TMZ Sports - Page 15

The days of MLB players and managers arguing ball and strikes calls with behind-the-plate umps appear to be numbered ... 'cause the league's commish, Rob Manfred, says he's expecting a transition to robot umps to take place in just a few years.

Manfred made the proclamation as part of a lengthy interview with ESPN this week ... saying a move to replace umps with an automated strike zone is likely to happen by 2024.

The idea, according to Manfred, is that taking arguments over subjective calls out of the game would speed up the duration of contests fairly significantly, and perhaps attract more fans.

Of course, the system is currently being tested out in the minor leagues ... and Manfred said this week he and other MLB officials are pleased with how that's gone.

"We have an automated strike zone system that works," Manfred said.

No word yet on how the robot umps would look -- Manfred said balls and strikes could be called down to a human working behind home plate, or managers could have the ability to check umps' calls with the system.

Gennady "GGG" Golovkin has no plans to hang up his boxing gloves after his trilogy fight with Canelo Alvarez ... telling TMZ Sports he's "not ready" to retire yet.

In fact, the star pugilist said he'd straight up be down to fight Alvarez for a fourth time!

The news is somewhat surprising -- most thought the 40-year-old would call it a career after he takes on Canelo in September for the third time since 2017.

And, watch the clip, you can tell Golovkin has certainly considered it. But, he says he's still got more gas left in the tank despite having fought in 44 pro fights in his career.

"Not yet," GGG tells us about retirement. "I'm not ready yet."

As for why he'd come back to the ring to take on Canelo for a fourth time as opposed to callin' it a career ... he said that choice is very simple.

"The business side," he said, "it's very interesting."

For now, the 42-1-1 boxer says he's happy his fans want to see him in the ring with the Mexican boxer again -- and he tells us he's going for a KO in the match.

Brittney Griner is not doing so well in Russia ... according to her wife, Cherelle, who says the WNBA star is "struggling" and "terrified" as she awaits her trial in the foreign country.

Cherelle made the comments about Brittney -- who's been detained in Russia on drug charges for over 4 months now -- on Wednesday while speaking to Rev. Al Sharpton on his "Keepin' It Real" radio show on SiriusXM.

"She is a human," Cherelle said. "She's struggling. She's there, terrified. She's there alone. I mean, even in America, if she was going through a legal proceeding, she wouldn't be doing it alone."

"Everything about this is just your biggest nightmare," she added. "On top of the fact that BG is in a situation where this isn't even a trial. Considering an execution, Russia has a 99% conviction rate. Nothing about this is justice."

Griner -- who's facing up to 10 years if ultimately convicted -- appeared in Russian court on Monday ... where the Phoenix Mercury center was handcuffed and surrounded by authorities.

Cherelle said while the hooper has tried to remain positive in notes, she can tell, the 31-year-old is scared as she's now just two days away from trial.

Cherelle also once again pleaded with the U.S. government to get more involved in Griner's case and bring her home quickly.

51 students from Kevin Durant's educational program are heading off to college ... and the NBA superstar was so excited for the kids, he showed up in person to celebrate with them!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Brooklyn Nets star and his mother, Wanda, showed up to the "Launch to College" event featuring the inaugural College Track class of the Durant Center program on Monday ... which went down at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The stars of the day were the Prince George’s County high school seniors that took part in Durant's educational center that opened up in 2018 ... which focuses on helping students become the first in their families to get a college education.

Durant spoke about their achievement ... saying, "Meaningful accomplishments take time."

"I’m proud of our scholars who dug deep over the past four years, through some really challenging times, to graduate from high school and now to pursue their college dreams."

Some of the colleges the scholars will be attending this fall include Howard University, Northwestern, University of Maryland, and Tulane University.

"I can’t wait to see what they’ll accomplish next," Durant said. "We’ll be at their side as they work towards their next goals."

The Durant Center was an idea KD got when he visited College Track Oakland in 2017. He was inspired by the nonprofit organization's mission to "equip students confronting systemic barriers to earn a bachelor’s degree in pursuit of a life of opportunity, choice, and power."

So, he partnered up with the org. for a 10-year plan (worth $10 million) and launched his own branch in D.C -- the first center on the east coast -- which currently helps 230 students.

Scary moment during the Mets vs. Astros game Wednesday ... Houston star Yordan Alvarez collided with his teammate in the outfield, and the crash was so violent -- the slugger had to be carted off the field.

The collision between Alvarez and shortstop Jeremy Pena happened in the bottom of the 8th inning ... when Pena was trying to snag a pop-up in shallow left field.

He, though, didn't see Alvarez -- who was also charging in to catch the ball -- and the two huge athletes slammed into each other.

Pena's arm hit Alvarez square in the face ... while Alvarez's elbow appeared to run right into Pena's head.

The two crumpled to the ground and stayed down on the field for several minutes ... before they each got medical attention from the Astros' trainers.

Eventually, Yordan was carted off the field, while Jeremy tried to give it a go but was ultimately forced to leave the game.

Valerie Loureda is walking away from the cage and into the squared circle -- the former MMA fighter tells TMZ Sports after months of training and mutual interest, she's signing on with the promotion to compete as a wrestler.

The 23-year-old made the news official on Wednesday ... saying it's a dream come true.

"I've been waiting for this moment for so long," said Loureda, the first Cuban-American woman ever to sign with WWE. "You have no idea. I'm excited it's finally here."

And she's got BIG goals with the promotion -- the taekwondo expert said her dream is to headline WrestleMania one day ... but more importantly, she wants to represent Latina women across the world.

"I'm the first Cuban-American woman to sign with the WWE," Loureda said, "and for me alone that is a dream come true."

"The moment I found out I had the opportunity, I knew I could make history and represent my culture in a way no one has before. And that's what I was born to do."

Loureda tells us that her first official day with WWE is July 18 -- one day before her 24th birthday -- and that the timing of it all couldn't have been better.

Of course, we got a glimpse of Valerie in the ring already ... when she hit up WWE tryouts earlier this year.

"Turning 24 and becoming a WWE Superstar, like, that's my dream," Loureda said. "I'm going to train there very hard. My goal personally is to be on live TV by the end of the year."

"Obviously, I trust the WWE and what they've done with all their athletes, and I'm going to follow their path. But, I set big bars and expectations for myself, and I'm going to work very hard to make life to be ready by the end of this year.

Andrew Bogut ain't apologizing for slut-shaming Kendall Jenner last week ... in fact, the former #1 overall pick has just doubled down on his crass barbs.

If you missed it, last Friday -- hours after Thursday night's NBA Draft had concluded -- Bogut threw a jab at Jenner over her reported split with Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker.

"With the 2022 @NBA draft completion yesterday, one big name has yet to find a home," the 37-year-old former #1 overall draft pick said on his Twitter page. "Which team will snap up @KendallJenner??"

"Solid talent, versatile. ?? marks around team culture + habit of endless self promotion. Doctors will need to do medical as body has been banged up."

Many on social media found the remarks to be offensive ... as they were clear digs at Jenner's past relationships with multiple NBA stars.

After nearly four days of hearing the criticism, Bogut didn't walk back the remarks ... and instead, the ex-Milwaukee Bucks center pressed further with the trolling.

"I would like to formally apologize for this tweet," he said. "My scout take forgot to include the elite level of rebounding. I will do better in the future."

Jenner is no stranger to the heckling ... she's, in the past, actually addressed fans who have taken shots at her over dating NBA players, saying on an episode of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," "I'm not ashamed that I have a type, and I'm also a genuine basketball fan."

Jake Paul says Tommy Fury has an easy way to get to the United States, but is moving like molasses to actually make it happen ... claiming TNT is using his travel issues as a reason to back out of their fight.

As we previously reported, Fury posted an Instagram video earlier this week explaining he was denied traveling to the U.S. for Wednesday's press conference for the Paul fight ... saying he had no idea why he wasn't able to make the trip.

TMZ Sports has learned it all stems from the Fury family's ties to MTK Global founder Daniel Kinahan, who's currently under investigation for his alleged involvement in a massive drug operation ... and any boxer, promoter or manager with even the smallest ties to the guy is getting cut off from traveling to the States.

The Problem Child clearly wasn't convinced with the reasoning ... so he took matters into his own hands and called Tommy's lawyers to get to the bottom of it.

"They’re all advising him to just go to the embassy to get his visa," Jake said Wednesday. "That's all he has to do. But, Tommy is showing no urgency. He hasn’t gone yet. He is not communicating with us on what he is doing."

"This is just another case of Tommy Fumbles just being scared to fight me."

Of course, we're told that's not what's happening here -- but Jake goes on to say he believes this is Tommy's way of trying to get the fight location switched to the U.K.

Paul's solution?? He's down to move the fight over to Fury's home turf ... if it comes with a $15 million payday.

The Gypsy King vs. The Mountain in 2022?!?

It appears we could very well see that ... 'cause after Tyson Fury threw a verbal jab at "Game of Thrones" star Hafthor Bjornsson on Wednesday -- the actor-turned-boxer accepted a fight!!!

Fury's barb was pretty clever ... on his Instagram page, he wrote, "I wonder if Thor Bjornsson could take a crashing right hand to that big jaw," adding, "Who would have Thor's hammer? Would this mountain be too big to climb?"

It didn't take long for Thor -- a former World's Strongest Man -- to see the quips ... and in a shirtless video, he fired back at Fury -- accepting a fight if the 33-year-old heavyweight champ was offering one.

"I'm 100% up for war," Bjornsson said. "Let's do this."

Now, don't get it twisted ... even though Bjornsson is an actor and a former strongman, he's no stranger to the boxing ring.

Since 2021, Bjornsson has boxed in 4 professional fights -- winning two bouts while the others ended up in a draw.

And, the two are roughly the same size -- both standing at 6'9".

Pigs are flying ... O.J. Simpson is supporting Los Angeles County law enforcement.

The ex-con took a stand (not THE stand) Wednesday for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department with a video rant ripping West Hollywood for voting to cut funding for the agency.

Simpson says the decision is all wrong, pointing  out his infamous history with the law in L.A. and saying, "Trust me, we need police, we need the sheriffs' department" ... referring to the time he spent behind bars during his murder trial.

Frankly, the fact O.J. is supporting L.A. County law enforcement is rich, and probably pretty galling to cops -- considering his murder trial defense team famously and viciously attacked LAPD for allegedly contaminating evidence and being racist.

They effectively made the trial more about LAPD actions than O.J.'s.

Now years later, Simpson says he's always been against defunding the police ... claiming he's always said instead of cutting funding, money should be redirected and used for better training and expanding Internal Affairs departments where police investigate other police.

Besides his eye-brow-raising thoughts on police, O.J. is also weighing in on Donald Trump's actions on January 6th and what's going on at the southern border.

Adorable moment between Tom Brady and Gisele on their Italian vacay this week ... the two lovingly shared an ice cream cone -- but it's got us all wondering, is that avocado flavor?!?!

You'll recall ... the NFL legend is famous for never putting away sweets, and turning to the ultra-healthy avocado ice cream alternative whenever he wants to be somewhat naughty with his diet.

But, it sure seems he deviated from that TB12 Method out in Portofino while on vacation with his wife and fam on Tuesday ... 'cause that definitely looks like a chocolate/vanilla swirl to us!!!

To be fair to the 44-year-old GOAT, it seemed he only had a couple bites of the treat ... so, breathe easy, Alex Guerrero and Bucs fans.

And, yes, if you were wondering, Brady is still working out despite the vacation ... he was spotted getting in a sweat sesh on a yacht on Tuesday before the QT time with his supermodel bae.

FYI -- as for Brady's trademark avo ice cream, our sources tell us it SUCKS.

Pro soccer player Carson Pickett made history on Tuesday ... becoming the first player with a limb difference to hit the pitch for the United States women's national team.

Pickett -- who was born without a left hand and forearm -- started for the USWNT in its 2-0 victory over Colombia ... as the Red, White and Blue extended their home win streak to 69 games.

The 28-year-old defender -- who plays for the NWSL's North Carolina Courage -- competed in the entire contest against Colombia.

Pickett's coach, Vlatko Andonovski, spoke about her spot on the team ... saying, "Carson did very well in training for us in last week and with the management of minutes for Emily Fox that we had, we felt like Carson would be a good replacement."

"I'm happy that she was able to perform well for 90 minutes," he added.

Pickett has been very open and transparent about her limb difference ... acknowledging it publicly, but also embracing the reality of her situation.

In April -- Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness month -- Pickett spoke about it in an Instagram post, "While I know that I am confident and comfortable with showing my arm, I know there are so many people in the world who aren't."

She continued ... "The feeling of being different and the anxiety of not fitting in is something that I have been through. Wearing sweatshirts in the dead heat of summer to hide my arm. This month is really really special, important, and should be celebrated."

Russell Westbrook had the best Tuesday EVER -- because after he scored a $47 MILLION payday from the Lakers ... he celebrated with Kevin Hart at an L.A. hotspot!!

Russ opted into the final year of his Lakers contract early Tuesday morning -- making him richer than ever -- and hours later, he, Hart and some other buddies grabbed dinner at LAVO Ristorante, a swanky West Hollywood joint.

The two were in great spirits -- laughing and dappin' each other up outside of the eatery ... and while Russ didn't say too much, it's pretty clear he's fired up to be staying in L.A. for at least another year.

Of course, the 33-year-old's first year in Lakers purple and gold didn't go smoothly -- he was heckled daily over his play -- but he made it obvious with an impromptu Beyonce car karaoke sesh Tuesday morning that he's shaking all of that off in 2022-23.

BTW, no official word on who picked up the tab at Tuesday night's dinner ... but if we had to guess, something tells us it was probably Russ.

Westbrook and Hart have been tight for years -- remember, the duo were spotted out together right after the guard was traded to L.A. last year.

Former Formula 1 champ Nelson Piquet is apologizing for the controversial comments he made about Lewis Hamilton in an interview last year ... but claims there was zero racial intent behind his words.

Piquet was discussing an accident between the Mercedes superstar and his daughter's boyfriend, Max Verstappen, after the 2021 Silverstone Grand Prix ... when, according to a translation by CNN Brazil, he referred to Hamilton as a "little n*****."

The 69-year-old says he would never use such a disgusting term ... claiming the translation was completely inaccurate.

"What I said was ill-thought-out, and I make no defense for it, but the term used has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for 'guy' or 'person' and was never intended to offend," Piquet said in a statement Wednesday morning.

"I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations," he added. "I strongly condemn any suggestion word was used with aim of belittling a driver because of his skin color. I apologize wholeheartedly to anyone affected."

Piquet praises Lewis as an incredible driver and apologized for the hurt he caused ... saying, "Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect."

Lewis has yet to respond to the apology ... but tweeted a call for change within the sport on Tuesday.

"It’s more than language," the 7-time champion said. "These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."

Izzy Drake's career as a professional Drake impersonator is on the ropes ... a wobble he's looking to shake by challenging his idol to a $1M celebrity boxing match.

Damon Feldman of Celebrity Boxing tells us he signed the Drake imposter and booked a fight for an August 27th event ... whether the real Drake fights the fake Drake or not.

The stakes here are high ... fake Drake has agreed to stop impersonating the real Drizzy if he loses.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story of fake Drake's embarrassing VIP eviction from one of real Drake's favorite Houston nightclubs.

Several New York Yankees had a little too much time on their hands during their game Tuesday night ... 'cause they made a contest out of throwing dozens of pieces of chewed gum onto the field.

Seriously.

The sophomoric game all went down in the early innings of the Yanks' tilt with the Oakland A's ... when Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery and Matt Carpenter all scooped up some bubble gum and hit the corner of the dugout to begin the weird event.

The players picked out a landmark on the field -- it appeared to be a sprinkler head -- then they popped a few pieces in their mouths, spit them out, and then got to throwing.

The side game lasted for about three innings ... and it went on for so long, both the game's home and away broadcasts caught it on camera.

Former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin talked about the game on-air ... and had the perfect description for it -- "gross."

"It's like golf," Maybin said. "It's like frisbee golf. They find a little marker on the field and they toss the gum and they act as if they're playing frisbee golf."

Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay noted what a headache it must be for the NY groundskeepers to eventually clean up.

Some fans on social media found it funny -- but others found it disrespectful, calling it littering and disgusting.