Baseball

A baseball that's roughly a decade old is about to sell for thousands of dollars ... and it's all 'cause Patrick Mahomes put his "John Hancock" on it way back when he was a high school senior!!

The ball was just discovered at a thrift store in Rockwall, Texas last month ... and it's super cool. It features signatures from some of the players who took the diamond in Texas for the Whitehouse H.S. Wildcats during the 2013-14 season.

In total, there are six names scribbled on it ... but, of course, none is bigger than Mahomes -- who put a "#5" next to his autograph when he inscribed the sweet spot.

Leland's just put the piece on its auction block -- and while bidding has started at $2,500 ... TMZ Sports is told it could fetch $10,000 and up!!

While it might sound a little crazy -- considering Mahomes, after all, does play football ... it's actually not the first Mahomes-autographed H.S. baseball that's sold for a wad of cash.

Back in 2020, one that the Chiefs star and the rest of his Whitehouse teammates signed in 2013 netted its seller a whopping $6,510.

Seems like a ton of cash ... but, hey, an autographed baseball signed by Michael Jordan during his high school days did go for $36,000 -- so it doesn't seem to be a bad investment by any means.

1:47 PM PT -- Shohei Ohtani just revealed more about his wife during a meeting with media members out at spring training on Thursday ... saying the two knew each other around three or four years before tying the knot.

The baseball star also said she had "nothing to do" with his decision to leave the Angels and join the Dodgers this offseason.

Shohei Ohtani is officially off the dating market ... the MLB superstar revealed late Wednesday night he's now married!!!

The Dodgers' designated hitter said in a post on his Instagram page his new spouse is "someone from my Native country of Japan who is very special to me" ... although he did not reveal the person's name.

"I am excited for what is come," he wrote ... before adding, "thank you for your support."

Ohtani included a picture of his adorable dog, Decoy, on the announcement as well.

Of course, it's now the second time in the last three months the 29-year-old has told the world of a life-changing event on IG ... back in December, he shared he was moving on from the Angels to the Dodgers for the foreseeable future.

That announcement got over two million "likes" on the social media app ... and so far, it's appeared to be a great decision for the two-way player.

Ohtani homered in his first spring training game with the team earlier this week, and he looks poised for a huge 2024 -- even if he won't pitch this year while recovering from elbow surgery.

Only about three more weeks until the at-bats actually count for L.A. ... get that popcorn ready!

Stacy Wakefield -- the widow of former Red Sox great Tim Wakefield -- has tragically passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer, the team announced Wednesday.

She was surrounded by her family, friends, caretakers and nurses at her home in Massachusetts.

The news comes less than five months after the longtime MLB pitcher died from brain cancer at 57 years old ... a loss that rocked the sports world.

The family released a statement on Stacy's passing ... saying, "Our hearts are beyond broken."

"We will remember Stacy as a strong, loving, thoughtful and kind person, who was as down-to-earth as they come. We feel so lucky to have had her in our lives, and we take comfort in the fact that she will be reunited with Tim, the love of her life."

The Wakefields also shined a light on those who took care of Stacy -- doctors, nurses and caretakers -- who were by her side since her diagnosis.

"We are eternally grateful for your unmatched care and support. And to all of you who have sent well wishes over these last several months, we truly appreciate your kindness."

Tim -- a two-time World Series champion and Red Sox Hall of Famer -- and Stacy got married in November 2002.

Stacy Wakefield, la viuda del ex jugador de los Red Sox, Tim Wakefield, falleció trágicamente tras una batalla contra el cáncer de páncreas, anunció el equipo el miércoles.

Stacy estaba rodeada de su familia, amigos, cuidadores y enfermeras en su casa de Massachusetts.

La noticia llega menos de cinco meses después de que el lanzador de la MLB de larga data falleciera de cáncer cerebral a los 57 años, una pérdida que sacudió al mundo del deporte.

La familia emitió un comunicado sobre el fallecimiento de Stacy, que dice: "Nuestros corazones están más que rotos".

"Recordaremos a Stacy como una persona fuerte, cariñosa, atenta y amable, con los pies bien en la tierra. Nos sentimos muy afortunados de haberla tenido en nuestras vidas y nos consuela el hecho de que se reunirá con Tim, el amor de su vida".

Los Wakefield también arrojaron luz sobre aquellos que cuidaron de Stacy: médicos, enfermeras y cuidadores, que estuvieron a su lado desde su diagnóstico.

"Estamos eternamente agradecidos por su inigualable cuidado y apoyo. Y a todos los que han enviado buenos deseos durante estos últimos meses, apreciamos de verdad su amabilidad".

Tim, dos veces campeón de la Serie Mundial y miembro del Salón de la Fama de los Red Sox, y Stacy se casaron en noviembre de 2002.

Andruw Jones is staying upbeat despite being snubbed for the Hall of Fame yet again this year ... telling TMZ Sports he's still got hope that he'll get in "one day."

The former Atlanta Braves superstar appeared on 61.6 percent of the writers' ballots in the latest round of HOF voting last month ... up from 58.1 percent last year.

But, with players needing at least 75 percent in order to officially get a plaque in Cooperstown, he fell short for the seventh straight year.

However, when we spoke with the 10-time Gold Glover out at Super Bowl week in Las Vegas earlier this month ... he told us he wasn't sweating things one bit.

Obviously, he'd love to get in ... but he explained, "If I don't make it, I will be the same person."

Jones certainly has a deserving resume. In his 17 Big League seasons, he made five All-Star teams and smacked 434 home runs with a .254 batting average. He also tallied 1,933 hits and 1,289 RBIs.

"I'm gracious that I'm still on [the ballot]," said Jones, who has three years left of eligibility. "Hopefully I can say one day I make it."

Meanwhile, Jones' son, Druw Jones, is trying to begin building a Hall of Fame resume of his own sooner rather than later after the Arizona Diamondbacks took him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft.

Andruw says he's hoping his boy has a better career than he had ... although he made sure to say he won't be bothered if the younger Jones never suits up for his beloved Braves.

Los Angeles Angels star Anthony Rendon is currently being pummeled by fans on social media ... and it's all 'cause he basically admitted on Monday he really can't stand baseball.

The third baseman got candid with reporters during a Q&A out at spring training practice in Arizona ... revealing the game that's made him over $160 million the past 13 years has "never been a top priority for me."

Rendon explained he views the sport as "a job," and not much more than that.

"I do this to make a living," he said. "My faith, my family come first before this job."

Of course, seamheads all over haven't taken lightly to his comments ... firing away on him on X for the remarks.

There were Spiderman memes of people who also claimed to hate their professions ... and others who compared his feelings on baseball to the way his teammate, Mike Trout, absolutely loves it.

But, if you think that's going to sway Rendon's opinion ... it almost certainly won't -- as he's been critical of the sport for a long time now.

In fact, back in January he said he wished the season would be considerably shorter ... saying, "It's too many dang games."

Lenny Dykstra has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, according to former teammate Darryl Strawberry ... but the former NY Mets star is on the mend!

A local Pennsylvania watering hole, Dolan's Bar, was the first to report the medical emergency, saying the 61-year-old suffered a small stroke.

Dysktra's former Mets teammates, Straw and Kevin Mitchell, confirmed the news of the stroke to the NY Post on Thursday ... saying he's getting better and has been released from the ICU, but is still receiving treatment in the hospital.

Thankfully, Lenny's in good spirits.

"He knew it was me, so that is always a good sign," Strawberry said. "He’s in the process of recovering."

Dykstra, Strawberry, and Mitchell go way back ... they played several seasons together in the 1980s on the New York Mets and won the World Series together in 1986.

Lenny was traded to the Phillies in 1989 ... but dealt with several injuries during his seven-year stint in Philly.

The 3x MLB All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, known as "Nails," retired in 1996 ... after accumulating nearly 1,300 hits.

"He’s a special friend and I will never turn my back on him and say negative things about him because his life has had some challenges," Strawberry said. "We’ve all had challenges."

Matthew Blit, Dykstra's attorney, gave us a statement.

"Lenny Dykstra has suffered a mini-stroke and is currently recovering in a Los Angeles Hospital surrounded by family and loved ones. I must say that the outpouring of support has been so welcome and is helping him on his road to recovery."

A 45-year-old man is now in police custody after cops claim he stole and destroyed a beloved Jackie Robinson statue in Kansas ... but authorities say they believe his actions were NOT motivated by hate.

According to the Wichita Police Department, Ricky Alderete has been hit with four criminal charges -- including felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property -- after authorities say he nabbed the famed JR monument from outside a youth baseball facility late last month and then burnt it down to a pile of rubble.

Cops say their investigation revealed Alderete committed the act in order to cash in on the figurine's metal scraps.

Officials added they believe there might be more individuals involved in the crime.

"Our detectives remain committed to gathering information to identify and charge all individuals involved in the theft and destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue," cops said in a statement Tuesday. "The WPD extends its gratitude to the community for their support, patience, and information related to this case."

City officials, meanwhile, have already said they plan to replace the Robinson sculpture with another one in the near future.

Un hombre de 45 años está bajo custodia policial después de que los policías afirmaran que robó y destruyó una estatua del querido Jackie Robinson en Kansas, aunque las autoridades piensan que sus acciones no fueron motivadas por el odio.

De acuerdo con el Departamento Policial de Wichita (WPD), Ricky Alderete ha sido golpeado con cuatro cargos criminales, incluyendo un delito grave de robo y otro de daños a la propiedad criminal agravado, después de que las autoridades dijeran que agarró el famoso monumento de Jackie Robinson desde fuera de una instalación juvenil de béisbol a finales del mes pasado y luego lo quemara entre un montón de escombros.

La policía dice que su investigación reveló que Alderete cometió el acto con el fin de sacar provecho de los restos de metal de la estatuilla.

Añadieron que creen que podría haber más individuos involucrados en el crimen.

"Nuestros detectives siguen comprometidos con la recopilación de información para identificar y acusar a todos los individuos involucrados en el robo y destrucción de la estatua de Jackie Robinson", dijo la policía en un comunicado el martes. "El WPD extiende su gratitud a la comunidad por su apoyo, paciencia e información relacionada con el caso".

Los funcionarios de la ciudad, mientras tanto, ya han dicho que planean reemplazar la escultura de Robinson con otra en un futuro próximo.

Alyssa Milano is once again defending herself over her GoFundMe move to raise cash for her kid's baseball team -- pointing out that even though she's a celeb ... she's a parent too.

The actress is still facing backlash from an attempt to fundraise for her pre-teen son's trip to Cooperstown -- something she made evident with some screenshots of people apparently attacking her boy on social media, with the kid having to stick up for himself and his mom.

She added a lengthy caption, writing ... "Every parent raises money for their child’s sports teams and many of them do so through GoFundMe. I am no different."

AM elaborated by saying ... "As much as I’d love to pay for the entire team and their families for travel, transportation, hotel, food and beverage, uniforms, trading pins and all the things teams do for this kind of trip—I can not afford to do so. Maybe someday."

She also points out that if she hypothetically did pay for everyone -- as the public has strongly suggested she do -- then she believes trolls would find a way to criticize her for that too ... and Alyssa's probably right.

One final sentiment from her on this issue ... "Leave the kids alone. Let them play baseball. If you are against donating—don’t donate. If you’d like to donate to help the team’s families — we appreciate it—the link is in his bio."

Grab a pen and paper, Shohei Ohtani -- former Dodgers star Justin Turner has some solid pointers on how the MLB superstar can succeed with his new team ... telling TMZ Sports there's one simple way to win the fanbase over (if he hasn't already).

Turner -- who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason -- will forever have a special place in the hearts of Dodger Nation ... after all, he was part of the World Series-winning squad in 2020 and also secured the NLCS MVP when they made it to the Fall Classic in 2017.

With Ohtani deciding to join the "real" L.A. team after spending his first six seasons with the Angels, we asked Red what the two-way athlete would have to do to get the diehard fans on his side ... and he pointed out everyone's probably already over the moon about the historic signing.

"I think he's doing a pretty good job with that already," Turner said this week.

When we asked for one thing in particular that could earn the fanbase's trust ... his solution was simple.

"Hit homers."

There's a ton of hype surrounding Ohtani's move to the Dodgers following his record-breaking 10-year, $700 million deal ... but it's clear Turner thinks he'll fit right in.

We also asked for some L.A. recommendations -- considering Anaheim is NOT the same thing -- and Turner thinks Ohtani's got it all figured out by now.

La estatua de Jackie Robinson que fue robada de fuera de un parque de béisbol juvenil la semana pasada ha sido localizada, pero por desgracia para los fans, se encontró destruida sin posibilidad de reparación.

Las autoridades de Wichita -Kansas- dieron la triste noticia el martes, diciendo que el departamento de bomberos recibió una llamada alrededor de las 8:40 AM por un incendio de basura en un parque local. Una vez extinguidas las llamas, los bomberos descubrieron trozos de bronce entre los escombros, lo cuales resultaron ser de la estatua.

Se determinó que la figura de Robinson - que se encontraba fuera de la Liga 42 McAdams Park durante años - no era salvable.

Los funcionarios de la ciudad ya están planeando hacer las cosas bien de nuevo para la comunidad, con el miembro del consejo -Brandon Johnson- diciendo en una conferencia de prensa que se asegurará que haya una réplica fuera del estadio de béisbol de nuevo.

"Vamos a seguir invirtiendo en esta comunidad, y este trágico incidente no eliminará esa esperanza que todos tenemos para la zona", dijo Johnson.

Como informamos anteriormente, la estatua de Robinson fue tomada la madrugada del jueves después de que alguien la cortara por los tobillos y se la llevara en un camión.

No hay arrestos por el momento, pero los funcionarios están llamando a cualquier persona con información para seguir adelante.

The Jackie Robinson statue that was stolen from outside a youth baseball park last week has been located ... but unfortunately for fans of the beloved tribute, it was found destroyed beyond repair.

Officials in Wichita, Kansas shared the sad news on Tuesday ... saying the fire department received a call around 8:40 AM for a trash fire at a local park. Once the flames were extinguished, firefighters discovered pieces of bronze in the rubble, which turned out to be from the statue.

It was determined the Robinson figure -- which stood outside League 42's McAdams Park for years -- was not salvageable.

City officials are already planning on making things right again for the community ... with council member Brandon Johnson saying in a press conference he will ensure a replica statue will stand outside the ballpark again.

"We will continue to invest in this community, and this tragic incident will not remove that hope that we all have for the area," Johnson said.

As we previously reported, the Robinson statue was taken early Thursday morning after someone cut it at the ankles and hauled it off in a truck.

No arrests have been made at this time ... but officials are calling on anyone with information to come forward.

12:34 PM PT -- Alyssa Milano took to Twitter/X to address the backlash over the GoFundMe she set up to help fund her son's baseball team saying ... “I’m getting media inquiries about whether I have financially contributed to my son’s baseball team."

Alyssa continued, "I’ve paid for uniforms for the entire team and coaches, thrown bday parties and sponsor any kid who can’t afford monthly dues. The kids also do fundraising themselves—car washes, movie nights, and many other fun things!"

"Thank you to all who have contributed to the gofundme! You’ve made things easier for these boys and their families.”

Alyssa Milano asked her many followers/fans to chip in for her son's youth baseball trip -- and because she's perceived as incredibly wealthy ... she's getting dragged through the coals.

The actress posted a link to a GoFundMe account that she and her husband, David Bugliari, started on behalf of their kid's 12U squad ... which she calls a travel fund that'll help the boys get to Cooperstown for a big baseball tournament, plus other expenses.

She wrote, "My son’s baseball team is raising money for their Cooperstown trip. Any amount would be so greatly appreciated. You can read more about the team and make a donation here" ... after which, she linked to the GFM page, which has a goal of raising $10,000.

The cash, the page says, will go toward travel costs, uniforms and family dues for players -- and it benefits the whole team, of course ... not just Alyssa's son. Still, the internet's pissed.

You can hop into the "Alyssa Milano" trend this AM to get a sense of what the hell everyone's so angry about because of this -- but it's pretty straight-forward ... people are complaining that AM is a huge star, who's presumably loaded and who can afford this with the snap of her finger. So ... why is she going around soliciting donations like a normie???

As you can imagine, the jokes are flying at Alyssa's expense -- but a lot of folks are genuinely outraged that she'd try to fundraise considering her position. Even more interesting is the fact that in the list of visible donors, none appear to feature her name.

She hasn't addressed all the hand-wringing just yet -- but TBH, this feels like a case of people making assumptions about her on a number of fronts ... and we'll just leave it at that.

A statue honoring baseball icon Jackie Robinson was stolen from outside a youth baseball facility in Kansas this week ... and cops are now searching for the scumbags who ran off with it.

Local police shared surveillance footage of the heist that went down at League 42's McAdams Park in Wichita early Thursday morning ... which appears to show someone cut the Robinson tribute at the ankles, put it in the back of a truck and flee the scene.

Wichita PD shared an image of what's left of the Dodgers legend's bronze figure ... just two feet standing on top of a home plate.

The station said the "community is devastated" over the vandalism ... and is calling on anyone with information regarding its whereabouts to come forward.

"The actions of those individuals who had the audacity to take the statue of Jackie Robinson from a park where kids and families in our community can gather, learn the history of Jackie Robinson, an American icon, and play the game of baseball should upset all of us," Wichita Police Chief Joseph Sullivan said.

"What troubles me even more is that this theft occurred just before the beginning of February, which marks the start of Black History Month."

"Our city wants the statute returned. We also want the individuals who robbed our community of a treasure to be held accountable for their actions."

League 42 was created in 2013 to help children in Wichita learn the sport without worrying about high registration fees ... with hundreds signing up each year. Robinson's trailblazing career and breaking the MLB color barrier served as inspiration for the organization.

9:56 AM PT -- Yasiel Puig y su agente están abordando la pelea e insisten en que estaba tratando de pacificar las cosas y que solo se defendió cuando fue golpeado en la cara.

La ex estrella de la MLB Yasiel Puig se encontró en medio de una pelea en la banca durante un partido de béisbol profesional en Venezuela, lanzando puñetazos y recibiendo golpes de vuelta mientras ambas partes se enfrentaban.

El caos estalló durante el Juego 2 del campeonato de la Liga Profesional de Béisbol Venezolana en la Universidad de Caracas el miércoles, cuando el compañero de equipo de Puig en Tiburones de La Guaira, Maikel García, anotó un jonrón de dos carreras en la parte inferior de la octava entrada para poner a su equipo 10-8 sobre los Cardenales de Lara.

Mientras García daba vuelta a las bases, apareció de frente a la banca del equipo contrario y se puso a hablar de más hasta que llegó lentamente a su sector de la cancha.

Naturalmente, los jugadores de los Cardenales se molestaron con la ostentación y un jugador comenzó a aplaudir a García.

La odiosa confrontación llevó a ambos equipos a dejar sus banquillos y ponerse a pelear.

Puig, que jugó en la MLB para los Dodgers de Los Ángeles, los Rojos de Cincinnati y los Cleveland de 2013 a 19, terminó justo en medio del violento altercado, lanzando puñetes y recibiendo golpes en el proceso.

Después de unos minutos, la acción se calmó y ambos equipos regresaron a sus lugares.

Sorprendentemente, nadie fue expulsado por la improvisada pelea y el equipo de Puig se aferró a ganar el partido, 12-10.

Dato curioso, se suponía que otra estrella de la MLB iba a estar en el campo, Ronald Acuña Jr., quien estaba jugando para La Guaira antes del torneo, pero ha estado parado recientemente para prepararse para la temporada 2024.