TMZ Sports - Page 7

Horrifying moment on a Little League baseball diamond over the weekend ... gunshots rang out near the field, sending kids and coaches running for cover.

The terrifying scene happened on Sunday in North Carolina ... when South Durham's 8U Orange All-Star team and Wilmington's 8U Machine Pitch squad were playing at the Gillette Athletic Complex in Wilson, NC.

Video shows three gunshots -- appearing to be VERY close to the action on the field -- went off, forcing the 7 and 8-year-old players, along with coaches, umps, parents and spectators to hit the ground and sprint away in a panic.

Thankfully, cops say no one was hurt in the incident ... though, according to WITN, a minivan's window that was parked near the field was struck by the gunfire.

Despite everyone making it out physically unscathed, the two teams have since pulled out of the tournament -- with South Durham officials saying it was best for the kids.

"It was a terrifying situation for all involved," the team said in a statement. "Video shows coaches bravely covering players with their bodies and crawling off baseball fields."

"No child or parent should ever experience anything like this."

The Wilson Police Department, meanwhile, said in a statement that it is investigating the shooting ... but added there's currently "no evidence that this situation was an active shooter incident."

The greatest rivalry in competitive eating could soon be reignited -- Joey Chestnut just revealed it's possible he lines up against Takeru Kobayashi in an eating contest again ... saying, "there's a chance" an epic showdown happens as soon as next year!!

Of course, Jaws and Kobi haven't faced off in more than a decade ... thanks to a nasty breakup between Takeru and Major League Eating that kept the two from competing against each other.

As it turns out, Joey says his own exclusive contracts with MLE and Nathan's hot dogs will be up at the end of the year ... paving the way for a matchup for the ages.

"The end of this year is going to be a weird year for me because my contract with Major League Eating and Nathan's is going to be over," Joey told Big Cat and PFT Commenter on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take."

"So, it'll be my first year in a long, long time that I can actually eat against Kobayashi," he added. "So, me and him could find a way to compete because he'll never compete with Major League Eating again because they have just a childish contract dispute ... but there's a chance that I might be able to eat against him."

Chestnut beat Kobayashi three times in the 4th of July matchup ... but the Japanese superstar is responsible for bringing the entire sport to the mainstream after winning the hot dog contest six times in a row.

Chestnut -- who just secured his 15th Mustard Belt this past Independence Day -- admits he has no idea how much money a contest against Kobayashi could rake in, but says he's down to let his nemesis name his price -- as long as it's even.

A Formula 1 commentator has been suspended by his TV network indefinitely ... after he called driver Lance Stroll "the autistic" during a race broadcast over the weekend.

Lionel Froissart, a French journalist, made the remark during RTBF Sport's broadcast of the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

As racecars were whizzing around the track, Froissart -- speaking in French -- called Stroll "the autistic," and when his broadcast partner condemned him for the words, he fired back, "Honestly, this is the truth."

The comments were immediately panned on social media ... and on Wednesday, RTBF Sport announced it has put Froissart on ice over it all.

"RTBF strongly condemns the words used on Sunday, July 10, on air by its consultant Lionel Froissart during the Austrian Grand Prix," network officials said in a statement to GP Fans.

"Associating autism with a driver’s way of communicating was misplaced and completely inconsistent with RTBF values. An internal investigation will be conducted, to hear all the involved persons. The goal is to understand in detail what could have led to this incident."

The network added, "Pending the results of this investigation, RTBF will no longer work with the consultant in question until further notice.”

Neither Froissart nor Stroll has appeared to comment publicly on the discipline yet.

Fake Drake will get his wish to fight in the Celebrity Boxing arena ... just not against the man to whom he owes his livelihood.

Damon Feldman of Celeb Boxing tells TMZ Hip Hop that Lamar Odom -- AKA ex-NBA champ, husband to Khloé Kardashian -- has agreed to square off against Frake ... and this one feels a little personal.

Lamar dropped a prefight video while rocking a Nipsey Hussle shirt ... and he seemed pissed Fake Drake was trying to drag the real deal into the ring. So L.O. promised to help his friend and lay out the impersonator once and for all.

Not to be outdone, Fake Drake shot a training vid of his pugilistic skills -- although he's mainly ducking punches.

He's gonna need some serious evasive techniques -- Lamar stands at 6'10, won championships with Kobe Bryant annnd has already beat up J Lo's ex-husband and knocked out Aaron Carter in Celeb Boxing matches so ... good luck Fake Drake.

While they're still deciding between Atlantic City or Miami, we're told the fight is definitely on for October 15.

Hasim Rahman Jr. says he knows where Tyron Woodley went wrong against Jake Paul -- leading to a brutal knockout -- telling TMZ Sports he will absolutely NOT make the same mistakes as the future UFC Hall of Famer.

"Bro, [Jake's] a little boy, and I'm gonna treat him like one. That's what Woodley didn't do. Woodley gave him too much respect, and he sat back with his hands down and he got caught," 31-year-old Rahman Jr. bluntly said when we asked where Tyron went wrong when fighting 25-year-old Paul.

And, 6'3" Rahman Jr. -- who has previously fought north of 260 pounds -- believes he has another advantage ... size!

"All of Jake's opponents have been smaller than him. All of them have been much smaller. This is the first time he's going to be in there with someone that's walking him down and much bigger than him."

Paul -- who's 6'1" and was 191 pounds when he fought Woodley (T-Wood weight 189 for 2021 rematch) -- has faced fighters who all stand under 6 feet (Gib, 5'9". Robinson, 5'8". Askren, 5'11". Woodley, 5'9").

Rahman Jr., 12-1, just fought April 29 ... where he suffered his first loss, via TKO. But, that didn't stop the son of the former 2x heavyweight champ from accepting the Paul fight when Tommy Fury dropped out ... even though Hasim claims Jake made him accept strict rules meant to diminish the heavyweight boxer in the ring.

Hasim says although the fight will be contested at 200 pounds ... he'll only be permitted to rehydrate to 210 pounds just hours before the bell rings. A guy Rahman Jr.'s size could typically gain 15, 20 or more pounds in between making weight and the fight.

"If you really wanted to make a statement you would've came up to heavyweight and fought me. But you didn't. You wanted to bring me down, and stack the deck against me, so you could actually have a fighting chance. He knows he has no chance against me had it been at my weight class," Hasim says.

We also talked to Rahman Jr. about Logan Paul advising his brother to not take the fight, and much more.

LeBron James says Brittney Griner's been in captivity for way too long without the U.S. bringing her home, so if he were the WNBA star, he'd question returning to America.

Bron made the comments during a recent taping of "The Shop" ... when the conversation apparently turned to the incarcerated American hoops star.

"Now, how can she feel like America has her back? I would be feeling like, 'Do I even want to go back to America?'"

It's clear -- at least from the short trailer that was released -- that LeBron doesn't believe the U.S. is doing nearly enough to bring BG home.

Of course, Griner was arrested in a Russian airport near Moscow in mid-February ... after Russian authorities said they found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her bag.

Initially, the American public wasn't made aware Griner was arrested ... which was strategic on the part of America. With the Russia-Ukraine war waging, the U.S. knew Griner could be used by Russia to gain leverage against the West.

But, that strategy only worked for a couple of weeks. Eventually, the news got out, and it's been one of the biggest stories since.

Griner's case has consistently been covered in America, and across the world.

Brittney's wife, Cherelle Griner, recently spoke with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

(Note: in fairness to LBJ's point, "The Shop" episode seems to have been filmed before Cherelle spoke to the president.)

Biden also wrote a letter to Brittney ... which she recently received.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has regularly fielded questions from reporters at the WH about all topics Griner-related.

The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has also been in communication with the Griner family. U.S. Congressman Colin Allred, a former athlete at Baylor (like Brittney), has also spent countless hours working to free Griner.

Politicians aside, everyone from fellow athletes to regular people have been touched by the Griner case ... and have prayed for her safe return.

In fact, supporters of other prisoners locked up abroad, particularly in Russia, have been peeved by how hard the U.S. government has seemingly tried to get BG back, while other families believe the same level of effort isn't being paid to the cases of their loved ones.

As for her release ... unfortunately, nothing looks imminent.

After months of sitting in a Russian cell, Griner recently appeared before a judge and indicated her desire to plead guilty to the drug charge.

Griner has not yet been sentenced. She could face 10 years in prison.

Full "The Shop" ep. drops Friday on HBO.

A surfer beat the crap out of a younger bodyboarder after they crashed into each other while riding the same wave ... and the brutal attack is all on video.

The dustup happened at a popular surf spot in Gold Coast, Australia ... where punches started flying after a wipeout.

The surfer was the clear aggressor, swimming over to the bodyboarder and landing several blows to the face.

Other folks in the water race over to get the surfer away from the bodyboarder ... with at least one onlooker telling the surfer his target was half his age and only a kid.

The surfer seems frustrated, throwing up his hands as the video ends ... and it seems he was set off by colliding with the bodyboarder inside a nice barrel.

Le'Veon Bell's football career is over -- at least for now -- the NFL star says he won't play this season ... and it's all 'cause he wants to now focus on his boxing career.

The running back made the announcement just minutes ago at a promotional event for his upcoming fight with Adrian Peterson -- revealing he's going to try to take this year to begin his formal transition from football player to full-time fighter.

"Last year, I almost sat out the whole year to try to focus on boxing, because I kind of knew that's what I wanted to transition to," Bell said.

"This year, I know I'm not going to be playing this year because I want to focus on boxing."

Bell -- who played eight total games last season for the Baltimore Ravens and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- has been slowly making the move into the fight world, incorporating mitts into his workouts routinely.

But, at 30 years old, most thought he'd still try to extend his NFL career.

Bell, though, made it known he believes he can carve out a real niche in boxing -- and he said he's hoping a win over Peterson during their match later this month kick starts all of that.

"This is my introduction to kind of showing what I've been doing," Bell said, "and how I've been going about myself."

The Philadelphia Flyers are making a nice gesture in cancer survivor Oskar Lindblom's name after waiving the forward this week ... by donating $100k to a local charity.

The Flyers broke the news on Tuesday ... saying they will buy out the rest of the 25-year-old's $3 million contract to free up cap space.

President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chuck Fletcher said it was a "very difficult decision to make" ... especially after all Lindblom has gone through while with the organization.

As we previously reported, Oskar was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer in 2019 ... and made his return to the ice in August 2020. He later announced he was officially cancer-free.

"No one can question the desire, will and strength to overcome all that Oskar has been through off the ice in order to return to the game he loves," Fletcher added.

"He is truly an inspiration to us all, and he will always remain a special part of the Philadelphia Flyers family."

The Flyers added they will donate $100k in Oskar's name to a local charity that supports families impacted by cancer.

Jake Paul wants Hasim Rahman Jr. to put more than his boxing career on the line when they face off in the ring ... calling on the champ's son to agree to take on a hilariously embarrassing Instagram handle if he loses.

The two fighters went at it in their official press conference for the August 6 bout at Madison Square Garden ... and in true Problem Child fashion, Jake wanted to make a bet with Rahman Jr.

When HRJ refused to make a monetary agreement, Paul got creative.

"When I beat you, you have to change your Instagram name to 'ILetMyDadDown,'" Paul said Tuesday ... adding he already scooped up the handle just in case.

BTW -- we looked it up, and it appears Jake is a man of his word.

Rahman Jr. shot down the offer, saying he wasn't going to entertain Jake's charade ... but it's clear he wants the guy to cave in and take the bet.

Of course, Jake is known for making friendly/humiliating deals with his opponents -- Tyron Woodley got "I Love Jake Paul" tatted on his middle finger after losing to the YouTube superstar in 2021, although it has pretty much faded away by now.

Paul was also planning to make a $1 million bet with Tyson Fury for his fight against Tommy ... before the fight got scrapped.

New team. Same number.

Baker Mayfield will be wearing his customary number 6 this upcoming season ... thanks to his new teammate, All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker, who agreed to let the polarizing QB have the number he sported throughout his college and NFL career.

Mayfield was introduced by the Carolina Panthers at a press conference on Tuesday ... when a reporter asked him about the importance of number 6, and whether he'd be rocking a new digit this season.

"I guess it's time to break the news," Baker said. "I made a deal, did my own negotiating with Johnny [Hekker]. Obviously when it comes to a 4-time All-Pro, [I] had to ask permission. [He] was willing to make those sacrifices."

"Six is special to me, not because it was ever my favorite number. It was the number I was given as a walk-on at Texas Tech and when I transferred, the people at Oklahoma thought it was my favorite number, so they just gave it to me again."

"It's just stuck with me," Mayfield added.

The former No.1 overall pick said the No.6 "symbolizes my story" and that it's "something special to him now," adding, that he's incredibly thankful Hekker -- a 10-year NFL veteran and stud punter -- was willing to accommodate his request.

It's unclear what the number cost Baker ... 'cause it almost certainly wasn't free. Over the years we've seen everything from cash, vacations and fancy gifts exchanged for numbers.

Baker also touched on the transition from Cleveland to North Carolina ... and talked about what the possibility of playing his old team -- the Browns -- Week 1 would mean to him.

"I'm extremely excited for this new start in Charlotte," the 27-year-old said. "It's just an exciting time for myself and my family and this new chapter."

For the first time since 2021, Henry Ruggs appeared in a courtroom in Las Vegas for a hearing in his DUI crash case.

The 23-year-old former Las Vegas Raiders star -- who was charged back in November 2021 with four felonies after prosecutors accused him of killing Tina Tintor and her dog in a fiery car crash -- showed up to the Nevada courthouse alongside his attorneys.

During the hearing, Ruggs' lawyers argued that police had no probable cause to obtain a warrant to collect his blood following the car accident. They asked for the tests -- which cops say showed Ruggs had a BAC of .161 following the wreck -- to not be allowed to be used as evidence in the case.

The judge, however, denied the motion.

Ruggs appeared to be stoic in the courtroom as his attorneys spoke, displaying little emotion. He wore a white button-down shirt, a black bowtie, and blue pants and did not address reporters inside or outside of the courtroom.

This is the first time Ruggs has been seen in public since late November 2021, when he was ordered to show up for a hearing over a missed breath test.

As we reported, Ruggs is facing more than 50 years in prison if he's convicted on all of the charges against him.

The speculation can be put to rest -- Rob Gronkowski says his football-playing days are officially behind him ... and not even Tom Brady can change his mind.

The 33-year-old future Hall of Famer doubled down on his decision to walk away from the game just minutes ago ... saying he's excited to focus on new opportunities after 11 seasons on the field.

"Yeah, I'm done with football," Gronk said Tuesday. "Love the game. Definitely blessed with all the opportunities the game of football has given me and the relationships I’ve met, obviously, here in New England for nine seasons and down in Tampa for two."

"But, no, done with football. Stepping my feet into the business world, the business ventures and just seeing what’s out there and where I can find my place."

The comments come one week after teammate Mike Evans addressed Gronk's status ... saying he was hoping to see him back on the field for the Buccaneers in 2022, but knows it's probably for the best.

"He takes a pretty big beating," Evans told KPRC 2 Houston. "I've seen his body after some of them games and I understand why [he would retire]."

The Tour de France had to be stopped for several minutes on Tuesday ... after multiple protesters parked themselves in the middle of the course and lit flares to block riders.

The men and women put their bodies in the roadway in what appeared to be an attempt to raise awareness for climate change.

Video from the race's broadcast showed the people quickly running onto the street and spreading out evenly across it -- forcing cyclists to stop and wait for them to be cleared.

Some of the protestors had chains around their necks, while others had shirts that read, "We have 989 days left." They stayed on the course until authorities physically removed them.

Once they were cleared -- event organizers made sure in the restart of the race that all of the previous gaps built before the pause were maintained after it.

File under "incredibly hot take."

Andre Iguodala believes Rasheed Wallace would be a top 5 player in the NBA if he played in today's game ... saying the 2004 champ would be better than 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Really.

The Golden State Warriors forward made the head-scratching comment on "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" this week ... saying Sheed had what it took to be one of the all-time greats, but chose to "do [his] thing" instead.

"Rasheed Wallace probably could have been a top-five player in the league for a 10-year stretch," Iguodala said on the show. "He was shooting half-court shots left-handed and right-handed."

"If Rasheed Wallace played in modern-day basketball, if he played in our league today, he’d be a top-five player. He’d be better than Giannis and I love Giannis."

Now, Sheed was a great player during his 16-year career ... averaging more than 14 points a game and playing a key role in the Detroit Pistons' title run in 2004.

His ability to shoot from range would certainly fit right in with today's game ... but better than Giannis?!? We're talking about the 2021 Finals MVP, 4-time first-team All-NBA selection, Defensive Player of the Year and 75th Anniversary team pick ... and the dude's just 27 years old.

Tiger Woods is teeing off on LIV Golf ... making it clear on Tuesday that he ain't a fan of the new org., or the golfers who have defected to it.

The 46-year-old railed against the new, Saudi-backed league for several minutes during a meeting with media members ahead of this week's The Open tourney ... explaining he just doesn't understand how guys have ditched the PGA Tour for it.

"I think that what they've done is they've turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position," Woods said of the LIV golfers.

Woods, who reportedly turned down a massive offer to play in LIV Golf earlier this year, explained he believes the Tour has given athletes the chance to "earn what we get" and establish a legacy -- something he clearly thinks is lacking in the new golf league.

In fact, Woods questioned how anyone taking the guaranteed payday from the new org. could find a desire to try to get better going forward.

"What these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practice?" the golf legend said. "What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt? You’re just getting paid a lot of money upfront and playing a few events and playing 54 holes. They’re playing blaring music and have all these atmospheres that are different."

Woods also said he agreed with The Open's decision to ban LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman from some of this week's most meaningful events.

"Greg has done some things that I don’t think is in the best interest of our game," Woods said, "and we’re coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport."

LIV Golf officially kicked off its first event last month in England. More than a dozen of the top players in the world -- including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau -- have elected to play in it.

The PGA Tour, meanwhile, has suspended all of the defectors indefinitely, saying in a statement in June that anyone who follows suit will face similar punishments.

It's unclear yet what the four major championship events will do with the LIV golfers going forward -- though Tiger said even the slightest possibility of a ban from those tourneys would have turned him off to the idea immediately.