TMZ Sports - Page 41

Aaron Judge would love to make some room on his mantle for his 62nd home run ball ... but there's just one issue -- the fan who caught it ain't sure if he's willing to part ways with it yet.

The Yankees star hit the historic blast in the first inning of NY's loss to the Rangers on Tuesday -- giving him sole possession of the American League record over Roger Maris -- and Cory Youmans was the lucky spectator who ended up on the receiving end of it.

The guy -- who reportedly works in finance in Dallas -- boxed out other fans and snagged it with his glove ... and then he was whisked away by Rangers security guards in order to have it all authenticated.

In his only public comments after making the grab -- Youmans told a gaggle of media members at the stadium he hadn't thought about what he was going to do with it.

"That’s a good question!" he said.

Youmans has a few options -- namely, he can sell it for a fortune ... as experts like David Kohler from SCP Auctions say it's worth up to $2 MILLION right now!

Following the game, Judge said he would like to get the ball back if Youmans wanted to give it up ... but he told reporters that hadn't happened yet.

The 30-year-old, though, said there'd be no hard feelings if Youmans didn't return it.

In a country where people routinely feel hatred for those with whom they disagree politically, it's nice to see some people can still agree to disagree, and still be friends.

Cindy Crawford, a registered Democrat, and Rande Gerber, a registered Independent, broke bread with Kid Rock, a Trump Republican Thursday night in Santa Monica.

The trio hit up Giorgio Baldi and even drove there together. We're told they've been friends for years.

And there's more ... we're told they went inside and tennis legend John McEnroe, who is Democrat-friendly, joined them for dinner.

As you know, Cindy and Rande are best buds with George and Amal Clooney, both die-hard Dems, so they clearly don't pick their friends or jettison them based on politics.

We saw this recently, where Democrat Tom Hanks sat down for lunch with Republican Tim Allen.

Rihanna is finally breaking her silence on her hugely anticipated Super Bowl halftime performance ... telling us exactly how she feels leading up to the big day and even offering a tiny hint at who might join her onstage.

RiRi was shopping at Bristol Farms Tuesday in L.A., and of course we had to ask about the big game. At first, Rihanna says she feels "nervous" for the performance, but says she's excited to hit the stage.

We then shifted the convo to who might join her for a song or two. TMZ broke the story, we were told there's a roster of close to 50 names of possibilities ... basically almost anyone she's collabed with in the past.

While Rihanna wasn't offering up any info, we pressed about the possibility of her longtime bf and baby daddy, A$AP Rocky hitting the stage -- RiRi shrugged and finally did say something.

Rihanna's halftime show will mark her big comeback to music, it's been 6 years since she last released an album, when she dropped "Anti" in 2016.

Aaron Judge has made history … the New York Yankees superstar slugger just knocked his record-breaking 62nd home run of the year.

Judge, with just 3 games remaining in the regular season, led off the 2nd leg of a day-night doubleheader with a blast to left field at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.

With the home run, #99 passes late Yankees star Roger Maris … who hit 61 HR’s in 1961.

In fact, several members of Maris' family were on hand to witness the historic moment.

Now, the million-dollar question (literally) is who caught the ball ... and do they trade it back to AJ? A memorabilia expert previously told us the ball could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

The record wasn’t just the Yankees' high mark -- it was also the best ever by an American League player ... that is until about 10 minutes ago when 30-year-old, 6'7" Judge stepped to the plate.

Longballs aside, Judge — who will be a free agent next year — has had one of the best offensive seasons ever. AJ has knocked in 131 runs, batting leadoff much of the time, all while batting .310. He also has 176 hits and scored 132 runs.

Of course, Sammy Sosa (66), Mark McGwire (70) and Barry Bonds (73) all hit over 62 dingers in the N.L. … but their careers (and the record) have been tainted by allegations of the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Because of that, many baseball purists believe the true home run record is now held by none other than Aaron Judge.

Former Laker Devean George isn't ready to bail on the Russell Westbrook experiment in L.A. -- telling TMZ Sports they should stick with the point guard amid rumors he could get shipped out of town.

We spoke with George -- who won three titles with Shaq and Kobe Bryant from 2000-02 -- at LAX this week ... and he said the Lakers shouldn't entertain the idea of trading away Russ, whose name has been at the heart of trade rumors all offseason.

"I think it can work," George said. "I'm a fan of Russell. Maybe I'm caught up in what he's done in the past."

George admitted that Westbrook does need to adjust his style of play ... but ultimately, he says the ex-MVP, along with his teammates, need to play their respective roles on the team.

"Too much talent," George said. "I think that's the main thing. Everybody just do their role and cut back and not say what I used to do. I'm just a fan of Russ, so I'm a little biased."

Westbrook's name was rumored to be on the move during the Kyrie Irving sweepstakes, and most recently, the triple-double king reportedly was the centerpiece of a deal involving Pacers stars Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.

The Lakers missed the playoffs last season -- finishing with a 33-49 record, 11th worst in the Western Conference, but George is predicting a return to the playoffs with the trio of Russ, LeBron James, and (a healthy) Anthony Davis leading the way.

"I think they can get into being a dangerous team come playoff time," the three-time NBA champ said. "Once playoff time comes, I think they'll be able to make some noise."

Letrell Duncan -- one of the best young high school basketball players in New Jersey -- was shot and killed on Monday, authorities said.

He was just 16 years old.

Officials in Essex County, NJ told multiple media outlets that Duncan -- a sophomore at East Orange Campus High School -- was shot four times at around 3:15 PM near his H.S. He was rushed to a nearby hospital ... but tragically succumbed to his injuries.

Authorities told NJ.com no arrests have been in the case ... though investigators are looking for "a group of people and a vehicle seen in the area at the time of the shooting."

Anyone with information is being urged to call 1-877-847-7432.

Duncan, a point guard, was considered a top talent in the state. His AAU team, Garden State Bounce, had described him as a "floor general, team captain, and the best point guard our program has seen."

"He was an excellent teammate," the team added in a social media post mourning his loss, "a great friend, and a coach's ideal player."

City officials, meanwhile, said in a statement on Tuesday that Duncan's death "has shaken our community to its core." They said police patrols in schools would be increased in wake of the tragedy -- and vowed to take "aggressive action" when it comes to the fight to end gun violence.

A GoFundMe for Duncan's family has been set up -- and has already raised nearly $5,000.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen's hunt for divorce lawyers have actually run much deeper than reported -- it's been in the works for weeks, and as things stand now, the marriage is beyond saving ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We've spoken to sources on both sides who tell us the estranged couple has independently contacted some big divorce lawyers, with talks starting several weeks ago.

Our sources say if divorce docs are filed -- which seems like a certainty at this point -- it'll happen in Florida. According to Page Six, the attorneys have already been hired.

Neither Tom nor Gisele has publicly addressed their reported issues ... but the former supermodel has been noticeably absent from all 4 Bucs games this season, and they're reportedly living in separate homes.

Gisele was spotted Monday in Miami leaving a workout.

45-year-old Brady and 42-year-old Bündchen tied the knot in February 2009 -- and share two children together, 12-year-old Benjamin and 9-year-old Vivian. Tom has a third child, 15-year-old Jack, with ex-Bridget Moynahan. Tom and Gisele are said to have a solid prenup in place.

Mike Tyson accidentally duped fans with an intense sparring video he just posted on social media ... because while a ton of people assumed the clip was recent -- it's actually a few years old.

Iron Mike shared the workout footage earlier Tuesday morning ... captioning the post, "Roll with the punches."

56-year-old Mike looks incredible in the video ... so we had to reach out to his camp to find out if he was training for any particular reason.

The vid had people excited -- as a potential event could have been on the horizon.

As it turns out, we're told the vid is a throwback from before his fight against Roy Jones Jr. ... and Mike just wanted to share the moment with his 19.4 million followers.

As we previously reported, Mike recently dealt with a sciatica flare-up ... which forced him to use a cane and wheelchair.

But, don't give up hope just yet ... 'cause you never know in the fight game. After all, Tyson's just two years removed from the Jones fight.

Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine has officially begun his road to recovery after suffering a horrific leg injury in a game on Sunday -- the team just announced he's undergone successful surgery to fix his compound fracture.

Cine sustained the gruesome injury while playing against the Saints in London -- and it was bad. He came down awkwardly on his left leg while trying to make a block ... and a bone in his lower leg snapped in half.

WARNING -- video of the play is hard to watch.

The injury was so bad ... Cine stayed overseas to receive medical care, but on Tuesday, the Vikings said the Cleveland Clinic London's Dr. Aswinkumar Vasireddy operated on him -- and, thankfully, everything went smoothly and he should return home soon.

"We look forward to welcoming Lewis back to Minnesota to be around his teammates and coaches," the Vikings said in a statement, "and begin the rehabilitation process with the Vikings medical staff in the very near future."

Cine was the Vikings' first-round pick in this year's NFL draft. He had played in three games for the team this season.

Jim Redmond -- the man who famously helped his injured son, Derek Redmond, finish a race at the 1992 Olympics -- has died at 81 years old.

The Olympic Games confirmed Jim's passing on Tuesday, tweeting, "Our thoughts are with Derek Redmond and his family following the death of his father, Jim."

"Together, they brought us one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history."

A cause of death was not revealed.

Jim famously came to his son's aid at the '92 Barcelona Games after Derek suffered a devastating hamstring injury in the middle of the 400-meter semifinal race.

Derek, while clearly too injured to run, began hobbling to the finish line -- and, after a few agonizing moments, Jim came down from his seat in the stands, pushed aside security guards and ran onto the track to help him finish the race.

Jim held Derek's left hand as the track star made his way to the end -- and the two shared an emotional brace, with Derek fighting back tears as his father hugged him.

In a 2012 interview with BBC, Derek admitted his hamstrings felt tight before the race and said he could barely walk after the injury, but his father told him they would finish together.

"He tried to talk me out of it at first," Derek told the outlet. "He was telling me that I had nothing to prove and that I didn't need to do this, but I told him I was going to finish."

"Then he said that we would do it together."

There's a lot Kayvon Thibodeaux could've done on his off day, but the New York Giants star rookie decided to take a mini road trip, traveling two hours to fill boxes at a food bank, all to help people in need.

The #5 overall pick even brought his mom, Shawnta Loice, along to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, about 120 miles south of the Giants' home.

The 21-year-old outside linebacker, sporting his Giants cap, stacked boxes with cans and cans of Campbell's soup ... before signing autographs for all who helped lend a hand.

The food drive is part of the ‘Chunky Sacks Hunger’ program ... recently launched by Campbell's. The soup company, a longtime NFL sponsor, is aiming to "fight food insecurity and donate one million meals to people in need".

Several NFL star defensive players are also participating in the program this season including Ravens' Calais Campbell, Bengals' Sam Hubbard, and Eagles' Jordan Davis.

"Fueling people through nutritious meals is embedded in Chunky’s DNA," Gary Mazur, Campbell Soup exec. said in September.

"In today’s world, where many continue to face hunger, we’re proud to launch Chunky Sacks Hunger and help bring more attention to this issue, while serving our partner communities through our pledge of donating one million meals."

FYI, Thibodeaux -- who's off to a nice start after missing the first two games of a season with a leg injury -- has his own charity called The Jream Foundation ... which helps underprivileged kids get the help they need.

KT also donated $50k to a dog organization in exchange for Graham Gano's number 5 Giants jersey.

If you're a big fan of Adele's hit song, "Hello," you may wanna say "goodbye" to F1 stars Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly ... 'cause the AlphaTauri drivers sang a horrendous rendition of the ballad this week -- and it's hilarious!!

Gasly shared the footage fresh off the Singapore GP ... showing the friends/teammates absolutely butchering the 2015 tune at a karaoke studio in Tokyo.

Both guys do their best at belting the challenging chorus ... but let's be honest, they're both better behind the wheel than a mic.

It was all in good fun, though ... as Yuki and Pierre couldn't help but smile throughout the teammate bonding.

The Singapore GP was a bummer for Tsunoda, who didn't finish the race. Gasly finished 10th.

Yuki and Pierre are pretty much inseparable ... and have gotten pretty close during their time with AlphaTauri.

Nice to see they were quick to turn things around and have a bit of R&R before the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.

Tom Brady admits he never imagined his son, Jack, would follow his footsteps and have a football career ... but he says watching his 15-year-old compete is "one of the great highlights in my life."

Jack -- Brady's son with actress Bridget Moynahan -- is currently playing high school ball as a free safety and quarterback (go figure) ... and while there could be a TON of pressure having the GOAT for a father, the Buccaneers superstar says that's not the case.

"I don't give a s*** how well he does," Brady said on his "Let's Go!" podcast with Jim Gray and Larry Fitzgerald. "I just love watching him and seeing him enjoy it with his friends."

BTW -- Jack hit up one of Brady's games recently ... and that kid is certainly growing up quickly!!

"I think one of the great highlights of my life is watching him play," Brady added. "I love watching him dig deep."

Brady says it's "so much fun" to check out Jack's games ... and believes the kid is already a better athlete than he was at 15.

"I love watching him playing quarterback," Tom said. "He's a very good athlete, great hand-eye coordination. He actually moves better than I did at his age."

Jack's football interest was clear when he hit up Bucs training camp in 2021 ... serving as a ball boy for a bit.

Brady quipped that he's mostly a one-trick pony when it comes to life skills ... but if there's one thing he can help Jack with, it's playing the QB position.

"I don't have a lot of specialties in life other than throwing the football," he said. "He's way smarter. He's got a great work ethic. He's just a great kid."

"But I can definitely help him at quarterback. That's one thing I'd say I can definitely help him with in the future."

A woman says ex-NFL star and "pro-life" Senate candidate Herschel Walker paid for her abortion back in 2009, an allegation the football-player-turned-politician calls "a flat-out lie" ... but Walker's son, Christian, is now also putting him on blast.

According to The Daily Beast, the woman -- who did not want to be ID'ed publicly "out of privacy concerns" -- became pregnant with Walker's child in 2009. She claims a short time later, Walker asked her to get an abortion. She told the outlet she went through with it, and Walker funded the entire thing.

The Daily Beast says the woman provided it with an abortion clinic receipt for $575, a "get well" card that Walker allegedly penned to her -- as well as "a bank deposit receipt that included an image of a signed $700 personal check from Walker."

Herschel, though, said the claims are complete BS -- writing in a statement shortly after the outlet published the article, "I deny this in the strongest possible terms."

"It's disgusting, gutter politics," said Walker, a Republican who's gunning to unseat Sen. Raphael Warnock in next month's midterm elections in Georgia.

"I'm not taking this anymore," he added. "I planning to sue the Daily Beast for this defamatory lie."

Walker's son, Christian, a conservative, posted a video shortly after his dad's denial accusing the 60-year-old of, among other things, threatening to kill him and his family in the past.

"I know my mom and I would really appreciate if my father Herschel Walker stopped lying and making a mockery of us," Christian Walker said on his Twitter page. "You're not a 'family man' when you left us to bang a bunch of women, threatened to kill us, and had us move over 6 times in 6 months running from your violence."

He added, "I don't care about someone who has a bad past and takes accountability. But how DARE YOU LIE and act as though you’re some 'moral, Christian, upright man.' You've lived a life of DESTROYING other peoples lives. How dare you."

Herschel said in a tweet of his own following Christian's, "I LOVE my son no matter what."

Antonio Brown ruthlessly went after his old buddy, Tom Brady, during the quarterback's reported rough patch with Gisele Bündchen ... trolling TB12 by posting an old pic of him hugging the supermodel after the Super Bowl.

AB -- who once lived with Brady and Gisele after joining the Patriots and Buccaneers -- has seemingly turned on the 7-time champ as his marriage appears to be on thin ice.

Brown didn't go into detail on the reason behind his post -- his caption only referenced his viral rap song, "Put That S*** On."

The relationship between the two ex-teammates has seemingly deteriorated since his shirtless exit from the Bucs last season ... despite Brady going out on a limb and vouching for AB to get him in New England and Tampa Bay.

Brown has shaded Brady on numerous occasions since their split ... and even went after him for spending time away from the team during training camp.

"Tom Brady manipulate the game gets 14 days go home get his mind rt lol," Brown tweeted at the time. "Now u see the difference. Put that s*** on."

Brown's pic was seen as distasteful in some eyes ... and drew criticism from NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who called him a "clown."

Brown -- who remains team-less since his outburst at MetLife Stadium -- found himself in more hot water over the weekend after a video surfaced of him appearing to expose himself to a woman in a pool in Dubai earlier this year.

Tiffany Jackson -- a former WNBA player and Texas Longhorns legend -- has passed away after her battle with cancer, her alma mater confirmed.

She was only 37.

The Texas women's basketball team announced the devastating news Monday evening, saying the former UT forward -- who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2015 -- died from the disease.

"Tiffany had a great career and was an impact player," her former UT coach Jody Conradt said.

"She was recognized for her all-around game and the fact that she was tremendously mobile and could play multiple positions. She was beloved by teammates, and we share in the sadness of her passing."

Jackson was a hoops star in high school, winning a state title and Gatorade's Player of the Year award.

The awards didn't stop after high school ... during her four years at UT ('03 to '07), she won ESPN's National Freshman Of The Year award and became the only person at the school to record a combined 1,000 points, 1,0000 rebounds, 300 steals, and 150 blocks.

Jackson was selected 5th overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft and went on to play for the New York Liberty, Tulsa Shock and Los Angeles Sparks during her 9-year career.

After retiring in 2018, she re-joined the Longhorns as an assistant coach for the women's basketball team. Then, in April of this year, she got a head coaching gig ... when she was named the HC at Wiley College.

"I know she was so excited to be the head coach at Wiley College for the upcoming season," UT current head coach Vic Schaefer said.

"She will be sorely missed by so many. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family."

Several WNBA players paid tribute to Jackson, including Tamika Catchings, who called her "absolutely amazing."

"Going to miss her smile, presence and heart for others."