TMZ Sports - Page 50

Justin Verlander is giving props to Max Scherzer for coming back strong from a gnarly broken nose injury ... telling TMZ Sports, "I appreciate him working through the pain."

Of course, Mad Max took a baseball straight to the face during a bunting drill in Nationals' batting practice Tuesday ... and suffered a nasty broken nose and a black eye as a result.

But, Scherzer toughed it out and pitched for Washington just 24 hours later ... and DOMINATED -- throwing 7 innings with no earned runs and 10 strikeouts against the Phillies.

Verlander -- who played with Max for a few years in Detroit -- says he saw his ex-teammate put in the work ... and he was impressed!!!

By the way ... we also asked Verlander if he thinks he's done enough in his own career to deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame -- and he tells us he ain't so sure.

Justin Bieber wants to fight Tom Cruise in the Octagon, and we know this because of a secret phone call laying the groundwork for what could be the biggest fight in UFC history.

As you know, Justin tweeted earlier this month that he would like to take Tom on MMA style. We were initially told it was a joke and that Justin -- who never met Tom -- revered him. That's all true, but turns out there was truth behind the tweet.

We've learned last Friday, Ari Emanuel, the co-CEO of the William Morris Endeavor agency that owns UFC -- called Justin's manager, Scooter Braun, and then conferenced in Dana White. Ari said this would be an epic fight that needed to happen, and Dana chimed in that he was "100%" down with it.

We're told Scooter then made it clear ... Justin would absolutely fight if Tom wanted to do it.

And, there's more. During the call, Ari said he strongly believed the 56-year-old actor would agree to enter the Octagon and take on the 25-year-old singer.

Dana White told TMZ Sports earlier this week the fight's a no brainer ... the easiest event he's ever promoted in his career.

Nikki Bella says she's incredibly grateful the cyst doctors found on her brain is benign -- but going through the process was "super scary."

The WWE superstar first revealed her medical issue this week on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" -- but she didn't really open up about the situation ... until now.

"They found a cyst on my brain, which thank god, it's benign," Nikki tells TMZ Sports ... noting, "I'm so grateful for my health."

Nikki says the diagnosis -- along with her neck injury -- will most likely keep her out of the WWE ring forever ... but she believes in miracles and hopes one day she can return to wrestling.

"You never know ... we'll see what the man upstairs has in store for me."

In the meantime, Nikki says she will monitor the tumor for the rest of her life "because you never know how it can change."

Cleveland Cavaliers owner and billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert has been released from the hospital after suffering a stroke 3 weeks ago ... his company announced on Thursday.

Gilbert had a stroke while receiving medical treatment at a Michigan hospital on May 26. He underwent a catheter-based procedure and later moved to the Intensive Care Unit for recovery.

According to Jay Farner, CEO of Quicken, Gilbert is doing much better ... and was finally able to leave the hospital on Wednesday.

"The Gilbert family is thankful for the tremendous outpouring of support they have received," Farner says.

"Yesterday, Dan Gilbert was discharged from the hospital and will now continue focusing on his recovery at an in-patient rehabilitation center."

Gilbert bought the Cavs back in 2005 ... and is worth nearly 7 BILLION dollars.

The man they call the "Serbian Michael Jordan" has essentially been BLOCKED by the International Basketball Federation from playing the BIG3 -- and Ice Cube is FURIOUS!

In fact, Cube is calling officials "chicken sh*t" for standing in the way of the player's American dream.

The man at the center of the controversy is Dusan Bulut -- AKA Mr. Bullutproof -- the top-ranked 3-on-3 basketball player in the world. He's an absolute stud. He's even got his own signature move, the Shammgod Nutmeg.

Bulut is from Serbia -- but he's currently under contract with a team in Abu Dhabi in a league that's overseen by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Despite the fact Bulut WANTS to play in the BIG3 -- and was DRAFTED this year -- FIBA officials told him if he breaks his contract with the Abu Dhabi team, he'll face a 24-month ban from international competition, which would prevent him from competing for Serbia in the 2020 Olympics.

Earlier today, Bulut withdrew from the BIG3 because of the threat -- and Ice Cube ain't happy about it.

"We want him to play, but FIBA is threatening that he won't be able to be eligible for the Olympics," Cube told us ... "I think they're scared."

Cube says the league is considering its legal options -- but notes, "We want to do whatever Bulut wants to do. We want to get him in the BIG3, but we don't want to mess up his chances to be in the Olympics."

He summed it up this way ... "I think FIBA is being chicken sh*t."

Meanwhile, Cube and the BIG3 are pushing forward with the 2019 season, which kicks off June 22 at the Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit, live on CBS.

10:20 AM PT -- Trump -- who was meeting with Trudeau -- was just asked if he's planning on inviting the Raps to 1600 Penn ... and he said, "That's an interesting question. They played phenomenal basketball, I watched a little bit of it."

"We'll think about that, if they'd like to do it, we'll think about that."

So ... maybe???

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says he's DEFINITELY looking forward to celebrating their NBA championship with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ... but Donald Trump? That's TBD.

It's uncharted territory for Canada's NBA team, considering this is their first title in franchise history ... so, many have been wondering if the Dinos would get an invite to party at the White House.

Nurse addressed the possibility with Prime Time Sports on SportsNet 590 ... saying the team hasn't gotten a call from Trump's camp yet ... and even if they DO get an invite, he's unsure how they'll RSVP.

But, as for meeting the top guy in Canada? Nurse says plans are already in the works ...

"Definitely the Trudeau meeting, because they have been asking me about scheduling it," Nurse said. "I've heard nothing from the White House. We're Canada's team anyway, right?"

Politics aside, Nurse says he truly doesn't know if there will be a trip to 1600 Penn, "I think we're here. Let's go see Trudeau up in Ottawa ... we're Canada's team."

Remember, the Golden State Warriors -- who won the NBA title the past two years before the Raptors -- famously boycotted Trump's White House ... opting to visit with President Obama instead.

The Colorado youth baseball brawl just took a disturbing twist -- we've now obtained footage showing a very pregnant woman brandishing a bat as a weapon and telling other parents, "I don't give a f*ck!"

The new footage shows heated parents from both youth baseball teams on the field at Westgate Elementary School arguing with the 13-year-old umpire about rules involving the number of players on each team.

You can hear people from the stands screaming for the parents to back down ... saying, "He's a kid!"

As the situation grows more intense, the pregnant woman runs on the field and grabs a metal baseball bat and begins to wave it around screaming, "F*ck you b*tch. I don't give a f*ck!"

One of the male parents tries to pry the bat away from the woman -- and that's when other men on the field attack him ... throwing him down to the ground and firing off punches.

The pregnant woman is forced back into the dugout -- where the fighting continues right in front of her.

It doesn't appear she was harmed in the melee ... but wow, it's close.

Other parents continue to brawl ... including a group of women throwing haymakers at each other down the 1st baseline.

All the while, the 7-year-old players are watching the violence in shock.

As we previously reported, cops eventually arrived and handed out citations for disorderly conduct and fighting in public.

Cops are still looking for at least one of the combatants who knocked a man out with a sucker punch.

A pair of Zion Williamson's game-worn college sneakers -- no, not THAT pair -- is set to be auctioned off to the highest bidder ... and they could sell for more than $25k!!!

The ex-Duke superstar rocked a pair of size 14 Nike Kyrie 5s during his 4th-ever college game against San Diego State in the Maui Invitational on November 19, 2018.

Of course, Zion's kicks have been a HUGE talking point since his PG 2.5 exploded while playing UNC in February ... and because of that (and that he's a future NBA superstar), this pair's expected to rake in serious dough.

“Even though these are not those historic sneakers, the fact that he played in just 33 college basketball games and these are his first sneakers to be offed at auction make them a truly special item," Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions tells us.

As for the game, the #1 ranked Blue Devils easily handled the Aztecs, 90-64, and Z-Dub had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 steals and 1 block in 18 minutes -- plus a ridiculous windmill jam.

Now, we're not comparing Zion to MJ, but Jordan's college kicks sold at auction for $33k in 2014 ... so these at 25 G's could be a steal!!

Look at Bill Belichick's face ... that's the MOST we've ever seen him smile -- and it's all because he's on a sick vacation with his beautiful girlfriend ... and still reppin' Boston, HARD!

Bill and Linda Holliday are vacationing off the coast of Greece -- where they're riding on yachts, playing on the beach and visiting some of the historic sites ... including Stadium at Olympia!

FYI, the stadium is said to be the oldest in the world -- and Linda commented, "Someone feels right at home!"

By the way, check out Bill's hat ... it says VII Rings ... the name of his boat back in the United States, which was named after all of the Super Bowl titles he's won.

The hat is clearly an older one because he changed it to "VIII Rings" after the latest Super Bowl win back in February.

Bill and Linda have been dating for years -- and some think it's just a matter of time before she gets a ring of her own!

Denver Broncos honcho John Elway is super excited about his rookie QB, Drew Lock -- but tells TMZ Sports the #1 spot DEFINITELY belongs to Joe Flacco.

We know ... it ain't exactly bombshell news -- but it's cool to hear Elway talk up his young rookie.

"He's a young guy. He's got a great future," Elway said about the 2nd-round pick out of Missouri.

Of course, there's no doubt Flacco is the starter -- the Broncos traded for him during the off-season and they'll be paying him $18.5 MILLION this year.

On his way out of Craig's in L.A., Elway -- who stopped for pics with fans and even signed autographs -- said he thinks Flacco can do what Peyton Manning did ... and become the missing the piece that leads Denver to the Super Bowl.

Elway also threw his support behind Brittany Bowlen -- who's rumored to be taking over the team in the wake of her father's passing.

Zion Williamson's incredible athletic feats don't end on the hardwood ... 'cause the hoops phenom smashed a 400 foot home run and threw a football 70 yards -- as a 16-year-old high school student!!!

Lee Sartor -- Zion's basketball coach of 4 years at the Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina -- told TMZ Sports about some of the ridiculously amazing stuff he's personally witnessed.

First up, football.

Remember that video where Zion airs out the pigskin ... launching it into the air?

Well, Coach Sartor -- now the head coach at Erskine College in S.C. -- was there ... and saw it go down with his own eyes.

"I actually witnessed that and it was about 70 yards in the air."

There's more.

"I also witnessed him hit a baseball over 400 feet," Sartor says ... "He was just messing around on the baseball field and he said, 'let me hit one.' And he hit the thing over the fence about 400 feet."

FYI -- a ball launched 400 feet would clear the fence in any Major League ballpark.

What makes it even more impressive?

Coach says this all happened after Zion completed his junior year of high school.

That ain't all ... Sartor also cleared up a big mystery -- where the hell are Zion's exploded Nike sneakers.

Remember, the PG 2.5's had seemingly gone missing ... Zion told us to ask Coach K, Duke told us they had no idea where the shoe was, and Nike said they had no "information" on the shoe location.

So, where is it? At the house of Zion's parents ... according to Coach Sartor.

"I don't think they got it in the trophy case or anything like that, but I do know they have the shoe."

Donovan Mitchell says he's totally stoked to play with his new teammate, Mike Conley ... giving TMZ Sports his stamp of approval on the huge trade that sent the guard to the Utah Jazz.

Spida was out at the Adidas store in NYC just hours after the trade went down on Wednesday ... so we had to ask what he thought of the move.

"Really excited," Mitchell says. "Having Mike is a great piece and i'm excited to play with him."

FYI -- the Jazz sent Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder, Grayson Allen and their 2019 draft pick to land the 12-year vet ... but Mitchell is confident giving up those role players for a "big piece" like Conley will benefit the team.

Spida SHOULD be excited ... a lot of people are saying the move makes the Jazz legit contenders to make the NBA Finals next season ... and they haven't been there since 1998 (shoutout Stockton and Malone).

4:29 PM PT -- Officials say Sixto David Fernandez was the target of the attack because Victor Hugo Gómez believed Sixto "ratted him out" to police years ago.

The gunman who shot David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic earlier this month DID NOT mean to target Big Papi ... so say D.R. officials, who say it was Ortiz's FRIEND they wanted to kill.

D.R. police and prosecutors just announced Sixto David Fernandez -- who was allegedly sitting near Ortiz at Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo on June 9 -- was supposed to be the target.

Unclear why Fernandez was the target. We're trying to gather information on who Fernandez is and what he does for a living. All we know so far is that cops say he's buddies with Ortiz.

Officials say the gunman who shot Big Papi from point-blank range in the back was confused by the clothing Ortiz was wearing and fired on him instead of Fernandez.

A cell phone image taken of Sixto by one of the alleged accomplices in the crime was allegedly used to identify Sixto for the hit.

But officials say the gunman mistook white items near Sixto as white pants (Ortiz was wearing white pants that night) ... and that's where the confusion all began.

Officials say they were able to confirm all this because they were able to obtain the picture that was circulated amongst the alleged criminals.

Officials also say a man named Victor Hugo Gómez -- a 43-year-old who's wanted in the United States after being caught in a major federal drug bust -- is the one who ordered the hit.

As we previously reported, officials say at least 10 people were paid around $8,000 to complete the hit.

25-year-old Rolfi Ferreira Cruz admitted to being the man behind the gun ... but said from his D.R. jail cell last week Ortiz was NOT his intended target.

Prosecutors say regardless of who the intended target was ... they still plan to pursue serious criminal charges against all of the alleged suspects.

Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green might piss off a couple different groups with what he just said to our cameras and it all has to do with Kawhi Leonard and their two shared NBA titles.

First off, he said definitively that Kawhi is the best player in the NBA, so all the LeBron, Durant, Giannis, and Harden fans are BIG MAD right now.

Secondly, our guy asked Danny in NYC which NBA title felt better -- his 2014 run with the San Antonio Spurs (Kawhi was there for that one too) or the one he just scored with the Toronto Raptors.

"This one, 2019 for sure."

Now, if you're in San Antonio, you're prolly HUGE MAD right now, because Danny just said the ring he won with you guys is like Robin, Garfunkel, Oates, and Watson ... famously second fiddle.

Quinton Aaron says what he believed to be a mere cold turned out to be something way more serious ... which he never would've caught had he not gotten checked out.

"The Blind Side" star -- who played the co-lead, Michael Oher, in the flick -- scared the crap out of people Tuesday when he posted a video of himself bedside in a hospital, saying he was gonna be alright ... but not disclosing what the heck was wrong with him.

Well, we got to the bottom of it ... and it is definitely much worse than a cold. Try full-blown upper respiratory infection!!!

Quinton says he'd been battling what felt like bad congestion since early May. At first, he didn't think much of it, but tells us when his symptoms carried over into June ... he went to the hospital. Doctors realized Monday his blood pressure was high, so they decided to keep him overnight for further tests.

Check out the clip for the full diagnosis ... sounds like he might've dodged a bullet by seeing a doctor when he did, and Quinton seems to acknowledge as much.

Sean McVay, listen up ... a 325-pound beast says he wants to help the Rams win a championship -- 'cause Domata Peko tells TMZ Sports he wants to sign with L.A.!!!

"I would like to be with Aaron Donald, man," Peko says ... "Hell yeah! That would be dope."

34-year-old Peko shot down retirement rumors with our camera guy out in Bev Hills on Tuesday ... and says he's definitely trying to play a 14th season in the NFL.

Domata tells us he just had a visit with the Detroit Lions last week ... but the team he'd really like to sign with is McVay's.

"Coach McVay! Your boy, Domata Peko, here, ready to go. I would love to come out here, represent L.A. and try to pursue that championship!"

We also asked Peko how his ex-teammate, Vontaze Burfict, would handle being on the same Oakland squad with longtime rival Antonio Brown this year, and Peko says he doesn't predict any problems between the two.