TMZ Sports - Page 50

A's legend Dave Stewart says if his former team leaves Oakland, he's going to be devastated ... and now, he's hoping for a "last-minute miracle" that stops the squad from moving to Las Vegas.

TMZ Sports spoke with the former World Series MVP just hours after the A's announced they had agreed to buy land in Sin City, seemingly with the intention of eventually moving there ... and Stewart didn't even try to hide his disappointment with it all.

The ex-pitcher, who grew up in Oakland and went on to play eight years for the Athletics, said "it's just heartbreaking to see this happening."

Stewart told us he really feels most for the city itself ... because it already lost the Raiders to Vegas and the Warriors to San Francisco in the past few years.

He added, though, that he understood it might be a move A's ownership just has to make.

"Even though it's heartbreaking, sometimes you just have to make the decision that puts you in a position to be successful going forward," he said.

But, the 66-year-old -- who currently works as an A's analyst for NBC -- told us he's still holding out hope a move is not in the cards.

"We'll keep our fingers crossed," he said, "and we'll continue to say prayers that some type of last-minute miracle will keep the A's in Oakland."

Antonio Brown is a wanted man yet again ... this time, TMZ Sports has learned a judge has ordered cops to arrest the ex-NFL star over unpaid child support.

According to court documents, the order was issued by a Miami-Dade County, Fla. judge on April 14 ... after Brown had allegedly ducked payments that he had been required to make to his ex, Wiltrice Jackson.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office has been in receipt of the order ... a BCSO spokesperson confirmed on Friday morning.

But, according to the docs, Brown can be released from custody if he pays $30,000 ... which the Florida judge ruled is to be applied to his unpaid child support.

Brown and Jackson dated during the former Pittsburgh Steelers star's early football playing days -- and had a daughter together.

Their relationship, however, had more than its fair share of ups and downs -- with Jackson accusing Brown of shoving her during a domestic dispute in 2019. Brown was never charged over the claim.

Police have now been instructed to place Brown in custody multiple times over the last few years ... including late in 2022, when an arrest warrant was issued for the ex-NFL star after he was allegedly involved in a domestic battery incident with the mother of his children in Tampa. The warrant, however, was ultimately withdrawn after officials said the alleged victim recanted her story.

We reached out to Brown for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Dillon Brooks might actually be getting under LeBron James' skin ... 'cause the Lakers superstar got so fed up with being asked about the Grizzlies forward on Friday, he abruptly cut off his media availability.

Of course, Brooks made headlines for ripping the King after Wednesday's win over L.A. ... calling James "old" and saying he doesn't respect his game.

Naturally, the 4-time NBA champ was peppered with questions about his current enemy at practice just minutes ago ... and he was short and to the point with reporters -- claiming he didn't hear a word Brooks said.

James' patience clearly ran thin as media members continued to try and get a soundbite out of him ... and, eventually, he brought everything to a screeching halt and walked away.

"I don’t want to talk much more," an annoyed James said. "Tomorrow is going to be a great game. I’m not here for the bulls***. I’m ready to play. That’s it."

Some reporters in attendance laughed it off ... but Bron didn't appear to be in a laughing mood.

James didn't wanna talk, but Rui Hachimura gave a short comment about Brooks ... saying, "They’re a young team. They just want to talk. We don’t really care. We’re just going to play our game and try to win the game."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson continues to prove why he's "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment" -- a 2022 Panini WWE Black Prizm card featuring The Brahma Bull sold for $126,000 at auction, the highest-selling WWE trading card of all time.

PWCC officials tell TMZ Sports they brokered the historic sale Thursday night ... and say the card's exclusivity -- it's the only one that exists -- is why it sold for so much.

"This is arguably the best WWE trading card in existence," said Jesse Craig, Vice President of Sales at PWCC. "Cards like this rarely surface for public sale since they are so scarce. And when scarcity outweighs public demand, you see record prices."

"This was the perfect combination to drive that demand," Craig added.

The card is considered a 1/1 masterpiece with a grade of Near Mint 7. It features a holofoil image of The Rock -- AKA "The Great One" -- slamming the Texas Rattlesnake, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, to the mat with what appears to be his signature "Rock Bottom" finisher.

Of course, The Rock and Stone Cold had one of the most storied rivalries in WWE history, culminating in a trilogy of matches that were instant classics at WrestleMania 15, 17, and 19.

When Rock and Austin weren't colliding in the squared circle on "The Grandest Stage of Them All," the two WWE Hall of Famers entertained the WWE Universe with their skills on the microphone, cutting some of the most legendary promos over their careers.

Both Rock and Austin have had successful careers post-WWE -- Dwayne is an A-list actor, and Steve Austin started a podcast and released his first beer (Broken Skull) -- but the magic the two created inside the ring shows why cards like these are in high demand.

The famous Ball family is growing by one ... 'cause LiAngelo just announced he and his girlfriend Nikki Mudarris are expecting their first bundle of joy together!

The professional basketball player and former "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" star revealed the amazing news to their millions of Instagram followers on Friday with pics from an intimate photo shoot.

"My partner and I are excited for this next chapter of our journey as soon-to-be parents!! 🧸🤎," Ball said in the caption.

Mudarris left a comment in the post ... saying she can't wait to meet their baby this summer.

"I wouldn’t want to bring our Angel to this world with anybody else," Mudarris said. "I love you ❤️"

Of course, this means LaVar Ball is going to be a grandpa once again (Lonzo already has a baby), while Zo and LaMelo Ball become uncles ... and they're hyped!

"My mom was yelling and cheering in excitement," the 24-year-old told People. "When I told my brothers they were happy for me and also excited to become new uncles to my seed."

The relationship between Gelo and the 32-year-old reality star was private for a long time until Nikki confirmed they were an item by congratulating her man on his NBA contract in her IG story last year.

Gelo also had several stints in the G League ... spending time with the Oklahoma City Blue and the Charlotte Hornets-affiliated Greensboro Swarm.

A San Francisco bartender wearing a David Wright jersey was in for a huge surprise on Thursday ... 'cause she came face-to-face with her favorite New York Mets star -- and the moment was pretty awesome!!

TMZ Sports has learned -- the interaction went down at Local Tap on 3rd and Brannan in SF ... after David's friends noticed Kyl Goodman wearing the black #5 threads behind the bar.

Goodman -- a native New Yorker and longtime Mets fan -- says Wright's friends told her the Mets great was right down the street and they would arrange for her to meet him ... but she didn't think they were actually being serious.

Sure enough, Wright popped up at Local Tap shortly after ... and the two were all smiles as they hugged one another!!

"I thought you guys were f***ing with me," Kyl told Wright's friends in the video.

Wright -- selected by the Mets in the first round of the 2001 MLB draft -- played 14 seasons in the Big Apple ... and was a fan-favorite while playing third baseman for the organization.

The 40-year-old was a 7-time All-Star, 2-time Gold Glove winner, back-to-back Silver Slugger winner ... and finished his career with 242 home runs.

Wright retired from MLB in 2018 ... but he's still clearly just as popular even in retirement.

Put down your sammie for this one -- a fighter literally beat the puke out of his opponent during a kickboxing match this week ... and it goes without saying, the video is as disgusting as it sounds.

The wild moment went down during a Petchyindee event between Praewpraw and Dokmaipa in Bangkok, Thailand ... and according to MMA Fighting, the two were going at it for two rounds before the former started to take control of the bout.

Praewpraw started rocking Dokmaipa with some left crosses and knees in the third ... and when he connected on a hit to the gut, Dokmaipa lost his lunch right in the ring.

The ref decided to call it as soon as the vom started to fly ... but fortunately for everyone, it was the last fight of the night.

One staffer got the short end of the stick, though ... being forced to grab a broom and dustpan to clean up the mess.

Both fighters seemed to be fine afterwards ... sharing a moment before Praewpraw continued his celebration with his team.

Detroit Lions star Jameson Williams -- the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft -- has just been suspended six games ... after the NFL says he violated its gambling policy.

The exact allegations against the former Univ. of Alabama receiver are unclear -- though according to the Lions, one of Williams' violations included betting from an NFL facility on non-NFL games.

Several other players were hit with punishments for gambling policy violations on Friday as well, including receiver Quintez Cephus, defensive back C.J. Moore and wideout Stanley Berryhill, who were all teammates with Williams in 2022.

Cephus and Moore received indefinite bans and were cut by the Lions immediately afterward. Berryhill received a six-game suspension -- though he and Williams are still slated to remain on Detroit's roster.

"As a result of an NFL investigation, it came to our attention that a few of our players had violated the league's gambling policy," Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said in a statement Friday. "These players exhibited decision making that is not consistent with our organizational values and violates league rules."

"We have made the decision to part ways with Quintez and C.J. immediately. We are disappointed by the decision making demonstrated by Stanley and Jameson and will work with both players to ensure they understand the severity of these violations and have clarity on the league rules moving forward."

Washington Commanders defensive lineman Shaka Toney was also suspended indefinitely on Friday for violating the NFL's gambling policy, the league announced.

When the NFL revealed its rulings ... officials added their probe "uncovered no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way."

Mark Davis is blasting the Athletics, after the organization took another step towards leaving Oakland for Las Vegas, with the Raiders owner accusing the A's of screwing over the Bay Area!

Davis' beef with Oakland goes back to a time when he claims the organization prevented his football team from potentially building a new stadium on land the A's held the rights to but weren't using.

"I won’t forget what they did to us in Oakland," Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "They squatted on a lease for 10 years and made it impossible for us to build on that stadium."

Davis continued, "They were looking for a stadium. We were looking for a stadium. They didn’t want to build a stadium, and then went ahead and signed a 10-year lease with the city of Oakland and said, ‘We’re the base team.'"

Mark's comments come on the heels of news the Athletics signed a binding agreement to purchase 49 acres of land in Vegas with the intention of using the site to build a new stadium.

Of course, Davis brought his team to Sin City in 2020.

The Raiders used to share the Oakland Coliseum with the A's. Still, the relationship was far from peaceful, according to the 67-year-old owner, who says the team leaving Oakland without anything is "pretty screwed up."

Davis admitted he has "a lot of personal animosity towards the front office," explaining how they tried to phase the Raiders out of their marketing plans even with them still playing in Oakland.

"They marketed the team as 'Rooted in Oakland,' that’s been their mantra through the whole thing," Davis said. “The slogans they’ve been using have been a slap to the face of the Raiders, and they were trying to win over that type of mentality in the Bay Area. Well, all they did was f**k the Bay Area."

The stars were out both on and off the hardwood at the Clippers vs. Suns playoff game Thursday night ... as Floyd Mayweather, Queen Latifah and the Cavinder Twins all pulled up for the huge contest!!

Game 3 of the two teams' series went down at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles ... and even though both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sat with injuries, the A-listers still packed the venue.

Mayweather, as usual, sat courtside ... and he was joined there by Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who was just booted out of the playoffs last week.

Famous basketball twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder also had some great seats ... and they were even gifted personalized Clippers jerseys for the night too.

Scooter Braun, film producer Dick Wolf, Disney CEO Bob Iger and "Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris were all there to watch the Clips go at it with Devin Booker as well.

Queen Latifah -- who was just inducted into the National Recording Registry -- also made an appearance with a big smile on her face.

Everyone who got a ticket saw a heck of a game ... though the home squad ended up ultimately losing to Phoenix, 129 to 124.

Odell Beckham Jr. has been named as a suspect in an assault investigation after a woman went to police claiming the NFL superstar put his hand around her neck in an L.A. hot spot, but the Ravens WR claims the allegations are bogus.

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports the alleged incident went down at Delilah several weeks back ... when a woman says 30-year-old OBJ went up to her and grabbed her throat with light pressure.

However, a rep for Odell told us they weren't aware of any investigation and hadn't been contacted by police. They also vehemently denied Beckham Jr. did anything wrong.

Our sources say after the alleged altercation, both the woman and Odell remained at the venue throughout the night without further incident.

A few days later, police met with the accuser and she filed a report.

We reached out to Delilah for comment. John Terzian, owner of the L.A. hotspot, told us  ... “We were contacted about an investigation and reviewed the videos, the claim is false.   There is no evidence of this person even being in the area where she claims the incident occurred.”

The allegations come just days after OBJ was announced as the newest star wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens ... inking a one-year deal worth up to $18 million.

Twitter's looking really different right now, as some huge celebs are getting stripped of their precious blue checkmarks ... but despite Elon Musk cutting their verifications, some A-listers are handing the bird the monthly fee.

Taylor Swift, Khloe Kardashian, and Ryan Reynolds are among the bunch putting up cash to keep the badge ... as well as Soulja Boy and The Weeknd.

It doesn't stop there -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Carter, LL Cool J, O.J. Simpson, Sia, and John Cena seem to be shelling out the dough, too.

If you click on their checkmarks, you'll now see the following response -- "This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”

Worth noting, there are a couple reasons why their usernames still come with a side of blue. For starters, they could be paying to keep Twitter Blue's features -- uploading longer vids, making longer tweets and editing tweets.

Of course, these folks could have been paying the $11/month, and made the decision to unsubscribe within the past month ... so, the checkmark is just there until it expires.

You also might have noticed some celebs who have the check, but say they aren't paying -- well, Elon says he's covering the cost for a chosen few ... his Inner Blue Circle, if you will.

As we reported, celebs like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and K-pop group Blackpink all had their verification revoked when the change rolled out Thursday ... but it looks like there are a decent amount doing their part to keep the lights on at Twitter HQ.

Two weeks after ringing the victory bell, Chicago White Sox star pitcher Liam Hendriks is officially cancer-free!!!

The 34-year-old announced the amazing news on his social media page Thursday ... posting a video and pics of his months-long battle to rid himself of the disease.

"How It Started VS How It’s Going….REMISSION," he wrote in a caption on his Instagram page. "🙏🏻 It’s official. I’m cancer-free."

Hendriks' team also confirmed the great news on Twitter ... tweeting, "Liam Hendriks is cancer free" with a green heart emoji.

The Chicago closer had an uphill battle to get to this point ... undergoing grueling treatment every 28 days since his January diagnosis.

Hendriks -- a three-time All-Star and 12-year MLB veteran -- thanked his wife, Kristi, earlier this month for remaining by his side during the harrowing ordeal.

"You held my hand every step of the way," he wrote in a message to her. "You were my voice of confidence and always made sure I felt loved and safe throughout it all. I love you."

The youth wrestler who clocked his opponent in the face following a match earlier this month has been cited for assault ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Oak Park Police Dept. tells us the 14-year-old eighth grader was officially issued the citation on Thursday ... after he admitted to officers he punched his counterpart because "he was angry that he had lost the match."

The boy is now facing fines and penalties depending on the outcome of an adjudication hearing in Oak Park, Ill. next month.

As we reported, the incident went down on April 8 at Oak Park River Forest H.S. in Oak Park, Ill. ... after a 14-year-old SPAR Academy wrestler had won a match, 14-2, and had looked to shake hands with his opponent out of a show of sportsmanship.

Cops tells us ... when they arrived on the scene following the altercation, the victim had sustained a bloody nose from the cheap shot, but declined further medical care.

Police say all parties cooperated with the ensuing investigation.

It's unclear if the puncher will face further discipline -- such as a lifetime ban from wrestling -- but MMA legend Chael Sonnen told us this week he was hopeful the boy would avoid any sort of lengthy time away from the mat.

"This was a terrible moment," Sonnen said, "but it could also be a teachable moment."

LeBron James claimed he was too cheap to keep his blue checkmark, but his account showed otherwise on Thursday -- the Lakers superstar's page is now officially subscribed to Twitter Blue.

Thursday marked the end of legacy verified accounts on Elon Musk's app -- with the majority of users losing their badges unless they ponied up $8 a month to keep it.

As we previously reported, the King made his stance on the move crystal clear last month ... saying, "Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾‍♂️"

But someone on Bron's team must not have gotten the memo ... 'cause as superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Wilson and Aaron Judge said goodbye to the verify, his still has its badge.

The 4-time champ didn't get any special treatment -- his account's check says he subscribed to Twitter Blue just like everyone else who wanted to keep it.

Tom Brady, Klay Thompson, Conor McGregor and J.J. Watt are on LeBron's side -- their accounts are all subscribed to Twitter Blue as well.

There are now two teams on Twitter -- check and no check -- so, pick a side and tweet away, folks.

NHL center Morgan Barron is looking like something straight out of a horror flick after taking a skate to the face this week ... he just showed off his massive face scar while speaking with reporters on Thursday -- and it is brutal!!

Barron took a moment to meet with media before suiting up for Game 2 of the Jets' first-round contest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs ... and he gave folks a first look at the damage caused by the skating incident.

"You know, some guys have told me it looks better than expected and some guys look at me like I'm a science project, so I've kind of gotten both ends of the spectrum," Barron said. "I think it feels better than it looks."

In case you missed it ... the Winnipeg center suffered the injury during the first period of his team's 5-1 win over the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, which required at least 75 stitches. But, somehow, Barron returned to the game about halfway through the second period after getting patched up!!

The resulting scar runs basically from his right eye up to the top of his forehead -- but Morgan is wearing his new addition with pride ... even cracking a smile for the cameras!!

Barron's eye also showed some discoloration in the aftermath.

The injury could've actually been much worse ... even though that may be hard to believe. During the incident, Vegas forward Chandler Stephenson quickly reacted and was able to pull Barron off Golden Knights goalie Laurent Brossoit's skate to avoid further, serious damage.