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Tragic news in the baseball world ... former MLB pitcher Odalis Perez died on Thursday night after he apparently fell off a ladder in his home.

He was just 44 years old.

Perez's attorney, Walin Batista, confirmed the news to ESPN ... explaining Perez's family believes the former Los Angeles Dodger slipped down a ladder in the Dominican Republic.

"Around 7 p.m., his brother Cristian Perez arrived at the house and found Odalis lying in the patio," Batista told the outlet. "We don't know yet the cause of his death, but everything seems to indicate Odalis slipped down a ladder. This is a tragedy."

The Dodgers and the Nationals -- two of Perez's former teams -- both mourned Perez's passing on social media on Thursday night ... with both organizations sending their condolences to the former left-handed pitcher's family and friends.

Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero also expressed sadness over the news in an emotional tweet.

"I keep the memories of the moments we were able to share," Vlad said. "May God take you to a good place."

Perez made his debut in the Big Leagues with the Atlanta Braves in 1998 ... and he went on to play 10 more years in The Show for the Dodgers, Royals and Nationals.

Troy Aikman appears to believe the hammer the NFL dropped on Calvin Ridley for betting on NFL games was too strong ... telling TMZ Sports the one-year ban "seems like an awful lot."

Ridley was just suspended for the entire 2022 season ... after the NFL says he bet on contests while away from the Atlanta Falcons on the non-football illness list this past November.

Ridley said the totals of his bets were only $1,500 -- and while he reportedly bet on Falcons games, he was said to have never bet against his team.

Still, the NFL barred the star receiver for all 17 of next season's games, and left the door open to banning him even longer.

When we asked Troy this week for his thoughts on the length of the suspension -- he seemed to think the league could have, and perhaps should have, gone softer.

"On the one hand, you have the league encouraging everybody to gamble," Aikman said, "and yet, here Calvin Ridley is suspended for an entire season."

The Dallas Cowboys legend said he does see the NFL's side of the situation, saying the league should take betting on games very seriously ... but he added, "When you look at it against some of the other suspensions, I would agree that it seems like an awful lot."

76ers fans greeted Ben Simmons with boos and trash talk as he took the court before Thursday's game ... marking his first return to Philadelphia since his trade to the Brooklyn Nets.

Remember, the 25-year-old guard made it clear he wanted out of Philly ... and was willing to lose out on millions of dollars as he refused to suit up for the Sixers this season.

Simmons finally got what he wanted last month ... after the Sixers traded BS, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden.

Simmons returned to Wells Fargo Center -- this time as a visitor -- in black and white gear for Thursday's matchup against the Sixers ... and despite being out with an injury, the fans let him hear it during pre-game shootaround.

In fact, the 3-time All-Star was heckled way before getting to the arena -- he was surrounded by an angry crowd while getting onto the team bus ... with one fan saying, "Ben Simmons, you stink!"

Fans were also booing Simmons outside the Four Season in downtown Philadelphia ... with one fan actually thanking him for the Nets trade.

"Thanks for James, man" one fan yelled.

Jason Kelce isn't ready to call it a career just yet -- the Philadelphia Eagles center just announced his return for the 2022 season ... by chugging an ice-cold beer!!

The 34-year-old Super Bowl champ has been mulling retirement for the past few off-seasons ... and many were wondering if this past campaign would be the last time #62 would take the field.

Kelce -- a 4-time first-team All-Pro -- put the rumors to rest on Thursday ... by pouring a brew into a blue plastic cup and downing it before getting to the actual reason behind the vid.

"Go a lot of questions on the air (with WIP-FM in Philadelphia) yesterday about my future," he said. "So, I decided I'd clear it up right now."

"Unfortunately, I've decided to announce I'm retiring from hosting WIP ... but I'm definitely not retiring from playing for the Philadelphia Eagles."

"I'm having way too much fun doing that."

The Eagles finished 9-8 last season ... losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of the 2022 playoffs.

Kelce says he's looking forward to another season with Philly ... and has a special message for his teammates.

NFL cornerback Jeff Gladney -- a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft -- was just found not guilty of assaulting his girlfriend, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Court documents show a jury "unanimously" came to the decision in a Dallas County courtroom on Thursday afternoon.

As we previously reported, Gladney had been hit with a felony domestic violence charge back in August after he allegedly roughed up his GF in April following an argument over the contents of his phone.

In court documents, officials say Gladney's accuser told them the football player snapped on her ... hitting her, choking her and dragging her by her hair across the ground.

Gladney was not only released by the Vikings following the charge ... he was also facing up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.

Gladney's attorney, though, said after he was hit with the charge that the former TCU standout was innocent.

Gladney sat out all of the 2021 season with the case hanging over his head. He's still a free agent and is available to sign with any team.

Harry Miller's football career is over -- the Ohio State lineman is medically retiring from football ... after revealing his mental health battle was so bad at one point, he contemplated killing himself.

Miller -- who started 7 games at left guard for the Buckeyes in 2020 -- released a lengthy statement to Twitter on Thursday ... addressing why he's walking away from the sport.

“Prior to the season last year, I told Coach [Ryan] Day of my intention to kill myself," Harry wrote.

The junior player said Day took the conversation seriously ... and immediately connected him with medical professionals to provide assistance.

Miller -- a former 5-star recruit -- said he gave football another try several weeks after revealing to coach he wanted to commit suicide ... adding he had scars on his wrists and throat as he played, but no one seemed to notice.

"They are hard to see, and they are easy to hide, but they sure do hurt," he added. "There was a dead man on the television set, but nobody knew it."

Miller expressed gratitude to coach Ryan Day for the resources he put in place at OSU to help guys like him overcome mental struggles like depression and suicide ... and they proved to be valuable.

“I am grateful for the infrastructure Coach Day has put in place at Ohio State, and I am grateful that he is letting me find a new way to help others in the program," Miller said.

"If not for him and the staff, my words would not be a reflection. They would be evidence in a post-mortem."

Miller's career in college football is over ... but the mechanical engineering major wants his story to help those battling similar mental health issues to speak up and seek assistance.

"I am okay."

It's been nearly SIX years since Colin Kaepernick last took a snap in the NFL ... but the quarterback said on Thursday he's "still working" to make it back.

The 34-year-old made the announcement on his social media page ... while sharing a video of one of his latest workouts.

In the clip, Kaepernick can be seen dropping back on a football field, rolling to his right, and throwing a pass several yards downfield.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported following the video's release that a source close to Kap says the ex-49ers star is currently "in the best shape of his life."

"He wants to play," Schefter said the source added. "He's ready play. He would be a great fit for teams with QB vacancies to fill who want to win a Super Bowl."

It's the first time in months that Kaepernick has said he still has NFL aspirations. You'll recall, he most recently spoke about a potential comeback in October, when he told Ebony that he's "training five, six days a week" to make it back.

We're told Kap's reps have been reaching out to teams in need of a quarterback ... in an effort to let teams know Colin is ready to play.

Kaepernick last played in an NFL game on Jan. 1, 2017. He threw for 215 yards and a touchdown in that game, which resulted in a loss to the Seahawks.

Kap has claimed repeatedly since then that the league was blackballing him over the way he started kneeling demonstrations during pregame national anthems.

Fire up the peanuts and Cracker Jacks ... baseball's back!

The MLB and the MLB Players Association reportedly reached a deal Thursday on a new collective bargaining agreement, ending the monthslong lockout.

ESPN's Jeff Passan just broke the news -- saying both sides still need to ratify the agreement ... though the baseball insider said that's expected to happen shortly.

The two sides had quarreled over a new deal since December -- and commissioner Rob Manfred actually had to cancel the first two series of the season as they tried to hammer out an agreement.

Spring training camps are now expected to begin as early as Friday, according to Passan, and free-agent signings and trades will be unfrozen as soon as the deal is made official.

Passan added Opening Day is now tentatively slated for April 7. A full, 162-game schedule is expected to follow.

Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Matthews are days from getting hitched -- the couple just arrived in Hawaii for their wedding day!!

Mahomes' lil' bro, Jackson, is providing some breadcrumbs surrounding the ceremony via Instagram ... revealing everyone's in Maui leading up to the big event.

Now that the location has been confirmed, the next question is -- who are Patrick's groomsmen?!

Jackson shed a bit of light on that, too ... revealing he's Patrick's best man by posting a pic with the superstar QB (sporting a bright-patterned RompHim) and saying, "Best Man type vibes 🤙🏽."

The Mahomeses aren't the only ones in paradise ... Matthews and her friend (and Travis Kelce's girlfriend) Kayla Nicole took a flight on a private jet to the island.

"Let the fun begin sister girl," Nicole said on social media.

Of course, Mahomes and Matthews had plenty of fun last month -- the Super Bowl champ went all out in Vegas for his bachelor party ... and his fiancée enjoyed a getaway with the girls.

Mahomes and his high school sweetheart got engaged in 2020 ... and had their first child, daughter Sterling Skye, on February 20, 2021.

Cops have arrested a 12-year-old boy after they say he robbed Jim Boeheim's wife at gunpoint last week.

According to Syracuse police, the minor stuck an air gun in Juli Boeheim's face while she was sitting in her car on March 1 at a famous shopping center in New York.

Police say the boy then reached into the Syracuse head coach's wife's vehicle to grab her purse ... claiming he later took off in a stolen car with three other men.

Cops say the boy has since been charged with robbery, grand larceny and criminal possession of a weapon. They did not release the boy's name due to his age.

Jim spoke about the incident on Brent Axe's radio show on ESPN just two days after it happened ... and he explained Juli was "definitely shook up" over it all.

"I mean, this isn't television," Jim said. "It's not movies. It's real life."

Tony Hawk says a failed attempt at a popular skateboarding move led to his severely broken leg on Monday ... and now, the skate legend says he's hoping to one day be able to walk again "unaided."

The 53-year-old finally went into detail on Thursday about what caused his broken femur earlier this week ... and he says an effort to do a McTwist (a front flip with a 540-degree rotation) in the half pipe busted up the limb.

Hawk explained he had "very little speed and an unsteady grab" while trying the trick -- and when he came crashing down on the ramp, his leg crumpled.

"I hit the wall sooner than expected in a half-squat position and it sent me straight to the flat onto my knees," Hawk said.

"The force of my body position upon impact broke my front leg as I came sliding to a stop."

Graphically, Hawk said he had to "maneuver" his leg back into place -- before an ambulance eventually transported him to a hospital.

As we reported, Hawk underwent surgery on the leg right away -- and was somehow able to put weight on it just a day later.

Tony, though, said Thursday he has a long way to go to fully recover ... explaining, right now, his goal is just to be able to walk normally again.

Logan Paul is literally everywhere -- the social media star and boxer is taking over the video game industry now ... becoming a downloadable character in WWE 2K22!!

26-year-old Paul -- who's slated to compete alongside The Miz at WrestleMania next month -- was announced as one of the additional characters to be featured in the promotion's official video game ... and will be available for purchase in July.

It's a huge sign the Maverick could be involved in Vince McMahon's org. well past WrestleMania in Dallas ... and according to his tag team partner, he's definitely got the skills to make a career out of pro wrestling.

The game -- which drops Friday -- will also feature celebs like Machine Gun Kelly, Mr. T and Ronda Rousey as additional playable characters available for download.

Paul is the latest superstar to get the video treatment -- as we previously reported, names like Naomi Osaka, Neymar, Robert Whittaker and Travis Scott have collabed with their favorite games recently.

Deion Sanders is revealing what his left foot looks like following the amputation of two of his toes -- and, warning, it's extremely graphic.

The NFL legend, in continuing to release details of his horrifying foot injury in bits and pieces, showed the mangled body part in a new video posted to his social media page Wednesday.

In the clip, Deion is showing his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, the injury for the first time -- and imploring them to use his bloody wound and the ensuing recovery process as a reminder to always work hard.

"Anytime y'all ever think about giving up anything, y'all think about this," Deion said. "I've fought through all of this for y'all."

Sanders' two sons -- who both play football for Deion at Jackson State -- appeared to be in shock over the injury, with one of them telling the former Dallas Cowboys cornerback in the footage, "You're a good man."

Shilo added in a post on his social media page Thursday, "I still haven't looked straight at it til this day."

Tiger Woods' daughter said she and the rest of the golf legend's family seriously feared Tiger would lose his leg following his car crash last year.

14-year-old Sam Woods made the revelation while introducing Tiger at his World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Wednesday night in Florida ... explaining the golfer's injuries were that dire.

You'll recall, Tiger suffered comminuted open fractures in his right leg after he crashed his SUV in February 2021 in Los Angeles. He needed a rod, pins and screws to fix the damage.

Tiger had previously said the possibility of amputation was discussed in the aftermath of the wreck ... and Sam reiterated to a crowd at the PGA TOUR's headquarters during her speech that they were VERY concerned it might happen.

"We didn't know if you'd come home with two legs or not," Sam said.

Fortunately, Tiger was able to recover -- and in her speech, Sam praised the 46-year-old for battling through it all.

"Now, not only about to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but you're standing here on your own two feet," Sam said. "This is why you deserve this. Because you're a fighter."

Tiger showed off the injured leg without a sleeve on it for the first time publicly while walking into the ceremony earlier Wednesday in a pair of shorts -- revealing there's no serious scarring visible from feet away.

It's unclear when the golfer will be able to compete on the PGA Tour again -- but he was able to play (and play REALLY well) in a fun tourney with his son, Charlie, back in December.

Paige VanZant is a professional wrestler now -- the ex-UFC star just signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling ... and is set to begin her training ASAP!!

PVZ literally signed her contract in the ring during an appearance at "AEW Dynamite" on Wednesday ... after coming out of the crowd and attacking wrestler Tay Conti from behind.

The run-in caused Conti's boyfriend, "Spanish God" Sammy Guevara, to lose his TNT championship to The Men of the Year's Scorpio Sky.

"Wanted to give the world one more reason to hate on me 💋😉 PVZ TAKING OVER!!!!," VanZant wrote on Twitter after announcing the news.

Of course, Paige is no stranger to the AEW crowd -- she's made several appearances since debuting alongside Jorge Masvidal in September ... and got a huge pop from fans on Wednesday.

The terms of the deal have not been revealed, but AEW prez Tony Khan expressed his excitement over the new addition ... saying, "It’s official! @paigevanzant is ALL ELITE!"

You'll recall, Paige made a name for herself as a combat fighter ... going 5-4 in UFC before signing a massive deal with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in 2020, where she posted an 0-2 record.

The former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant's future with BKFC is unclear, but it seems Paige is now focused on wrestling ... and it's only a matter of time before we see her compete inside an AEW ring.

The move shouldn't come as a complete surprise -- Paige previously told TMZ Sports back in 2018 she was hoping to take her talents to the squared-circle.

There's no snow in Miami ... but Floyd Mayweather was ready just in case, rockin' $795 Balmain ski boots to the Heat game!!

The 50-0 boxer -- one of the best ever to enter the ring -- wore the luxury fashion boots courtside while the Miami Heat took on the Phoenix Suns at FTX Arena on Wednesday.

The black and ivory footwear are Balmain waterproof apres-ski boots, made with Polyamide and calfskin.

Mayweather made sure he matched with an oversized Balmain cotton T-shirt featuring the fashion line's monogram print and name across the chest. The shirt costs $650 on the Balmain website.

So, the fit -- not including the diamond watch, bracelets, jeans and cap (which surely go for thousands of dollars) -- costs $1,445!!

Showing out at basketball games is Floyd's thing -- just a few weeks ago Mayweather sat courtside at the Spurs-Heat game, and the 45-year-old wore a ton of diamond chains around his neck.