TMZ Sports - Page 26

Baseball fans were all over Ted Cruz during Sunday night's playoff game at Yankee Stadium ... booing the senator relentlessly and flipping him off as he moved around his seat behind home plate.

The Texas politician -- a huge Astros fan -- showed up to the Bronx wearing orange and blue to cheer on his favorite team as it tried to punch its ticket to the World Series with a win over the Yankees.

Cruz was seen smiling before the opening pitch ... but throughout the night, he was NOT received well by fans near him.

Video of the senator shows as he got up from his seat during the game, fans jeered him over and over again. Several could be heard in the footage calling him a "f***ing loser" and a "racist piece of s***."

A photo of Cruz at the game also shows two fans even flipped him the bird from just feet away.

The 51-year-old kept his cool during it all ... smiling and waving to other fans in the crowd. At one point, he even took a selfie with a man in an Aaron Judge jersey.

Despite the scene, Cruz ended up with the last laugh, 'cause Houston beat New York, 6-5, giving them the sweep over the Pinstripes in the ALCS.

Cruz now won't have to travel far from home to watch his team play next ... the Astros host the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday.

Dana White's giving fans a first look at his new slap fighting org., Power Slap, and if you like seeing people get knocked out ... this is the sport for you!

The 30-second video ran during UFC 280, right before Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira fought in the main event ... and it's intense!

The video features the One Eyed Wolf from Barstool's Rough N Rowdy, and other competitors, in some cases literally slapping the snot out of other athletes.

Power Slap's debut is getting closer. They announced an introductory press conference in November ... and just last week, the Nevada State Athletic Commission voted to license White's org.

The sport has been around for years, but has been mostly underground ... that is until the UFC honcho got involved.

If you've never seen a slap fight ... it's what it sounds like. Two competitors stand across a small table from one another and take turns slapping each other until someone can't continue or they quit.

Slap fighting in the past has sometimes featured big size disparities between competitors ... something the UFC will eliminate with weight classes.

And, UFC exec Hunter Campbell sees an opportunity for huge growth ... much like with the UFC decades ago. The promotion ultimately sold for $4 billion.

"After testing it, it became clear to us that there's massive potential here as a sport, not unlike the early years of the UFC," Campbell told ESPN.

The Houston Astros embarrassed the New York Yankees ... and then they danced all over their graves -- bustin' out the brooms AND the booze for an epic locker room celebration.

The party all went down on Sunday night in New York ... after the 'Stros clinched the American League Championship Series, 4-0, with a 6-5 win over the Pinstripes.

Houston's players stayed on the field after the final out to receive their trophy at a ceremony in the middle of the Yankee Stadium diamond ... but then they hit the showers -- and turned up.

The guys grabbed brooms to signify their sweep over Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton ... and grooved to music with champagne well into Monday morning.

Everyone in the locker room got rowdy -- including 73-year-old Dusty Baker, who was spotted holding a bottle in one hand and the ALCS trophy in the other.

Adidas has stayed silent amid Kanye West's continued antisemitic rants -- and now, folks are calling on a boycott if they don't cut ties, especially with their own Nazi history in mind.

While there've been reports their relationship with Ye is "under review," that's not good enough for Twitter anymore -- considering KW's comments have gone from controversial to hate-filled, particularly pertaining to Jewish people ... and many are demanding action now.

There's also a clip from the 'Drink Champs' interview that's resurfaced and is making the rounds anew -- it's Kanye spelling it out clear as day, saying he can literally say antisemitic stuff and Adidas won't do diddly squat about it. He almost seems proud about this!

The fact Adidas hasn't dropped the guy like so many other companies have done -- let alone issue a statement of condemnation over all this -- is speaking volumes in the minds of many ... and now #boycottadidas is trending, with a lot of folks claiming the shoe company is putting profits over ethics ... as their Yeezy line is still raking in big time cash.

BTW, it's full steam ahead on the Yeezy front -- Adidas just dropped a new shoe from the line Saturday, and there are future dates scheduled that sneaker heads are keeping an eye on. These shoes are going for $200-$300, who knows how much more on the resale market.

Eagle-eyed Twitter users have even noticed a new job posting that Adidas is advertising -- they're hiring for a new brand director for Yeezy based out of L.A. ... which is also telling.

Of course, the bigger backdrop of all this is the fact that the founders of the company -- a German-based family named the Dasslers -- have Nazi ties dating back to the '30s. The brothers joined the party, and they even supplied athletic footwear to Nazis in those days.

Even with this incredibly ugly history, Adidas continues to keep their mouths closed -- and things are coming to a head ... especially as rallies in Kanye's name are cropping up.

Antonio Brown is continuing to show no chill whatsoever to his old pal Tom Brady .... he trolled the Bucs star yet again on Sunday -- with another pic of Gisele.

AB released the savage post on his Snapchat just before Brady's Buccaneers took on the Panthers in Carolina ... showing an old pic of Tom and Bundchen -- but with his head photoshopped over Brady's.

In the photo, Brown is smiling ear-to-ear ... and it's another clear shot at his former teammate, who is in the middle of a messy breakup with his longtime partner.

Brown didn't stop there, though ... 'cause after Brady's Bucs got walloped by the lowly Panthers -- Brown took to social media again to continue to roast TB12.

In that post, Brown photoshopped Brady over his own body ... from his infamous MetLife Field incident last season. AB captioned the photo with nothing more than some dancing finger emojis and the hashtag, "#Putthats***On."

Of course, this is not the first time Brown has gone after Brady this season ... you'll recall, just a few weeks ago, he threw up an old picture of him hugging Gisele following Tampa Bay's Super Bowl win over the Chiefs.

Brown also shaded Tom over his mid-training camp hiatus in August ... writing on his Twitter page, "Tom Brady manipulate the game gets 14 days go home get his mind rt lol."

The two used to be good buddies -- in fact, Brady actually let the former star receiver live with him and Gisele when the two first teamed up in New England and then again in South Florida.

Ja Morant is celebrating the start of the NBA season with some new ice -- a black and white diamond pendant reppin' his nickname ... with a matching Audemars Piguet watch!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... it all came to be when the Memphis Grizzlies superstar was talking to an owner at Ice Box on Instagram Live about making him a one-of-a-kind diamond watch.

During the convo, the two came up with the perfect idea -- not only would the hooper get a watch, but he'd also get a custom chain to match!!

The brainstorming sesh resulted in Morant's new black and white diamond Miami Cuban chain with an iced-out "12" clamp and pendant ... representing Ja's jersey number.

Morant -- who calls himself "12SKII" -- also got the word SKII on the bail of the pendant.

We're told the pendant comes with 20 carats of black and white VS quality diamonds and the Cuban link has 60 carats. Both pieces are made with 14-karat white gold and weigh an overall 400 grams.

As for the 22-year-old's new watch ... we're told it's worth over $100k and fully customized to Ja's liking with black diamonds.

Of course, buying jewelry from the Ice Box in Atlanta is a hobby for Morant -- he just bought some bling in August while congratulating a newlywed couple.

In April, he went on a $55k shopping spree and took some tequila shots with rapper, Gunna.

Brad Pitt might be making a movie about Formula 1 racing, but he sure doesn't respect the sport in real life -- at least that's what F1 Twitter's saying after snubbing one of their heroes.

The A-lister was on the ground these past few days down in Austin -- where the U.S. Grand Prix's been taking place all weekend -- but on Sunday ... the guy skirted out of an interview with Sky Sports' Martin Brundle ... a famed former race car driver turned pundit/journalist.

Brundle -- who's well-known these days for his grid walks, where he interviews celebs (sometimes awkwardly) impromptu -- got a bit of a cold shoulder from BP in person.

Now, in Brad's defense ... he didn't totally not respond to Brundle's questions -- ones about the movie, which he says can't answer since it's top secret -- but clearly didn't wanna chat. It would seem like a no harm, no foul sitch ... but some online are offended on MB's behalf.

Brundle himself seemed perturbed -- saying to the camera, "They're known at 'pit stops'" if they don't want you talking to Brad Pitt. Bird app users are mostly agreeing, arguing he should respect the culture and talk to Brundle, whose interviews are par for the course on the grid and who's an F1 staple. In other words, play ball when you're on our turf, Brad!

It's not the first time a celeb has brushed off Brundle -- Megan Thee Stallion famously did it last year -- but in this case, some are suggesting that since Brad is literally making a film about F1 ... he should be aware of the major players, Brundle included, and show reverence.

Outside of this salty interaction ... Brad has mostly been receiving the rock star treatment during his time in Texas, at one point posing for a pic with the Williams Racing team. He's still a golden boy in Hollywood -- and this won't change that.

Jake Paul is giving those picking Anderson Silva to win on Oct. 29 enough time to reconsider ... telling TMZ Sports they're going to lose all their money!!

We spoke with the Problem Child -- who's currently the betting underdog against the former UFC champion -- about his highly anticipated upcoming bout ... and despite having a ton of respect for his opponent, Paul tells us he's out for blood once they hit the ring.

"I'm knocking this guy out," Jakey P says ... adding the fight won't last past five rounds. "I'm promising everyone that."

"Come back to this interview, everyone, after the fight, and they'll say, 'Wow, he predicted the future,'" he added. "I have a crystal ball in my room and I can see it."

Jake says he's excited to prove people wrong on Saturday night ... and has a message for those putting their hard-earned money on Spider.

"You shouldn't have done it. You should've invested into something else."

"And everyone who bet on me?? Good stuff, man. You're gonna have some dough, maybe a new car, maybe your rent paid."

Jake also dishes on those downplaying the fight considering Silva is 47 years old ... and he explains why it's actually an advantage for Anderson.

Kenley Jansen isn't ruling out the possibility of a reunion with the Dodgers despite having a great time in Atlanta this past season ... telling TMZ Sports if L.A. made him the right offer, he'd rejoin the storied franchise.

We spoke with Jansen out at LAX -- just a few weeks before he'll hit the open market in free agency -- and the star closer told us that although he still sees himself as a Brave at the moment, he will explore the best options for him and his family this offseason.

And, yes, that does mean a possibility of a re-signing with the Dodgers.

"Hey, we'll see," he said with a smile. "We'll see what's out there."

Jansen, who spent the first 12 years of his career with L.A., spoke highly of his first season as a Brave ... and it's easy to see why -- the team won 101 games, and he had an All-Star caliber year, logging 41 saves.

"I can tell you all great things about Atlanta," Jansen said. "Atlanta is awesome. The fans, the people, the organization. I had a great time there, and we had a great season."

But, Jansen told us he still lives in L.A. -- and it's clear the City of Angels still feels like home to him despite the past year in Georgia.

Matthew Stafford would welcome Odell Beckham Jr. back to the Rams with open arms ... telling TMZ Sports he absolutely loved his time with the wideout last season.

"That's my guy!" the L.A. quarterback said this week.

Odell has yet to find a football home since he tore his ACL in the Rams' Super Bowl win last February ... but he's reportedly getting close to signing on with a new team after rehabbing the last few months.

Most have expected the Rams to eventually be his landing spot -- and Stafford made it clear while shopping with his wife, Kelly, that he'd be overjoyed if that happened.

Seems Matt might even be doing a little recruiting for L.A. ... explaining to us that he still keeps in contact with the receiver.

"We'll see what happens," the signal-caller said.

Team USA legend Alexi Lalas says Christian Pulisic shouldn't fight the "Captain America" nickname ... telling TMZ Sports it's only going to make people call him it even more!!

CP has publicly stated in the past he's not a fan of the superhero-esque moniker ... saying he's "not too fond" of it -- especially when his own teammates use it.

We spoke with Lalas about the whole ordeal ... and he says Christian is only making matters worse by making the gripe.

"Christian Pulisic not liking Captain America is gonna make a lot of people call him Captain America more," Lalas joked.

"He needs to read the room. You don't get to pick your nickname. People get to pick your nickname. It's a really good nickname."

Lalas says the nickname is a good thing ... and thinks there are MUCH worse things Pulisic could be called -- so he should feel lucky.

Lalas also thinks it is a money-making opportunity for Pulisic ... saying he could cash in by marketing and branding the nickname.

We also spoke with Lalas about Team USA heading into the World Cup ... and he gives us some guys who could become household names throughout the tournament.

Rainer Schaller -- who owns Gold's Gym, among other brands -- is missing alongside his family after their plane disappeared overnight ... with officials all but confirming they're dead.

A private plane carrying Schaller, his partner Christiane Schikorsky, their children and a reported fitness trainer are listed as the five passengers who have gone unaccounted for since their aircraft vanished off the Costa Rican coast while traveling from Mexico Friday.

Reports say the plane lost all communication with a control tower while it was flying near Barra del Parismina in the Caribbean Sea -- and now, the Costa Rican Coast Guard is saying they've found several pieces from what they believe is the wreckage, including at least 2 bodies.

The identities of the two corpses have not officially been announced just yet, but some reports say Costa Rican officials are declaring Schaller among 6 people (pilot included) that are presumed dead at this point. A search is still underway to find the others ... some personal belongings, like luggage, have been retrieved in the open sea though.

Schaller is the founder and CEO of the RSG Group -- which runs and operates a string of gym chains across the world, including McFit, John Reed and of course ... Gold's, which he acquired a couple years ago after it filed for bankruptcy in the pandemic.

While all are notable names in the fitness world, Gold's in particular is incredibly popular here in the States -- with some famous clients utilizing its services over the years, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, Muhammad Ali, Hillary Swank and so, so many more.

Kanye West's Yeezy shoes have always been just as popular on the resale market as they've been in stores -- but there's a clear shift happening, with many resellers hesitant to make any moves until Adidas announces its position on Ye.

We spoke with several experts involved in the resale market who tell us there are three major factors that will impact how the shoes will move in the immediate future.

1. Will Adidas continue its relationship with Kanye?
2. Will the public forgive Kanye for his comments?
3. If Kanye releases music/merch, how will it be received?

Sneaker expert Remo of Walk Like Us tells us if Adidas ends the partnership, the market will explode, because the shoes will not be produced in mass quantities anymore. This waiting period for Adidas has caused many resellers to hold onto stock in hopes of cashing in if Adidas cuts ties.

Worst case scenario for resellers, we're told, is if Adidas stays on with Ye -- but the public refuses to forgive him -- because then shoe values will plummet.

"Suga" Sean O'Malley is already a UFC star, but Dana White says he could reach Conor McGregor-like levels of fame ... as long as he keeps winning in the Octagon!

TMZ Sports talked to the UFC honcho just days before he headed back to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi ... where UFC 280 is going down Saturday afternoon (in the USA). O'Malley isn't shy about his desire to be a global star, so we asked Dana if Suga had what it took.

"100% and it's all about winning those key fights. He needs to win this fight this weekend against Petr Yan. He beats Petr Yan, watch what happens on Sunday," Dana said.

"It will be crazy, but yeah, Conor, on his way up, won all of the key fights he needed to win. It's not for a title or anything but Petr Yan is the number-one-ranked guy in the world."

Dana says, keeping with the McGregor theme, a win vs. Petr would be equivalent to Conor's epic KO of Jose Aldo in 2015.

O'Malley is 15-1, with his sole loss coming against Chito Vera in August 2020 (depending on who you ask, the loss was controversial). He's the #11 ranked bantamweight.

As for Yan, he's the #1 ranked 135-pounder ... and while he's coming off a loss to Aljamain Sterling, it was a very close fight.

Speaking of the champ, Aljo is also on the stacked 280 card. Sterling is fighting #2 ranked T.J. Dillashaw.

The guys aren't exactly friends. In fact, we spoke to Aljamain earlier this month, and he called T.J. "Pill.J DillaRoid."

We asked Dana if he felt confident Dillashaw wasn't taking any banned substances.

"T.J. is absolutely positively clean. These guys are all being tested by USADA and when you're coming off what T.J. is coming off of, I'm sure he's getting hard by USADA."

Of course, Dillashaw was popped for a banned substance, EPO, in early 2019. He received a 2-year ban from the sport.

There's more. We also talked to White about the main event, Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev.

There's a dream scenario amongst many fans. Oliveira beats Makhachev, and then Khabib Nurmagomedov comes out of retirement to avenge his brother's loss.

Possible?! We asked Dana.

"That's hilarious. I love it. Believe me, that would be everybody's dream scenario, including mine if he beats Islam," White said.

Dana also provided some caution to people who think Islam's going to roll right through Charles.

"[Oliveira's] one of the guys that's sort of slips under the radar and people don't realize it. He's on an 11-fight win streak. He's got the record for the most finishes in UFC history, he's got the most submissions in UFC history, tied for overall UFC post-fight bonuses. He has most Performance Of The Night awards in UFC history, most submissions in both UFC lightweight and featherweight history!"

"I mean the guy has records on top of records on top of records! It's incredible."

We also spoke to Makhachev earlier in the week ... and talked about all things Charles Oliveira, backup fighter Alex Volkanovski, and UFC 280.

Pro surfer Bethany Hamilton -- who lost her left arm in a horrifying shark attack in 2003 -- has found yet another way to be an inspiration to the world ... she's authored a new children's book aimed to help kids get past their fears!

The athlete's new work, fittingly called "Surfing Past Fear," dropped earlier this month -- and it's all about an otter named Olivia who faces her fears after she breaks her arm while surfing.

Olivia gets help from her friends Mobi -- a one-armed bear -- and a flamingo named Abby -- and Hamilton says the whole point of the book is to teach kids how to overcome adversity.

Of course, she would know how to do that as well as anybody ... following her terrifying encounter with a tiger shark when she was just 13 years old, she went on to become one of the best surfers in the country.

Now, she says she's hoping her new book can not only help kids learn from her -- but also aid parents who are trying to get her message across to their children.

"I feel like I'm kind of a mix of the two characters," Hamilton said. "I'm Olivia, in like I had the accident and also how she has her comeback."

"I'm also kind of like Mobi, the bear who's born without an arm and he encourages Olivia to overcome her fear and seek a more positive truth-filled thought process."

Hamilton, a mother of three, says she's not planning on stopping with this one book either ... telling us she'd love to pen more similar works in the future.

But, right now, she's enjoying time with her family and surfing ... and has even helped her son step into the boarding world.

Vernon Davis already has a Super Bowl ring ... but might an Oscar be next?! Don't put it passed the retired NFL star, who -- fresh off working with Morgan Freeman -- tells TMZ Sports he's been offered a role on a John Travolta and Martin Lawrence film!

38-year-old Davis joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) and says he still has to pinch himself.

"Every time I think about it, I be like, 'wow.' I wake up some mornings, I'm like 'How did I get in a film with Morgan Freeman?'"

The movie is called "Muti" ... and in addition to Freeman, stars Cole Hauser, Peter Stormare, and others, in addition to Vernon, who plays a character named "Randoku."

And, the Pro Bowler must've been impressive on set ... 'cause director George Gallo, who also wrote Bad Boys, offered him another role before a single ticket was sold for Muti.

"It's pretty cool because George Gallo was the director," Vernon says, adding, "It's pretty cool to be on set with him. After the movie was over, he actually offered me another role with John Travolta and Martin Lawrence."

What'd Vernon say??

"I said yeah as if somebody was proposing to me. 'Yes! Yes! Yes, I will!'"

Details about the Travolta project aren't yet known. (Wild Hog 2??)

There's much more. We talked to the 14-season NFL vet about what he learned from Morgan (he tells a story about being on set with the 85-year-old), as well as his foray into music and stand-up comedy.

Vernon also talked about his recent enshrinement into the Terrapins Hall of Fame ... an honor that means a tremendous amount to him.

"It's amazing to be recognized for the things that you've been able to do, to accomplish and I wanna thank the University of Maryland for allowing me the opportunity to be able to go into the Hall of Fame."

"It's just great to be able to be recognized and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Very grateful. My family's excited, my friends, my coaches, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without my teammates, my grandparents, and everyone who supported me along the way."

As for Muti ... it's about a grieving detective who hunts down a serial killer accused of carrying out tribal rituals called "Muti."