Baseball

Wanna own a home with its own baseball field, indoor basketball court, full gym ... and a private fishing pond?!!?

Good news -- Cal Ripken Jr. is putting his incredible Maryland home on the auction block ... which means it could all be yours if you've got roughly $10 million to spend!

Ripken initially put the 24-acre estate on the market for $12.5 mil back in 2016 -- but the price was just too damn high ... so Cal chopped the asking price down to $9.75 mil back in April 2017.

Still, no takers -- but Cal's motivated to sell ... so he's bringing the home to auction with no reserve on May 12.

Here are the highlights ... the home is roughly 22,000 square feet and has 6 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, a home theater, 10-person spa, private hiking trails, pool and a kitchen that can fit 100 people!

Feb 21. 9:06 AM PT -- The San Francisco Giants released a statement saying Cepeda was hospitalized due to a "cardiac incident" ... and is in critical condition.

7:45 AM PT -- Cepeda "suffered a severe blow to the skull" after falling in the parking lot of his gym on Monday ... Orlando's family friend, Minor League Dodgers coach Paco Figueroa, told Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia.

Baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, 80, was rushed to a Bay Area hospital on Monday night ... according to an SF Giants team official who spoke with one of Cepeda's family members.

The official had no information on Cepeda's current condition or the reason he was hospitalized.

Orlando's last public appearance was at AT&T Park in January ... when he joined Willie McCovey and other former Giants teammates for Mac's 80th birthday party.

Cepeda is one of the greatest players in Giants history, making 7 All-Star teams (6 with SF) and winning NL MVP in 1967 with the Cardinals. He also played for the Braves, A's, Red Sox and Royals.

He became the 2nd Puerto Rican player to make the Hall in '99, joining Roberto Clemente.

Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda has a pretty clear New Year's resolution: scaring the living hell outta his translator!!

Since the calendar hit 2018, Kenta's been on a tear messing with his language bro, Will, in the most hilarious ways possible.

On Thursday, the Japanese star punk'd him with a jump scare (again) ... but his best work had to be the classic water bottle coin trick (c'mon, bro ... that one was obvious).

Will's being a great sport through it all ... probably 'cause he's plotting a mistranslating scheme for when the season starts up again.

Ex-MLB pitcher Esteban Loaiza was dealing $500,000 in cocaine from a home located steps away from a preschool ... and was using "sophisticated" devices to hide it, cops say.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Dept. is now releasing details about Loaiza's Feb. 9 arrest -- saying he was busted during a drug-smuggling sting by the Border Crime Suppression Team.

Loaiza was initially stopped by police during a traffic stop for a minor traffic violation -- but a search of his car led to the discovery of a "sophisticated aftermarket compartment used to conceal contraband."

Cops then got a warrant to search a home that Loaiza had been renting since early February -- located "steps away from an area preschool" -- and found roughly 20 kilograms of suspected cocaine.

Estimated street value -- $500,000.

Loaiza was booked into San Diego County Jail for 3 felonies -- Possession of Cocaine Over 20 Kilograms, Possession of Cocaine for Sale, and Transportation of Cocaine.

Former MLB All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza was arrested Friday in San Diego with at least 44 pounds of heroin or cocaine ... and could now face more than 20 years behind bars.

Loaiza, 46, is being charged with 3 felonies ...

1) Possession of more than 20kgs of heroin or cocaine

2) Possession or purchase of narcotics

3) Transportation or sale of narcotics

He's currently being held at Chula Vista's South Bay Detention Facility with bail set at $200,000. He's due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Loaiza, the second-winningest pitcher from Mexico in MLB history, played for 8 different teams in his career -- earning over $43 million.

He last played for the White Sox in 2008 -- the same team he played for when he was an All-Star in 2003 and 2004.

Chicago Cubs star Addison Russell is stoked to meet his new (super rich) teammate, Yu Darvish ... telling TMZ Sports he can't wait to LEARN from the accomplished veteran.

We spoke with the World Series champ about Darvish's massive new 6-year, $126 MILLION contract with the Cubbies -- and Russell clearly believes CHI is getting its money's worth.

"It's gonna be a big plus! We're happy to have him ... I've faced him a few times so I know what he brings to the table!"

There's a funny celebrity cameo in the clip -- but Russell's not impressed.

Maybe because Rick Springfield dropped "Jessie's Girl" 37 years ago ... 13 years before Addison was born!

Ex-MLB star Milton Bradley is the suspect in a domestic violence investigation -- less than 2 years after he spent 15 months in jail for a previous incident.

TMZ Sports has learned ... cops were called to Bradley's L.A. home on Sunday where a woman told police the former MLB All-Star roughed her up during a heated argument.

39-year-old Bradley was not in the home when cops arrived. We're told the woman did not require medical attention.

Cops are investigating and are trying to get in touch with Bradley, ASAP.

Of course, Bradley has a well-documented history of domestic violence. In 2013, he was convicted of beating up his previous wife, Monique, and was sentenced to 32 months in jail.

According to the L.A. Country Sheriff's Dept. records, Bradley was released on August 24, 2016 after only 15 months.

Bradley played for 8 teams during his 11-year MLB career that started in 2000 and ended in 2011 -- including the Dodgers, Cubs, Rangers and Mariners. He reportedly made more than $46 MILLION.

The Cleveland Indians are finally retiring their controversial Chief Wahoo logo -- saying it's "no longer appropriate for on-field use."

The Indians have been using the logo since 1948 -- showing a grinning Native American sporting a feather in his hair. The image has been under fire by some groups who say it's a racist depiction of Native Americans.

Now, it seems the Cleveland organization agrees ... and will put the logo out to pasture after the 2018 MLB season.

The logo has already been scrubbed from all stadium signage -- but the team will continue to sell merchandise with the image until the end of the season.

Vince McMahon called him out by name ... so, when we saw Tim Tebow in L.A. over the weekend, we had to ask if he'd ever consider joining the brand new XFL.

Tim signed autographs and was his usual friendly self on the way out of Craig's in L.A. -- but when the topic came to the XFL, Tim shut down like the Vikings' offense in the NFC championship.

Seems Tim doesn't want to breathe life into the possibility he would leave his baseball career and go back to football. In fact, he talked to us about the Mets when we saw him last week in Bev Hills.

Sorry Vince ...

MLB legend Frank Thomas -- also known by his intimidating nickname from his playing days -- is making damn sure nobody else tries to take it from him ... at least for merchandise.

The Hall of Fame first baseman -- known as "The Big Hurt" for crushing baseballs throughout his career -- has the term 'Big Hurt' trademarked for t-shirts, sport shirts and baseball caps ... according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Thomas filed the paperwork a few years after hanging up his cleats, and has had 'Big Hurt' for his own since May 2015.

Frank's been a busy businessman since retirement, too -- he founded a record label, opened a Chicago brewpub, put out a cookbook, joined "MLB on FOX" as an analyst and became a spokesman for Nugenix.

Trevor Hoffman says it's about damn time Curt Schilling joins him in the Hall of Fame, telling TMZ Sports voters should focus on his baseball skills ... and not his mouth.

We spoke with the 2018 inductee (congrats, btw) about Schilling missing the cut for the 6th year in a row ... and Hoffy says Curt's more than deserving of baseball's highest honor.

Curt's got 4 more attempts to get voted into the Hall ... and Hoffman sends his fellow pitcher an encouraging message.

Yasiel Puig had 11 of the strongest barbers on the planet give him a brand new look Thursday night ... getting a fresh bald haircut from kids battling cancer!!

The Dodgers superstar rolled into Cedars-Sinai hospital in L.A. where he decided to get his head shaved as a show of solidarity with all the tough kids in the hospital going through chemotherapy.

The kids loved it -- and so did Puig, who addressed every kid as his "new barber."

Alex Rodriguez's private jet just made an emergency landing only minutes after leaving a runway in New Jersey.

The multi-million dollar Gulfstream IV took off from Teterboro Airport Thursday morning, and the pilot declared an emergency shortly after. We're told he attempted to land the plane in Albany, but aborted, and headed back to Teterboro where he he was able to bring it down safely.

A-Rod was not on board, and it appears the issue was mechanical.

TMZ obtained air traffic control audio, and you can hear the pilot mention a problem with a flap. Air traffic control opened a runway for the emergency landing, which was successful.

A source connected to A-Rod tells us the landing was made mostly as a precaution, and the pilot was making a test run. The FAA tells us it's investigating.

As we reported, A-Rod just took delivery of the G4 last month.

HALLELUJAH!! Tim Tebow is headin' back to baseball!

The ex-football superstar tells TMZ Sports he's going to accept his invite to the NY Mets spring training in February ... and he's swingin' for the fences.

Tebow -- who played for Class A St. Lucie last season -- got the invite to return to the Mets' major league camp last week, but hadn't officially said whether he would take another shot at baseball until now.

BTW ... the 2007 Heisman winner had a .226 batting average with 8 dingers and 52 RBI in the minors last season.

Who the hell would wanna destroy the actual "Field of Dreams?"

That's what the people who operate the ballpark in Iowa want to know after some scumbag tore up the field during an evil joyride Monday night.

The field in Dyersville, Iowa touts itself as the "home of the iconic movie set" for the 1989 baseball flick -- thousands of fans visit the field every year.

But, field officials say someone drove a truck through the field -- putting 4-inch gashes all over the field and turf and damaging the sprinkler system.

"We cannot fathom why a soul on this planet would desecrate this holy ground," field operators said on social media.

"We pray for whomever did this to our special place that they find peace in their hearts. Before Opening Day, April 1, we will work toward repairing this damage."

Johnny Damon says there are 60 million reasons to let Roger Clemens into the Baseball Hall of Fame -- as in the dollars the feds spent trying (and failing) to prove he used steroids.

"Our government tried to accuse him ... we had $60 million of our tax money go to trying to defame him," Damon told TMZ Sports.

Johnny says all that money was wasted 'cause Clemens was ultimately "proven innocent."