TMZ Sports - Page 50

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME ... Kornacki?!

That's what football fans got on Sunday night -- when MSNBC's lord of the big board took his talents to the NFL!

Kornacki -- who became a viral sensation in November for his election updates -- was called on to break down the NFL playoff picture on NBC's "Football Night in America" ... and stayed true to form.

Fast talking, lots of numbers, some hypothesizing ... and, of course, the trademark khaki pants!

Among the highlights, Kornacki pointed out the NY Giants' playoff chances jumped from 30% to 45% with a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday ... and he expects that number to grow further.

Over in the AFC, Kornacki was impressed with the Cleveland Browns -- pointing out they have a 97% shot at making the post-season.

"it's not quite 100% ... but they are 97% away to the first one (playoff appearance) in 18 years," he said with a smile.

"That's the dumbest call ever. There's no other way of putting it."

Rex Ryan just went OFF on NY Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for his role in the team's epic 31-28 loss to the Raiders on Sunday ... saying the guy's last-play-of-the-game defense was straight-up "stupid."

"Dumbest call I've ever seen," Ryan said on ESPN's 'Get Up' on Monday morning ... "It's just stupid. It's just absolutely stupid."

If you missed it ... the Jets were FINALLY about to get a win this season -- all they had to do was play defense for 13 more seconds in their game against Vegas to seal up victory #1.

But, Williams inexplicably decided to all-out blitz Derek Carr instead of just playing conservatively ... and it all led to a miracle, game-winning 46-yard touchdown.

The defense Williams called was peculiar -- it left no safety help for the team's cornerbacks -- and several notable names in the NFL, including Tony Dungy, wondered why in the world THAT was the defense Williams chose.

"Just protect the sideline and the end zone and the game is over," Dungy said.

In fact, Carr himself was dumbfounded over it all ... telling reporters after the game, "I couldn't believe they all-out blitzed us."

Ryan couldn't either ... and the former NY Jets head coach didn't hold back when breaking down Williams' call.

"Not only was it the stupidest call ever, they don't even know how to run the dang Cover 0 blitz," Ryan said. "And you wonder why they give up 400 yards a game. You wonder why this team hasn't won a game."

"And the thing I feel bad about is for every one of those kids that have been a laughing stock of the league. The Jets have been a laughing stock of this league. And for you to put those kids in that situation, to take the moment away from them -- a win -- after all their hard work, that's just ridiculous."

For their part, the Jets' players weren't exactly pleased with Williams either ... team captain Marcus Maye told media members afterward, "I just felt like we could've been in a better call in that situation."

Hope Trevor Lawrence is really worth all of this ...

Dana White doesn't mince words -- and when the UFC boss was asked about Floyd Mayweather agreeing to fight Logan Paul, he didn't hold back.

"Yeah ... when people ask me about the state of boxing right now, that’s where it’s at,” White said Sunday night on the 'Nelk Boys' show on Twitch.

Then he dropped this factoid about Logan ...

"Didn’t that kid get beaten up by the f*cking video game kid from England and now he’s going to fight Floyd Mayweather?”

White is referring to Logan's only professional boxing match -- a 2019 sanctioned bout against his YouTube rival, KSI.

Paul fought well -- but ultimately lost in a split decision after 6 rounds.

"Doesn't he weigh 200 pounds too?" White added ... "I dunno. Good luck to him."

As we previously reported, Mayweather vs. Logan Paul is an exhibition -- not a sanctioned bout -- so it won't count on either of their records.

The fight is set for February 20 -- but soooo many questions remain.

Still unclear where the fight will take place? How many rounds will it be? Who will score it? Will they try for knockouts?

White isn't the only one who has doubts about the fight -- boxing star Ryan Garcia also had an interesting reaction after the fight was announced.

Evander Holyfield says his team has been in contact with Mike Tyson's camp -- and he strongly believes they're VERY close to inking a deal for a 3rd fight.

"I'm a very confident person," Evander tells TMZ Sports ... "I think it's gonna happen."

Remember, after Mike fought Roy Jones Jr. -- Tyson revealed his team had been in touch with the Holyfield camp, but they weren't able to make a deal.

But, Evander says there's been movement -- and it's heading in the right direction.

Evander is 58. Tyson is 54.

Of course, the two first clashed back in 1996 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas -- where Evander dominated Mike before securing a win via TKO in the 11th round.

The Tyson vs. Holyfield rematch went down in 1997 -- and that's when Mike famously feasted on Evander's ears. Tyson was disqualified in the 3rd round.

Evander's last sanctioned fight took place in 2011 when he was nearly 48 years old -- defeating 46-year-old Danish heavyweight Brian Nielsen.

Holyfield has been back in the gym training like crazy -- but does he have what it takes to beat Mike Tyson, who looked phenomenal against Roy Jones Jr.?

The Real Deal is hoping to find out ... sending this message to his old rival.

We told you it was close ... and now it's official -- Floyd Mayweather is fighting Logan Paul.

Here's what you need to know ... it's an exhibition boxing match set for Feb. 20, and it's available on Pay-Per-View on Fanmio.

(An "exhibition" means the fight will NOT count on either fighter's professional records)

Floyd is 43-years-old and boasts a legendary 50-0 record as a pro, with wins over all-time greats like Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez.

Logan is 25-years-old and 0-1 as a pro, after losing a split-decision fight to YouTube star, KSI, back in 2019.

Floyd is 5'8" and last fought at 150 pounds. Logan is 6'2", 200 pounds.

Fanmio -- a site where fans can pay for custom videos from celebs -- says the PPV price is $24.99 right now ... but that number will go up at various benchmarks, until Feb. 11, when the price locks in at $69.99.

As we previously reported, Logan's team went to Floyd's camp with an offer for a boxing match earlier this year ... but it wasn't an easy process to get Mayweather to sign the dotted line.

Logan launched a public campaign trashing Floyd everywhere -- and saying he would beat TBE's ass any time, any place ... and finally, Floyd decided to put pen to paper.

Floyd responded to Logan on social media in November -- saying, "These YouTube girls better find some Barbie dolls to play with cause I’m not the one for the kid games. 3 years ago a fighter from the UFC said my name and I had to put a muzzle on that bitch. @loganpaul can get the same treatment before I go conquer Japan again."

Logan's only professional fight was against his YouTube rival, KSI, back in Nov. 2019 -- a 6-round fight Paul lost via split decision.

But, the takeaway from that fight was that Logan can scrap -- and the impressive PPV numbers proved he can draw an audience.

Floyd, a master promoter, knows a good thing when he sees it ... he clearly thinks he'll make a ton of money with little-to-no risk.

Remember what Floyd did to Conor McGregor when they fought back 2017?!?!? He dominated the UFC champ while taking a $300 to $400 million payday!!

No word how much each fighter stands to make this time around ... but Floyd wouldn't even consider taking this on if it wasn't a HUGE number.

Tom Brady dominates on land, air ... and now by sea -- 'cause the QB just bought a multi-million dollar boat and we've got the pics!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Tampa Bay Bucs star ordered up a custom 40-plus-foot, state-of-the-art watercraft to enjoy during his time in Florida.

The boat was delivered on Thursday at his local marina in St. Petersburg -- and Tom was as excited as a kid on Christmas!

You can see how happy he looks in the photo -- smiling from ear to ear as the ship was handed over.

It's a beautiful blue boat named "Viva a Vida" -- which happens to be the name of Gisele's environmental conservation initiative.

The Brazilian supermodel recently announced a program to help plant over 200,000 trees in the Amazon rainforest -- something she's been very passionate about for a while.

As for the price of Tom's boat, we're told it usually costs around a couple million dollars -- but no word on exactly how much Tom paid.

He can definitely afford it though -- Tom is in the middle of a 2-year, $50 million deal with the Bucs and he's made more than $200 million in his NFL contracts alone.

And, that's not even including the Ugg money!

Amazing gesture from Dak Prescott ... the Dallas Cowboys QB gifted his older bro with an incredible diamond moose pendant to remember their late brother -- and TMZ Sports has learned it was all super emotional.

We're told in mid-November, Dak hit up Paul Mazza at Mazza New York to try to get a birthday gift made for Tad Prescott -- Dak's older bro -- in time for his Nov. 25 celebration.

Mazza tells us he and Dak got to talking about possible jewelry pieces for the occasion ... when the 27-year-old NFL star had the idea to commission a diamond moose pendant.

Dak and Tad's other brother, Jace Prescott, was nicknamed "Moose" before he tragically died by suicide last April -- so the QB felt it would be special for Tad.

Knowing the importance of such a gift for the Prescotts ... Mazza says he got to work on crafting a masterpiece ASAP -- and was able to deliver an unbelievable pendant in less than 2 weeks.

Mazza tells us the bling features 65 grams of 14k white gold and 9.5 carats of VVS E through D diamonds that were all hand-set on the antlers in a flower setting.

Mazza says the whole thing was also hand-painted in a jewelry enamel ... and features the words "In Memory of Jace 'Moose' Prescott" on the back.

And, when the Prescotts received the gift ... Mazza tells us Tad was so moved by the creation -- he broke down in tears.

"Dak sent me a personal video thanking me," Mazza said. "He said, 'You made somebody's birthday.'"

"I, Claressa Shields, will whoop Jake Paul's ass! He can come in the ring weighing 180 pounds and I will come weighing 168 and I will beat the s**t out of him!"

Yup, that's one of the greatest female boxers ever ... telling TMZ Sports she's ready to humble the YouTube superstar and show him what it's like to go up against a REAL fighter!!

We spoke with the champ about the recent Paul and Nate Robinson fight ... and she says they made a "mockery" of the sport because there are actual boxers who should have gotten the chance to fight under a Tyson and Jones Jr. card instead of social media stars and NBA players.

The 25-year-old says it's smart for Jake to keep calling out non-pro boxers ... but guarantees the dude would get exposed against a real fighter.

"Jake Paul is making his money, he's doing his thing, but stay away from us real fighters," Shields says.

"And anybody out there that say 'Oh, Jake Paul will destroy her because she's a woman', ... I'm the greatest woman! So, no, Jake Paul won't do nothing with me and if he think he can, he can come see me."

Shields says she's not talkin' sparring, either -- she would take Paul on in a real fight ... and donate her earnings to the water crisis in her hometown of Flint, Michigan.

As for what the boxing world would think of the potential matchup, Shields thinks people would still take Paul just because he's a dude.

"I've been boxing for 14 years, 2 Olympics but they would still give Jake Paul the nod because he's a man. And it's like, you guys don't know nothing!"

"[Jake Paul] had too much talent for Nate Robinson. I'd like to get Nate down here for a few weeks and train him and get a rematch."

That's 71-year-old boxing legend George Foreman -- fresh off watching 23-year-old Paul DOMINATE Robinson on the Tyson-Jones Jr. undercard last weekend -- offering to train the ex-NBA star for a rematch with the popular YouTuber.

Most people say 36-year-old Robinson -- who was finished with a devastating KO punch in the 2nd round -- should NEVER fight again.

Not Foreman -- the 2x World Heavyweight Champ who faced Muhammad Ali and beat Joe Frazier (and so many other heavyweights) -- who says Robinson has untapped talent.

"I can turn him into a 5, 6 round fighter in no-time flat. Make him do what I say," Foreman says.

"He may not want to box again, but I wouldn't want him to leave without doing a better show than he put on. You don't wanna go on like that."

Of course, it's highly unlikely Nate would get an immediate rematch. Paul wants to fight Conor McGregor ... and everyone from Antonio Tarver to Evander Kane has called out the YT star.

Down the road ... why not?

If it happens, real talk -- does Foreman actually believe he can train Robinson to beat the dude who just whooped him??

We asked George.

NFL player Su'a Cravens is addressing the rumors on social media -- saying when it comes to Montana Yao, "There was no cheating."

There are rumblings Su'a's 2019 fight with Yao's estranged husband Malik Beasley was over cheating allegations ... the insinuation that Malik went after Su'a for getting involved with his then-girlfriend.

But, Su'a tells TMZ Sports straight up that's just not the case at all.

"There was no cheating," Su'a says ... "Montana and I hung out years prior to her and Malik even starting to date."

As for why Su'a and Malik threw down in that apartment lobby in Colorado back in 2019 -- all Su'a would say is Malik "brought that up onto himself. He got beat up for no reason."

Su'a claims he was later contacted by law enforcement and was asked if he wanted to press charges against Malik, since it appeared from the video that Malik was the aggressor ... but "I chose not to."

As we previously reported, Malik and Montana later got married. They have a child together.

But, recent photos of Malik and Larsa Pippen holding hands in public during an outing in Miami have caused some issues with their relationship.

Scary moment for NBA star DeMar DeRozan ... who chased an intruder out of his L.A.-area home after a terrifying encounter with his kids, TMZ Sports has learned.

Our sources tell us ... the man broke into DeRozan's home on Nov. 19 and made his way upstairs into a play area where at least one of DeMar's kids was hanging out.

We're told 31-year-old DeRozan -- who's 6'6", 220 pounds -- heard the commotion and raced to the area to see what was going on, coming "face-to-face" with the intruder in the process.

Our sources say DeRozan then "chased the man out of his house."

Law enforcement sources tell us the man fled the area -- before returning to DeRozan's gated community a short time later.

When the alleged intruder attempted to get back in to the gated community, security stopped him and called police.

According to our sources, the suspect told cops DeRozan's home was not his intended target -- he was trying to get to Kylie Jenner's home but made a mistake.

As we previously reported, the man was eventually arrested and has been charged with 1 count of felony burglary.

He's also been hit with a restraining order -- prohibiting him from getting anywhere close to DeMar's home and Kylie's home.

DeMar's not the first celeb to have issues with home security in a gated community, you'll remember a man scaled the hill behind Kendall Jenner's home a few years ago ... Kris Jenner also had a man break into her community several times.

Jake Paul admits he's seriously wrestling with the idea of taking a boxing match against his older brother Logan Paul -- but says he's 100% certain he'd whoop that ass if they do!

"I sort of change my mind on it every day," Jake said about fighting his brother ... "One day I'll do it, the next day I'm like 'I don't think I should do that.'"

Remember, Jake called out Logan -- along with Conor McGregor and others -- following his KO victory over Nate Robinson on Saturday ... leading many to wonder, would he REALLY fight his own bro?

Now that he's had time to think about it, Jake says it's come down to this -- "I would just do it to prove people wrong."

Jake says he's sick of hearing everyone praise Logan as the superior fighter -- saying, "I'm like a 10-times better boxer."

"I've had 2 fights and I've been in the ring for a total of 7 minutes and I've knocked down my opponents 6 times in that 7 minutes."

Jake previously told us he's dead serious about pursuing a boxing career -- and wants to take on some bigger names.

Since then, athletes like ex-boxing champ Antonio Tarver and NHL star Evander Kane have called out Jake.

Bottom line ... he doesn't HAVE to fight Logan -- he's got options.

A piece of Dodgers history just hit the auction block -- the jersey Tommy Lasorda was wearing during Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series homer!!!

Yep, the folks at Lelands Auctions say they've authenticated the #2 jersey as the same one Tommy wore as he came jumping out of the dugout at Dodgers Stadium on that legendary Oct.15 night!

Gibson's home run has widely been regarded as one of the top moments in World Series history ... he was badly injured, could barely walk -- but Lasorda sent him up to face Dennis Eckersley in the bottom of the 9th anyway.

The Dodgers were down 4-3 to the Oakland A's in Game 1 of the Series -- and on the 7th pitch of the at-bat (with 2 strikes), Gibson -- using only his upper body -- casually flicked his bat at Eckerlsley's slider.

The ball sailed over the right-field fence, sealing the win for L.A. -- and sparking the Dodgers to eventually win the whole Series.

Now, 32 years later, the white #2 Dodgers jersey that Lasorda wore (and later autographed) while making one of the most BRILLIANT managerial decisions in the history of Major League Baseball is up for grabs.

Lelands says the jersey has been photo-matched for authenticity -- and still has its original Rawlings 'Size 46' tag in the neck!!

Oh, and if you're wondering what happened to the home run ball ... NOBODY KNOWS ITS WHEREABOUTS!!

Did you know ... ex-49ers Pro Bowl center Jeremy Newberry became a cherry farmer after retiring in 2009?

It's true!

Did you also know ... he's SELLING his cherry farm for $5 MIL because he's sick of the strict COVID protocols in California and has decided to move to another state?!

That's also true!!

Here's the deal ... Newberry has listed his 40-acre cherry farm property located in the Bay Area, which also features an amazing house with a gym and game room!

There's also the backyard which has a basketball court, miniature golf and an amazing pool with fire pits!

The place is incredible -- and Jeremy has run his Newberry Cherry business out of it since 2019, selling his delicious cherries on the property and hosting events!

So, why move? We spoke with Newberry who told us he feels the COVID protocols in California are WAYYY over the top and it's depriving his kids of a normal childhood.

"We're going to move somewhere where our kids can actually go to school, go participate in sports. Somewhere in the country that's open. I kinda feel like these kids are getting deprived from their childhood because everything's locked down."

Newberry added, "What is the future of this state? Are they gonna go back to school next year? Are they gonna go back sometime later this year? We're going on almost a full year now where these kids haven't been in school, haven't been allowed to do any extracurricular activity, any football, any dancing, anything. It's time to give them a childhood that they deserve."

So, where are they looking to move? Idaho -- where Newberry feels the COVID protocols are more relaxed and a better fit for his family.

Still, Newberry hopes his cherry farm finds a new owner who will appreciate it the way he did.

"The cool thing about that property if someone were to buy it, and farm it, it will pay for itself. You can make enough farming where you can live there for free and probably put something in the bank."

"So, that was a tough decision to let it go is because it makes me good money and it's not a lot of work to take care of."

The property --  listed by Deneen Vornhagen of Delta Ranches and Homes Inc -- is on the market for $4.98 million!

Colin Kaepernick's jersey from his NFL debut with the 49ers just sold for a whopping $128k ... the highest price an NFL jersey has EVER fetched at auction.

The jersey is from Kap's rookie debut on October 2, 2011 -- when he came in for Alex Smith for one snap against the Philadelphia Eagles ... which is why the jersey is so clean!

Kap handed the ball off to Frank Gore -- and then went back to the bench. The 49ers won the game 24 to 23.

Of course, Kap's career took off the following season -- he started 7 games and then became the full-time starter in 2013. The rest is history.

Kaepernick signed the jersey from his rookie debut -- inscribing it with the message "2011 game worn rookie jersey" -- and then gifted it to family friend and reporter, Aaron Prince, who put it up for auction in 2019.

The item made its way to Julian's Auctions in 2020 -- where it sold at a high profile event for $128,000 to a buyer whose identity has not yet been revealed.

Julian's claims it's the highest price ANYONE has ever paid for a game-used NFL jersey, EVER.

As we've previously reported, Kap memorabilia has been HOT in with collectors over the past few years ... a combination of interest in Kap as an athlete AND as a social justice icon.

There were more cool items at the auction -- including the NBA jersey given to Michael Jordan on the day he signed with the Bulls in 1984 ... that went for $320,000.

And, a high school basketball jersey worn by Barack Obama in 1979 at Punahou School in Hawaii sold for $192k!

By the way, Obama's jersey number -- 23!

FaZe Jarvis has transformed into FaZe Santa for the holidays ... 'cause the gaming star just donated more than $5,000 in gifts to a family in need!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 19-year-old was feeling extra grateful this year, so he decided to give back in an impactful way.

We're told Jarvis teamed up with the Los Angeles Mission to surprise a family with presents (TV, DVD player, movies, card games, etc.), gift cards and other donations to help them spread the holiday cheer with their loved ones.

On top of that, Jarvis took the time to video chat with one of his biggest fans.

It's been a good year for Jarvis -- not only is he one of the biggest stars on the sticks, he's also gained nearly 2 MILLION subscribers on YouTube in 2020.

Sure seems like the dude's gonna end up on the "Nice" list ... unlike last year!!! (We kid, we kid).