TMZ Sports - Page 2

The Philadelphia Phillies debuted a new look for their beloved mascot, the Phanatic, this weekend -- but in very anticlimactic fashion ... he appears to have not changed very much.

The lovable, green monster furball trotted out onto the field Sunday ahead of the team's game against the Pirates in Clearwater, FL -- where they're hosting their Spring Training home opener. The buzz was that the costume would look a bit different ... for legal reasons.

Long story short ... Phillies brass are in the middle of this legal sitch with the original creators of the Phanatic's design, Bonnie Erickson and Wayde Harrison, who drew up what fans have come to enjoy for decades now. Well, the rights expire this summer ... and the two designers want their fair cut in order to have the mascot continue being used by the team.

It doesn't appear the Phillies wanna pay Erickson and Harrison though, so they've come up with this new design that's supposed to be different enough to avoid having to pony up potentially millions. This is what they came up with, and frankly ... kinda the same, no?

ACTUALLY ... there are slight modifications to the suit. The nose is a bit shorter and more evenly rounded, and it looks ol' Phanatic here dropped a few pounds too. The new mascot also has different colored socks, shoes and a bigger caboose -- plus, wings along the arms.

Dwyane Wade followed up his jersey retirement ceremony with a late night full of booze, tunes and sweaty nightclub goers -- the only way to go out in Miami.

D-Wade hit up the city's hottest spot for raging after the Miami Heat put the man's No. 3 jersey up in the rafters of AmericanAirlines Arena forever ... honoring their hometown hero and making it so no other player can ever rock it again. It's official ... he's a pantheon great.

Fast-forward a few hours ... and D found himself at E11EVEN, where we're told he showed up with about 30 people around 1:30 AM with enough energy to party his face off -- ordering rounds of Armand de Brignac,  Don Julio 1942 and E11EVEN Vodka. The guy even got on the mic at one point and performed a bit for the packed house of fans and loved ones.

No, he wasn't putting up shots for everyone like he has in the past -- dude actually rapped a verse. ICYMI, Dwyane is featured on Rick Ross' new song, "Season Ticket Holders," and kinda drops some heat in the process. As soon as the DJ put it on, DW didn't hesitate.

Unclear if Gabby was with him here at the club, but we know she was definitely at the game earlier. It's possible she let her hubby have a boys night out ... 'cause this is Dwyane cuttin' loose like we don't normally see.

Tyson Fury ... YOU NASTY!!!

The boxing star not only beat up Deontay Wilder in their heavyweight clash Saturday night -- he LICKED THE BLOOD off Wilder's neck during the fight!!

31-year-old Fury had dominated from the start -- teeing off on the Bronze Bomber (and likely busting his eardrum in the process) in their highly anticipated rematch.

Wilder was dripping blood all over the place -- and during the 6th round, Fury flicked out his tongue and began licking the blood off of Wilder's bloody neck!!!!

It was super gross -- and Fury loved it.

Wilder's corner ultimately threw in the towel in Round 7 -- it was clear Deontay just didn't have it Saturday night.

After the fight, Fury's crazy antics continued ... he grabbed the mic and sang Don McLean's "American Pie" while encouraging the Vegas crowd to sing along! The place went nuts!

Fury praised Wilder as a great fighter and said he thinks Deontay will be champion again -- but for now, Tyson reminded everyone why he's the "Gypsy King."

Still, the tongue thing was super gross ... your highness.

Darren Sproles says he deserves a bronze bust in Canton someday ... straight-up telling TMZ Sports he's a Hall of Famer.

"I feel like I am," Sproles says. "But it's not for me to choose."

FYI ... Sproles' ex-teammate and All-Pro OL Brandon Brooks couldn't have agreed more with the former Eagles RB while the two were out in LA this week, saying, "Bro, there is no doubt."

Sproles has a solid case ... the 36-year-old played in the NFL for 14 years and is considered one the best utility backs that's ever touched the gridiron.

The 5-foot-6, 190-pound NFLer rushed for 3,552 yards in his career, added 4,840 more receiving yards and piled up more than 10,000 punt and kick return yards as well.

It's unclear if he'll ever get in -- the Hall doesn't have too many util guys in it -- but Darren is eligible for the honor starting in 2025, having retired after this past season.

The Western Conference needs to enjoy Golden State's off-year while it can ... 'cause Tim Hardaway tells TMZ Sports the Warriors will be right back in the Finals -- with help from their "perfect piece!!"

It's been a rough patch, to say the least, for the Dubs, who have been without Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for most of the season.

But there's a new guy in town after shipping D'Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins ... and the ex-Warrior says it was a great move for when the 2 stars get back on the court!!

"I think it was," Hardaway says. "Andrew Wiggins is gonna be real nice with them. Yes, he is."

"Perfect piece, no question!"

But is Wiggins enough to get Golden State back in the Finals?? Hardaway thinks so!!

John Ross' NFL combine record is in serious trouble this week ... 'cause Alabama star receiver Henry Ruggs WILL run a 4.20 40-yard dash in Indy -- so says his Tide teammate.

"Somewhere around that range," Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs tells TMZ Sports. "That kid's fast!"

Of course, Ross currently holds the mark for quickest 40 time ever at the NFL's marquee pre-draft event ... logging a 4.22 back in 2017.

But Ruggs has a legit shot of breaking that mark when receivers run this week ... because during his time at 'Bama -- he FLEW by defenders on a regular basis.

"Ruggs is real fast," Diggs tells us. "He's going to run a real, real, real good time."

As for how that pure speed will translate to the NFL ... Diggs says he has no doubts the guy will be a stud -- saying his skill level is right on par with Tide superstar Jerry Jeudy's.

"He got good routes, he's fast, he's a playmaker as well," Diggs says. "Like, you get the ball in his hands, like, no one is going to catch him. Like, nobody."

Miami Dolphins star DeVante Parker is a Cardinal for LIFE ... don't believe it?? Just check out his insane new Louisville-inspired diamond chain!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 27-year-old wanted to go all out on a tribute for his alma mater, the University of Louisville, so he hit up Gabriel the Jeweler to make an iced-out pendant of his school's logo!!

We're told the piece is decked out in emerald-cut diamonds on the border, diamonds to make the Cardinal in the middle, and a pink diamond for the eye!!

In total, we're told there are 60 carats of diamonds.

Of course, Parker was an absolute beast at U of L -- he was first-team all-AAC in 2013 and second-team in 2014 ... before going on to get picked 14th overall in the 2015 draft.

FYI -- Gabriel is the go-to jeweler for some of the biggest names in the NFL -- from Odell Beckham to Jarvis Landry to Antonio Brown.

WWE star Johnny Gargano says you are flat out "STUPID" if you think NXT is inferior to Raw and SmackDown ... telling TMZ Sports it's the best wrestling show in the world!!!

We talked to Gargano -- one of NXT's biggest stars -- earlier this week ... and JG had a message for all the people who sleep on his brand.

"That's BS. That's complete garbage, and it's something that me and a lot of guys have worked to dispel for a very long time," Gargano told us.

"Anybody out there that uses the words 'main roster' when talking about Raw and SmackDown, how about you watch the show on Wednesday night. You'll see the real main roster. You'll see the best wrestling show on the planet. You will see the best locker room on the planet led by me."

NXT was launched 10 years ago, and started out as a place for WWE to develop talent. However, NXT now has a TV deal, and a bunch of their wrestlers have become massive stars.

In fact, during last weeks NXT Takeover: Portland -- a big PPV event -- Gargano betrayed his friend and tag team partner, Tommaso Ciampa ... and cost him the title.

It was big news in the pro wrestling world.

In closing, Gargano has a message for anyone who thinks NXT ain't every bit as good as WWE's other brands.

Henry Cejudo says he's "dumbfounded" that Conor McGregor thinks he deserves a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov ... telling TMZ Sports the guy needs to shut up and fight Justin Gaethje to prove he's worthy!

The UFC's reigning flyweight and bantamweight champ went off on Conor -- WITH JUSTIN -- saying McGregor is a bad guy who doesn't deserve a title shot without going through a quality opponent first.

And Henry thinks Gaethje is the PERFECT dance partner.

"Yeah, that man likes to sucker punch the elderly," Cejudo says about McGregor ... "Yeah, that man  does terror attacks in our country and he thinks he can get the next title shot with Khabib."

"I know Khabib. Khabib's a man of honor and integrity. Everything that you're not, he is."

"But I got somebody that you could fight, to eventually fight for that title that you want ..."

Enter Gaethje ... who had some tough talk of his own.

"Triple C, the man is not going to fight me. What the f*ck do you gotta do?! He's running out of easy fights. I'm sitting here, smoking my CBD. Waiting for a motherf**ker to punch me in the face. Let's go, quit being a p***y!"

Cejudo added ... "Damn, there you go McGregor. Sign the contract."

Deontay Wilder isn't only known for his devastating knockout power ... he's also famous for his epic ring walk costumes, and the heavyweight champ tells us he dropped 40 grand on this weekend's epic outfit.

TMZ Sports talked to the 34-year-old Bronze Bomber on Thursday ... 2 days before of one of the most anticipated fights in heavyweight boxing history.

As you'd expect, Wilder says he's gonna flatten Fury ... but we also talked about what's really important -- the walk out uni.

So, what does Deontay have planned?

"Oh my goodness! It's going to be amazing man. Come Saturday night, one of the things that I made a promise to myself talking to my advisor Al [Haymon], when I got to a certain point into my career, I said, 'I wanna give the boxing fans, I wanna give the world something that they can remember me by.'"

"Not only just the knockouts, but me expressing myself before coming out and entering into the ring."

Wilder says "expressing" himself this weekend is gonna run him $40,000 ... but it's worth it 'cause the costumes are part of his legacy, and will end up making him a crapload of money in the future.

"Spending money on these costumes and stuff, whether it's [$10K to $40K], I know they're going to turn to millions. It's gonna be 10 million, 40 million, after I get finished, because of the things I've done in boxing and the way I was able to do it in."

If you're not familiar with what Deontay does ... this was his outfit for his last fight against Luis Ortiz. It sounds like he's even going bigger this time around.

Floyd Mayweather celebrated his 43rd Birthday in grand fashion Friday night ... with tons of celebs to help him out.

Floyd and co. shut down the Sunset Eden nightclub in Hollywood where hundreds of folks lit up the room, including Snoop Dogg, French Montana, Lil' Kim, Reggie Bush, Tiffany Haddish and Quavo.

There were sexy ladies riding "Air Mayweather" planes flying up and down with smoke and fire. Check out the woman on the shoulders of a man surrounded by golden flares.

There were plenty of 100 bills with Floyd's face on them.

Nikki Bella and Brie Bella have a lot to celebrate these days. Aside from the fact they're both pregnant, they're also both about to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame!!!

The Bella Twins were guests Friday night on “A Moment of Bliss” on SmackDown, where they and everyone else learned they were going to be 2020 inductees.

Nikki & Brie started their WWE careers in August 2008, and became hugely popular. Brie was the first to snag a championship, defeating Eve Torres to become WWE Divas Champion in April 2011. Nikki followed suit a year later ... crushing WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix.

The twins became pop culture icons, introducing a new generation of fans to wrestling ... especially with their reality shows, "Total Bellas" and “Total Divas,” as well as their YouTube channel, which boasts more than 2.6 million subscribers.

Both women are well along -- and close together -- in their pregnancies.

Aubrey Huff says there's going to be A LOT of bruises on Astros players' backs this year ... saying the punishment for their cheating scandal is going to be all-out bean wars in 2020!

"I would suggest a lot of those guys -- especially Altuve and Bregman -- wear bulletproof vests up to the plate all year long!" Huff tells TMZ Sports.

Of course, ZERO Houston players were punished for their roles in the 2017 cheating scandal ... and a LOT of people are pissed off about it.

So much so, Huff says pitchers will take matters into their own hands -- regardless of Rob Manfred's rulings -- and hit the Astros at the dish all season.

"Listen, you pay the piper," Huff says. "You reap what you sow. If you're going to go out there and cheat, you're going to get drilled."

As for Huff's thoughts on the Astros' scheme ... he says he's always down for some sign-stealing tricks, but he admits Houston just went way too far.

Cedric Benson's longtime home in Austin -- which he completely rebuilt from the ground up -- is hitting the market ... and it's got a $4.5 million price tag.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Benson bought the Texas pad back in 2006 and worked passionately to turn it into his dream home.

The finished product is amazing -- it's got 6 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, pool and spa, personal gym ... and it's all sitting on top of a hill overlooking downtown Austin.

We're told it took 2 years to completely rebuild the house ... and Benson was involved in every detail of the house.

The crib is looking for a new owner who will love the place as much as the former NFL star did ... and it's currently listed for $4.5 million.

Andre Ward retired as an undefeated 33-year-old fighter, and the future HOF'er tells us he misses fighting ... so, is there a comeback in the cards for the superstar boxer?

Hell no.

TMZ Sports talked to the now 35-year-old Ward -- who retired in 2017 with a 32-0 record -- about a return to the ring ... and for S.O.G. fans, this ain't good news.

"I hate to bust any bubbles. Do I miss it? Absolutely. Being around a fight week and you kinda get the smells, and the feels and the sights, of course you miss it."

Ward continued ... "Man, I'm a warrior. I been in this game since I was 9 years old, and you definitely have thoughts but they're fleeting. Then you remember all the pain, you remember the training camps, you remember getting hit in the face, you remember all of that stuff, then all the sudden the thoughts go away just like that."

Ward had a stellar career ... he was a multiple-time world champion across 2 weight classes with wins over fighters like Sergey Kovalev (twice).

But these days, Ward says ... "I'm content wearing the suit now, and I'm excited to watch these other guys compete."

The guys he's pumped to watch fight are Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury ... 'cause Ward's working the super-anticipated rematch Saturday night in Vegas.

The biggest names in the NFL's rookie class -- from Joe Burrow to CeeDee Lamb -- are getting ready for their big day in the most baller way possible ... by going all-out on some JEWELRY!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... LSU superstars Burrow, and Patrick Queen, Oklahoma's Lamb and Jerry Jeudy and South Carolina's Javon Kinlaw -- who are all potential first-round picks -- got their ice fix from Leo Frost in Houston ... before taking the stage at the Draft on April 23.

Here's a breakdown of the haul ...

The Heisman winner and national champ copped a #9 pendant in 18k white gold with VVS diamonds, which is worth $10k.

Even better for Burrow ... he didn't pay for the jewelry!! The bling was a gift from Baton Rouge, Louisiana born rapper Boosie -- a huge LSU fan.

Burrow's teammate, Queen, bagged a "Level Up" VS1 diamond pendant in 14k yellow and white gold, worth $45k.

Jeudy went ALL OUT with two-tone yellow and white gold 'JJ4' and 'JEW' pendants with VS diamonds on 14k yellow VS gold diamond Cuban chains, worth $100k total. On top of that, Jeudy also got an 18K yellow gold Audemars Piguet, fully flooded with VS2 diamonds!!

Kinlaw copped a Jesus piece with chocolate brown diamonds on a two-row VS diamond tennis chain, worth $45k.

Last, but def not least, Lamb went with a '32' pendant made with two-tone 14k yellow and white gold on VS diamond Cuban chains, worth $90k!