TMZ Sports - Page 2

Roger Goodell, listen up ... Rams star left tackle Andrew Whitworth says he HATES extra points -- and wants them banned from the league ASAP!!!

We got the 4-time Pro Bowler leaving Craig's in L.A. this week ... when we got into a conversation with the big man about the XFL's new rules.

That's when Whitworth told us he loves the league's idea of getting rid of field goal attempts for a point after touchdown tries ... saying they straight-up hurt his body!!!

"I get tired of getting ran into," Andrew says. "I don't need an extra opportunity to get hit."

Of course, as an O-lineman, it's Whitworth's job to protect the kicker ... which means he's got to throw his body in the way of pass-rushing defenders EVERY TIME the Rams go for an extra point!!!

Yeah, ouch.

Here it is ... Conor McGregor and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone stripping down and weighing in for their main event fight at UFC 246 -- and good news, they both made weight!

Conor and Cowboy both hit 170 on the dot -- perfect weight for their welterweight matchup Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The last time McGregor fought, he only weighed 155 to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title.

But now, he's moved up in weight and he looks pretty good -- big, strong and UFC doctors say he's in the best shape of his MMA career.

As for Cowboy, DON'T SLEEP ON THAT GUY -- Cerrone holds the UFC record for most victories, most finishes and most fight bonuses!

Both fighters will next attend the UFC ceremonial weigh-in -- which goes down later Friday in front of thousands of fans. It's usually a chaotic scene. We'll have the highlights for you right here.

"Couldn’t imagine taking baseball instruction from an ex-female softball player."

Well, this is a horrible take ... courtesy of former San Francisco Giants star Aubrey Huff.

The ex-Silver Slugger winner -- and current internet troll -- just went off on his former team in spectacularly sexist fashion ... blasting the Giants for becoming the first MLB squad ever to hire a full-time female coach.

"I got in trouble for wearing a thong in my own clubhouse when female reporters were present," Huff said. "Can’t imagine how it will play out with a full-time female coach running around. This has #metoo & #BelieveAllWomen written all over it."

Yeah, yikes.

Of course, the Giants couldn't possibly have a more opposite take than Huff ... they said Alyssa Nakken will change their clubhouse in a way not many people EVER could.

In fact, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said of the ex-Sacramento State softball superstar that he's "delighted" to have her be around the team in 2020.

But, Huff -- who won two World Series titles with SF in 2010 and 2012 -- continued with the sexism anyway ... telling former teammates Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt and Buster Posey to "Have fun with that."

LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron says the team's trip to the White House was a PHENOMENAL experience ... telling TMZ Sports POTUS is an awesome host!!!

The national champs spent the day at 1600 Penn in Washington D.C. ... and there was a ton of action -- #45 joking about being impeached, players doing the "Get The Gat" challenge, and Coach O's name getting butchered during introductions.

We spoke with coach out in the nation's capital about the visit ... and he couldn't have been happier about how it went down.

"It was phenomenal. President Trump was a gracious host, spent a lot of time with us," Orgeron said.

"[He's] very knowledgeable about football. It was one of the best experiences we've ever had. What a great experience for our football team."

O says he and his wife even got a personal tour of the White House!!!

"I felt really good about being at the White House ... Everything was A+ today."

We also spoke with some of the players, and they backed up O's review, saying the trip was "amazing!"

Some of the guys also had a message for Clemson ... and you're gonna wanna check that out!!!

Former MLB player Alex Romero was just hit with a 20-game ban for attacking a catcher with his bat this month ... the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League announced.

As we previously reported, Aguilas del Zulia and Caribes de Anzoategui were involved a heated match on Jan. 8 ... where pitchers were throwing at batters all night.

But tensions spilled into an all-out riot in the 8th inning ... when Romero -- an ex-Arizona Diamondback -- was nearly plunked in the back by an Angel Nesbitt fastball.

The video of what happened next is shocking ... 'cause Romero took two big hacks at the opposing catcher with his bat right on the diamond!!

A brawl ensued ... and MULTIPLE players were ejected.

Now, the league is handing down punishments ... hitting Romero with a 20-game suspension -- while banning Nesbitt for the rest of the Venezuelan postseason for his role in it all.

The legend Chuck Liddell says he's pulling for a HUGE upset at UFC 246 this weekend ... telling TMZ Sports he's a big fan of Cowboy Cerrone and hopes he beats Conor McGregor!!!

As we previously reported ... Dana White says UFC doctors believe Conor is in the best shape of his life leading up to his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon.

But, Liddell ain't worried about any of that talk ... telling us at the California Strong celebrity softball game he thinks Cowboy will win if he controls the fight off the rip.

"I think if Cowboy comes out and convinces he was gonna take him down, get after him and get him guessin' whether or not you're gonna go up and down, I think Cowboy can do it," The Iceman says.

FYI -- the fight is going down at T-Mobile Arena on Jan. 18 and can only be streamed on ESPN+ ... so we'll see if Liddell's right about his prediction.

BTW -- Conor and Cowboy faced off at their press conference on Wednesday ... and it turned into an all-out bro fest!!

Conor praised Cowboy's career and said he respects the hell outta his game ... and the two traded compliments on each others' outfits. Cute stuff.

Liddell doesn't think all hope is lost for Conor though ... saying, "If he lets Conor get comfortable out there and firing at will, he might get one and run into trouble."

He added, "[Conor's] always going to be tough. He's always a tough striker. People have their questions whether or not he's been having some struggling from some issues lately ... but I'm a big fan of Cowboy, hopefully, he comes out with a win."

The Tennessee Titans might be in trouble this weekend ... 'cause Patrick Mahomes' jersey has made its way to The Holy One before the big AFC Championship Game!!!

It's becoming a trend for Pope Francis to receive NFL QB jerseys -- he received a custom Ravens jersey signed by Lamar Jackson back in December.

The Pontiff's collection just got a nice MVP addition ... with the bishop of the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph gifting it to him in Vatican City on Thursday.

Now, the Pope is an avid soccer fan ... but the dude might start watchin' some good ole American football now that he's got a closet full of jerseys.

We should note ... it may not be necessarily good luck for Mahomes, considering Jackson's Ravens got booted from the playoffs.

But, Pope Francis loved the gesture regardless ... and who knows, maybe he'll check out the game this weekend.

"This is worse than steroids."

That's Cleveland Indians superstar Mike Clevinger going OFF on the Houston Astros ... ripping them for getting caught in a massive cheating scandal!!

"They shouldn’t feel comfortable looking at any of us in the eye let alone on the field," Clevinger said. "And any other MLB player feel different, they can get it too."

As we previously reported, the MLB dropped the hammer on Houston earlier this week ... revealing its investigation into the Astros found the team did, in fact, steal signs from opponents beginning in the 2017 season.

Tons of people have already lost their jobs over the findings ... the Astros fired manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow, the Red Sox let go of Alex Cora and the Mets walked away from Carlos Beltran.

The MLB also took away draft picks from Houston and fined them a whopping $5 MILLION!!!

But, clearly, Clevinger doesn't think that's enough ... 'cause he said if Rob Manfred doesn't punish individual players, he's threatening a bean war anytime he plays the 'Stros!

"This is where throwing hard has its MF perks," Clevinger said. "so either police it @MLB or  I’ll get back to my training."

Clevinger even joked he wants the Astros to get booted to Canada, writing, "I hope they make y’all the Montreal Expos."

Things might get interesting when the Tribe and 'Stros face off in June.

Victor Cruz is going to bat for his former teammate Odell Beckham -- claiming the assault allegation he's facing is BS and people need to CHILL THE HELL OUT!!!

"At this point, it feels like they're just picking on him 'cause he is who he is," the former NY Giants star told us in NYC. "Just let him live!"

As we previously reported, an arrest warrant has been issued for Beckham after footage surfaced showing him slapping a Superdome security guard in the ass during the LSU national championship locker room celebration.

The guard told cops he was furious at Odell for putting his hands on him -- and fought the urge to punch the NFL player in retaliation.

But, Cruz says he thinks the guard -- and other law enforcement members involved in the case -- are blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

"His alma mater just won the national championship. Let him have some fun!"

Cruz added ... "I think he didn't do nothing wrong ... I think he's good."

He also claims the security guard is "corny" for pursuing legal action in the first place.

Drew Lock and his bombshell GF are keepin' the fabric to a minimum on their romantic getaway ... 'cause the Broncos QB's wearing a super-short pair of shorts posted up with his bikini-clad lady!!

The rookie is proving he's a seasoned vet in the vacation department ... hitting up Turks and Caicos with Natalie Newman ... and the pics are hotter than the 79 degree weather!!

Of course, Lock was a stud at Mizzou before going to the Broncos in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. Newman is a Buffalo who attended Colorado.

The couple went IG official in 2019 ... and they've been posting adorable stuff ever since.

"Shore do love ya," Natalie captioned her beach pic with Drew. Cute, right?

Drew shared a tribute to his boo on Jan 1, saying "Happy New Year but most importantly Happy Birthday to this beautiful woman."

"I’m so thankful 2019 brought you into my life, you bring so many smiles to my face effortlessly! I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings us."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says he's in pieces over his dad's death ... writing in an emotional goodbye letter to his father, "I wish I had one more shot to tell you, I love you."

Rocky "Soulman" Johnson died suddenly at 75 years old on Wednesday ... and in Dwayne's first public words since the tragic news, The Rock said he's broken up over it all.

"You were ripped away from me so fast without warning," he said. "Gone in an instant and no coming back. I'm in pain."

But, Dwayne said he's taking steps to try to move on ... and praised his dad for being a pioneer and trailblazer in the wrestling world.

"You lived a very full, very hard, barrier breaking life and left it all in the ring," Dwayne said. "I love you dad and I’ll always be your proud and grateful son."

Rocky started out in the National Wrestling Alliance in the 1960s but gained fame after he joined the WWE in the 80s. He and Tony Atlas became the org's first African-American tag team champions as The Soul Patrol.

Rocky retired from wrestling in 1991 ... and, afterward, had a huge hand in helping mold Dwayne into one of the most popular wrestlers EVER.

"I'll carry your mana and work ethic with me as it’s time to move on because I have my family to feed and work to accomplish," Dwayne said. "Finally, I want you to rest your trailblazing soul, Soulman."

"They got a good one now, even though they're trying to impeach the son of a bitch, can you believe that??"

President Trump was in a playful mood about the ongoing impeachment trial while hosting the LSU Tigers on Friday ... joking about the process and saying America's in good hands.

POTUS was cracking jokes left and right while praising the Tigers for their title ... with Ed Orgeron's voice, Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Joe Burrow on the receiving end of his quips.

Trump made sure he got some of his own bragging in before celebrating the Tigers' successful season ... praising the stock market.

"We just had another all-time high for our stock market just hit. So, that will be 149 times in the past 3 years. That's not bad. Coach, that's good, right?"

Of course, Trump eventually got back to football ... praising players like Burrow, Jefferson and Chase, who POTUS questioned whether he could beat in a race.

Trump also mentioned the infamous Clemson White House visit last season ... saying the team ate so much of his fast-food buffet, "we didn't know what the hell to do."

Charles Barkley's incessant attack on Draymond Green has entered 2020 ... with Chuck straight-up roasting the Warriors star for "averaging that triple-single."

A bit of a history lesson -- Barkley absolutely LOVES to insult Day Day with a burning passion ... it's so real that he once said he wanted to "punch him in the face so bad."

The 2 ended up squashing that beef (kinda) back in 2018 ... but the Hall of Famer decided to bring life back into their drama by calling out Green's stat line during Thursday night's "Inside the NBA."

“Draymond don’t talk as much since he averaging that triple-single," Barkley said.

FYI -- Green's stat line so far this season is 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

Shaq and the guys rightfully lost it ... with everyone on the desk laughing.

Here's the coolest video you'll see all day!!

Amateur Canadian golfer Laurent Hurtubise -- who was born without most of his right arm -- was competing in the PGA American Express tournament on Thursday ... when he swung away and sank a hole-in-one!!!

It all went down at the 4th hole of the PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, CA ... which is a 151-yard par-3 hole.

Hurtubise has been playing golf since he was 11 ... and has worked his whole life to be an inspiration to people living with similar conditions.

The best part?? He did it with a bunch of pros watching ... and the whole group lost it when he hit the shot!!

"That was the coolest experience I've had on the golf course," Troy Merritt said.

Fellow tour member Greg Chalmers added ... "It landed around the front of the green and we were all watching it closely as it tracked toward the hole and then, bang, it disappeared."

"We all went up in celebration and Laurent went ballistic and maybe let out a few choice words, but who could blame him? It was an incredible shot."

Laila Ali believes SHE'S the greatest ... NOT Claressa Shields ... claiming she would WRECK the reigning women's boxing champ because Shields lacks the talent.

Shocking comments from the daughter of Muhammad Ali, who had a GREAT boxing career herself back in the day -- finishing 24-0 and racking up every belt she could along the way.

Now, with 24-year-old Shields obliterating opponents left and right ... there have been some comparisons made between her and Laila -- and Laila AIN'T HAVIN' IT!!!

"First of all, she could never beat me. Let me get that really straight right now," 42-year-old Ali said on 'Sway in the Morning.'

"Not simply because she's not strong enough, because I would definitely knock her out, because she's not talented enough."

"You're talented. You can box. You can throw those hard punches. But there's a sweet science to boxing."

"The reason you have not been able to knock out the opponents that you have faced, I can totally see it."

As for Shields, she respectfully disagrees with Laila. A fan tried talking trash to Shields on Twitter ... saying, "42 yr old Laila Ali would destroy and humble you."

Claressa responded, "No she wouldn’t but thanks telling me your thoughts."

The San Francisco Giants just made a groundbreaking addition to their coaching staff -- the organization just hired the first full-time female coach in MLB history!!!

Alyssa Nakken -- who worked with the Giants' health and wellness initiatives and events the past 2 years -- was a superstar for the Sacramento State softball team from 2009-12.

The 29-year-old was a 4-time All-Pacific Coast Softball Conference selection and was first-team all-league in 2012.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler introduced Nakken and fellow assistant coach Mark Hallberg on Thursday ... saying, "Alyssa and Mark are highly respected members of the organization and I'm delighted that they will now focus their talents on helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse."

"In every organization, environment affects performance, and baseball clubhouses are no different. That's why in addition to assisting the rest of the coaching staff on the field, Mark and Alyssa will focus on fostering a clubhouse culture that promotes high performance through, among other attributes, a deep sense of collaboration and team."