TMZ Sports - Page 26

Detroit Tigers star Javier Baez is worried for everyone in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona struck the island this weekend -- and he's now offering free food to those who are suffering from the devastating storm.

The hurricane made landfall in PR on Sunday -- and according to governor Pedro Pierluisi, it's caused "unprecedented" flooding in some areas. In fact, one flood actually forced a metal bridge to collapse in the Guaonica River.

Hurricane Fiona has also left millions without power ... which means cooking food has been difficult -- but Baez says he has people in his home country covered there -- at no cost.

"All those families who are in need of a hot meal can stop by @taquizapr in Toa Baja," the two-time All-Star said on Monday, "and we will serve it to you for FREE!!"

"If your community is affected and you're in need of hot meal, you can call 787-665-2323 (Joshua) or stop by @taquizapr and we will make all the arrangements. Blessings to all of you!"

Baez added, "I know we're going through something very difficult. I'm with you."

Puerto Rican boxing star Amanda Serrano also prayed for her home country -- saying on her social media page, "It’s storm season & we are experiencing one now."

"May we all come out safe 🙏♥"

Pierluisi said they're doing everything they can to bring back power to the island as "inspection and restoration work is being done."

Emoni Bates -- the No. 5-ranked high school basketball player in the country in 2021 -- has been charged with two felonies after he was arrested on Sunday, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records, the 18-year-old -- who now plays for Eastern Michigan University -- was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a firearm.

The charges stem from an arrest Sunday in Superior Township, Michigan. The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office told WXYZ Detroit officers initially pulled over Bates for allegedly failing to stop at a stop sign -- and cops say they found a gun on him during the ensuing investigation.

Jail records show he was booked at 11:19 PM and is currently still in custody as of Monday morning.

Bates' attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPN on Monday, "Reserve judgment on this ... There's way more to the story. He borrowed someone's car, was pulled over and a gun was located in the car."

Bates was a star basketball player at Ypsi Prep Academy in Michigan -- and finished his 2020-2021 season just below Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero on national H.S. rankings lists.

He ultimately signed with Memphis -- but transferred to Eastern Michigan after starting just 13 games in his freshman season.

He's expected to be a key player on this year's Eagles team.

Mike Evans was just hit with a one-game suspension by the NFL after fighting Saints' defensive back Marshon Lattimore on the field during the Bucs-Saints game, the league announced Monday.

The Tampa Bay Bucs star wide receiver will be suspended without pay ... after the league deemed his behavior violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules in Sunday's game.

NFL exec (and former star lineman) Jon Runyan said Evans -- who saw Tom Brady engaged in a war of words with Lattimore -- and ran towards the men and violently threw his body at Marshon.

"You knocked your opponent to the ground, and a melee ensued involving players from both teams," Runyan wrote in a letter to Evans. "Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent."

"And clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional," he continued.

The beef between Evans and Lattimore is well-documented -- the two had a dustup in 2017 after Lattimore and then-Bucs QB Jameis Winston exchanged words on the field.

Evans can appeal the suspension, but he'll likely miss the Bucs' highly anticipated matchup against Green Bay next week.

Sylvester Stallone is raising some eyebrows with his latest post ... dropping old photos with his estranged wife Jennifer Flavin as they go through an ugly divorce.

Sly posted the pics Monday on IG -- the first one appears to be an old pic of Jennifer and him holding hands. In the second pic Sylvester, Jennifer and their 3 daughters are smiling and looking happy together as a family ... it's obvious it was taken many years ago.

He seemed to be taking a trip down memory lane ... adding a simple but vague caption, "Wonderful…"

It's interesting timing for sure ... you'll recall, Jennifer filed for divorce from Sly last month after 25 years of marriage, noting their union was "irretrievably broken."

She also accused the actor of moving assets from marital funds ...  and he's fired back, denying that.

As we've reported, Sly told us he and Jennifer had just grown apart -- though he acknowledged they also argued about his Rottweiler, Dwight -- making it clear the marriage was dunzo and saying they wanted to work deal with everything privately.

All of the Packers' starting offense is now drinking the ayahuasca Kool-Aid -- at least, figuratively -- 'cause they pretended to partake in the consumption of the psychoactive tea in the end zone on Sunday night!!

Allen Lazard kicked off the celebration in the second quarter of Green Bay's game against the Bears -- after catching a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers wideout pretended the ball was the infamous drink that Rodgers said earlier this year led to the "best season of my career" -- pouring it into the hands of all of his teammates.

One by one, each guy pretended to sip the drink -- and then fell over. Eventually, it got to Rodgers, who faked being shocked by it all before giving Lazard a big hug.

The two then kept the party going all night ... 'cause they went on to smash the Bears, 27-10.

Professional surfer Kalani David has tragically passed away ... after the former Hawaiian champ suffered a massive seizure while practicing in the waters of Costa Rica.

He was only 24.

The Costa Rica Judicial Investigation Department shed some light on the accident, telling AP News "he was surfing when he apparently suffered some kind of epileptic seizure and drowned."

They added ... "The death is still under investigation."

Legendary surfer Kelly Slater paid tribute to David on his Instagram ... saying he was "one of the most talented surfer/skaters on Earth."

“Constantly pushing the limits every time he was on his feet. Condolences to the huge community of friends Kalani had coast to coast and across the globe.”

David was a gifted surfer and skateboarder ... winning the Junior World Surfing title in 2012. He also competed in several skating events.

Kalani had a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White that can make the heart beat faster and cause paralysis and seizures.

In fact, David had a seizure while skating in Oceanside California in August 2016.

David's mother, Andrea, launched a GoFundMe on Sunday ... saying she needs help getting his body back to the states so she can bury him next to his grandfather in Florida.

"Our son is laying in wait at a morgue in San Jose, Costa Rica," Andrea said on the site.

"He deserved more than I could ever give him and I don’t even feel right for asking but I will for Kalani. I don’t want my son in a jar or spread on the water, as I would see fit for myself."

Andrea added, "I want to give him a place you can go see him and know he is listening when you share your feelings with him."

"I love you Kalani! This world will never be the same without you."

Bill Belichick presented Robert Kraft with the game ball after the team's 17-14 win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh ... in honor of Kraft's 500th game as the team's owner.

"We've had a lot of big wins here in Pittsburgh," Belichick told his team ... "We've had a lot of big wins here. I think it's fitting that this one comes on Mr. Kraft's 500th game."

Kraft -- who's owned the Patriots since 1994 -- was choked up ... but managed to speak a few words after his players implored him to deliver a speech.

"What you guys did here today is so sweet for my family, and I thank you all," Kraft told the team. "And, doing it here in Pittsburgh is pretty special. Thank you."

RK said he and his son, Jonathan, have the opportunity to work in different business industries, but none of them compare to the NFL -- mainly because of the players' impact.

Trish Stratus was rushed into surgery last week after experiencing severe pain in her stomach ... but, thankfully, she is now on the road to recovery.

The WWE legend shared the scary experience with her followers on her social media page on Sunday, saying after a 10-hour travel day, she felt pain so intense that it prompted her to go to the ER.

While there, she said she found out her appendix was "about to burst."

"I’m really glad I went to check it out," Trish said on her Instagram, "you know to avoid the whole dying thing."

Trish -- who said she initially thought nothing of the pain but decided to go to the doc after it kept getting worse -- posted videos of herself on a hospital bed both before and after the procedure. She seemed to be in good spirits in both clips, and said afterward "recovery hasn’t been too bad so far, definitely manageable."

"Got 3 new scars to add to my body badges and one less organ," she said ... adding, "Turns out it’s an organ that serves no function so good riddance old pal."

The 46-year-old -- who was inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame in 2013 -- is now encouraging people to check in with their doctors about stomach pain instead of waiting until it's too late to intervene.

"A reminder that if you ever have a nagging pain in your lower right quadrant - do go to emergency," she wrote.

The Univ. of Oregon has issued an apology ... after some of its students were seen and heard chanting "f*** the Mormons" during the Ducks' game against BYU on Saturday.

The school released the mea culpa on social media on Sunday -- calling their fans' chants "offensive and disgraceful."

"These types of actions go against everything the university stands for, and it goes against the spirit of competition," the school said. "We can and will do better as a campus community that has no place for hate, bias or bigotry."

The chants broke out at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon following a Cougars touchdown in the second quarter of BYU's 41-20 loss ... with multiple people screaming the crass comments while clapping their hands.

Video shot by bystanders shows the chants were repeated at least one other time during the game.

Some fans in attendance were outraged -- and Utah's governor, Spencer Cox, slammed the Ducks supporters over it all following the game.

"Religious bigotry alive and celebrated in Oregon," he said on Twitter.

Cox later tweeted a heart emoji following Oregon's apology.

For its part, Oregon's student section -- dubbed the "Oregon Pit Crew" -- also tweeted an apology after the game, saying, "We do not condone or support any hateful speech directed towards one’s religion and are ashamed of those who participated."

The Las Vegas Aces were poppin' bottles, twerkin', and making beer angels in the locker room after winning their first WNBA title!

The party went down after the Aces beat the Connecticut Sun, 78-71, in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at the Mohegan Sun Arena Sunday ... winning the championship.

It's the team's first title ... as well as the first 'chip for head coach Becky Hammon -- who made history as the first coach to win a title in their first season at the helm.

So, the Aces had A LOT to celebrate!

And, Aisha Sheppard -- a 2nd round pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft -- enjoyed the beer showers by dropping to the floor and making a beer angel (she's from D.C., she knows a thing or two about snow).

While Aisha was enjoyin' the drizzle, Kelsey Plum was hilariously interrupting Chelsea Gray (the Finals MVP) and A'ja Wilson's press conference ... with her boombox.

Plum -- who had 15 points in the deciding game -- also shared her championship meal on her IG ... a salad. But, don't ask her if it was good.

"They gave the team pizza, okay?! Look what they gave me," the point guard said, "I'm so faded I can't even taste this."

A military jet smashed to Earth right in the middle of a race with another jet -- part of an air show in Nevada -- taking one pilot's life and horrifying the onlooking crowd.

The disaster unfolded Sunday at the Reno Air Races ... and you can see the red plane -- an Aero L-29 Delfin -- swiftly lost altitude while racing another jet, and burst into flames upon impact.

Washoe County Sheriffs responded to the scene, later confirming the pilot died as a result of the crash. As for what caused it, the Sherriff's office says an investigation is underway.

The Reno Air Racing Association said it's also gathering info, and shortly after the crash, it suspended the rest of the event.

Canelo Alvarez went straight from whaling on Triple G's face to belting out tunes ... hitting a nightclub in Vegas after his big win Saturday -- and serenading his fans for several minutes on stage!!

The 32-year-old star boxer grabbed the mic at Zouk Nightclub at his post-fight celebration ... and he sang his face off throughout the evening after beating Gennady Golovkin by decision.

Video shot from bystanders in the club's crowd shows Canelo sang at least two songs -- hitting all kinds of notes in Spanish as everyone in attendance cheered him on.

His voice was pretty good too -- check out the footage, his fans were loving every second of it!

Canelo had every reason to live it up in the club -- 'cause just hours earlier, he cruised to an easy win over GGG in their third tilt against each other.

Of course, Canelo probably would have sung following the fight either way -- you'll recall, he was seen croonin' even after his big loss to Dmitry Bivol back in May.

A pair of tickets that were once used by fans to go see Michael Jordan's NBA debut game have just hit the auction block ... and they're so rare, experts say they could sell for six figures!!

The tickets were redeemed way back on Oct. 26, 1984 -- when Jordan made his first appearance for the Chicago Bulls -- and somehow, they were kept intact for decades.

Which, of course, turned out to be a smart move by the owners, because they're now worth a small fortune!!

Officials at Bonhams, which is hosting the auction, anticipate they'll go for between $200K and $300K.

On one of the tickets, the words "Michael Jordan's first game" are inscribed on the front. On the other ticket, "Michael Jordan's first game" is written on the back.

One of the tickets also features a signature of former NBA player Dallas Comegys, who signed the fan's ticket while attending the game that night.

Jordan memorabilia has exploded in price since ESPN aired its "The Last Dance" documentary in 2020 -- and a similar ticket to this pair actually sold for a staggering $468,000 earlier this year.

A glove worn by Brooklyn Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson during the 1955 and 1956 Major League Baseball seasons just hit the auction block ... and it could sell for $750K!

The Wilson glove was worn on the left hand of the BK Dodgers star infielder for the final two seasons of his storied career.

Jackie's glove -- made with top-grade tanned steer hide and nylon stitching -- appears to show no signs of re-lacing, per Goldin, the auction site selling the awesome memorabilia.

The coolest part ... Jackie's iconic No. "42" -- retired by all MLB teams in 1997 in honor of his career -- is written on the glove.

Goldin believes the glove, which appears to be in its original condition, was most likely used by Jackie as a backup glove or during pre-game warm-ups.

The glove comes with a letter of authenticity (LOA) from PSA/DNA ... one of the top authenticators in the industry.

It also comes with a letter of provenance from Jack Semel -- a longtime ticket holder of the Dodgers -- who was gifted the glove as a token of appreciation when the team moved from NYC to Los Angeles.

Robinson -- a seven-time MVP, Rookie of the Year, and 1955 World Series Champ -- was inducted into the Baseball of Fame in 1962.

Every year, MLB celebrates "Jackie Robinson Day" on April 15 -- all 30 teams commemorate the life and legacy of the man attributed with breaking the sport's color barrier.

UFC fighter Eryk Anders loved his "Cobra Kai" debut so much he wants to continue acting if the right opportunities come up ... telling TMZ Sports it's "less hazardous" than fighting MMA.

No spoilers here ... but Anders was seen fighting in the new season of the Netflix series that was released earlier this month, and we must say, he did a good job for his first role.

He thought so, too ... and tells us even though he's a fighter in the world's biggest MMA promotion, he sees himself acting more in the future.

"I'd love to," Anders said, "if the right opportunities present itself."

"Timing is everything. It's a lot less hazardous to my health as well. As you can see my nose is crooked."

And, the 35-year-old already knows who he wants to work with ... after he gets his nose fixed, and lays down the gloves.

"Maybe something with The Rock," Anders said, "he seems to be the guy like the Arnold Schwarzenegger of now."

"All his movies seem to pretty surefire that it's gonna be a good movie. I think it would be kinda hard to bus with The Rock. I think that'd be dope."

That's no shade to the Cobra Kai actors like William Zabka who plays Johnny Lawrence -- in fact, Anders is a fan of the 'Karate Kid' legend.

"It was cool. It was quite an experience. I watched all the 'Karate Kid' as a kid growing up."

From the wrestling ring ... to Wakanda?!?

WWE superstar Kofi Kingston says he's hoping he can do just that ... telling TMZ Sports this week he's absolutely itching to be in the upcoming "Black Panther" TV series.

"I already fit the mold," he said out LAX. "I was born in the Mother Land, you know what I'm saying? Put your boy on the show!"

The comic book, superhero conversation all came about because during a match earlier this month, Kofi brought out a Thor hammer and wowed the crowd with it.

The 14-time WWE tag team champ showed it off -- and then beat the hell out of his opponent with it ... drawing huge cheers from the audience.

The scene was awesome -- and Kofi said he's desperately trying to replicate it on a Marvel project going forward.

"Look, man, there's a lot of us that are Marvel fans," Kofi said, "myself, Woods and E, your boys -- The New Day -- would love to be in a Marvel movie."

"We put things out into the universe and then we pray for the most positive. It's all about putting yourself out there."