New York Yankees

If the Yankees want Bryce Harper, the Yankees will GET Bryce Harper ... so says ex-NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani who says he'd LOVE to get the slugger in pinstripes.

Check out the clip -- Harper isn't a free agent for another couple years, but Giuliani thinks the Yanks are definitely gonna be the team to beat when the Bryce sweepstakes begins.

NY Yankees superfan Artie Lange says Alex Rodriguez has been a disaster in the Big Apple -- calling him a stain and a poison ... who's supercharged the downfall of a once proud franchise.

"I didn't want him from day 1," Lange said ... "What did we get, one extra ring with his legacy?"

"A-Rod is a stain, he's just a poison."

Aroldis Chapman now bleeds red, white and blue ... even though he kinda already did (see: Cuba's flag) ... because the Cuban-born pitcher is now a full-fledged U.S. citizen.

The NY Yankees fireballer -- nicknamed the "Cuban Missle" -- defected from Cuba (by way of the Netherlands) back in 2009 ... and has made it his mission to get full citizenship.

Well, Friday it finally happened ... and the 28-year-old proudly announced it on social media.

"Today is a very important day for me and I want to share it with all of you," Chapman wrote.

The rivalry is still VERY real when it comes to the Sox and the Yankees ... just ask Rob Kardashian who tells TMZ Sports he almost got his ass kicked in Beantown for rockin' his Yanks hat.

Rob says he's still a Dodgers fan at heart -- after all, he was born and raised in L.A. -- but says his lady Blac Chyna got sick of the L.A. lid and pressured him to switch it up.

So, Rob chose the pinstripes ... but forgot how much the Yanks are hated in Red Sox country -- and says his fashion choice almost got him beat the hell up.

NY Yankees fireballer Aroldis Chapman has finally broken his silence about the domestic violence investigation involving his girlfriend -- saying bluntly, "I never hurt anybody. Never in my life."

The investigation began back in October ... when Chapman's GF told police he choked and pushed her during an argument over his cell phone.

According to officials, Chapman told investigators he did NOT punch his GF -- but rather "poked her on the left shoulder and told her not to talk to him like that."

But earlier Wednesday at the Yankees' clubhouse at spring training in Tampa -- Chapman said any insinuation that he's a woman-abuser is flat out wrong.

"That's not my character or the person I am."

Former Yankees pitcher David Wells has no problem with his ex-team trading for the troubled Aroldis Chapman ... saying his off-the-field issues DON'T MATTER ... cause the dude can flat out pitch.

Chapman is currently under investigation by the MLB for allegedly choking his girlfriend making some wonder why the Yanks would deal for him now ... Wells ain't one of them.

"In all honesty I don't give a crap what he's done off-the-field. As long as he shows up to practice, plays hard and produces ... I'll take him."

Wells knows the Yankee organization -- having won a World Series with the Bronx Bombers in '98 -- and says this is far from the first time they've taken a chance on a player ... but it always works out.

CC Sabathia says he feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders after completing a stint in rehab for alcoholism ... but adds, "I feel fantastic."

The NY Yankees pitcher was at the Yankees holiday food drive Wednesday when he raved about how well his recovery is going ... after spending a month receiving treatment in Connecticut.

"It’s always going to be a struggle with different things, but I feel fantastic," Sabathia told reporters ... "I think it’s just a weight coming off my shoulders. I feel good. I’m in a good mood, always."

Sabathia first entered treatment back in October -- one day before the team took on the Houston Astros for the wild card spot in the playoffs.

Still, CC says the Yankees have been incredibly supportive -- "The Yankees have been fantastic, from Cashman to the Steinbrenners to Joe to my teammates."

Ex-NY Yankees outfielder Chad Curtis says he's broke as hell and can't afford a lawyer to fight a sexual assault lawsuit ... claiming all he has left is $39 and some prison noodles.

Curtis -- who won 2 World Series titles with the Yanks -- is currently doing 15 years for sexually assaulting 3 female students at a Michigan high school where he coached back in 2011.

Now, the women have followed up with a civil suit against Curtis -- but the 46-year-old says he's so broke, he can't even afford a lawyer to defend himself.

"I have $39 in my personal account," Curtis told a federal judge Monday ... "The state of Michigan has taken everything I own."

He added that his personal estate is limited to the "nine noodles in my cell."

According to Mlive.com, Curtis told the judge the accusers are lying -- and says, "I know the truth is on my side. I do not believe there will be a large verdict."

NY Yankees superstar CC Sabathia has just announced he's checking into rehab for issues with alcohol.

CC Sabathia lost his temper outside a Toronto nightclub because Blue Jays fans were ripping him for his pitching ability.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the Yankees star's friends had to hold him back from a street brawl that erupted early Saturday morning after game 1 of the Yanks-Jays series. CC copped to making a bad decision and added, "They caught me at a bad time."

He also said the hecklers got "a little bit" personal with their jabs at his skills, but they didn't make it racial. He downplayed his involvement, saying ... "It was literally 25 seconds of me and then I was gone."

CC's biggest concern wasn't talking to Yankees brass about the fight ... but explaining it to his kid -- "That's the toughest part: 'Dad had a bad night. Made a bad decision. Sometimes these things happen.'"

Zack Hample ... the guy who caught A-Rod's 3,000th hit ... tells TMZ Sports that since snagging the lucky ball he's been dogged by people making "scary" threats for him to return the ball to the Yankees stud.

Hample ... a notorious ball hawk who actually writes a blog on how to catch dingers ... says some fans want him to return the ball so badly that they are filling up his inboxes with dangerous talk.

"I try to disregard it, but when some people make personal threats and say things, it's scary."

Zack also tells us he adamantly refutes the rumors that he knocked over kids and old ladies to get the ball ... saying Internet haters are spreading the lies to smear his name.

"What I do, is totally respectful, and done with the utmost care. It's all lies."

Hample still hasn't made up his mind about what to do with the rock just yet -- despite yet another offer from the Yankees -- but he says he doesn't understand why people are giving him a hard time.

How bad do the New York Yankees want A-Rod to have his 3,000 hit ball back? So bad that the team is offering a smorgasbord of AWESOME pinstriped-themed goodies ... so says the guy who caught it.

We spoke to Zack Hample ... the lucky dog who snagged A-Rod's historic dinger, and he tells us the Yanks made an incredible offer to him the minute the MLB authenticated his ball.

According to Hample the deal included ...

- Seats in the "Legends" section of Yankees stadium

- A personal meeting with A-Rod

- His own press conference with the media

- Appearances on the YES network for the rest of the season

- A "sizable" donation" to the charity of Hample's choice (with A-Rod to match the donation)

FYI -- sitting in the swanky "Legends" section of Yankees stadium is a big deal, with tickets running up to $1,500 per game ... and include gourmet food and drinks for the whole 9 innings.

Hample says it ain't just the Yanks who want the ball -- with multiple auction houses and collectors offering big cash for the rock -- but he hasn't made up his mind about what to do with it just yet.

Much like George Costanza, Jason Alexander had to pretend at a job he was pretending to have.

Alexander was out and about in New York City when our photog tried to chat him up about the New York Yankees, figuring Alexander was a fan from his "Seinfeld" days.

But as it turns out ... Alexander knows NOTHING about sports and says he had no idea who George Steinbrenner even was ... even though he shot several memorable scenes poking fun of the notorious Yankees owner.

In the immortal words of Mr. Costanza ... it's not a lie, if you believe it.

When you're an MLB catcher ... there are serious hazards of the job.

Being farted on by the home plate umpire is apparently one of those hazards ... so says former Yankees superstar Jorge Posada.

Don't worry, Jorge tells us if an ump hit him with a stink bomb -- he always got even ... "I returned the favor."

Talk about hitting the jackpot ... a NY family learned a baseball bat specifically kept in the house for beating off intruders ... IS WORTH A FORTUNE ... 'cause it was used by Lou Gehrig!

The story is pretty crazy ... the family says they came into possession of the bat decades ago when a family member of a former NY Yankees groundskeeper gave it to them as a gift.

Clearly, they thought it was just a regular bat ... and kept it behind the front door of the home for "protection" ... and it stayed there for 30 years.

That is, until someone realized it wasn't just an old piece of wood ... but a 1929-31 Lou Gehrig game-used bat ... one of the few Gehrig bats known to exist.

Now, the bat is hitting the auction block through Love of the Game Auctions ... and we're told the opening bid will be $20,000.

With Alex Rodriguez just 2 home run from tying Willie Mays as #4 on the all-time MLB home run list ... NY Congressman Peter King says NO ONE should celebrate ... 'cause A-Rod's a dirty cheater.

In fact, the Yankees are practically ignoring A-Rod's impending accomplishment (odd since the Yanks usually celebrate EVERYTHING) ... but King says it's definitely the right move.

"I think they're right because it's obvious that so many of [A-Rod's] home runs were tainted," King told TMZ Sports.

"I think it would be wrong to be celebrating ... since for all we know, hundreds of those home runs probably occurred when he was taking steroids."

Of course, Rodriguez has admitted to using illegal performance enhancing substances -- and was suspended for the entire 2014 season.