Baseball

Randy Johnson's big unit is up for grabs -- a 25,000 sq. foot estate with a full gym, game room, bar, basketball court and WATERSLIDE -- and all ya gotta do is be the highest bidder.

As we previously reported, the ex-MLB superstar put the house on the market for $25 MIL back in 2014 ... but didn't find a buyer. He slashed it all the way down to $14.5 mil before finally deciding to put it on the auction block.

The place is insane ... it's located in Paradise Valley. Here are the highlights:

-- 7 bedrooms, 12 baths
-- Full tennis court/ basketball court
-- Trophy room
-- Game room with bar and pool table
-- Music instrument room
-- Sick pool with twisty waterslide
-- Wine cellar
-- Massive garage
-- Secret garden area
-- Movie theater with box office

There's more ... make sure to check out the pics. The auction, hosted by Concierge Auctions, starts on Jan. 29.

There's no starting bid ... but in order to get in on the action, ya gotta cough up a $100K deposit and proof of income.

Great news for CC Sabathia ... the Yankees ace has been officially cleared to work out after undergoing heart surgery last month.

ICYMI --the Cy Young winner needed an angioplasty to unblock an artery back in December after experiencing acid reflux, heartburn and other symptoms.

At the time, team officials say Sabathia could have suffered a heart attack if he did not seek help.

The surgery was a success ... and after a follow-up stress test on Tuesday, the team announced Sabathia has been cleared to workout and resume baseball activities after.

Stephen Jackson just ripped Darryl Strawberry for saying weed is a gateway drug ... blasting the ex-MLB superstar as a "cokehead" who's "weak-minded."

ICYMI ... Strawberry told TMZ Sports earlier this week that marijuana is SUPER dangerous and is "just the beginning" of the path to way more serious drugs.

Enter Jackson ... a staunch marijuana advocate who heard the comments -- and just had to tear into the former outfielder for making the bold claim.

"You a whole cokehead out here, bruh," Jackson says.

"Asking you for advice about weed is like asking somebody who went broke on how to stay rich. You a whole cokehead out here, bruh!!"

Jackson later apologized for the comments ... saying he didn't mean to disrespect the ex-Yankee who's tried to turn around his life after being suspended 3 times for cocaine during his baseball career.

But, Stephen didn't back off his initial opinion at all ... doubling down and saying, "If you think weed is a gateway drug, then you weak-minded."

Darryl Strawberry believes marijuana is DANGEROUS -- telling TMZ Sports it should NOT be used as pain management because it's a gateway drug that can ruin lives.

... and Strawberry says he's living proof.

Of course, the ex-MLB superstar battled addiction himself -- he was suspended 3 times for cocaine during his baseball career.

Now, with so many pro athletes calling for the legalization of marijuana for pain management, Strawberry says it's the WRONG thing to do.

"Most people don't understand marijuana is a drug," the 56-year-old tells TMZ Sports ... "It's just the beginning. Starting people off when they're young and then it leads to everything else."

Strawberry also says America is "spiritually broken" when it comes to the use of prescription medication ... blaming pharmaceutical companies for "flooding the gates" with opiates that are killing young people.

But, the root of the problem, according to Strawberry, is weed.

"Most young people start off with marijuana ... it's a gateway. I started with marijuana when I was young -- 14, 15 years old -- and it led me to everything else."

We asked Darryl if he advocates for any Rx drug for pain management and he told us -- "There's no such thing as pain management for prescription drugs. They've gotten totally out of control."

Grab your tissues ... this tearjerker's brought to you by Kansas City Royals prospect Brady Singer who surprised his parents with a VERY expensive gift that'll earn him an award for Son of the Year.

Singer posted this video on Christmas Day ... which begins with Singer's mom opening a red envelope. She starts reading Singer's heartfelt letter ... and if it doesn't give you all the feels, nothing else will. Singer's mom reads out loud: "I just wanna say thank you for everything you've done to help me reach my dreams ... Both of you constantly took off of work and spent every dime you made just to put a smile on my face."

Then ... her jaw drops. SINGER WIPED OUT THEIR ENTIRE DEBT!!!

Singer was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the 18th overall pick earlier this summer. He's a right-handed pitcher with huge potential ... which explains why the Royals paid him $4.25 million to sign with them instead of returning to Florida.

Another sign the Royals wanted Singer badly? They paid him well above the slot value of an 18th overall pick. Yeah, he's that good. And, he's a byproduct of his parents' hard work and sacrifices ... which is why Singer wanted to SHOCK them with an incredible gesture.

Marshawn Lynch threw on his best hoodie and sandals and hit up the Oakland City Council meeting on Wednesday ... and made the following statement to city officials:

"We're losing the Warriors. We're losing the Raiders. Best not lose the A's. Appreciate it."

Marshawn is an Oakland guy, born and raised -- and is clearly upset with the mass exodus of the major sports teams in the area.

The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas and the Golden State Warriors -- who play in Oracle Arena in Oakland -- are moving to the Chase Center in San Francisco next season.

The Oakland A's currently play at the Oakland Coliseum but are hoping to build a new 34,000 seat waterfront stadium in the area where they could play in 2023.

Enter Marshawn who didn't have much to say -- but made his point crystal clear.

Oakland A's president Dave Kaval was grateful for Beast Mode's support -- tweeting out, "Thank you Marshawn! Let's do this!!"

Kaval has previously commented on the stadium situation -- saying, "We've been there 50 years ... We have a great sense of the importance of that development on the future of East Oakland."

Ex-Miami Marlins president David Samson egged on hecklers at a party this weekend ... flipping off the crowd, bragging about his team's sale and then screaming, "F*ck you!!!"

It all went down at ESPN personality, Dan Le Batard's birthday party in Miami ... where Samson -- one of the biggest sports villains in the city -- got up onstage for a speech.

The dude -- who many blame for making the Marlins a mess and forcing city's taxpayers to foot the bill for their new stadium -- was boo'd relentlessly before he could even open his mouth.

Samson's message to his haters??

"Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Here's why I love when you guys boo me. Right? I want you guys to keep booing me. Because guess what? $1.2 BILLION! F*ck you!!!!"

Of course, Samson's reference represents the amount of cash he and former owner Jeffrey Loria were able to sell the Marlins for, to Derek Jeter last year.

For their part ... both Samson and Le Batard say the whole thing was a joke, with Samson writing on Twitter, "Actually,not at all how it happened. All on tape and all in good fun. And, all for Lebatard’s birthday. No bragging, no fleecing."

Added Le Batard, "These bleeping fun suckers. Samson was playing the heel wrestling manager. No one would seriously wear that jacket. I was booing Samson before taking the mic from him. You don’t get the show."

Don't need any more stress in your life heading into the holiday season??

Neither did we ... but thanks to Justin Turner -- we now have it.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar attempted the Buzz Wire Challenge on Tuesday ... and the video of him going through it couldn't cause us more anxiety.

Turner's first attempt is pretty painless ... dude barely gets a few inches before he taps out.

But, his next attempt?? That's when the white knuckles start forming.

Turner goes through the electrical maze in a painstaking 40 seconds ... nearly tapping the wire MULTIPLE times as he got through the twists and turns.

J.T. finally made it to the end (of course he did, dude hits 100 MPH heaters with steady hands for a living) ... and we all exhaled with him as he celebrated.

MLB superstar Christian Yelich says he'd be open to donating his MVP award to the Thousand Oaks bar where 12 people were murdered last month ... 'cause the tragedy hit way too close to home for him.

The Brewers outfielder went to school at Westlake H.S. in T.O. -- and tells TMZ Sports he actually used to party at Borderline Bar & Grill when he was a teenager just a few years ago.

That's why he says the tragic killing of 12 innocent people had "extra meaning" for him ... so much so, he says he'll consider donating his MVP award to the bar when it reopens.

"That's something that we'll have to talk about in the future," Yelich told us at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year ceremony at The Beverly Hilton in L.A.

"I feel like you gotta let the grieving process play out. Let them take care of the many needs and things that they have to take care of just to get back to a sense of normalcy. And, then you can kinda see what you can do to help out."

In the meantime ... Yelich has teamed up with Ryan Braun, Rams star Jared Goff and others to not only raise money for the shooting victims but also those affected by wildfires.

"We tried to put together a California Strong charity just to raise money to help people out and get them back on their feet in any way we can. Just lend a helping hand in a time of need."

Props to Yelich and the guys ... they sold shirts, autographs and giveaways over the last month that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for victims.

Wanna live like the owner of a prestigious MLB team?? Got $25 MILLION laying around?

Awesome ... 'cause you can gobble up the insane mansion John Henry owned down in Boca Raton, Florida!!

The Sox owner -- who's also the honcho of Liverpool Football Club and the Boston Globe -- is ready to move on from the pad and just put the 41,000 square foot place on the market.

The estate is absolutely epic ... seven bedrooms, 19 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) bathrooms and unreal pool that overlooks a lake.

It's also got a library, a theater, a recording studio ... AND AN INDOOR-OUTDOOR ROOM DEDICATED ENTIRELY TO MAKING PIZZA!!!

Oh, there's also a clay tennis court, sports bar room AND an underground wine cellar that promises to keep your booze at a perfect 53 degrees -- even in a power outage!!

Unclear why John's getting rid of the spot -- dude's owned it since 1999 -- but we do know one thing for sure ... being rich rules.

[H/T TopTenRealEstateDeals.com]

Christian Yelich REALLY hated Manny Machado when the two played in the NLCS this fall ... but the MVP says he's willing to squash the beef under one condition.

IF MANNY SIGNS WITH THE BREWERS!!!

You'll remember ... Christian went off on Manny after the Dodgers star banged into Yelich's teammate at first base while running out a grounder in the October series ... callin' Manny "a dirty player."

"It's a dirty play by a dirty player," Yelich said at the time ... "That's what it is."

Fast forward to this week -- with the sweepstakes to land Manny in free agency at an all-time high -- and Christian was singin' a little bit of a different tune to TMZ Sports.

"Listen, emotions run high in those series, things happen," Yelich said at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year ceremony at The Beverly Hilton in L.A.

"If we ended up crossing paths -- being on the same team again -- I'm sure we'd be able to work that out no problem."

Bad news for Yelich, Milwaukee and fans of beef-squashers?? Machado reportedly ain't interested in playin' for the Brew Crew.

12:40 PM PT -- Venezuelan authorities believe Valbuena and Castillo may have been victims of robbers who throw rocks onto roads to cause cars to crash and then steal from people inside the vehicle.

Yaracuy governor Julio León Heredia announced 4 suspects have been arrested after they were found with the players' belongings.

MLB infielders Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo were killed in a car crash in Venezuela on Thursday ... after a car they were riding in veered off the road.

According to local reports ... 33-year-old Valbuena and Castillo, 37, were leaving their Venezuelan league game with Cardenales de Lara in Yaracuy when their driver either hit or swerved to avoid a rock ... and drove off the road.

The man driving the car was the chauffeur of their teammate, Carlos Rivero -- who survived the crash.

Photos of the accident have surfaced ... showing the van totally damaged and flipped on its side.

Valbuena -- who most recently played for the Angels this past season -- has been in the majors since 2008 ... and has also played for the Astros, Cubs, Indians and Mariners.

Valbuena hit 25 home runs with Houston in 2015.

Castillo played 5 seasons in the MLB with the Pirates, Giants and Astros.

The MLB released a statement Friday morning, saying, "We are saddened by the tragic news that Luis Valbuena and former major leaguer José Castillo have died in a car accident."

#RIP

Bernie Williams tells TMZ Sports the Mets trade for Robinson Cano is great for the 2nd baseman ... but not so much for his ex-team -- 'cause Bernie says Yankees fans are gonna hate it!!

Remember, Cano used to be a beast for the Yanks ... but took a big-money deal back in 2014 to play for the Mariners.

But, Robinson was just dealt from Seattle back to NY in a trade with the Mets -- and Bernie says while the move is huge for the 8-time All-Star -- it's bad for pinstripe faithful!!

"I think it's going to be good for him to be back in New York. But, I don't know if Yankees fans are gonna like that, though!!"

As for Cano's game ... Bernie says he's got no doubt the dude will be able to re-energize his career after a season marred by an 80-game PED suspension.

Good news, Cardinals fans ... Nelly's gonna get Bryce Harper to join the squad!!!

At least, that's what the rapper says -- 'cause when he grabbed baseball's top free agent backstage at the Florida Georgia Line concert Saturday ... he gave his best St. Louis pitch.

"Listen, Bill, Mr. DeWitt, call me! I got this. Alright? I'm doing all the negotiations. He just need a little convincing, man! That's all!"

Bryce's response -- he didn't say no!!

Of course ... Bryce has a TON of suitors these days -- even ones just as famous as Nelly ... 'cause when he hit the FGL concert with his old pal, Kris Bryant -- you know Cubs talk went down there too.

Bryce is playing his free agency card close to the vest -- with the Nationals, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals, Yankees and more all being rumored to be his next spot.

We spotted Harper in L.A. a few weeks ago and he hinted that the Cubs and White Sox could have an edge because Chicago is his favorite city ... when it comes to restaurants!

The Red Sox should ABSOLUTELY take their championship trip to the White House ... so says ex-MLB star Brad Penny, who says the team needs to support Donald Trump regardless of their opinions of him.

It's up in the air whether Boston will make its post-World Series visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave ... especially after manager Alex Cora publicly criticized the President in September.

But, Penny says it would be a huge mistake to not go ... telling TMZ Sports the team should be there.

"You gotta go," the ex-star pitcher says ... "You support the President whether you voted for him or not ... I think they just gotta go."

Penny knows a thing or two about those trips ... the 2-time All-Star went to George W. Bush's White House after his Marlins won it all back in 2003.

He says the trip was unforgettable ... and Red Sox players would regret not making it.

In fact -- Brad tells us he thinks Boston can send a strong message to those protesting Trump by going.

"All those protests and stuff, to me, we want everybody who's in office to do good ... I feel like a lot of people want Trump to fail and it's unfortunate."

Unclear whether Red Sox players will listen to Brad ... but we know at least one of their pitchers is on board.

Sammy Sosa clearly ain't bitter at his broken relationship with the Cubbies ... 'cause the Chicago legend tells TMZ Sports he's still rootin' for the team to make the World Series!!

Sosa's been blackballed from the Cubs organization since he retired -- with owner Tom Ricketts saying Sammy's gotta come clean regarding his alleged PED use before they welcome him back.

But, Sammy clearly ain't offended by all that ... 'cause he tells us he's not only keeping up with the team -- he's hoping they get a chance to win another ring!!

"Chicago, they've been playing for the last few years very, very nice, so I have to give that to Chicago, and I hope they continue to play like that and I hope next year they can go to the World Series!"

As for the Cubs' recent controversial move to trade Tommy La Stella ... Sosa weighed in on that for us.