TMZ Sports - Page 50

Mark Wahlberg's nine days into 2020 and it appears he's never wearing a shirt ever again ... not that anyone's complaining.

Marky Mark's still in vacay mode and this time he's enjoying the picturesque beaches of Hawaii. The action star's actually in town competing in the Hawaii Sony Open Pro-Am. Talented actor and athlete. Yeah ... dude can hit a mean stroke. He's been known to do "golf cardio" ... where astoundingly he plays 18 holes in an hour.

And, like every star who works hard, he's still partying hard ... putting everyone's New Year's resolution diet/exercising plan to shame with his ripped bod. Seems he's got zero plans to slow down his R&R sesh.

Imagine riding the subway to work on a totally normal morning ... and sharing your commute with the entire Toronto Maple Leafs roster!!!

That's exactly what happened on Thursday ... when Auston Matthews and his boys headed to their annual outdoor practice by using public transit.

It's become a tradition for Toronto to give the fans a cool, up-close experience at Nathan Phillips Square in the 6 ... and give subway-goers a ride they'll never forget!!

Maple Leafs star Mitchell Marner -- who just signed a 6-year, $65.3 MILLION with Toronto this past offseason -- was even signing autographs while hanging with the normies.

Of course, the boys ended up getting to the ice for a full day of practice ... which includes a 3-on-3 tournament for all the fans to watch. Cool stuff.

Kobe Bryant is an 18x All-Star and 5x NBA champ, but Mamba says there's one career achievement he lacks, and it makes him mad ... not winning a 6th chip and catching Michael Jordan!!

Bryant chopped it up with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on the "All The Smoke" podcast ... where he talked about his (friendly) rivalry with MJ, and his frustration from not winning another ring, and tying Jordan.

"It pissed me off. But, things are what they are. You push for a goal, and my original goal was to try to win 8. You push for it. Push for it. Push for it, and you do the best you can," Kobe says.

"But at the end of the day you can be comfortable with the results and where they landed and where they ended up. And so that's the most important thing."

"That's why I can be really really comfortable with the career that I've had. Cause I worked as hard as I possibly could."

Let's be real ... 5 titles is crazy impressive. In fact, only 13 men -- including legendary hoopers like Bill Russell and John Havlicek -- have won more than 5 rings.

There's more Mamba-MJ talk ... Kobe also tells the story of the time he and Jordan debated who'd win in a dream matchup -- Michael's 1991 Bulls vs. Bryant's 2003 Lakers.

15-year-old rising tennis star Coco Gauff might have to put her dad in a time-out -- he accidentally cursed while coaching her during a match ... and she called him out for it!!

The whole interaction was thankfully caught on camera because Coco and her dad/coach were mic'd up for her ASB Classic match in New Zealand ... and in between sets, he gave her a pep talk.

Her dad, Corey, is heard giving out compliments left and right ... but got a bit carried away when he said, "There's one thing you did the last 3 games, you ain't give up no free points on no damn serve. That serve is weak."

That's when Coco chastised pops for using a bad word while mic'd ... saying, "You can't curse."

Dad's reaction is priceless ... at first he can't believe he cussed on a hot mic, but then directly apologized into the microphone for the slip-up.

But then Corey, still in disbelief, asks Coco again if he really cussed ... and she tells him he did, in fact, say "the d word."

"Oh, well that don't even count," Dad responded.

Coco wasn't havin' it, though ... saying, "in some places, it does!!"

Dad apologized once again ... and Gauff went on to lose the match to Laura Siegemund.

Jillian Michaels stands by her comment about Lizzo's weight, but says don't for a second think she was fat shaming her over her worth as an entertainer ... it was all about her health.

We got the fitness guru Thursday morning in NYC, and she was playing a little defense over her Wednesday interview where she said, "Why are we celebrating [Lizzo's] body? Why does it matter? Why aren't we celebrating her music? 'Cause it isn't gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes."

Lizzo fans came for JM's head immediately, but she says everyone's got it twisted. Jillian told us she's always preached, "Your weight and your size have no bearing or merit on your value, your beauty, your worth, your ability."

Now, health? That's a whole other issue, and Jillian ain't about to back down on that front!

She told us why she believes acting like Lizzo's size isn't opening her up to several serious health risks ... is downright irresponsible. She runs down a few of the dangers the singer could be facing ... again, in Jillian's eyes.

Watch the clip, as a health and fitness expert, Jillian's definitely confident in what she's saying here -- but will Lizzo fans feel good as hell about it?

We highly doubt it.

Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli have a secret weapon in their college admissions criminal case -- the former head of the USC athletics department, who made it clear during his tenure -- the school gave him a clear directive to raise money, and lots of it.

As we reported, our sources say Lori and Mossimo will NOT enter a plea bargain ... they are determined to win at trial. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, one of the key witnesses could be former Athletic Director Pat Haden, who is on video from 2011 talking about his mission from the University to fundraise.

We're told at its core Lori and Mossimo's defense is that they did NOT bribe the former Senior Associate Athletic Director Donna Heinel, something the U.S. Attorney disputes. Thing is ... we found out Mossimo did indeed send Heinel a check for $50,000 but it could not have been a bribe because the payee was USC. That money was sent at the direction of the ringleader, Rick Singer.

Singer also told Mossimo to give him a check for $200,000, to help fund one of Singer's charities. Again, not a bribe.

The U.S. Attorney says the smoking gun is that Heinel received $20,000 a month from Rick Singer, which prosecutors say is proof of a bribe. The thing about this ... both of Lori's daughters were accepted BEFORE Heinel received a penny, and our sources say that money was sent to her only by Singer and for various things Heinel did for several families. But, Lori and Mossimo's position is that whatever Singer did in terms of paying money, he did on his own.

The body of a 21-year-old college soccer player was found being devoured by sharks in Western Australia ... after the man went missing in the ocean last week.

Rising star Eric Birighitti -- from Perth, Australia -- was a stand-out player for Hastings College in Nebraska and won a national title with the team in 2016.

Birighitti was at Twilight Beach near Esperance last Thursday when he was swept into the ocean by a swell. Friends tried to save him with a life preserver ... but the current was too strong.

The man's body was discovered on Tuesday when the sharks were spotted attacking the corpse in the water, witnesses tell to 9 News Perth.

"My sister and my father saw the sharks attacking the body. And it was quite a big one, they say," the witness told the outlet.

Birighitti's college team released a statement on his death, saying, "The Broncos family are saddened to hear about the sudden passing of Eric Birighitti."

"Eric played for Hastings during the 2016 & 2017 season and won a national title with the team."

Did you know Todd Gurley could party like a frat star!??!

Neither did we ... until Wednesday night -- when the L.A. Rams running back chugged beers and bro'd down with Dodgers stars at the L.A. Kings game!!!

The video of Gurley throughout the night was more entertaining than the actual on-ice action ... 'cause the 25-year-old lived it up in on-the-glass seats for the Kings-Stars game at Staples Center.

Ya gotta watch the clip ... Gurley rages his face off, throws back some suds and even gets into a chug-off with Dodgers players Gavin Lux, Matt Beaty and Kody Hoese.

IT WAS AWESOME!!!

But the best part? Arena cameras broadcast almost all of it on the jumbotron!!!!

Of course, Gurley and the Dodgers could use the booze ... both squads had rough seasons, with the Rams missing the playoffs and the Dodgers exiting the postseason early.

As for if their antics helped the Kings ... not really, 'cause L.A. lost to Dallas 2-1.

Cavaliers coach John Beilein was forced to apologize to his players Wednesday after he says he accidentally called them "thugs" during a team meeting.

Here's the deal ... the 66-year-old was reportedly praising his Cleveland squad during a film session when he told them they were no longer "playing like a bunch of thugs."

Obviously, the term has an offensive connotation ... and, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, players were "stunned" by their head coach's comment.

But, Beilein attempted to clear the air after Cavs general manager Koby Altman brought the situation to his attention ... with the coach saying he meant to say "slugs," not "thugs."

"I didn't realize that I had said the word 'thugs,' but my staff told me later I did and so I must have said it," Beilein told Wojnarowski on Wednesday night. "I meant to say slugs, as in slow-moving. We weren't playing hard before, and now we were playing harder. I meant it as a compliment."

Beilein said he already had personally talked to eight of his players over the alleged mix-up, adding, "they are telling me that they understand."

It's been a rough start to Beilein's NBA coaching career ... after being hired this past offseason, the ex-Michigan coach has struggled to adapt to the pros.

He's just 10-27 this season ... and has reportedly riffed with team star Kevin Love throughout his short tenure in Cleveland.

THIS IS INSANE!!!!

An ex-MLB player was SO PISSED about nearly being beaned during a Venezuelan winter league game Wednesday ... he straight-up turned around and attacked the catcher with his bat!!!

The wild scene all went down during a heated matchup between Aguilas del Zulia and Caribes de Anzoategui -- where pitchers were throwing at batters all night.

But, in the 8th inning ... Aguilas outfielder Alex Romero -- a former Arizona Diamondback -- had enough of the bean wars -- and weaponized his bat after he was nearly struck in the back with a fastball.

The video is NUTS ... 36-year-old Romero takes TWO hacks at Caribes catcher Gabriel Lino -- and then all hell breaks lose.

Lino threw his glove at Romero ... the benches cleared -- and fighting could be seen all over the diamond!!!

Eventually, the umps were able to calm things down ... and ejected several players after the brawl -- including Caribes infielder and Minnesota Twins stud Willians Astudillo.

Reportedly, players will face heavy fines and suspensions over the altercation.

The Astros' and Red Sox's cheating scandals are much ado about nothing ... so says Pete Rose, who tells TMZ Sports sign stealing ain't that big of a deal at all.

The MLB legend says back when he was playing ... he NEVER got an advantage by stealing signs -- saying he was always worried the guy reading the catcher would be wrong.

"He might not have the signs -- he might tell you wrong," Rose says. "Now, if you're looking for a low-and-away breaking ball, and the guy throws an up-and-in fastball, you just got one off the kisser."

Of course, the Astros' and the Red Sox's alleged schemes were reportedly much more accurate than a dude standing on 2nd base relaying catchers' signals ... but Rose still says he doesn't care.

In fact, Pete tells us if players were that concerned about it all ... they should just take matters into their own hands and start beaming guys they think are cheating!!!

"I'm f**king serious, bro. You know how serious I take fighting."

That's Logan Paul telling TMZ Sports a potential boxing match with Antonio Brown is VERY realistic ... claiming he's already in talks with AB's camp.

"I think we might be closer than anyone expects," Paul says.

As we previously reported, Logan called out Brown in December -- saying the NFL star would be the perfect opponent to further his pro-boxing career.

Brown responded on social media -- telling Paul, "Square up." Brown has since told Complex he's down to scrap and wants to train with Floyd Mayweather.

So, when we saw Logan in L.A. promoting his brother Jake Paul's upcoming Jan. 30 boxing match against AnEsonGib on DAZN, we had to ask if all the AB fight promotion was real ... or just a gag.

Logan says he's not messing around -- he's deadly serious about getting a deal done and thinks Brown is highly motivated, too.

Paul says transitioning into fighting helped rehab his image after the incident in the Suicide Forest in Tokyo a few years ago ... and a high-profile match could do the same thing for AB.

"In many ways the KSI fight gave me a purpose. I think this would do this for Antonio Brown -- give him a nice pay day, give him a chance to redeem himself."

Paul thinks the fight could be HUGE -- a la Mayweather vs. McGregor.

Kim and Khloe Kardashian have NO problem gripping it and ripping it, or at least that's their goal, as they take their best shots at playing golf.

The K sisters hit the links Tuesday in L.A. with Kris Jenner -- and TV cameras, of course ... so we can expect to see this on a future episode of 'Keeping Up.' If we're keeping it real as to who did it better -- Khloe's follow-through seems better ... but Kim's hip rotation is totally on point. Not shockingly.

Hey, neither of 'em whiffed on the ball. Now, do we think either is going for their pro card? Hell no! Still, should make for good TV.

Y'know you wanna hear Kim yell, "It's in the hole!!!"

If they are serious about improving their games, they could always consult their stepdad, Caitlyn Jenner ... who golfs almost daily. As we've reported she has a 6 handicap -- and if you're not a golfer, just know that's really good for a non-pro.

Mike Tyson says he hated Michael Jackson's guts for YEARS -- calling him a "cold motherf**ker" -- until he got to know the singer ... and that's when everything changed.

The boxing superstar opened up about his experience with MJ on T.I.'s "Expeditiously" podcast ... saying Jackson dissed him backstage at a concert in 1986.

Tyson says he had just become the heavyweight champion of the world -- and had become super famous -- but Jackson treated him as if he was a nobody. Tyson said MJ straight-up hurt his feelings.

"It broke my ego," Tyson said ... "It crushed me."

Tyson says he harbored some serious animosity toward MJ for years -- saying, "That cold motherf**ker. I hated his guts forever."

But, a while later, a mutual friend approached Tyson and said MJ wanted to hang out -- so he swallowed his pride and visited with the singer, hoping to squash the beef.

TMZ Sports Presents: "How To Impress Your Boss" ... starring Joel Embiid!

Today's lesson ... when you dislocate your finger, SNAP IT BACK IN PLACE AND BALL OUT!

The strategy worked, judging by our conversation with Philadelphia 76ers partner Michael Rubin, who raved about his star player's toughness after the freak injury.

As we previously reported, Embiid busted his digit during Monday night's game against the OKC Thunder, but taped it up and went back in the game ... and led the 76ers to a big-time win!

"He was a warrior," Rubin said ... "That was one of the ugliest things I've ever seen!"

"It just shows how tough and aggressive he is and how badly he wants to win."

Embiid has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Boston Celtics -- and he's following up with a specialist. Rubin wouldn't elaborate on the injury, but 76ers fans are obviously concerned.

Scary moment for Carlos Correa ... the Astros star says he was forced to run for his life in Puerto Rico after a 6.4 earthquake kickstarted a tsunami warning near his home Tuesday.

"We're getting in our cars and driving out because we live by the beach," Carlos said. "It was terrible."

Carlos was visiting his hometown when the giant quake rocked the island ... and in a conversation with FOX 26 Houston's Mark Berman, he described the frightening scene.

"By the time you realize it's an earthquake, you got to make a decision but you're not sure if it's the right one," Correa said ... "A lot of families lost everything."

The shortstop continued, "A lot of houses went down. A lot of schools went down. It was really sad to drive by & see the damage. It breaks my heart."

According to multiple reports ... the quake was the strongest in Puerto Rico since 1918 -- and left more than 300 people homeless.

Correa -- who made it out of the island safe and back to his home in Houston -- vowed to return to Puerto Rico to help with damage relief.

"We're going to focus on schools," Carlos said. "Kids, unfortunately, they're not going to be able to go to school because they don't have a school to go to."