TMZ Sports - Page 50

Move over, Pete Davidson ... there's a new hunk on Martha Stewart's radar -- New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge!!

The 81-year-old businesswoman had an up close look at her new crush at the Bronx Bombers' Opening Day game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday ... and she wasn't shy about liking what she saw after Judge hit a dinger in his first trip to the plate.

"No 99 just paid off a fraction of his massive contract," Stewart said on Instagram alongside a pic she shot of the Yankees captain. "Home run on first time at bat opening day!!! Handsome dude!!"

Martha has been pretty open about her feelings toward celebs lately -- remember, she said on "The Drew Barrymore Show" she'd be down to go on a date with Davidson after things with Kim Kardashian fell apart.

Unfortunately for Martha, Aaron's already spoken for -- he's been married to Samantha Bracksieck since 2021 -- but, hey, she can always enjoy the view from her front-row seat!!

Bam Margera's wife Nikki Margera is looking at possibly filing for some legal protection against him ... this after his recent arrest for public intoxication, TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Nikki's considering filing for a restraining order against the former "Jackass" star, which she hopes would protect her and their 5-year-old son, Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Nikki tells us Wednesday's incident "was scary for me and even more scary for Phoenix," calling it a shame because "the visitation that Bam had with Phoenix the prior day in Hollywood went reasonably well."

She claims Bam arrived Wednesday intoxicated and belligerent -- adding "This is the umpteenth time that Bam takes one step forward and ten steps back."

Nikki's attorney, David Glass, tells TMZ ... they've been trying to work with Bam on setting up regular visitation. However, Glass says that's all contingent on Bam staying sober and treating Nikki with respect -- something he says just hasn't happened.

LeBron James -- a billionaire -- says Elon Musk can't get him to shell out $8 a month to keep his Twitter verification ... admitting he's simply too cheap to cough up the dough.

The new Twitter CEO recently announced major changes to his social media platform ... saying any "legacy" account that wants to keep its blue badge will have to pay starting April 1 -- with a few exceptions to major companies.

The move has been met with hesitancy for several reasons -- one, the date falls on April Fools Day, and Musk is known to be a troll ... so there's still speculation it could all be a stupid prank. Two, most people, LeBron included, don't think it's worth paying nearly $100 a year just to be verified.

"Welp guess my blue ✔ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain't paying the 5," LeBron tweeted on Friday.

Of course, just because LeBron's filthy rich doesn't mean he's obligated to pay up ... but it's pretty interesting he doesn't care about maintaining his official status, considering he was targeted by trolls when Musk first decided to give blue checks to anyone who paid for Twitter Blue back in November.

The end result was an account pretending to be LeBron making a trade request from the Lakers ... which had NBA Twitter running wild for a split second.

Mark Wahlberg is diving head-first into his Houston Astros fandom ... going as far as to say he'd donate one of his thumbs to help superstar Jose Altuve get back from his injury!!

The 51-year-old actor is usually a Boston Red Sox fan, but has been supporting the 'Stros due to their ability to wreck the New York Yankees lately. Mark has been welcomed to the H-Town fanbase with open arms ... and even gave the ceremonial "Play Ball!!!" call at Thursday's Opening Day game against the Chicago White Sox.

Before his big moment, Mark raved about Altuve's teammate, Alex Bregman ... calling him a good friend and his "favorite Yankee killer of all time."

"I am an Astros fan," he added. "Listen, I live in Nevada now, I'm a fan of real talent. And, you know what, they have an amazing team, and he has amazing talent, but he's also an amazing person, so I'm a big fan of his, especially."

As for Altuve -- who is out indefinitely after breaking his thumb playing for Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic -- Wahlberg says he's willing to help out.

"I am also willing to donate either one of my thumbs to Jose Altuve, for sure," Wahlberg told reporters. “So we’re all good. I’m a big fan."

Mark wasn't the only celeb in town for the big game -- Megan Thee Stallion also came through to throw the first pitch!!

As for the game, the Astros lost to the White Sox, 3-2.

Defenders trying to tackle Tony Pollard next season better hope they like cartoons -- 'cause every time they grab the Dallas Cowboys star's right leg to bring him down now, they're gonna get a faceful of animated characters!!!

Pollard just got a slew of some of the greatest cartoon characters ever tattooed on his leg -- and the doodles are amazing, covering everything from his upper thigh to his ankle.

Andres Ortega and his Onder Ink team put the art on the Pro Bowl running back's leg this week ... flying out to Dallas for it all -- and you can see, it came out great.

There's nods to all kinds of TV show legends in the piece -- everyone from Tom and Jerry to Johnny Bravo to SpongeBob SquarePants to Scooby-Doo and the Rugrats are on it.

There's also images of Goku and Frieza from Dragon Ball Z ... and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are featured as well!!

Ortega tells us 25-year-old Pollard asked for the piece because he wanted to remember the good times he had while watching the shows as a kid.

In total, Ortega says it took about eight hours to finish the artwork.

Bam Margera went on a tear, screaming at his estranged wife in a Burbank restaurant as she ate with their child ... minutes before his public intoxication arrest.

The video shows a clearly agitated Bam going nuclear Wednesday on Nikki Boyd, and it appears he's upset because she's not allowing him to spend time with their 5-year-old son, Phoenix.

At one point, Bam tells Nikki, "Phoenix has his own mind." Bam says his son wants to see him and yells at his estranged wife, "Let him have his own mind," punctuating his claim by stomping on the ground.

Before storming out of the restaurant, Bam screams at Nikki, "Why are you making me wait f****** five days? F****** f***!!!"

Remember ... when Nikki filed for legal separation from Bam back in February, she asked for both legal and physical custody of their son ... because she says Bam was not sober during a previous visit with Phoenix.

Folks inside the restaurant tell us Bam came in by himself and approached the table where Nikki and Phoenix were sitting ... speaking with her for a little while before losing his cool.

TMZ broke the story ... cops in Burbank responded Wednesday to a call for a disturbance at a Thai food restaurant, and when they got there they found Bam arguing with his wife. Bam was arrested for public intoxication.

The former "Jackass" star recently vowed to be a more present father, even getting Phoenix's name tattooed on his face.

Stefon Diggs isn't just nice on the football field, he's also a problem on the hardwood -- 'cause the NFL star just flexed some insane skills during a recent hoops sesh ... including an impressive dunk!!

The Buffalo Bills receiver was shootin' buckets at the famous Summit NYC gym with famous NBA skills trainer Chris Brickley on Thursday ... and was captured on video doin' what he calls "lab work."

In a clip of the workout, the 3-time Pro Bowler goes off with a couple of nice step-backs, a reverse layup, and a turnaround fadeaway.

But, what was most impressive ... Diggs also displayed his range and hops by hitting a shot behind the arc and throwing down a massive dunk!

"@stefondiggs gotta be one of the best hoopers in the NFL!," Brickley said in the IG video caption.

Hundreds of fans agreed ... one commenting, "It’s cool seeing the type of hooper he is. Explains his route running style."

Another person said, "Thought it was Bradley Beal at first haha."

Of course, the former 5th-round pick was a baller in high school, along with football and track ... saying on "The Shop" earlier this month that if he were to give up playing in the NFL, he would be in the NBA -- because he's just that nice!

"I can really hoop, though," Diggs said. "Yeah [I hooped in high school], but if I really put this football s*** down and say like, let's dedicate my life to it, I could really do that."

"100% [I can go to the NBA]. I could average at least 10."

An L.A. Dodger fan pulled out all the stops to ask his partner to marry him on Thursday -- running onto the field during the middle of a game to pop the question -- but it might have cost him a few hours in jail ... and perhaps even a night in the hospital.

The wild scene unfolded at Dodger Stadium late in L.A.'s contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks -- when a Mookie Betts supporter hopped the centerfield wall and trotted to the outfield grass.

Video shot by a fan in the stands showed after the man made it to within feet of a D-Backs player, he stopped, got down on one knee, turned to the centerfield seats and pulled out a ring.

But, as he was asking his beau to be his forever lover -- a security guard was having none of it ... and blindsided the dude with a form tackle.

You can see in footage from the scene, the collision was so violent, even Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. couldn't help but wince.

Two other security guards raced in and piled on the fan ... before he was ushered off the field.

No word yet if he was arrested -- or if he suffered any injuries.

It's also unclear if he left the stadium officially an engaged man ... but after all that trouble, she better have said yes, right?!

Oscar Pistorius will remain behind bars for the foreseeable future ... the former Olympic sprinter and convicted killer was denied parole in South Africa on Friday.

Pistorius had hoped to get an early release this week ... after he served more than half of the 13-year, 5-month sentence that he was given for shooting and killing his girlfriend, 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013.

But, at the proceedings in Pretoria, officials said he had actually not served the minimum requirement to get parole. Officials said there was some sort of miscalculation of when his formal sentencing actually began, and the hearing would need to be pushed.

Pistorius now will have to wait until August 2024 to reapply for the early release.

Steenkamp's parents attended the hearing to argue Pistorius should remain in prison. According to Sky News, Steenkamp's mom, June, told reporters outside of the venue that she believed the 36-year-old was not remorseful for his actions.

She added that she didn't believe he was rehabilitated either.

The Steenkamps have repeatedly said he belongs behind bars for life.

For his part, Pistorius, a double-amputee nicknamed "Blade Runner," has claimed he never meant to shoot his partner ... saying he thought she was an intruder.

Kanye West and his Yeezy brand now have to contend with a lawsuit from a former employee, who claims the megastar rapper/designer owes her a cool $275K.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop ... Dora Szilagyi was hired to be Yeezy's "Director of Product Innovation" in June 2021, but only after Kanye convinced her to quit her role at Adidas and work for him full-time.

Dora claims she was promised a $275,000 severance payment if she was fired without cause after September 1, 2021 -- but she claims it was never paid to her when she was let go in mid-December 2021.

In the suit, Dora says she doesn't believe Kanye or his company ever intended to follow through on the severance package, and only dangled it to lure her from Adidas.

The fans involved in the tunnel altercation with Bradley Beal allegedly heckled the Wizards' star hooper multiple times during the Magic game, leading to the hat-slapping incident, and possible battery charges against the D.C. shooting guard.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 29-year-old Beal got into it with fans in Orlando last Tuesday after one of the men told Bradley he lost him $1,300 on a bet, before BB confronted the guys, knocked a baseball hat off one of their heads, and exchanged in some verbal back-and-forth.

But, we're told the less-than-pleasant conversation in the tunnel was not the first exchange between Bradley and the guys ... 'cause sources say the men, who were sitting courtside, made multiple disparaging comments during the game.

FYI, the Wizards ultimately lost to the Magic, 122-112.

The new information may provide more insight into Beal's reaction ... the NBA vet didn't hesitate at all in the tunnel, making a beeline straight for the fans.

Bradley was reacting to one of the fans who told him ... "You f**ked me $1,300, you f**k."

Beal, who's averaging more than 23 points a game for the Wizards, has not yet been officially charged, but police indicated there's enough "probable cause" to file charges with the State Attorney in Florida.

If ultimately charged and convicted, a simple battery charge in Florida carries up to 1 year in jail.

Former American wrestler Robert Rudolph Remus aka Sgt. Slaughter was in his late 20s when he trampled to fame with his wrestling gimmick, "Sgt. Slaughter" -- a former patriotic U.S. sergeant who fought during the Vietnam War -- during his illustrious wrestling career spanning from the '70s to the '90s.

1991 was a big year for Sgt. Slaughter ... he became the WWE Champion, dethroning the Ultimate Warrior at The Royal Rumble, and he also had a feud with wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, burning one of Hogan's shirts to flames during WrestleMania 7.

To this day, he's still rockin' his iconic look ... the broad-brimmed hat, dark shades, military uniform and can't forget about the 'stache!!!

Conor McGregor believes the shooter in Tennessee could've been stopped before anyone was hurt IF the building was better protected ... and that's why the UFC superstar believes armed guards are necessary in American schools.

"I would like to see armed protection at each school," 34-year-old McGregor wrote on social media.

Of course, six people -- three children (9-year-olds) and three adults -- were shot and killed on Monday at The Covenant School when a 28-year-old entered the building and went on a murderous rampage before police heroically stopped the shooter, who died at the scene.

McGregor, a dad of three who spends a lot of time in the States and is currently in Orlando, says "I have had my children at school here while stateside and have had my own armed guard present at the school. This was prior to the most recent school shooting also."

Conor continued ... "If she shot her way in to that school from the outside, my guard, who is tucked away, armed and unseen, would have seen her and taken her down. Saving those children’s lives."

Many schools have Resource Officers -- typically retired cops -- stationed at schools, but not always. There have also been fatal shootings at schools where armed security was present.

The Covenant shooting is simply the latest in a long line of horrific attacks ... and has sparked debate among Americans -- how do we protect our kids?

There are a lot of different proposed solutions ... from banning guns to arming teachers. Conor believes the answer is armed guards.

Rockies star Daniel Bard will open the season on the injured list ... after he said he's been dealing with anxiety following his struggles at the World Baseball Classic.

The Colorado closer was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday just before his team's game against the San Diego Padres ... and he explained it's all because he's been having mental health issues in March.

Bard didn't say when exactly they started -- but he had trouble all month long finding the strike zone ... particularly in the WBC against Venezuela, when he broke Jose Altuve's thumb with a wild pitch.

Things didn't get much better for Bard when he returned to spring training ... and now, he said he's planning to use his time on the injured list to get mentally right.

He told reporters Thursday that it all was "a hard thing to admit," but he said the Rockies are supporting him.

Bard has dealt with mental health issues in the past -- he was away from the Majors from 2013 to 2020 while battling the yips on the mound -- but he got through them and became a star for the Rockies the past two seasons ... logging 54 saves.

Adam Wainwright proved he has both a golden arm AND golden pipes on Thursday ... the Cardinals star pitcher sang the National Anthem for his team's Opening Day ceremonies -- and crushed it!!

St. Louis tapped the injured right-hander for the awesome honor just before the Redbirds took on the Blue Jays at Busch Stadium ... and check out video of his performance -- he proved he can saaaang!!!

The 41-year-old seemed very comfortable on the mic ... hitting every note as the crowd in the stands went wild.

It was a cool moment for the pitcher, who announced last year that this will be his last season wearing a Cardinals uniform.

Also, if you think this was a fluke ... don't -- Wainwright showed at his Big League charity event earlier this year he truly has vocals!

Damar Hamlin's trip to the nation's capital resulted in some one-on-one time with the biggest VIP in the city -- President Joe Biden, who welcomed the Buffalo Bills safety for a sit-down chat at the White House!!

Hamlin was in D.C. to support the Access to AEDs Act this week ... and after meeting with politicians at Capitol Hill on Wednesday, he got a few minutes to hang with POTUS on Thursday!!

"Damar Hamlin’s courage, resilience, and spirit inspired the American people," #46 said on Twitter.

"And what's more: he turned recovery into action – and our country is better for it. It was my honor to have him and his family here today."

And, just like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, it looks like Hamlin brought a gift for Biden ... as he's seen holding a Bills jersey in his lap during the meeting.

Remember, Biden called Damar's family shortly after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during Monday Night Football in January ... sending his well wishes to the Hamlins as he faced a long road to recovery.