Baseball

Time to bring back funky buttloving?!

That's what Thomas Ian Nicholas wants ... the guy who played Henry Rowengartner in "Rookie of the Year" thinks it's time for a reboot -- and he's ready to rally the original cast back together!

With one exception ...

"Maybe not Gary Busey ... he's crazy!"

37-year-old Nicholas has a pretty solid resume -- with the "American Pie" movies and 'Rules of Attraction' -- but says the fans are always asking him to bring back the baseball flick about the kid with the rocket arm.

"A lot of people would be very interested in a 'Rookie of the Year' reboot or a sequel," Nicholas tells us ... explaining that his 1993 flick is always the talk at the movie conventions he attends.

Seattle Mariners superstar Robinson Cano -- one of the best players in baseball --has accepted an 80 game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

However, Cano insists he did NOT take steroids or any other performance enhancing drug ... he insists he made a simple mistake when taking a prescribed medication.

"Recently, I learned that I tested positive for a substance called Furosemide, which is not a performance enhancing substance," Cano said in a statement.

"Furosemide is used to treat various medical conditions in the United States and the Dominican Republic."

"This substance was given to me by a licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic to treat a medical ailment."

"While I did not realize at the time that I was given a medication that was banned, I obviously now wish that I had been more careful."

The issue ... Furosemide can be used as a masking agent to hide PEDs -- and that's why it's banned.

The 35-year-old is currently nursing a broken hand which he suffered Sunday when he was hit by a pitch while playing against the Detroit Tigers.

MLB says he will be allowed to start serving his suspension immediately, despite the injury.

The 2nd baseman -- an 8-time All-Star -- is in the middle of a 10-year contract worth $240 MILLION. Many people believe he was headed to the Hall of Fame ... but this could derail that.

Ex-MLB pitcher Matt Mantei was convicted of domestic violence after roughing up his wife, but he ain't gonna spend a minute behind bars ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Mantei -- who was known for his 100 MPH heater during his 10-year career in the big leagues -- was arrested April 17 in Michigan after his wife told cops Mantei got physical with her while arguing over a cell phone.

She claimed the closer grabbed her, threw her to the floor, and held her down ... before letting her up and shoving her -- causing minor injuries.

Mantei appeared before a judge in Berrien County last Friday ... and pled no contest to 1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence. But, we're told the judge reviewed the evidence and found that Mantei committed the offense of domestic violence, according to prosecutor Michael Sepic.

With the conviction, comes punishment ... but no jail and no probation.

To the victor go the shears!

Cleveland Indians star shortstop Francisco Lindor had made a bet with his old high school baseball team ... you guys go undefeated, I'll shave my entire head!

Well, guess what ... the Montverde Academy squad in Florida went 25-0 -- and Lindor let the guys 86 his locks!!

The 24-year-old surprised the Eagles at a school assembly and let the players take turn shaving off his blonde curls.

Hope it works out for the players in baseball, because they're TERRIBLE barbers.

You think Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez can go 9 innings without a selfie? Hell no!

The power couple (along with J Lo's mom) hit up Yankees Stadium on Thursday night to watch NY take on the Boston Red Sox .... and you know they had to post the proof on social media.

Of course, A-Rod used to play for the Yankees ... but last night, he was bad luck -- the Yankees lost to the Sox 5-4, snapping the 8-game winning streak.

The good news ... Jenny's mom, Guadalupe, seemed to be having a blast at the game ... until the end.

J Lo and A-Rod's one-of-a-kind matching Met Gala outfits are going from the red (and white) carpet to an auction to raise money for (RED)'s fight to end AIDS.

The couple slayed Monday night in custom-designed Balmain looks from the creative director ,Olivier Rousteing. The theme was "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," hence the cross on J Lo's chest.

Her dress took over a month to make ... the jewels on the feathers were sewn on by hand, which explains the $5k starting bid. A-Rod's tux starts at $1,500.

The auction is a cool concept ... if you can rationalize spending that much on clothes, and also considering there's zero chance they would re-wear this stuff. Rousteing's other designs from the night for 'Daily Show' host Trevor Noah, Juliette Binoche and more are also up for auction.

He's 3 years older than the AARP minimum age, but 53-year-old Rafael Palmeiro is still playing pro baseball -- signing a new deal with an independent league team in Texas!

The 4-time MLB All-Star has agreed to play for the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.

What's really cool ... he'll be teammates with his 28-year-old son, Patrick!

Palmeiro REALLY wanted to get a shot with an MLB team, but since that didn't happen ... he signed with the Railroaders.

"Nobody gave me a chance to go to spring training," Palmiero said in a text message to the Dallas Morning News ... "so I will just take this path."

How awesome is this?!

We just got Yankees manager Aaron Boone rushing to Yankees Stadium for Tuesday night's big game against the Boston Red Sox -- and he was cool enough to talk to our guy!!!

The big talk -- the rivalry ... which has gotten more intense this season for two reasons -- the Yanks and Sox have the best records in baseball PLUS the teams got into a brawl the last time they faced off in April.

So, with pride and 1st place on the line ... how does Boone feel about the situation?

"It's always big when these two teams get together," Boone said.

"They're a great team. We think we have a good team ... so it's fun to be a part of."

As for concerns that tonight could get violent?

"Nah, all good ... hopefully we'll just see a lot of good baseball."

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna was arrested for assaulting a woman Tuesday morning ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

Our sources say cops got an emergency call during the alleged attack and raced to the scene.

Once they got there, Osuna was arrested for assault -- we're told the alleged victim is in a relationship with the MLB star.

Osuna has since been released from custody -- he's due back in court on June 18.

The 23-year-old was an All-Star in 2017 and was a prodigy as a child.

He signed with the Blue Jays when he was only 16 years old and became the youngest pitcher in team history to appear in an MLB game.

Pete Rose owes more than $1 MILLION to the IRS ... but you wouldn't know it by looking at his car -- 'cause the ex-MLB star is still pushing a very expensive Rolls-Royce!

TMZ Sports has obtained pics of Rose's Rolls-Royce Wraith -- a car that usually costs about $300,000!

And to make sure people know it's HIS car, Pete got a custom license plate bearing his nickname, "Hit King."

Remember, Rose has admitted in court docs he fell WAY behind in federal taxes and is working to repay Uncle Sam the 7-figure debt he's racked up over the years.

But even debtors gotta BALL OUT IN VEGAS, right?!

A Louisville Slugger bat used in an MLB game by Babe Ruth just sold at Goldin Auctions for just under $200,000!!!

Experts have determined the bat was used during Ruth's 1929 and 1930 seasons ... but the exact game (or games) in which it was used is unclear.

Authenticators were able to confirm the details on the bat (weight, length, style) sync up to the bats Ruth ordered from Louisville Slugger during that time period, Goldin says.

The Hillerich & Bradsby hickory bat weighs 37.8 ounces and is 35.25 inches long.

To compare, Aaron Judge's bat is 35 inches long but only weighs 33 ounces.

Goldin says the final price on the Ruth bat was $196,400. The identity of the buyer has not been made public.

There's more ... an authentic contract Ruth signed with the Yankees in 1934 (his final contract with the Yankees) also sold for $282,325!

He signed the contract with his name, "George H. Ruth."

Pete Rose admits he is more than a MILLION DOLLARS in debt -- but the baseball legend is adamant it has nothing to do with a high stakes gambling problem.

The 77-year-old also claims he has a heart condition and has undergone 3 procedures in the last 5 years.

It's all part of the new docs Rose filed in his nasty divorce war with his estranged wife, Carol Rose ... who recently claimed Pete still makes $100,000 per month, yet still owes massive gambling debts.

"I have NO gambling debts," Rose writes in the new court filing obtained by TMZ Sports.

Pete also claims the $100k number is just wrong ... he only makes $54k per month and sends $20k to Carol as part of his monthly support obligation.

As for his IRS debt, Rose says he owes Uncle Sam more than $1,000,000 -- but notes he's been paying $20k per month to make things right.

Pete says he's been trying to officially end his marriage to Carol since 2008, but Carol keeps dragging things out.

Three shocking pieces of information about Pete Rose in new court docs ...

1) He's still technically married to his 2nd wife, Carol, despite filing for divorce in 2011 and gallivanting around for years with a much younger girlfriend.

2) Rose allegedly makes more than $1 MILLION per year in income from autograph signings.

3) He blows most of his cash in high stakes gambling sessions and has significant debts with casinos and the IRS.

The allegations are all part of new divorce docs filed by his estranged wife, Carol Rose, who married Pete back in 1984.

Pete initially filed divorce docs of his own to end the marriage back in '11, but things have dragged and they're still technically married.

Now, Carol claims Pete is jerking her around in the divorce -- and she wants what she believes is her rightful cut of the community property.

Carol claims Pete is making a minimum $100,000 per month -- primarily from daily signing appearances. That's $1.2 mil annually for all you mathematicians out there.

She's asking the judge to order Pete to lay out his financial situation to the court so they can hash out a proper settlement and finally end their marriage once and for all.

Challenge: Forget how you feel about Curt Schilling and judge this post purely on art. Good?

The ex-MLB star-turned-political firebrand got a brand new tattoo -- Jesus on the cross -- and he's essentially sharing an arm with JC.

The tat is inspired by Mark 15:33 -- "At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon."

But, the artist designed the tattoo to make it look like Jesus' left arm becomes one with Curt's arm -- and the illusion is actually pretty cool.

Matt Mantei allegedly pushed his wife and threw her to the ground during a fight over a cell phone -- before being arrested for domestic violence ... according to an incident report obtained by TMZ Sports.

We broke the story ... Mantei was arrested for assault and battery in Michigan on Tuesday night. According to the report, Mantei and his wife of 3 months were at home when they began arguing.

In the report, Mantei's wife claims he "grabbed her forearms and threw her to the floor" after trying to grab her phone. Once on the ground, Mantei allegedly got on top of his wife to prevent her from moving ... and squeezed her hands, causing minor injuries to her fingers.

Once Mantei let his wife go, the report says he began "throwing items around the house and tearing things off the wall."

Mantei's wife called 911 and waited for cops to arrive. The report says she had "visible cuts and bruises to her right hand ... and both hands were somewhat swollen."

M.M. appeared in court this afternoon and pled not guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence ... before being released from jail.

He's due back in court next month.

12:21 PM PT -- Mantei appeared in front of a judge (over a livestream) in Berrien County, Michigan ... and plead not guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence.

MM was given a personal recognizance bond ... meaning he will be discharged from county jail without paying any money.

He is due back in court May 2.

Flame-throwing ex-MLB pitcher Matt Mantei was arrested and thrown in jail for assault and battery Tuesday night in Michigan ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Mantei -- a closer with a 100 MPH heater -- played 10 seasons in the big leagues for the Marlins, Diamondbacks and Red Sox. He had a career ERA of 4.07, and racked up 93 saves ... before retiring in 2005.

According to officials, Mantei -- 44 years old -- was booked into the Berrien County Jail Tuesday night on the charge of assault and battery.

It's unclear exactly what led up to the arrest.

Mantei is still in custody.