TMZ Sports - Page 23

The first actual brawl in the 2020 MLB season just unfolded before our eyes -- and lo and behold ... it was against the Houston Astros.

The A's were playing Houston Sunday for a day game, and during the 7th inning ... Astros pitcher Humberto Castellanos beaned A's outfielder Ramon Laureano in the back, which ticked him off. He had words for Castellanos, but then directed his anger at the dugout.

It looks like one of the Astros hitting coaches was chirping at Laureano, which then prompted the A's slugger to charge the dugout. Several Astros players stepped in before Laureano could reach his target -- it looks like Dustin Garneau took him down and others piled on.

This led to the benches clearing and other players to tussle and wrestle on the ground, while others tried pulling one another off. Some were wearing masks, others weren't -- and the fact it was the first actual physical brawl of the COVID-era season made it all the more bizarre.

Of course, there's likely going to be some harsh penalties dished out here because of this -- MLB has strongly discouraged physical closeness/confrontations ... especially if they can be avoided. They've said they'll hand down whatever regular fines or suspensions they normally do in these types of situations, but won't cut 'em down at all for the shortened season.

We told you Saturday there would be a big bash in Bev Hills, and it went down as advertised.

The house was packed with partygoers, including former UFC champ Chuck Liddell, Tyga, Logan Paul and Nyjah Huston.

The person who shot the videos says alcohol was flowing and weed was plentiful as people partied until 4 AM.

The party was indoors and out by the pool. There were even VIP rooms set up.

And, yes ... the masks were few and far between, and forget social distancing.

As we reported, there are efforts underway to skirt L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti's threat to shut off water and power in homes that host these parties. This party was blocks from the L.A. border, but since it was in Bev Hills it was outside the Mayor's domain.

Now entering the game for the (insert NBA team name here) ... J. Cole?!?

NBA player Larry Sanders says HELL YEAH ... telling TMZ Sports he truly believes the rapper has a real chance at making his pro ball dreams come true.

Of course, the idea took off when 35-year-old Cole -- who grew up loving and playing basketball -- starred in a Puma commercial hinting at trying to get a shot at the Association.

Master P told us Cole is dead serious about making it happen ... and even the Detroit Pistons told the "Lion King On Ice" MC to hit 'em up for a tryout.

We spoke with Sanders -- who's played in 6 NBA seasons -- and asked if Cole's got a realistic chance ... and his answer may surprise you.

"I do, for real. I've seen him hoop before in some games and I knew he took the game seriously when he was younger."

"He always raps about it, so that's dope. I'm excited to see that."

Sanders knows exactly what the process will be like, but in reverse -- the 31-year-old has made waves in the music industry off the court ... and even produced a song for PARTYNEXTDOOR.

"It's gonna be just like the music game. Me doing music, everybody laughed at me, everybody went at my head and challenged me ... and I had to go prove myself."

Sanders -- who recently told us he's working on making it back to the league as well -- says he loves the idea of joining forces with Cole on a team next year ... which could end up in some music collabs!!

Bad news for Jake Paul ... one of the best young boxers in the game is giving his biggest secrets to NBA star Nate Robinson -- undefeated two-time WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez!!

Of course, Robinson is prepping to take on the YouTube superstar-turned-fighter in an undercard match for the Mike Tyson and Roy Jones, Jr. fight on September 12.

Some experts believe Paul may come away with the easy dub because he's 2-0 and has more experience ... but Benavidez makes it clear Robinson has been putting in that work.

"I was in there giving him some pointers," the 23-year-old tells us. "I was trying to teach him a little bit about the boxing game. So, I definitely gave him a few gems, so I feel like he's gonna be more than ready for his upcoming fight."

FYI -- Jake and Nate have been going AT IT ever since the fight was announced ... and recently got into a heated trash-talkin' sesh in an interview with TMZ Sports.

Benavidez -- who has a big fight against Alexis Angulo August 15 on Showtime -- says he knows Robinson picked up the sport a few years ago, so any talk of him being too fresh to boxing is simply not true.

First he beat up his opponent ... then Derrick Lewis needed to beat up the toilet!

The Black Beast dropped another gem during his post-fight interview Saturday night ... saying, "I gotta take a sh*t" -- ON LIVE TV!

35-year-old Lewis had just obliterated #10 ranked heavyweight Aleksei Oleinik in the 2nd round of his main event fight ... when the post fight interview with Paul Felder began.

Lewis apparently didn't realize he was LIVE -- because he turned to someone off-camera and revealed he had some junk in his trunk.

The moment was HILARIOUS -- but Felder rolled with it like a pro and made sure to hurry up the interview so Lewis could empty his bowels.

Lewis is known for his post-fight antics -- remember when he took off his pants in the octagon because he said his balls were hot!?!

Aside from the comedy, Lewis is also a serious run -- winning his last 3 fights in very entertaining fashion.

Lewis is currently the #4 ranked heavyweight in the UFC -- with a 24-7-1 record.

Congrats are in order for Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin -- the UFC superstar popped the question to his longtime GF ... and she said YES!!!

The couple -- who have been together for more than a decade -- made the news official on Saturday ... showing off a MASSIVE engagement ring.

The fighter posted about dropping to one knee before Devlin's 33rd birthday, which is August 9 ... but hints it may have happened around his birthday last month.

"What a birthday, my future wife !" Conor captioned his post on Instagram.

McGregor and Devlin have 2 children together -- 3-year-old Conor Jr. and almost 2-year-old Croia.

It's been an eventful 2020 for Conor ... he kicked it off by beating Cowboy Cerrone at UFC 246 ... and retired from MMA (for the third time) in June.

Conor and Dee have spent their time traveling all over the globe ever since ... including a lavish getaway in France.

Dana White says he's still talking with Floyd Mayweather about working together on another combat sports event -- telling TMZ Sports, "We're interested on both sides."

Of course, Floyd made a handshake deal with Dana back in 2019 to set up a fight involving the UFC.

But, all of Floyd's fight plans came to a screeching halt in 2020 following a series of personal tragedies and the COVID-19 pandemic.

We're told Floyd was left reeling after both his ex, Josie Harris, and his uncle, Roger Mayweather, died in the span of a week ... and fighting was the last thing on his mind.

Now, however, Dana says he's talking with Floyd ... and a possible collaboration is far from dead.

"Floyd and I still have dialogue and go back and forth. We're still interested on both sides."

White added an event is still "very possible."

So, who's the opponent? A boxing rematch with Conor McGregor perhaps?

"No no no. I know he would rematch Conor McGregor but I don't know if you heard about this but Conor McGregor's retired," White says.

McGregor announced his retirement from MMA back in June claiming he's lost his passion for the sport -- but no one really believes him ... except maybe Dana?!

"When I'm doing things right now and running business, I don't even think about Conor. Conor is retired. As of right here now today, Conor is retired until Conor tells me differently, I'm not trying to make any fights for Conor."

When challenged about Conor's true career plans, White explained it this way ...

"He is retired right now. He's not fighting. So, per my contract with fighters, I owe them three fights a year. If I do not deliver three fights a year, I have to pay them their money. Conor McGregor is retired."

Ex-MLB player Cody Decker says that Nazi salute at the Oakland A's game is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to anti-Semitism in pro baseball ... insisting the problem is MUCH worse than it seems.

Decker -- who is Jewish -- was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2009 and made his MLB debut in 2015. He retired from pro baseball in 2019.

In other words, Cody's been around the game a LONG time and has personally dealt with anti-Semitism ... a lot.

"I mean the amount of Nazis jokes I've dealt with throughout my entire career is pretty staggering," Decker says.

When it comes to Oakland A's bench coach Ryan Christenson -- who threw up a Hitler salute during Thursday's game -- Decker says things would have gone down much differently after the game if he was on that team.

"If I was in that locker room, what I’d have to go into that office and have to do with that coach?! We would have to have a very harsh conversation or we would have to shut the door and maybe throw punches because that's unacceptable. Plain and simple."

During our conversation, Decker describes several times he dealt with blunt anti-Semitism from other players, coaches and fans ... and it's downright ridiculous.

"If you think ant-Semitism is not rampant throughout baseball!? ... It's a very, very, very Christian sport and not all of the players that are very, very Christian are the brightest of Christians. That's not knocking Christianity by any stretch of the imagination, I'm just telling you what I've death with throughout my career by being called multiple Jewish slurs by fans, by teammates."

So, what should happen with Christenson?

"I think a fair thing would be a suspension," Decker says ... while suggesting an educational component to educate Christenson on the dangers of anti-Semitism.

Washington Football Team star Derrius Guice has been arrested in Virginia on suspicion of domestic violence, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 23-year-old running back was taken into custody on Friday on multiple charges, including one count of felony strangulation, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

He's also facing 3 counts of assault and battery and 1 count of destruction of property.

Guice surrendered to the Loudoun Adult Detention Center around 5 PM, according to the Washington Post.

Records show Guice has since been released on bond.

Guice was a 2nd round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft -- but missed his entire rookie season due to an ACL tear in the preseason.

His 2019 was also plagued with knee injuries -- he was limited to just 5 games and only rushed for 245 yards.

But, the former LSU star has reportedly been working out like a maniac and many projected him to have a breakout year in 2020.

Story developing ...

Cam Newton says he won't use his drama with the Carolina Panthers as motivational fuel to succeed in New England ... insisting he's the kind of self-motivator who "wakes up mad."

Newton -- sporting one of his best flashy outfits -- met with reporters Friday for the first time as a Patriot ... and was asked if the way things ended in Charlotte lit a fire under his ass to dominate in 2020.

"Look, I wake up mad. I don’t need … the fact I'm not able to see my kids on a regular basis, that's what makes me mad."

He continued, "I'm not gonna dwell on the past. I think I'm a person that's a self-motivator."

"Even though the past is the past, I'm not going to keep looking back. For me, it's just turn the page and move forward."

In fact, Cam seems to extend an olive branch to his former team ... saying, "I wish those guys nothing but the best. I hope the feeling is mutual and I'm moving on."

What's interesting is Cam is the same dude who recently said he felt "sh*tted on" and "left to die" after the Panthers released him.

He also recently called himself a "killa" who's "tired of being humble."

Ex-L.A. Angels employee Eric Kay has been charged with distributing fentanyl in connection with pitcher Tyler Skaggs' death ... and prosecutors say they have text messages to prove it.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports on Friday, federal authorities just hit Kay with the charge.

In the docs, prosecutors claim to have a text conversation between Kay and Skaggs from the night of the pitcher's overdose.

In the exchange, Kay asks "Hoe [sic] many?" ... to which Skaggs responded, "Just a few like 5."

Law enforcement officials say in the docs they believe Kay and Skaggs are discussing drugs ... clearly implying the exchange proves Kay is the one who supplied the pitcher with the lethal dose of the pills.

In the docs, law enforcement claims Kay provided "30 milligram oxycodone pills" to Skaggs on multiple occasions.

There's more, and it could spell out more problems for the Angels organization.

Investigators say they learned during the course of the investigation that "several individuals" who were associated with Kay and Skaggs "knew" that Kay was providing pills to the pitcher.

Investigators also say Kay would distribute pills to others "in their place of employment and while they were working."

Investigators do not say if these "others" worked for the Angels organization ... but it seems to be what they're pointing to.

As we previously reported, Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, TX in July 2019 ... hours before the Angels were set to play the Texas Rangers.

In the toxicology report released by the ME, the cause of death was a mix of "alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents."

The Angels released a statement Friday, saying, "It has been more than a year since the tragic passing of Tyler Skaggs, and all of us affected by this loss continue to grieve. The circumstances surrounding his death are a tragedy that has impacted countless individuals and families."

"The Angels Organization had fully cooperated with Law Enforcement and Major League Baseball. Additionally, in order to comprehensively understand the circumstances that led to his death, we hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation."

The statement continued ... "We learned that there was unacceptable behavior inconsistent with our code of conduct, and we took steps to address it. Our investigation also confirmed that no one in management was aware, or informed, of any employee providing opioids to any player, nor that Tyler was using opioids."

"As we try to heal from the loss of Tyler, we continue to work with authorities as they complete their investigation."

Good news for Seattle Seahawks corner Quinton Dunbar -- prosecutors are DROPPING all criminal charges against him stemming from an alleged armed robbery incident.

Bad news for New York Giants corner DeAndre Baker -- some of his charges are moving forward and he now faces up to life in prison.

As we previously reported, Baker -- along with Dunbar -- was arrested for allegedly robbing several people at gunpoint during a May 13 cookout in Miramar, FL.

Cops initially said ... witnesses told them Baker pulled out a semi-automatic firearm and directed Dunbar to start taking expensive watches and other valuables from people at the cookout.

At one point, cops say Baker directed a 3rd man -- who was wearing a red mask -- to shoot someone who had just walked into the party ... but fortunately, no one was actually shot.

Baker was charged with 4 counts of armed robbery and 4 counts of aggravated assault with a firearm -- though he has adamantly denied the allegations.

Dunbar was facing 4 counts of armed robbery.

But now, Broward State Attorney Mike Satz says Quinton Dunbar's charges are being dropped due to insufficient evidence.

As for Baker, he's been formally charged with 4 counts of robbery with a firearm.

Prosecutors say he's accused of stealing cash and watches from four men.

If convicted, 22-year-old Baker faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in state prison.

Officials add ... "Baker surrendered to jail on May 16 and was released on bond while the investigation has been pending."

Baker's attorney, Bradford Cohen, meanwhile, tells TMZ Sports ... "The state attorney's office is basing their case on the words of admitted liars who were paid off to change their stories."

"What the state attorney's office is doing here is just filing these charges without any corroborating evidence and saying let the justice system work it out. This type of thinking needs to be eliminated."

Baker -- a former Georgia Bulldog superstar -- was picked with the 30th overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft and was expected to compete for a starting job on the Giants this season.

THIS IS SAVAGE!!!

Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire was epically trolled by the Atlanta Braves team organist mid-game Thursday ... and the scene was laugh out loud funny!!

McGuire -- playing in his first game since TMZ Sports posted video of his SUPER awkward masturbation bust -- was walking up to the plate in the 3rd inning when he was greeted by "Beat It" over the Atlanta loudspeakers.

The Michael Jackson tune played for several seconds ... and if you get the reference -- try not to smile!!

Of course, McGuire was stopped by cops in a parking lot last February after witnesses say they saw him inside of his car pleasuring himself.

In police footage of the incident ... McGuire apologized profusely for his actions, saying, "I've realized that I made a mistake having my pants down and doing what I was doing."

He added, "I really am apologetic. And, I know I shouldn't have been doing this."

McGuire eventually was forced to pay fines and fees over it all after cutting a deal with prosecutors ... but clearly, MLB teams ain't going to let him off that easy.

To make matters worse for McGuire ... he finished the night 0-for-3 with two strikeouts after the troll job -- AND the Jays lost in heartbreaking walk-off fashion.

A Black cheerleader in Alabama is so LIVID over seeing her white H.S. teammates posing with a confederate flag ... she quit the squad and is now demanding school action ASAP.

Reagan Coleman says back in early July ... one of her cheerleading teammates at Daphne High School posted a picture on Instagram that deeply disturbed her.

In the photo, six girls -- all of whom are white -- held up a T-shirt that read, "I Heart Redneck Boys" ... with a confederate flag placed inside of the heart's image.

Coleman told WKRG-TV in Alabama when she first viewed the picture, she immediately saw "hate." Reagan's mother, Latitiah, said she had a similar reaction.

"There’s no two sides to that flag," Reagan's mom said. "That means hatred, That’s what it stands for for us."

Reagan and her mom say even though the photo was eventually taken down after backlash ... they still wanted to see action from school officials over it all.

But, Latitiah says when she went to complain ... she claims she got the runaround at every level.

"I went from the coach to the principal, from the principal to the superintendent. And I kept getting vague answers. It was almost like everybody was reading a script," Latitiah said.

Reagan, who's one of just two Black members of the cheer team, says when she showed up to practice about two weeks after the picture was posted ... nothing was done, so she quit.

Now, she's created a change.org petition to implore school officials to punish the girls for the photo.

"They have faced remotely no consequences and are still on Daphne’s Cheer Team," Reagan said. "As 1/2 black girls on the cheer team, I knew I needed to speak up about this matter and Daphne’s negligence."

Baldwin County Public Schools released a statement on the matter saying, "We are aware of the situation and it has been handled at the local school level. As with any student issue, federal law prohibits us from discussing disciplinary actions, if any, involving our students."

"Our system has implemented sensitivity programs and Superintendent Tyler has stressed that we have a zero-tolerance for racism and bullying in our system."

Reagan, though, insists little-to-nothing has been done.

"I am not trying to ignite hate on these girls, I just simply want everyone to see what Daphne High School allows," she said in the petition. "Daphne’s Administration team has failed to release any statements or contact anyone back concerning this matter. Daphne is known for keeping things like this hidden and swept under the rug."

Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder is trying to smoke out the person behind a rash of Internet posts falsely accusing him of being a sex trafficker with ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Snyder took his battle to federal court Friday morning seeking info on a company called New Content Media, which operates the website, meaww.com. He's also filed a $10 million lawsuit in India against the parent company of the website that published the heinous stories last month.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Snyder says meaww.com posted an article hinting that a forthcoming Washington Post story was going to expose Snyder's alleged involvement in sex trafficking. Snyder points out the meaww.com post sourced anonymous Reddit posts, including one that said "[Snyder] is getting [arrested] for sex trafficking. He was on [Jeffrey] Epstein's list too."

As you know, the July 16 WaPo article said no such thing -- it detailed sexual harassment allegations against several team executives ... but not Snyder.

In the suit, he says the site also posted this outlandish theory -- "Will Dan Snyder rename Washington Redskins the 'Epsteins?'"

Snyder, whose team just unveiled its brand new helmets for the upcoming season, calls the stories "utterly untrue" with no "legitimate journalistic basis whatsoever."

That being said, he is painfully aware the articles spread like wildfire across the Internet. As Snyder says in the suit, the articles "have been referenced in at least 22 stories which have generated over 160 million impressions."

Although meaww.com took down the articles under threat of legal action ... he says the damage has been done to his character and his family name.

What's clearly important to him now is not just the $10 million he's seeking for defamation -- but also finding out who engineered the whole smear campaign. In the docs, he says he wants the "identity of the third parties involved in hiring [meaww.com] to publish these false and defamatory articles."