TMZ Sports - Page 50

Gordon Hayward is reliving the night where his ankle snapped on the court ... and says seeing his parents' reaction -- especially his mom's -- might've been the hardest part of the ordeal.

In an interview with "TODAY" ... Gordon opened up about the game when his NBA career flashed before his eyes -- and got emotional talking about the toll it took on his parents, who were in attendance.

"As a parent, you don’t want your child to go through that. And as a parent myself ... I would rather take their pain ... I wouldn't want (my daughters) to go through that."

"I remember seeing my mom, and she’s crying. It’s tough to see your parents cry too."

On the plus side, the Celtics superstar says he's doing a lot better now ... and the support he's gotten from his family has really helped the healing process.

Fun fact: Hayward's interviewer, Matt Lauer, says the All-Star is already swishing half-court shots FROM A CHAIR. Ballllllllin'!

The Houston Astros were THIRSTY after lockin' down their first World Series in franchise history -- so pitchers Ken Giles and James Hoyt used the Commissioner's Trophy as a beer luge to help the boys drink up!!

But the locker room celebration was just getting started ... clubhouse vet Brian McCann got in the middle of a dogpile for an epic booze shower -- with the 'Stros poppin' bottles of Limited Edition Championship Brut -- and he loved it.

Series MVP George Springer and third baseman Alex Bregman also got wet -- though Breg seemed a little pissed 'cause he didn't have his goggles on.

But don't get it twisted -- the guys were PUMPED. Also drunk. It was awesome.

With everyone asking if Dave Roberts made a tremendous mistake in starting Yu Darvish for Game 7 -- Vin Scully says he refuses to second-guess the Dodgers' skipper.

Vin -- along with a bunch of celebrity Dodger fans -- was leaving Dodger Stadium after the loss ... and you can see some of the hardcore Blew Crewers were legit sad ... like Flea and Dennis Haysbert.

Larry King says it's easy to question Roberts' pitching decisions after the fact ... but everyone had one thing in common -- they're all focusing on next year!

9:15 AM PT -- Cops are now telling us they don't think Yasiel was targeted. They say it was a random hit by what appears to be a homeless man.

8:00 AM PT -- Puig's probably not sweating this after all ... a law enforcement source tells us the burglar made off with costume jewelry. Total value is a mere $150!

Small victory, but we're guessing Puig will take it.

This ain't the double play Yasiel Puig needed -- while he and the Dodgers were losing Game 7 of the World Series, a burglar hit his house and made off with jewelry ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The burglar busted a window in Puig's San Fernando Valley home to get in, which set off an alarm ... according to our law enforcement sources. We're told the suspect quickly grabbed some jewelry and bolted -- but the whole caper was caught on surveillance video.

Unfortunately, Puig's a veteran of this kinda crap. We broke the story ... back in March burglars hit him for about $500k worth of jewelry. We're told Wednesday night's incident went down at a different house from the March one.

Another big difference ... our sources say this time the creep got very few items. It's unclear what the dollar amount is, but we're told the alarm appeared to have scared off the suspect.

Once Puig got home from the World Series loss ... he had to end his night by talking to cops investigating the burglary. The universe is freakin' cruel.

Does Marcell Dareus think his new Jacksonville Jaguars squad can make a serious run in the playoffs?

HELL YEAH.

TMZ Sports spoke with Sacksonville's newest defensive stud -- a 2-time Pro Bowler who joined the squad last week after a blockbuster trade with the Buffalo Bills.

To say Marcell is excited is an understatement ... he's convinced the Jags, especially the defense, is locked and loaded.

"I mean, really, the sky's the limit man. We got some hellacious defensive backs ... the defense can be as good as we wanna be. We can be the best in the league, easily."

Eric Dickerson says the Ezekiel Elliott suspension proves one thing -- "The NFL is the only league where you're guilty until you prove yourself innocent."

The Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports he agrees with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones -- who thinks Zeke is getting screwed by the NFL as the result of an "overcorrection" from the Ray Rice situation.

Are you a Dodgers fan? Wanna watch Game 7 but you're locked up in jail?

Well, good news -- we're told inmates at L.A. County Jail WILL be able to watch the entire World Series game from their cells and TV rooms Wednesday night!!

We know there are a bunch of Dodgers fans behind bars (some of them have it inked on their bodies!) and they're very interested in tonight's game.

So, to make everyone happy ... law enforcement sources tell us they will NOT be turning off the TVs before the game ends.

Listen up Dodgers & Astros ... a former World Series hero is about to tell you how not to FREAKIN' CHOKE in tonight's all important Game 7 matchup.

TMZ Sports talked to Luis Gonzalez ... the man who destroyed Yankees fans with a super clutch Game 7 RBI against Mariano Rivera in the 2001 fall classic.

If any guy knows what it takes to deliver in the big spots, it's LG, and he told us EXACTLY what players in tonight's game are gonna have to do to get the job done.

Pay attention fellas, and remember, it's just a game, not like your entire lives and legacies are on the line.

How is Yasiel Puig gearing up for the biggest game of his life??

By ROCKIN' THE HELL OUT to "Eye of the Tiger" and the "Rocky" theme song ... in a wild carpool turn up on the way to Dodger Stadium!!

The Dodgers slugger couldn't be more hyped for Game 7 of the World Series ... bobbin' his head, waggin' his tongue and losin' himself in 2 of the most famous pump-up tracks on the planet.

He also listened to "Don't Stop Believin'" and "We Will Rock You."

We're still waiting on Bruce Maxwell's side of the story after he allegedly pulled a gun on a female courier ... but one thing's for sure -- he ain't getting served by the same delivery company ever again.

We got in touch with Postmates after Maxwell -- the only MLB player who took a knee last season -- allegedly stuck a handgun in the face of their driver who brought him food at his Scottsdale, AZ home ... and we're told the A's catcher "has been removed from the platform."

"Although we’re still investigating the incident, the report is deeply concerning and we’ve reached out to provide assistance and support to the courier involved," a rep said in a statement.

"No one should ever feel unsafe when using our service, and we will work with the police to cooperate fully with this investigation."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Maxwell was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct on Saturday. Cops say he reeked of booze and berated them with "anti-police statements."

Hope all the LOS ANGELES Clippers fans don't get too pissed about this ... 'cause one of their own, DeAndre Jordan, is going AGAINST L.A. saying the Astros are gonna take the World Series.

FYI -- DeAndre is from Houston ... but still.

We got Benedict Arnold leaving the Dodgers game Tuesday night, decked out in Houston gear, and asked him if he's disappointed the Astros let a closeout opportunity slip through their fingers.

That's when Judas told us he wasn't concerned at all, and that his Astros were just trying to make things interesting by taking it to 7.

Hey DeAndre, if you love Houston so much why don't you marry it?

The guy who plays "The Mountain" on "Game of Thrones" says he MAJORLY "held back" when he sparred Conor McGregor back in 2015 ... because he coulda Prince Oberyn'd the guy for real.

You remember the video ... 6'9'', 400-pound Icelandic strongman Hafthor Julius Bjornsson toyed with the 5'9" UFC star in a training sesh in Ireland before Conor's big fight against Jose Aldo.

Hafthor talked about the throwdown with RT Sport and said he went easy because, "If I would push all my power into him, I would crush him. Crush him."

"I had to hold myself back because I have too much power for a man his size."

He's right.

R.I.P. Oberyn's face.

Rick Fox has played in multiple Game 7 situations -- and never lost -- and he's got some serious advice for the Dodgers ... DON'T CRAP YOUR PANTS!!!

The ex-Lakers champ -- who has won 3 rings -- says he's seen what pre-Game 7 jitters can do to a player ... and it ain't pretty.

"I've seen guys throw up in their mouth. Sh*t their pants. It happens, man. It's stressful."

The big question -- WHO CRAPPED THEIR PANTS?

Here's a list of some of the Lakers who were on Game 7 teams with Fox:

Shaq, Kobe, Derek Fisher, Tyronn Lue, Glen Rice, Robert Horry, A.C. Green, Devean George, Mark Madsen, Brian Shaw, Samaki Walker.

O.J. Simpson. Scariest. Halloween. Costume. Ever.

Yes, O.J. actually greeted trick-or-treaters at the Las Vegas home where he's been living since getting out of prison -- and he even dressed up for the occasion. Sorta. Simpson grabbed one of his old Buffalo Bills jerseys -- maybe one he's planning to hawk online.

He did cut through more NFL defenses than Freddy Krueger in that #32.

Doesn't look like O.J. handed out candy, but he did take selfies and sign autographs. More evidence of what we reported ... neighbors are welcoming him with open arms, and apparently their kids are too.

Rob Gronkowski tried spitting bars (again) -- this time in rap battle form -- and got absolutely WRECKED by "Jane the Virgin" star Gina Rodriguez.

On "Drop the Mic" ... Gronk took the stage in a tank n' chain, bragged about his Super Bowl rings and dropped some cringy sex jokes on Gina.

"You're a Virgin, I'm not -- I score all the time."

Gina responded with a series of shots at Gronk's intelligence ... leaving the Patriots superstar looking legitimately hurt.

"I spit fire -- you look like the caveman that discovered it."

"Gronk's his nickname and we know what that means -- it's the only sound he made until he was 16."

And the KO blow -- "This is not a revelation, I'm sure you've heard it all. But check your manhood, 'cause I just deflated your balls."

Update: Gronk's ego has officially been placed on the IR.

He's staring down the barrel of a 4-year suspension, but Jon Jones says he's NOT giving up his fight career -- and he's still training as if he'll be back in the near future.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Jones was popped for steroids in August after UFC 214 -- the second time he's tested positive for a banned substance in the last 2 years.

Jones has been provisionally suspended and is now facing 4 years in the penalty box once the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) metes out the official punishment.

But Jon isn't waving the white flag just yet ... in fact, he busted out the UFC gear and hit the mitts with a trainer -- insisting, "If I made it to the top of the mountain once, I can do it again."

The question ... is he looking to switch sports?

He added another caption saying, "I believe there are talents inside of me I haven't even discovered yet. There's nothing I put my mind to that I can't achieve, just got to be willing to put in the work."

Jones is a freak athlete. He's only 30. Guessing he's not planning on doing NOTHING.