Coronavirus

University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban was back in the game Saturday when his team trounced the University of Georgia ... and the team celebrated the win in spectacular fashion with its formerly COVID-positive coach.

Saban tested positive for coronavirus Wednesday and immediately went home to quarantine. He says he stayed asymptomatic and subsequent tests on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were all negative. So Saban returned and led his team to a 41-24 victory. It was pretty spectacular ... in just 10 minutes in the 3rd quarter, 'Bama scored 3 TDs.

But, you gotta check out the locker room celebration ... Saban and his players are dancing wildly ... celebrating the victory and his return to the team.

Shreddin' the gnar is taking off during the pandemic ... TMZ Sports has learned surfing has EXPLODED while people try to have fun while social distancing!!!

We spoke with several of the country's biggest surf shops and board manufacturers this week ... and each one told us the demand has been so huge, they can't keep boards in stock!!

"We're back-ordered and can't keep up with the demand," a spokesperson for C-Shapes in Florida says. "The surfboard industry is on fire right now."

Added a rep for Chilli Surfboards in California, "We're selling four times the amount that we usually do."

It all makes sense ... surfing's outdoors. It's socially distant. It's cheap. And, it's straight-up great exercise!

Here's how spokespeople from some of the other big shops and manufacturers around the nation explained the demand to us this week:

JS Industries -- "More beginners entered the market than almost ever before due to surfing being one of the few activities deemed safe and accessible during COVID."

Channel Island Surfboards in CA -- "Surfing has doubled this year because it's a social distancing activity and it's free."

Surf Station in FL -- "There has been a definite increase. I can't even put a timeframe for board requests."

Eastern Lines Surf in NJ -- "It is definitely a higher demand compared to the last couple of years ... More people in the water than I've ever seen."

But, perhaps Hawaiian South Shore's rep in Honolulu put it to us best ... saying, "It's pretty nuts over here!"

Some of the men who planned to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were apparently gearing up for war from inside the ultimate mom car of the 2000s -- this per federal investigators.

Michigan's FOX 17 put out a report with a treasure trove of material it obtained from the U.S. Attorney's Office, which recently presented evidence against at least 5 dudes thus far, who were allegedly in on the plot. Among the items the FBI collected ... a video of some of these men popping in and out of a Chrysler PT Cruiser with semi-automatic rifles in hand, circus-style.

You have to see it to believe it ... four guys are in the Cruiser with guns drawn, and then they hop out and begin firing at targets in the distance. Somebody in the back filming encourages them to keep going -- according to FOX 17, the feds say this was a tactical exercise.

But, wait ... there's more. Other footage released by investigators reveals two different men practicing their load and re-load times on their weapons ... apparently as a way to show how "ready" they were for the alleged mission. It's pretty intense, but goofy all the same.

One last clip shows one of the men -- who FOX 17 says was one of those indicted -- talking directly into the camera and describing why he and his comrades are doing this ... because they were sick of being "enslaved" by the state of Michigan. It's surreal to hear him say it.

FOX 17 also posted alleged screenshots of convos between the men that investigators say detail their plans in great depth, which encompassed stakeouts, reconnaissance, entry and escape routes and general chatter about their hatred of the Gov. and her COVID policies.

As we reported ... Gov. Whitmer made the bombshell announcement last week about the FBI thwarting the alleged attempted kidnapping. At least 14 men have been arrested in connection to the alleged crime -- investigators claim they're made up of at least two militia groups.

Whitmer blamed President Trump for stoking the flames on this ... going back to his "Liberate Michigan" tweets early on in the pandemic.

An 8-year-old kid named Harry may have figured out a way to save Halloween!!!

Harry lives with his fam in Washington, D.C. and was apparently noodling on how he and his pals could trick-or-treat in COVID times. He -- and we're guessing his family helped -- made a candy chute ... something that's catching fire as a way to safely dole out candy.

So, according to the family, Harry played a big part in designing the prototype. It certainly does the trick, although it's only gonna work on an incline. Nevertheless, the design is solid, so the family's now producing and selling chutes ... for a good cause.

Harry said, "I decided to sell them, exactly how much price they should cost -- which is exactly $25 and zero cents -- and how to decorate it," in an interview with NBC.

Proceeds will go to D.C. charities that offer Thanksgiving dinners to folks in need.

President Trump's predicting a red wave on Election Day, but one of his rallies looked like a potential wave of COVID cases when a Georgia politician treated it more like a mosh pit.

Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones crowd-surfed Friday during Trump's rally at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon. Pre-pandemic we'd say this looks like big fun, especially for a political event -- but that just ain't the reality.

Jones, or anyone else in the crowd for that matter, didn't seem too concerned about potential COVID-19 spread ... lots of folks put their hands on him and no one, in photos at least, was wearing a face covering.

Jones, a Democrat who's endorsed Trump, gave a pep talk to the crowd before diving into it. The President, who won't say when he tested negative for the virus, did not follow suit.

Don't mess with city bus drivers ... they're fed up, and a mouthy, unruly passenger learned that the hard way when he got a fist to the face.

This video of the bare-knuckle boxing match shows the driver, who's wearing a face mask, telling the passenger to back up behind the yellow line. The passenger's apparently pissed about the driver threatening to kick him off the bus ... though we don't know why.

After a few moments of yelling back and forth and tension building ... the driver momentarily turns his back, the passenger shoves him and then it was on! Both men started swinging, but the driver landed several blows ... at least one to the guy's face because he was bleeding badly, and went down to the ground.

As if he got a standing 8 count, the passenger got back on his feet, but clearly didn't want any more smoke. The driver picked up a phone, we're guessing to call cops.

It's unclear when or where this all went down but the video's going viral. We're trying to find out if any arrests were made, but the takeaway here is ... don't test public bus drivers.

More COVID problems in the NFL -- the Indianapolis Colts say "several" members of the organization tested positive Friday ... so they're shutting down the team facility.

"This morning, we were informed that several individuals within our organization have tested positive for COVID-19," the team said in a statement.

"The team is currently in the process of confirming those tests. In the meantime, the practice facility will be closed and the team will work remotely while following NFL protocols."

"We are in communication with the NFL and will have more information when available."

The team has not identified the people who tested positive -- unclear if it's players, coaches, execs, etc.

The Colts -- led by QB Philip Rivers -- are scheduled to host the Cincinnati Bengals in Indy on Sunday. But, now it seems that game could be postponed or canceled if the COVID tests are confirmed.

The Colts news comes one day after the Atlanta Falcons closed their facility following positive COVID tests.

Several teams have been affected by COVID so far this season -- from the Tennessee Titans to the New England Patriots, Raiders, Chiefs and more.

Story developing ...

Nobody seems more content with COVID than Cristiano Ronaldo ...

The 35-year-old soccer superstar -- who was ordered to self-isolate earlier this week after testing positive -- is now chillaxing in his mansion in Turin, Italy like he doesn't have a care in the world.

As we previously reported, the Portuguese Football Association announced Ronaldo's positive test on Tuesday -- and said he had been sent home to prevent exposure to other Team Portugal players and staffers.

Well, home for CR7 is a massive estate with an indoor pool.

He's still smiling. He's still ripped to shreds. And, he's offering up encouraging words to his fans.

"Don't let what you can't do stand in the way of what you can do," Ronaldo said Friday on IG.

Ronaldo reportedly flew from Portugal to Italy on a private "air ambulance" which he paid for himself.

While Ronaldo has not personally commented about his health since the positive COVID test -- the Portuguese Football Federation said he was "well, without symptoms, and in isolation."

The reboot of the Batman film franchise definitely has a new look ... because it looks like The Dark Knight's utilizing a Hefty bag.

We kid, sort of, but filming for "The Batman" Thursday in Liverpool, England provided an odd sight -- a stuntman made to look like the superhero perched on high atop the city's Royal Liver Building ... in some sort of black zipper suit.

The stuntman's obviously stepping in for the reboot's star, Robert Pattinson, for the dangerous shot above the iconic building's clock ... safely attached to a cable as a helicopter crew filmed nearby.

Despite the strange outfit, the guy's still rocking the legendary Batman mask.

Shooting for "The Batman" just started back up in the UK days ago following a COVID-19 shutdown after Pattinson tested positive for the virus.

The coronavirus pandemic brought most TV and film production to a halt, but "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" is NOT one of them ... as the gang powered through in a bubble.

Pauly D, Vinny, Ronnie, JWOWW, Deena, Angelina and The Situation managed to shoot season 4 ... which will kick off on MTV with back-to-back episodes on November 19. This season's unique in that it'll also include the cast's extended family members staying in the bubble with them. Hence the new title ... "Jersey Shore 'Bring the Family' Vacation."

We're told the entire cast and crew shot in Nevada, taking over an entire resort to create a good 'ol "Shore bubble." Production adhered to local, state and federal COVID-19 health and safety requirements to get it done.

It'll be interesting to see how season 4 plays out after the explosive ending from the previous season. True GTL-ers will remember Snookie apparently quit the show ... following Angelina's wedding drama and the so-called "speech heard 'round the world." Long story short, Snookie, Deena and JWOWW took shots at Angelina while toasting her ... AT HER WEDDING!!!

It seems season 4 will center around the guys trying to reunite the women of 'Jersey Shore.'

Sen. Kamala Harris' campaign travel is grounded for a bit ... after 2 people connected to her campaign tested positive for COVID-19.

The Democratic Vice Presidential nominee has suspended her travel through Sunday after her communications director, Liz Allen, and a non-staff flight crew member on her campaign plane contracted the coronavirus.

The Harris campaign, which learned about the results Wednesday night, added neither the senator nor Joe Biden were in close contact with either of the individuals during the 2 days prior to their positive tests. As a result, they say the candidates don't need to quarantine, but "out of an abundance of caution and in line with our campaign's commitment to the highest levels of precaution, we are canceling Senator Harris' travel through Sunday."

For what it's worth ... the campaign is also canceling Harris' husband Doug Emhoff's travel plan Thursday even though he's taken 3 coronavirus tests since October 8 and all have been negative. They're also contact-tracing to notify everyone who came into contact with the individuals during the potential infection window.

The precautionary measures are a stark contrast to how the White House handled its coronavirus outbreak following the Rose Garden ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. More than a dozen people, including the President, First Lady Melania Trump and Barron Trump contracted the virus.

Charles Barkley has agreed to put his atrocious golf skills on display to the world ... all for a charity match with Peyton Manning, Steph Curry and Phil Mickelson.

Yep, Sir Chuck is replacing Tom Brady for "The Match 3" -- which is expected to raise millions for COVID-19 relief, according to Sportico.

Remember, The Match 2 back in May was a huge success -- with Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning taking on Phil and Tom Brady.

Since TB12 is a little busy these days with the NFL season, Barkley has offered to step in and take his spot.

The only issue ... Barkley is a TURRRRRRIBLE golfer!! Like, super bad!

But, this event will be more about the trash talk than a showcase of Chuck's skills on the links.

Tiger is also out for the event -- he'll be replaced by Steph Curry, who's actually REALLY good.

The Match 3 is set to go down on Friday, Nov. 27 -- and will hope to break the $20 MILLION raised for charity by the Match 2.

Of course, Tom Brady famously struggled most of the way during The Match 2 (even splitting his pants on live TV) ... only to redeem himself with an UNREAL SHOT on the 7th hole!

The Flaming Lips are showing us how to let loose at a live show while maintaining social distancing ... it simply requires inflatable bubbles for everyone.

The eccentric rock band from Oklahoma City performed earlier this week for their hometown at The Criterion, and tested out their bubble concert idea ... which they first unveiled on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

This time though, the Lips pulled it off with a live audience at a public venue ... for what looks like a multi-sensory space rock experience.

The gig was reportedly a test run for future concerts along with partly being a music video shoot, as the band performed a dance remix of "Assassins of Youth" and "Brother Eye" -- 2 tracks from their latest LP, "American Head."

Flaming Lips' frontman Wayne Coyne has toyed with the idea of a bubble concert since the early days of the pandemic, and seems pleased with the trial run. He posted a clip of the show -- with his bubble among the crowd -- with the caption, "Yessss!!!"

The band has actually utilized bubbles for themselves at shows for years, but Coyne says they're still trying to adapt the space bubble system to allow for more people at their shows.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Fred Dean -- a 2-time Super Bowl champ with the SF 49ers and a 4-time Pro Bowler -- has died after a lengthy battle with coronavirus.

He was 68 years old.

Dean's good friend and former teammate, Dwight Hicks, reportedly made the announcement on social media Thursday ... writing in a statement, "I'm sorry to say that he succumbed to complications of Covid-19."

"May peace be with his wife Pam and their families."

Dean -- 6'3", 230 lbs -- is considered one of the best defensive ends of all-time ... and was known as one of the coolest dudes to ever play the game as well.

"James Dean wasn’t cooler than Fred Dean," 49ers Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott famously said of his ex-teammate.

Sacks weren't logged as an official stat until late in Dean's career ... but in the 1983 season (the year after the NFL started keeping track), Dean recorded an epic 17.5 QB takedowns.

Arguably the greatest offensive lineman of all-time, Anthony Munoz, once called Dean "the strongest opponent I ever faced."

Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker added in a statement Thursday, "[Dean] exemplified many of the values learned from this great game -- commitment, integrity, courage -- over the course of his life."

Dean was selected in the 2nd-round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers after a Hall of Fame career at Louisiana Tech. He was traded to the 49ers in 1981 and played there until he retired in 1985.