New York Yankees

Yankees manager Aaron Boone says he's feeling "awesome" less than 2 weeks after heart surgery ... telling media members Sunday he's already back in the saddle -- on Peloton!!

The 48-year-old had a pacemaker installed into his body in Tampa on March 3 ... a scary procedure that required Boone to step away from the Yanks for a few days.

But, in a positive update over the weekend, Boone said he's now feeling as good as ever ... noticing a huge uptick in his daily energy.

"Done some [Peloton] rides I haven’t done in a few months that I didn’t even realize, 'Oh, this is what it’s supposed to be like,'" Boone said, according to the Associated Press.

The NY head man -- who had previously had open-heart surgery in 2009 to fix a swelling issue -- needed the latest procedure after docs discovered his heartbeats per minute were well below average.

Boone said he still can't lift weights like he'd like to ... but explained he's only a few more days from clearing that hurdle.

"Still have some arm restrictions,” Boone said. “So I can’t like lift weights like I normally do but that will be hopefully a few more weeks."

"But as far as just getting around, energy in the mornings and all day, so much better."

The family of the legendary 1927 NY Yankees team is selling an authentic signed team photo passed down through the generations ... and yeah, this thing is worth a fortune.

The '27 squad features icons like Babe Ruth and Lou Gherig -- and the slugging power was so insane, they were dubbed "Murderers' Row."

One of the pitchers from the 1927 team -- Don Miller -- was savvy enough to get everyone on the roster to autograph a team photo ... and it stayed with Miller's family for decades.

Miller never appeared in a game for the Yankees that season -- but clearly, he knew securing the signatures would just as important as getting on the field!

Now, the Miller family has decided to sell it -- and they've taken it to SCP Auctions to find the highest bidder.

The photo has been authenticated by multiple leading memorabilia companies -- including PSA and Beckett -- which is huge for the hardcore collectors willing to pay top dollar.

As far as the expected sales price, we're told it could fetch around $500,000 ... but with the sports collectibles market being on FIRE at the moment, who knows where it could end up!?

As we previously reported, a rare Babe Ruth baseball card from 1933 just sold for $761k ... more than DOUBLE the price a similar card sold for just 6 months earlier.

Point being ... people are paying CRAZY money for Babe Ruth items.

If you're not familiar with the '27 Yanks ... they're one of the most legendary baseball teams ever. They finished the regular season 110-44 and swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.

Ruth was in the midst of setting the single-season home run record (60 HR's) that ultimately stood for decades. He also had 164 RBI's and batted .356.

Not to be outdone ... Gehrig won the AL MVP that year -- also putting up ABSURD numbers. The Iron Horse slugged 47 HR's, drove in 173 runs, and had a batting average of .373.

But, it wasn't just Babe and Lou ... the rest of "Murderers' Row" was made up of solid players like Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Bob Meusel, Tony Lazzeri, Joe Dugan and Pat Collins.

New York Yankees pitcher Zack Britton says he was ROCKED by COVID-19 ... revealing he lost 18 pounds in 10 days while battling the virus ... and he's still not fully recovered.

The 33-year-old southpaw says he contracted the coronavirus back in January ... and went into detail with reporters about his experience on Wednesday.

"I was surprised," Britton said. "I think I got it at the hospital when we were having our kid, so it was even worse."

"I was not expecting to be hit that hard by COVID. It wiped me out pretty good."

"The weight loss was surprising and just the after-effects I've been dealing with showed me how serious this can be, even for somebody that's healthy and how that can impact you months even after you've gotten over the roughest symptoms."

FYI -- Britton is 6'1" and reportedly usually weighs around 200 pounds ... in other words, he's in pretty good shape.

"It just wiped me out pretty good for about 10 days," Britton said. "Lost about 18 pounds, which could be good, I guess? But, I wasn't looking to lose 18 pounds and it happened quickly, so that's not good on your body and puts pressure in a lot of places."

Britton says the virus prevented him from throwing for about 3 to 4 weeks during the offseason ... but he's finally starting to feel like himself again.

But, COVID isn't the only health issue Britton's dealing with -- the 2-time All-Star is set to undergo surgery to remove a bone chip in his left elbow ... and is expected to miss several months of the season.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is immediately stepping away from his team ... after announcing he must undergo surgery Wednesday to have a pacemaker installed.

The 47-year-old skipper underwent open-heart surgery in 2009 ... and says he's recently experienced "mild symptoms of lightheadedness, low energy and shortness of breath."

After getting checked out by several doctors, it was determined Boone would require a pacemaker.

Of course, the Yanks are currently prepping for the 2021 MLB season at Spring Training in Tampa ... but the good news is Boone says he expects to be back full strength in no time.

"They are confident that today's surgery will allow me to resume all of my usual professional and personal activities and afford me a positive long-term health prognosis without having to change anything about my way of life."

Boone joined the Bronx Bombers as manager in 2018 ... and has led them to the playoffs each season. Before he was a manager, AB played in the big leagues from 1997 to 2009.

Most famously for the Reds and Yankees ... where he hit one of the most memorable post-season home runs ever against the Red Sox in 2003.

Get well soon!!

Ex-MLB superstar Johnny Damon was arrested for DUI in Florida early Friday morning -- and cops say his blood-alcohol level was more than TWICE the legal limit.

The 47-year-old -- who played for the Boston Red Sox and NY Yankees -- was pulled over by the Windermere Police Dept. (in the Orlando area) around 8:15 AM.

During the stop, cops say Damon showed signs of intoxication and at some point, they tested his blood alcohol level which came back at "greater than or equal to .20."

The legal limit to drive is .08.

Damon was arrested and booked on multiple charges including driving under the influence and resisting arrest without violence.

Damon was hauled to a nearby station where he posed for a mug shot -- and spent time in a holding cell.

Damon is a 2-time World Series champion and made 2 All-Star teams during his 18 seasons as an MLB player.

After his playing days, Damon appeared as a contestant on Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2014 as well as competing on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2018.

Damon was one of the key cogs in breaking Boston's famous World Series draught -- banding together with his "idiots" to win the title in 2004.

He later left Boston to play for the rival NY Yankees -- and cut his famous long hair in the process.

Story developing ...

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Hicks just pulled off what some golfers only dream of -- ripping a 303-yard hole-in-one on a Par 4 on Sunday ... and Tiger Woods' niece was present for the feat!!!

The 31-year-old has been showing off his serious golf skills recently ... launching a 330-yard drive during a recent trip to Top Golf earlier this month.

Now, the center fielder has proven his talents translate to the links ... by hitting an insane hole-in-one shot at Silverleaf Club in Scottsdale, AZ with his 3 wood.

There's no footage of the accomplishment, but we gotta take Aaron and Cheyenne's word for it ... as the golf legend's niece shared vid of a rightfully stoked Hicks jogging up to the hole, pulling out his ball and giving a fist pump that would make Tiger proud.

It's been nothing but success for non-golf pro athletes on the links recently -- as we previously reported, Wayne Gretzky nailed a hole-in-one on New Year's Eve.

Did you know Yankees centerfielder Aaron Hicks is really good at hitting fastballs AND stationary golf balls?!

It's true ... check out footage of the 31-year-old MLB player at Top Golf this month -- DUDE HAS AN INSANE SWING!!!

Hicks' brother posted the clip to social media Monday ... showing Hicks sending a golf ball into orbit with one monstrous stroke.

You can see in the video ... the ball cleared the range -- well over the netting some 300 yards away -- and according to the Hicks bros, it CARRIED 330 yards before finally touching down!!

"Light work," the Hicks bros captioned the vid.

If this looks familiar ... it's 'cause it kind of is when it comes to MLB stars on the driving range -- remember when Nelson Cruz launched one into outer space at a Top Golf last year??

Aaron Judge's girlfriend just cut a deal with prosecutors and pled guilty to DUI, TMZ Sports has learned ... 8 months after she name-dropped the New York Yankees star during an arrest in Arizona.

You'll recall ... Samantha Bracksieck -- who's had an on-and-off relationship with Judge for years -- was pulled over in Scottsdale back on Feb. 25 after cops say she was driving with her headlights off.

During the stop ... police video showed Bracksieck admitted to a cop she had wine at Mastro's Steakhouse prior to getting behind the wheel.

When officers eventually slapped the cuffs on her for alleged drunk driving ... that's when she became standoffish -- and ultimately brought Judge up to the officers.

"Do you know who my boyfriend is?!" Samantha said at one point during the arrest, before later telling another cop, "My boyfriend is not in a spot where I should be, like, having this happen."

Samantha added during the stop, "He's like a public figure. So, like, me being arrested for, like, having two glasses of wine is not OK."

Despite her bringing the MLB superstar into the situation ... law enforcement still ended up hitting Bracksieck with 5 charges, including extreme DUI -- which is classified as a BAC of .15-.19.

But, court records show Bracksieck cut a deal with prosecutors Wednesday ... agreeing to plead guilty to misdemeanor DUI.

In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the rest of the charges, including the extreme DUI count.

According to court docs, Bracksieck was sentenced to 10 days in jail, though 9 were suspended and she was given credit for 1 day for time served. So, she won't get any additional time behind bars if she keeps her nose clean.

Bracksieck was also ordered to attend an alcohol abuse screening and complete any treatment recommendations. She was ordered to pay over $2,000 in fines and fees, as well.

What is ... baseball???

No, seriously -- what is baseball? That's the question all of the contestants on "Jeopardy!" were asking themselves Thursday when Alex Trebek revealed a category dedicated to Yankee Stadium.

Look, sometimes Jeopardy gets a crop of contestants who know a little something about sports ... but man, this group was STRUGGLING.

Props to Mason who correctly got "Babe Ruth" after an obvious $200 clue. But, the gang went 0-4 on the rest of the category.

No one knows anything about Aaron Judge? Or Mickey Mantle? Or Yogi Berra?!!?

And, you should see the panic on Mason's face when the $2,000 answer is revealed to be the Daily Double! PANIC!!!!

Even the official Jeopardy twitter account took a swipe at the contestants ...

"We didn't expect this category about the Bronx Bombers to bomb so hard. Oh well! @Yankees."

Still, nothing beats when Trebek clowned a bunch of contestants for butchering a football category back in 2018.

MLB says it KNOWS Aroldis Chapman was gunning for a Rays player's head with a 101-MPH fastball Tuesday ... and now, it's suspended the Yankees star 3 games over it all.

If you missed it ... the NYY closer nearly ignited a massive brawl in the 9th inning of the Yanks game against Tampa Bay -- after he JUST MISSED Michael Brosseau's head with his trademark heater.

The pitch was scary as hell ... the white sphere came hurling at Brosseau's dome -- and cleared his helmet by only a few inches.

Chapman went on to strikeout Brosseau ... but the Rays didn't leave the field without confronting the reliever over the pitch, which caused the benches to clear.

There were no punches or brawls -- just a lot of barking -- but afterward, Rays manager Kevin Cash RIPPED Chapman and the Yanks because he felt it was all intentional.

"It's absolutely ridiculous," Cash told reporters. "It was mishandled by the Yankees. Certainly the pitcher on the mound. It was mishandled by the umpires."

FYI -- the Yanks and Rays have had seriously bad blood this season ... with the two going at it in some knockdown, drag-out games over the past couple weeks.

''Somebody has to be accountable," Cash said, before issuing what appeared to be a veiled threat ... "The last thing I'll say on it is I got a whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 mph. Period.''

For his part, Yanks manager Aaron Boone called Cash's words "pretty scary," but didn't elaborate much more on the incident after the game.

On Wednesday, MLB hit Chapman with a 3-game ban for his role in it all, saying straight up he "intentionally" threw at Brosseau.

MLB also suspended Boone and Cash 1 game for their roles.

WE KNEW IT!!!

Mariah Carey is finally admitting what fans have suspected for decades ... two songs from her classic '97 album "Butterfly" are about her fling with Derek Jeter!!!

Yep, Carey says both "The Roof" and "My All" were all about the NY Yankees legend ... who she began seeing back in 1997 after meeting him at a dinner party.

Carey was married to music mogul Tommy Mottola at the time, but the marriage was on the rocks ... and Carey was clearly infatuated with Jeter.

In her upcoming memoir, "The Meaning of Mariah Carey" (by way of Vulture) set to come out later this month ... the singer says "The Roof" was about her first kiss with Jeter, which took place on the roof of his apartment building.

Here are some of the lyrics, in case you need a refresher ...

"It wasn't raining yet.
But it was definitely a little misty on
That warm November night
And my heart was pounding (pounding)
My inner voice resounding
Begging me to turn away
But I just had to see your face to feel alive
And then you casually walked in the room
And I was twisted in the web of my desire for you
(And I was twisted)
My apprehension blew away
I only wanted you to taste my sadness
As you kissed me in the dark."

As for "My All" ... that one was about how she risked it all to meet up with Jeter in Puerto Rico, while she was still technically married to Mottola.

Again ... the lyrics:

"I am thinking of you
In my sleepless solitude tonight
If it's wrong to love you
Then my heart just won't let me be right
'Cause I've drowned in you
And I won't pull through
Without you by my side

I'd give my all to have
Just one more night with you
I'd risk my life to feel
Your body next to mine
'Cause I can't go on
Living in the memory of our song
I'd give my all for your love tonight."

Carey and Mottola officially divorced in 1998. Things didn't work out with Jeter though. They went their separate ways too.

But, Mariah went on to marry and have kids with Nick Cannon. Jeter is now happily married with children to model Hannah Jeter.

Donald Trump reportedly invited himself to throw out a first pitch at Yankees Stadium in a fit of jealousy over Dr. Anthony Fauci ... and was forced to cancel on it all when he couldn't actually make it happen.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation told The New York Times that's how things went down when POTUS made the surprising announcement last week that he'd throw out a ceremonial first pitch for the Yanks on Aug. 15.

Per the report, Trump was so bothered by the attention Fauci was getting in the leadup to his first pitch at Nationals Park on Opening Day last Thursday that he informed staffers to call the Yanks to get him on the mound.

The NYT says BOTH the Yankees and White House personnel were surprised by Trump's wishes ... and never officially locked in a date despite Trump saying they had.

Of course, Donald -- who was reportedly already booked elsewhere for Aug. 15 -- pulled out of the event just days after the announcement ... saying in a tweet his focus on the coronavirus wouldn't allow him to make it.

Trump added, "We will make it later in the season!"

Donald has never thrown out a first pitch since taking over office in 2016 ... but the Times says he DOES have a longstanding informal offer from the Yankees' team president to throw one out for them at some point.

Dr. Anthony Fauci's hilarious ceremonial first pitch will be forever immortalized in the baseball world ... with the moment getting its own trading card!!

Topps just launched the card for a limited time ... showing the COVID-19 expert mid-throw before the Nationals' Opening Day game against the New York Yankees.

Of course, we all know how it went down ... but the card actually makes the dude look a bit more like Max Scherzer -- talk about a good angle!!

The card also features some info on the Doc ... saying, "Dr. Anthony Fauci, longtime Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and ardent Washington Nationals fan, signaled the official start of the 2020 MLB regular season by throwing out the first pitch before the Nationals took on the Yankees on Thursday evening."

"The 79-year-old Brooklyn native, donning a Nationals jersey, hat and facemask, fired a strong effort to the plate before the Nationals took the field."

Very generous of Topps to call it a "strong effort" ... we're just teasing.

Of course, the Dr. Fauci collectibles have skyrocketed during the pandemic -- from doughnuts to beer to bobbleheads.

The card will be available on Topps' website for just 24 hours ... so all you Fauci fanatics better hop on it!!

Former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen says the Yankees need to consider dropping their haircut policy ASAP ... saying straight-up, "There should be some change there in the future."

The Yanks have a long-standing rule where players CANNOT grow facial hair or have their hair length go below their jersey's collar ... and when Cutch was asked about that this weekend, he said ain't in love with the policy.

The Philadelphia Phillies outfielder -- who played 25 games for the Yankees in 2018 -- said on "The Sports Bubble with Jensen Karp" it's just not right ... especially in today's climate.

"I think -- especially in this year, the year of 2020," McCutchen said, "I just feel like these things should be things that people take at heart and realize we have a way of expressing ourselves in different ways."

McCutchen -- who gained fame early in his career for his signature dreads -- had cut his hair prior to joining the Yankees in '18 ... but he was still forced to shave his beard when he arrived nonetheless.

Andrew says he had a hell of a time playing for NYY, even calling it "an honor" ... but the 33-year-old made it clear, he feels the team's hair policy should be nixed.

"I definitely do think it takes away from our individualism," McCutchen said.

The Yankees' truncated season got off to a rough start this weekend during batting practice -- one of their pitchers took a baseball to the noggin by one their hardest-hitting sluggers.

Righty Masahiro Tanaka was tossing to Giancarlo Stanton Saturday at Yankees Stadium during the team's first summer workout before they officially play ball later this month. During one of his pitches, Stanton hit a line drive right back at Tanaka ... and it nailed him.

The ball struck Tanaka in the head, knocking off his hat and sending him flying to the ground. Stanton immediately regretted it as he crouched in disgust and worry. The training staff rushed out to attend to their pitcher, and were eventually able to get him to his feet.

As bad as the hit looked on camera, it would appear the guy's gonna be alright -- which is kind of a miracle. The team says, "RHP Masahiro Tanaka was hit in the head with a line drive during today’s sim game. He is currently alert, responsive and walking under his own power." They added that he would undergo further evaluations/testing at a nearby hospital.