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"I think I'll be irritated forever."

L.A. Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly just RIPPED the Houston Astros ... calling the players "snitches" and "little bitches" over their cheating scandal in a scathing rant.

The reliever sounded off on his teammate, Ross Stripling's "Big Swing Podcast" ... making the comments shortly after he was suspended 8 games for his role in a near Astros-Dodgers brawl last month.

Kelly explained to Stripling how he thought his ban was BS ... and then went absolutely IN on the Astros for the way he believes they passed off blame in their 2017 cheating scandal.

Kelly says the players wrongly let bench coach Alex Cora and GM Jeff Luhnow -- who were both fired after MLB's investigation -- take the fall for the sign-stealing scheme ... saying, "all they do is go snitch like a little bitch, and they don't have to get fined, they don't have to lose games."

Kelly added, "When you take someone's livelihood ... to save your own ass, that's what I don't like. Cheating? They cheated. Everyone knows they're cheaters."

"They know they're cheaters. It's over. That's been there, done that. But now, they mess it up by ruining other people's lives, so they f*cked it up twice."

Kelly -- who wasn't on the 2017 Dodgers team that lost to the Astros in the World Series but did play under Cora in 2018 with the Red Sox -- says Houston players' actions were "one of the worst things that you could probably do."

"They're not respectable men to me," Kelly said.

As for his role in the infamous Astros-Dodgers game last month ... Kelly says he has no idea why baseball banned him -- insisting when he threw at Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa, it wasn't intentional.

In fact, Kelly blamed the Astros for all of the ensuing commotion ... saying he was the one who properly socially distanced and followed CDC guidelines amid the chaos.

"They walked out of their dugout, walked toward us," Kelly said. "Carlos Correa f*cking spit at our team."

If and when a coronavirus vaccine is rolled out, there will be people who refuse to take it for various reasons, but a Stanford Law School professor says such refusal will have consequences.

Hank Greely will appear on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... he's an expert in public health law and says people who refuse to take the vaccine could -- repeat COULD -- be denied the right to enter their workplace or their school.

Fact is ... there will probably be 3 groups of people who will refuse the vaccine -- the anti-vaxxers, the people who want to turn the vaccine into a political issue, and people who are afraid to take the vaccine because they worry it was rushed and not properly tested.

If the FDA, NIH and others show the phase 3 studies were thorough and established both safety and efficacy, Professor Greely says it will be hard for people to make the case they can refuse the vaccine and not be barred from work or school.

It's dicier, the good professor says, if phase 3 studies are less than thorough.

Michael Jordan's super fancy Mercedes Benz S600 Lorinser -- owned by MJ in the mid-'90s -- just hit the auction block and is expected to rake in $100k!!

"His Airness" -- known for his ridiculously fast and luxurious car collection -- had the whip back in the day ... when the '96 Benz was registered to Jordan and his then-wife, Juanita.

MJ unloaded the MB years ago ... but the car was recently acquired by the Beverly Hills Car Club who decided to sell it.

The S600 was just listed on eBay ... and the starting bid is only $23 (get it?!).

But, it's gonna take a lot more than a crisp Jackson to buy this car ... 'cause BHCC tells us they expect it'll bring in around $100 grand.

The car has 157,000 miles on it, and doesn't exactly have all the bells and whistles of a current Mercedes (it's got power windows, heated seats, and AC!) ... but, it was owned by Jordan.

And, the value of MJ items has exploded since the airing of ESPN's docuseries, "The Last Dance" ... with everything from signed checks, Little League baseballs and Bulls uniforms selling for crazy amounts of cash.

The coolest part? The metallic navy blue S600 actually made a cameo on the show ... with Michael behind the wheel.

Before this feasting little lady was eating up the competition as a rapper, singer and producer, she was just another chick chomping on her veggies in Los Angeles, California.

Before this cob kid was stuck in corn-teen, she was selling out huge venues and was even a crowd favorite on the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival line-up. Her hit album named after a flashy color included a song that gained massive popularity on TikTok.

Although her stage name might be purr-fect, she is better known to her friends and family as Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini.

Jake Paul says he knows exactly why the FBI raided his home and, for now at least, he doesn't seem too concerned -- but he is making some changes to his inner circle.

The YouTube star posted a vid imploring his fans to ignore rumors about him being in serious legal trouble after the feds showed up in force at his Calabasas crib. Jake says it's only an "investigation" related to his trespassing case in Arizona.

Remember, he was cited a couple months ago during looting that went down at a Scottsdale mall. However, Jake did point a finger at someone close to him in the video ... which he's since deleted.

Watch what he says about someone close to him "doing malicious things." He's hinting he caught a now former friend talking crap about him after the raid, but says he's handled the situation.

Truth is, JP did look pretty unworried about the case Wednesday as he took his Golden Retriever for a stroll around his neighborhood. The duo was joined by Jake's ex-GF -- and fake wife -- Tana Mongeau.

The 2 were playing it COVID safe with their masks on, but it looks like the pooch kept his face covering around his neck ... in favor of a mouthful of the leash.

We're told Jake seemed to be in good spirits following last week's intense scene ... and even greeted the photogs and chatted them up about his upcoming boxing match.

As we told you ... Jake's not backing out of his boxing match with NBA star Nate Robinson despite the mysterious FBI investigation surrounding him, and has been focused on training to take his mind off the ordeal.

The Weeknd's philanthropy isn't confined to North America ... he's opening his wallet to help people who were injured, people whose loved ones died, and people who were left homeless by the tragic explosion that rocked Beirut.

The singer's manager, Wassim "Sal" Slaiby, and his wife, Rima Fakih, have been leading the charge to get relief for the people in Lebanon affected by last week's devastating blast. Now the Weeknd's chipping in with a $300k donation to Global Aid for Lebanon.

We're told the money will be distributed to the World Food Programme, the Lebanese Red Cross and the country's Children's Center.

Slaiby, who is Lebanese-Canadian, says ... "I am so honored and humbled to work with artists who have such deep care for the world and right now for our brothers & sisters of Lebanon who are in pain and need our collective help."

He thanked the Weeknd for his generosity and is encouraging others to give what they can.

As you may know ... The Weeknd's one of the many celebs who's been extra charitable over the last 6 months. He's pledged $500k to social justice orgs and also donated $1M for COVID-19 relief and $350K  for Tik Tok's Equal Justice Initiative.

Clearly he's got more to give ... and the people of Beirut certainly need it.

Joe Biden just introduced his new running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, and her first speech as a potential VP went off without a hitch ... and sounded as good as one could've hoped for.

Joe and Kamala made their official debut as the faces of the Democratic ticket Wednesday in their first joint press conference out in Wilmington, Delaware. After Joe got through a fairly moving speech himself about why he chose Kamala and what he expected of her ... he let her speak for herself, and boy she did not disappoint.

Check it out ... Kamala was polished, firm and in command of her talking points as she bashed Donald Trump and Mike Pence's failure of leadership ... while at the same time propping up Joe and eloquently explaining what their administration would bring about.

She also discussed her own upbringing from immigrant parents -- one from Jamaica and another from India -- and how that has shaped her own life path and decisions ... leading her to where she is today. Kamala said her parents met during the Civil Rights movement, and used to bring her out to protests in a stroller -- which she said is being reflected again now.

She rattled off the different groups of Americans that she said she hoped to represent and fight for if she and Joe are elected into office come November -- and she made clear what a Biden White House would look like for America ... drawing a stark contrast to Trump's term.

It's the stuff of movies, really, how well this joint presser went -- and if we do say so ourselves, Joe knocked it out of the park with his choice here. She held her own fantastically.

Biden's historic choice makes Harris the first Black woman to join a major party's Presidential ticket -- and she's the first candidate of Jamaican and Asian descent. Her parents were Indian and Jamaican immigrants.

Harris is also only the third woman to be selected to join the ticket as VP for a major party ... behind Alaska's Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and NYC Democratic Rep. Geraldine Ferraro.

As we reported ... it appeared Biden was all but going to pick Harris, when back in July a reporter got a peek at his cheat sheet during a news conference that included Harris' name with the words ... "don't hold grudges." The "grudges" note is in reference to their first debate, where Harris attacked Biden for his stand against school bussing ... something Harris benefited from during her school days.

Harris would go on to endorse Biden in March after she suspended her own presidential campaign. Biden's announcement has already paid dividends, literally.

The UK's first major outdoor concert is offering a glimpse of what's likely to become the norm -- venues sectioned off into small groups, enabling fans to rock without rolling the COVID-19 dice.

Sam Fender performed for 2,500 people at the Virgin Money Unity Arena in Newcastle Tuesday night ... marking what's believed to be the country's first socially distanced entertainment event since coronavirus restrictions began.

Take a look ... the outdoor venue's setup includes 500 separate seating sections with metal barricades, which are for groups of 5 to attend and watch the show.

Tickets reportedly sold out immediately, and photos and videos from Fender's concert show the crowd cheering and singing along ... responsibly from their own sections.

This, of course, is in stark contrast to carefree concertgoers in the U.S. packing venues to see Chase Rice in Tennessee, The Chainsmokers in New York, an EDM party at Lake of the Ozarks and most recently ... to watch Tech N9ne in Missouri and Smash Mouth at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Disturbing scene in Maryland over the weekend ... some scumbags vandalized a high school football field with racist language -- and now, cops say they're on the hunt for the culprits.

The graffiti was sprayed near the 50-yard line at Calvert High School's football stadium in Prince Frederick, MD. ... with the several racist messages including, "F**k n*****s."

Community leaders said in a Facebook post a 15-year-old Black student discovered the vandalism early Sunday morning ... and believe it "may possibly be a response to a picture" of the school's football coach supporting the H.S.'s new Black principal.

Cops say they believe the vandalism was done sometime Saturday night ... with school officials adding other parts of the campus were also broken into and tagged as part of the same incident.

After the graffiti was cleared up, the school spelled out a different message on the field -- "No Hate Here."

"We are sad and angry that these racist messages occurred on school grounds," superintendent Dr. Daniel D. Curry said in a statement. "This racist language hurts the school system and the Calvert County community."

"Calvert County Public Schools promotes an anti-racist environment and denounces hate and discrimination."

Both cops and school officials say they have no leads on suspects at this time ... with a school spokesperson telling TMZ Sports there are no cameras that overlook the football field.

Dak Prescott spoke out Wednesday on the tragic passing of his older brother, Jace ... and the Dallas Cowboys QB said emotionally, "it's tough, obviously."

"He meant a lot to my family, meant a lot to me," the 27-year-old told reporters in his first news conference since Jace's passing. "He's part of the reason I am a quarterback."

"When I was a little kid, he's the reason that I first started throwing the football."

Jace -- one of Dak's two older brothers -- died suddenly at the age of 31 this past April. The family has not publicly revealed the cause of death.

Dak was clearly torn up over the loss. In fact, it took the QB nearly four months to open up about it all publicly ... telling reporters Wednesday he's now making it his life's mission to carry on his brother's legacy.

"It's been a tough year," Dak said. "It's been a tough year for me personally. It's been a tough year for my family. It's been a tough year for this country and this world, obviously. So, it's all been tough."

Dak says he leaned on his Cowboys teammates and his other family members to get him through it all ... adding, "I have a great family to count on, to lean on. Great supporters here, great teammates. Great coaches."

As we previously reported ... Dak and Jace were extremely close -- the two famously filmed a Campbell's Chunky Soup commercial together in 2019, where the QB praised Jace and his other brother for being a great support system.

Andrew Yang is a big fan of Sen. Kamala Harris as a candidate, but more importantly, as a person ... and says they bonded early, when he was a political unknown.

The former presidential candidate joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and heaped tons of praise on Joe Biden's running mate, telling us what separated Kamala from the pack.

Andrew says he first met Kamala early on in the Democratic primaries and they forged an instant bond on a number of non-political issues they have in common.

He added ... there was something else about the VP candidate that really impressed him. Andrew says Kamala was always warm and friendly, which stood out to him because no one knew who the hell he was early in the Democratic primary races.

Andrew says that taught him a lot about his then-opponent's character, which is why he thinks Kamala makes a great veep.

Andrew's ready to go to bat for Biden and Harris at next week's Democratic National Convention, and broke some news about the event.

This could be a bad look for R. Kelly -- 3 of his alleged acquaintances have been charged with harassing witnesses in his criminal case ... but the singer claims he had no involvement.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday Richard Arline, Donnell Russell and Michael Williams were arrested and charged for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the disgraced singer's racketeering case in NYC.

Prosecutors allege Arline -- a self-proclaimed friend of R. Kelly -- offered $500k to an alleged victim in exchange for her to NOT cooperate with prosecutors. Russell -- a self-described manager, advisor and friend of Kelly -- allegedly threatened to reveal sexually explicit pics of an alleged victim and publicly reveal her sexual history if she didn't withdraw her civil suit.

And get this, prosecutors claim Williams -- a relative of someone who once served as Kelly's publicist -- set fire to an SUV parked outside the Florida residence where an alleged victim was staying back in June.

Acting Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Seth D. DuCharme released a statement, saying...“The defendants are separately charged with engaging in multiple crimes that were intended to undermine and subvert the integrity of the criminal justice system and victimize the women who have come forward with serious allegations of criminal conduct against the defendant R. Kelly."

Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, tells TMZ ... his team just learned about these charges against Kelly's so-called "associates." He says, "Without question, Robert Kelly had nothing to do with any of these alleged acts by those charged. He has not attempted to intimidate anyone, or encouraged anyone else to do so. No involvement whatsoever."

Kanye West met with President Trump's son-in-law and White House staffer, Jared Kushner, last week -- the strongest indication yet Trump's administration might be involved in his campaign.

Ye had a private face-to-face with Kushner, a Trump cabinet member, over the weekend in Colorado, where Kanye was vacationing with Kim and the kids following their Caribbean trip ... this according to the NYT.

They report Ivanka was traveling with Jared too, and that Ye flew to Telluride to touch base with them ... sans Kim. The details of the meeting are scant, but the Times says when they asked Ye about it ... he didn't deny chatting, only saying their discussion was about Black empowerment.

He also copped to the meeting publicly on Twitter, writing ... "I’m willing to do a live interview with the New York Time about my meeting with Jared where we discussed Dr Claude Anderson’s book Powernomics."

Of course, it's eyebrow-raising, at minimum, that a Trump aide -- his own family member, no less -- is meeting with Ye at a time of heightened scrutiny around his campaign ... which many people believe is simply a Trump-engineered spoiler attempt to ruin Joe Biden's chances.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have left Los Angeles for greener pastures ... in the lush, super-exclusive city of Montecito ... and the Oprah connection seems undeniable.

Montecito realtors with knowledge tell TMZ, the couple went into escrow in July and the deal closed about a week ago.  We're told they spent around $10 mil, which got them a lot more house than they'd get in L.A.

It seems Oprah may have helped guide their path. We're told she helped put them in contact with Tyler Perry, who let them live in his Beverly Hills estate while they got their SoCal sea legs.

Oprah, who has a massive, incredible estate in Montecito and clearly loves it, has a connection to Harry ... they co-produced a documentary on mental health.

Montecito is a relatively small, quiet community near Santa Barbara. Interest in living there has exploded since the pandemic hit the U.S. Lots of people from L.A., Dallas and New York are picking up and moving there.

Lots of celebs live in Montecito, including Ellen, Scooter Braun, Dick Wolf, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Stewart, Rob Lowe and many others.

As for Meghan and Harry, we're told they bought a secure, gated estate. These properties have plenty of land ... in some cases up to 50 acres, although most of that is hillside. But, the properties have lots of flat land, so Archie can play away.

Jerry Jones says the Cowboys might be backing off his "toe the line" national anthem kneeling policy ... with the Dallas owner telling media members Wednesday he's considering a new rule.

The 77-year-old, who has famously threatened to cut players if they kneel during the pregame song, now says he's going to have an open dialogue with his team over the policy.

Jerry told reporters he's currently trying to find a way that pleases both protesters and staunch flag supporters when it comes to the team's newest anthem kneeling rule.

"Somewhere in between there," Jones said, "as we get together with our team, as we discuss with the team, somewhere in between there is how we're going to handle it."

Jerry says he's been in contact with several powerful people over how the Cowboys should move forward with the policy ... saying both past and current U.S. presidents have shared their feelings with him on the matter.

"I have talked to literally double handfuls of very, very engaged people," Jones said. "I have had input from ex-presidents, I've had input from presidents."

"I've had input from a cross-section of our players, former players and I will continue to have input. This is a very serious matter."

Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter have tied up another loose end following their divorce ... but didn't make the dough they'd hoped to on the deal.

The ex-couple finally closed on the sale of their New Jersey mansion -- which they called home for years -- after putting it on the market in August 2019.

Though it was originally listed for nearly $2 million, it sold for $1.475 mil ... quite a significant price cut.

Jamie Silverman, who exclusively repped Wendy and her ex-husband in the sale, tells TMZ ... the reason for the price reduction was the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamie says the buyers are a young family who are very excited about the property -- calling it the home of their dreams -- and are also fans of Wendy's ... so they were stoked when she dropped by to pay them a visit and wish them well.

Along with a sweet deal, the family's getting an awesome place to live ... the pad's 5,700 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, including a master suite with huge walk-in closets, plus a marble bath, jacuzzi and steam shower.