friend in me! Much Love! #StopBullying"

Not only did Rayden get to meet the star QB ... he also got introduced to the whole squad by head coach Lincoln Riley, who gave him a game ball and let him break the team's final huddle!!

Michael Irvin says he's still 100% on Team Antonio Brown -- rooting for the embattled NFL star to get his career and life on track ... and he ain't apologizing for it!

The NFL Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports he knows supporting AB isn't the popular thing to do these days ... but Mike doesn't care what everyone else thinks.

Irvin says he spent his offseason giving motivational speeches -- and talked to kids from "some of the hardest ghetto areas in Miami that Antonio Brown has come from."

"And, I want his story to end well so I can use it as inspiration and motivation for all those other little black kids in the ghettos and in the hells of America that are trying to get out."

Irvin says he knows Antonio is self-destructing with some of his off-the-field antics -- but the Cowboys legend tells us, "Everybody's talking about the problem, but nobody's talking about the solution."

"We as a country get off on the problem because somehow, someway we take that as some kind of self-fulfilling thing that, 'Hey, he made all this money playing football but at least I'm not making the stupid decisions that he's making now.' And, I think that's a sad way to look at it."

Irvin adds, "I want his story to end well so I can use it to inspire others that are growing up in the same hellhole he grew up in and ain't nothing wrong with that, man."

"And, I'm not gonna let anybody make me think there's something wrong with that."

Brown has a BUNCH of obstacles keeping him from playing again -- starting with allegations he raped a woman in 2018. The NFL is currently investigating the situation and, according to multiple reports, he's not expected to play in the NFL again this season.