Los Angeles Dodgers

Seems the cop in the Yasiel Puig case overreacted when he said the Dodgers star could've killed his mom on a FL highway ... because officials have now dropped the reckless driving charge saying Puig is nothing more than a common speeder, TMZ Sports has learned.

We posted the video of the crazy arrest ... in which Puig, sporting pink shorts, was pulled out of his Mercedes and berated by an angry Highway Patrol Officer who caught the MLB star doing 110mph with his mom in the car.

At the time of the Dec. 28th arrest, the cop insisted Puig was driving recklessly and hauled him to jail. If convicted, Puig could have been sentenced to 90 days in jail.

But today the State dropped the case against the 23-year-old ... saying speeding alone on an open highway doesn't constitute "reckless driving" and he wasn't doing anything else to warrant a charge other than "speeding."

So in the end ... Puig gets a speeding ticket ... and that's it.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Carl Crawford says his baby mama is trying to shake him down for more cash ... despite the fact he gives her AT LEAST $10,000 per month, this according to docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

Crawford -- who's in the middle of a $142 MILLION contract -- is also in the middle of a custody war with ex-girlfriend Amy Freeman, the mother of his 2 minor children.

As we first reported, Crawford's pissed that Freeman recently picked up and moved the family from Arizona to L.A. -- claiming she's trying to squeeze him for more money with the help of CA's more favorable child support laws.

Now, Crawford has filed new docs claiming the judge should force her to stay in AZ because it's not only best for their children ... but because he takes damn good care of her in the Grand Canyon state.

Crawford says he's not only paying for the kids to go to fancy schools, but has showered his ex with multiple homes, cars and $10k per month in child support.

L.A. Dodgers star Yasiel Puig has something in common with one of the fastest pitchers ever -- they both reach speeds of 110 miles per hour. The only difference ... the pitcher gets in the Hall of Fame and Puig gets arrested.

Yasiel was pulled over this morning in Collier County, Florida. Cops say they clocked him at 110 in a 70 MPH zone. He was arrested for reckless driving and taken to the local jail.

This is Puig's second arrest this year for the same offense. He was arrested in April for going twice the speed limit.

12/29 -- The L.A. Dodgers tell TMZ Sports, "We have spoken to Yasiel and made it clear that we, as an organization, are very disappointed in his recent behavior."

Larry King's wife pulled a risky move Friday night ... throwing a surprise birthday for her 80-year old husband ... but don't worry, the T.V. legend made it out alive.

Larry's wife Shawn King planned the whole thing without her husband having a clue ... and the look on his face when he realizes it's a surprise party is classic.

Guests like Pat Boone, Paul Anka and Warren Beatty arrived early to hit some balls on the field ... and they all had a fancy dinner after the big reveal.

It reportedly costs upward of $25k to rent out Dodger Stadium for a private event.

Take that Kim and Kanye!

This is L.A. Dodgers star Andre Ethier stealing a page from serial fashion assassin (and TBS sideline reporter) Craig Sager ... and rocking an aggressively ugly plaid suit near the team bus.

It appears the pic was taken outside Dodger Stadium today as Ethier and the team boarded the team bus for their trip to St. Louis for Game 6 of the NLCS.

We're not saying Ethier's outfit is the worst we've ever seen (we're looking at YOU Dwyane Wade) ... but it's definitely up there.

Diggin' the yellow bow tie though.

It's bad enough that he can't play, but injured Dodgers star Matt Kemp isn't traveling with the team either -- and TMZ has video of the All Star gimping his way through LAX today on a scooter.

With the rest of the squad already in St. Louis for the NLCS, Kemp -- nursing two injuries -- wheeled through the airport Thursday afternoon on a medical scooter designed to help him keep the weight off his busted right ankle.

Kemp seemed pretty bummed out about the situation -- and for good reason -- telling us that having to ride around on the scooter, while the rest of the guys are prepping for the Cards, straight up blows.

But don't feel too bad for Matt -- he still raked in roughly $20 million this season ... so it's not a total loss.

The L.A. Dodgers will NOT pay for the cameras that Yasiel Puig broke during the frenzied Gatorade-fueled celebration after winning the N.L.D.S. last night ... and that's exactly the way TBS wants it, TMZ has learned.

Well-placed sources connected with the Dodgers tell TMZ, broken cameras are all part of the drill during a celebration.

As one source put it, "TBS would never approach us for that. It's all part of the celebration."

Those cameras are nothing to sneeze at -- they can run anywhere from $50k to $75k.

What's more, one well-placed Dodgers source tells TMZ ... other cameras were broken in the locker room during the champagne celebration and nobody from the outside saw it happen ... but no one is complaining.

The cost of doing business ... it ain't always cheap.

Former pro baseball star Gabe Kapler has filed for divorce from his wife of 14 years ... and in the divorce docs he's made it clear -- he wants his maiden name back!

Kapler -- who's now an analyst on Fox Sports 1 -- filed the docs in L.A. County Superior court in an effort to end his marriage to Lisa Kapler, who he married back in 1999.

According to the docs, Gabe is serving as his own lawyer in the divorce ... and appears to have filled out the complicated docs himself ... which might explain some of the strange requests.

For example -- Gabe checked the box asking to have his former name restored ... and included the name "Jansen" ... his wife's maiden name. Oops.

Kapler also checked the box asking for spousal support ... odd, considering he earned millions of dollars over his 12 year MLB career. Again, ooops.

The couple has two minor children together. Gabe is asking for joint custody.

7:36 AM PT -- Well, our suspicions were correct ...

We spoke to Gabe who confirms there WAS a clerical error made on the document and that he's now "looking into it."

This video of Dodgers superstar Matt Kemp -- limping around on crutches -- is gonna make you really sad ... or really pumped up for the baseball playoffs.

Talk about bittersweet ... the Dodgers are heading into the playoffs, but Kemp will be benched due to a swollen bone in his foot.

So, last night when we caught Matt gingerly making his way into a movie theater he confessed ... "I'm sad" -- but then added a prediction about the Dodgers' NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.

In Kemp's words ... "We gonna win."

Dodgers Stadium could be renamed Beamish Waterproofing Stadium unless the team antes up more than $4 million ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained liens that have been filed against the Stadium, for services that have gone unpaid. Here's the breakdown:

-- Raymond-Southern California, Inc. ... $2,037,689 for improvements of IDF rooms, clubhouse, press box, concessions and retail

-- Mark Beamish Waterproofing, Inc. ... $129,014 for caulking and sealants

-- ValleyCrest Landscape Development, Inc. ... $443,609.50 for tree location, landscaping and irrigation

-- Safe Scaffolding ... $63,808.02 for erecting and dismantling scaffolding

-- Muir-Chase Plumbing, Inc. ... $1,180,684.94 for plumbing materials and labor

Total delinquency: $3.854,985.46 ... plus interest.

A spokesman for the Dodgers tells TMZ ... this is a big misunderstanding, "It is not uncommon to have liens while the process of verifying bills goes on," adding, "all payments are now being processed." The rep expects the liens to be removed shortly.

And now, a statement from Brian Wilson's million-dollar beard: "I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH MONEY'S ON THE TABLE ... NOBODY'S CUTTING ME!"

Thank you, Beard.

Despite a flurry of reports the Dodgers pitcher was in negotiations to shave his famous facial hair for a six-figure payday ... Wilson's reps tell TMZ, the Beard was never in jeopardy.

The crew over at MVP Sports Group tells us they never took the razor company's offer seriously because Brian refuses to even trim his trademark, and, in fact ... he's told them the beard is "going with him to the grave."

So, keep calm Blue Crew -- the Beard abides.

It doesn't matter if they played like crap last night (and lost to the sorry ass Marlins), the Dodgers can GO CLUBBIN' all they want, as long as they stay in first place ... so says Magic Johnson.

The Dodgers played like crap last night -- with Yasiel Puig (0-for-5) and Carl Crawford (1-for-4) looking especially bad ... no surprise considering they hit the Miami nightclubs HARD just hours before the game.

But Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson doesn't seem to mind an off night every now and then ... as long as the team keeps destroying the majority of their opponents.

"We just gotta come back and win tomorrow," Johnson said ... "They're grown men. They can hang out. They can party. I mean ... they're grown."

He added, "We're having a great season ... so, one game is not gonna hurt us."

Johnson said there will absolutely be NO disciplinary action taken against the players -- who dropped more than $20k at LIV nightclub early Monday morning while partying with LeBron James.

An official high up in the Dodgers organization tells TMZ ... "They party all the time. It's no big deal."

Didn't take long for the L.A. Dodgers to shake off the sting of defeat after finally losing a game in Philly yesterday ... 'cause hours later, the biggest stars on the team flew into Miami AND WENT CLUBBIN' with LeBron James, TMZ has learned.

Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford all rolled into LIV Nightclub in Miami around 1AM Monday morning ... where they were greeted by LBJ ... and proceeded to party their faces off.

Sources inside the club tell TMZ ... the 4-some dropped more than $20,000 on Ciroc, Moet, Patron, Belvedere, and fancy champagne.

FYI -- The Dodgers (which had won 10 games in a row before losing to the Phillies) are in Miami to play the Marlins.

We're told Kemp was partying particularly hard ... but it's not like he's gotta work today anyway (injury) so, good for him.

It's good to be a pro athlete.

Pro fireballer Brian Wilson says it's "f**king exciting" to bring his talents -- and his tremendous facial hair -- to L.A., telling TMZ he's pumped to play for the Dodgers.

A mohawked Wilson was leaving Equinox gym in L.A. yesterday -- right after signing a 1-year, $1 million deal with the Dodgers -- and expressed his excitement as only Brian Wilson can.

"Well, I'm a pretty big America fan ... red, white and Dodger blue, I guess."

The 31-year-old ex-San Francisco Giants pitcher says he's grateful to get another shot in the bigs after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April ... but insists he harbors no ill will toward his former team.

"I got much love for San Francisco. We had a good time. But there's nothing I can do ... they don't want me back."

When asked about the storied rivalry between the squads, Wilson explained, "I don't worry about rivalry, bro ... I just play baseball, you know."

Welcome to L.A..

L.A. Dodgers sensation Yasiel Puig went back to Cuba last night -- or as close as he's gonna get to it in Hollywood ... and a TMZ camera guy was there to roll out the bad Spanglish welcome mat.

Puig hit up El Floridita restaurant in Hollywood last night for some of L.A.'s most authentic Cuban food and music -- and on the way out our guy hit him up about ... "los playoffs."

Gotta give our guy credit ... Puig's English ain't so good yet, so we gave it the old high school Spanish try. Shout out to Google Translate too.

Chris Brown didn't let the threat of 4 years in the big house get in the way of a big night out in Hollywood Monday ... because Chris partied like a rap star at the Playboy Mansion.

Brown -- whose probation was revoked Monday afternoon in the Rihanna beating case -- mugs with 2 cute chicks at a charity event to celebrate the MLB All-Star game.

Chris hung with Snoop Lion and L.A. Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig (fast becoming a Hollywood party animal).