TMZ Sports - Page 50

A 19-year-old college baseball player tragically died in Pennsylvania this week ... after officials say he was seriously injured when a dugout collapsed on him.

The story is horrifying ... Central Penn College infielder Angel Mercado-Ocasio, a freshman, was helping a youth baseball league at a park in Harrisburg on Monday afternoon -- when tragedy struck.

According to City of Harrisburg spokesperson Matt Maisel, Mercado-Ocasio was working to take down a makeshift dugout that had been illegally built at the field ... but part of it fell suddenly, landing on the baseball player.

The teen sustained significant wounds and was rushed to the hospital ... but Maisel said he sadly passed away at 11:12 PM Tuesday.

"Our Central Penn College family is devastated by the loss of Angel," Central Penn College President Linda Fedrizzi-Williams wrote in a statement on Wednesday. "As friends who have become family, we are mourning the heart-wrenching loss of one of our own, a promising young athlete who senselessly lost his life while helping others enjoy the sport he loved so much."

Fedrizzi-Williams said the baseball team was able to say its goodbyes to Mercado-Ocasio on Tuesday ... adding, "No words can adequately express our anguish."

Mercado-Ocasio played in 17 games for Central Penn College this season, recording two hits, two RBIs and seven stolen bases.

He last suited up for the team just days ago ... on May 6.

Tina Turner's death sent shockwaves throughout the sports world ... with several legendary athletes paying tribute to the iconic singer.

Magic Johnson shared a few words shortly after the news broke ... praising her as a performer and sharing a throwback picture together.

"Rest in peace to one of my favorite artists of all time, the legendary queen of rock n' roll Tina Turner," Johnson tweeted. "I’ve seen her many many times and hands down, she gave one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. She always gave you your moneys worth."

LeBron James and Lisa Leslie also mourned Turner's passing ... with Leslie calling her "a true icon." James added ... "Rest in Paradise Queen Tina!!!!"

Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith also paid homage to Turner ... sharing a snap of her with a pair of heart and prayer hands emojis.

WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair acknowledged Tina's legacy ... posting a picture of the legendary musician with the caption, "RIP."

Another WWE great, The Iron Sheik, shared his condolences, too ... writing, "Tina Turner I love you with all my heart. The song The Best is true for you. God bless you forever I love you."

Kyrie Irving sneakers could return to a store near you soon ... 'cause the NBA superstar just teased a new deal is on the horizon after his fallout with Nike.

The 8-time All-Star revealed it might not be long before fans can get their hands on some new Kyrie kicks ... discussing the matter during an Instagram Live session on Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm really excited," the 31-year-old said. "I will be signing my new shoe deal very, very soon. I'm 'bout to blow this stuff out the water. I'm so excited about it."

Is it SIA Collective? Musiq Soulchild did tell us he heard Kyrie was talking to the new shoe company last December ... but Irving mentioned no names during the stream.

Uncle Drew was with Nike dating back to 2011, but the Swoosh cut ties with the hoop star after his controversial tweet sharing an antisemitic film in 2022.

The point guard -- who last played for the Dallas Mavericks -- also said to be on the lookout for his free agency decision ... and urged fans not to listen to analysts, TV personalities, or sports influencers who claim they know his next move.

"I'm a free agent this summer, but I am in no rush to make a decision," Irving said.

"When they speak on my name and they're talking about potential teams that I'm going to, can y'all please, respectfully, I'm asking, please stop paying attention to that."

Of course, many speculate Irving could join his old teammate LeBron James in Los Angeles, especially after the guard was spotted sitting courtside at a recent Lakers playoff game.

Despite the rumors, Irving swore up and down no one knows what he's going to do -- just him.

The Seattle Seahawks are moving on from the Russell Wilson era -- the team just gave away the Super Bowl-winning quarterback's number to newly-signed cornerback Artie Burns.

The 'Hawks updated their 90-man roster this week ... and it shows there will be a new player sporting No. 3 for the first time since the 9-time Pro Bowler was traded to the Denver Broncos in March 2022.

There's a chance it might just be a placeholder for Burns if he ends up making the final 53-man roster ... as there are literally only two other numbers (43 and 48) available that aren't already taken or retired by the franchise, and defensive backs can only wear numbers 0-49.

As the Seahawks make offseason adjustments, it's entirely possible Burns -- who returned to Seattle earlier this week -- snags a different set of digits if/when they become available.

Burns -- who wore No. 21 in three games for Seattle last season -- wasn't able to get his old jersey back after rejoining the team ... as it was already given to rookie Devon Witherspoon.

Wilson is obviously one of the greatest players in franchise history ... and it would be a no-brainer to retire his number when he hangs up his spikes, despite the messy breakup that led to his trade out of Seattle.

Turns out, not every Yankee fan was in a good mood following the Bronx Bombers' thrilling walk-off win on Tuesday ... 'cause several Pinstripes supporters were seen getting into a brawl on a New York sidewalk following the victory -- and it was wild!!

According to a witness who posted video of the skirmish on Twitter ... the altercation happened after the combatants initially began arguing inside Billy's Sports Bar -- a popular watering hole located just feet from Yankee Stadium.

The social media user said despite Anthony Volpe's clutch, 9th-inning sacrifice fly that gave the Yanks a 6-5 win over the Orioles ... the argument escalated into a full-on fight outside of the restaurant.

You can see in the footage, two men clad in Yankees jerseys jumped on top of each other on the sidewalk ... and began wrestling. Not long after, fists started to fly.

Another man jumped into the scene in an apparent attempt to break things up -- which only enraged a woman nearby.

The video shows the woman threw a few punches of her own ... before, thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.

It's unclear if any arrests were made -- we've reached out to authorities, but so far, no word back yet.

Police tell TMZ Sports officers did a welfare check on Ja Morant following his cryptic social media posts on Wednesday ... and, thankfully, they discovered he is not in any danger.

A spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said cops went to the NBA star's home in Tennessee shortly after Morant shared the concerning messages on his Instagram page ... and they say he told them simply "that he is taking a break from social media."

"He is fine," the spokesperson added.

In Morant's posts, he shared pictures of him with his mom, dad, and daughter ... before writing a caption that said nothing more than "bye." The posts were deleted a short time later.

Of course, given the turmoil that's surrounded him since he was seen brandishing a gun on video for the second time in less than three months ... his fans expressed big worry for the 23-year-old basketball player.

Fortunately, though, seems everything is OK.

Morant has said very little publicly since the second gun video was posted ... releasing just one statement that read, in part, "My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself."

An NBA investigation into the clip remains ongoing.

Dana White brought in some reinforcements ahead of Power Slap 2's super heavyweight matchup, hiring two of the strongest men in the world to serve as "catchers" for a matchup pitting two huge slappers, weighing nearly 900 lbs. total, against each other!

The Power Slap founder joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) where he previewed Wednesday night's Power Slap 2 event ... which opens with 470 lb. "Slap For Cash" trying to sleep 383 lb. Dayne "Da Hawaiian Hitman" Viernes.

That's 853 lbs. of man, hitting each other as hard as they possibly can ... and Dana says he wanted to make sure there were prepared for everything that could go wrong, including making sure they have someone on hand to catch a suddenly unconscious competitor.

"These guys are so big, you know those world strongman guys? We had to bring two of those guys in as catchers. Like two of the best, World's Strongest men are coming in to be the catchers for that match."

FYI, "catchers" do exactly what you think ... they're there to catch, or cushion the fall, of an unconscious competitor.

As for the men doing the catching ... the strongmen are Evan Singleton and Trey Mitchell. Singleton, 30, is 6'6", and weighs around 350 lbs. himself. Evan won the 2021 Arnold UK strongmen event, and finished 5th in this year's World's Strongest Man competition.

Mitchell, at 6'4" and 355 lbs., is just as huge. Trey holds the record for Thor's Hammer hold, gripping the 65 lb. weight at arm's length for 63 seconds. TM won the 2021 and 2022 Shaw Classic, and finished 4th in the 2023 WSM competition.

Dana says they also needed to make sure the equipment on stage could stand up to these 4 massive men, totaling over 1,550 lbs.

"We had to make sure [the stage] will hold that amount of weight, and it will. And the other thing, we actually had to have a backup in case they fall forward, and crush the table or break the table, we had to have a backup plan for the table in case that happens."

"These are all the things I had to think of for this thing!", Dana said.

"Take your lost like a man & stop crying."

That's Devin Haney ripping Vasiliy Lomachenko and his team days after winning a controversial decision against the future Hall of Famer in Las Vegas ... a fight many fans believe Loma should've won.

ICYMI, Haney won via unanimous decision ... with two judges scoring 115-113 (7 rounds to 5) and another giving it 116-112 (8 rounds to 4).

While the fight was razer close, Loma's team believes he clearly won ... and they wrote a letter ripping the judging for what was a fantastic night of boxing.

"Loma was denied this victory in the ring on Saturday," Vasiliy's manager Egis Klimas wrote. "He deserves the opportunity to be ranked #1 and to get another chance at realizing his goals as soon as possible."

Haney, the undisputed lightweight champ, caught wind of what Klimas said ... and he responded, using harsh words, and a photo of Loma crying after the fight.

"This guy is a f***ing sore loser," the 24-year-old said on Twitter. "Get this privilege sore loser out of boxing he makes excuses as he goes!"

"Take your lost like a man & stop crying.. it was set up for you to win for the 3rd time in your career & you failed!"

Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) also seemingly revealed that he was fined for pushing Lomachenko at weigh-ins ... and it was a 6-figures!!!

"Tell the commission to give me my 400k back for that push!" Haney demanded.

Ja Morant has fans concerned over a cryptic note shared to his social media account on Wednesday ... after the Memphis Grizzlies star showed love for his family before simply saying, "bye."

The messages were quickly deleted from the All-Star's Instagram page just minutes ago ... but screenshots have been shared all over, which have sparked thoughts and prayers being sent from his supporters.

Ja posted four different Instagram stories ... with tributes to his mom, dad and daughter before sharing the farewell note.

It's unclear if the post is a goodbye to social media or something much more serious ... as there's speculation he could be on hard times following his second gun-flashing video in just a few months.

23-year-old Morant was suspended last weekend after the second video surfaced ... and the NBA is currently investigating the matter. There's belief he could be facing a lengthy punishment from the league.

Commissioner Adam Silver said he was "shocked" by Morant's actions ... and while the league's still looking into the video, he's "expecting the worst."

We've reached out to reps for Morant, as well as local authorities -- so far, no word back.

Derek Jeter's on full-time daddy duty, but that didn't stop him from catching some playoff basketball, pulling up to Game 4 of the Heat vs. Celtics series in Miami with his wife Hannah ... just 18 days after their son was born!

And, HJ looks amazing!

Cameras captured The Captain throughout the evening ... as he chatted with his wife as the Celtics looked to avoid the sweep at the hands of Jimmy Butler's Heat squad.

Of course, DJ and Hannah -- who got married in 2016 -- have been on cloud nine since announcing their son, Kaius Green Jeter, was born on May 5.

The couple now has 4 kids.

Derek and Hannah weren't the only celeb in the building ... PGA Champion Brooks Koepka, actor Jeremy Piven, and Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards were there, too.

Derek's former Yankees teammate, Alex Rodriguez, a minority owner with the T-Wolves, was also at the game.

What's interesting ... no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit, but it has happened in baseball.

Ear muffs, Yankees fans.

Jeter and A-Rod starred on the infamous 2004 NYY team that blew a 3-0 lead to the Boston Red Sox, the first time in MLB history.

Several Yankees fans nearly got a lapful of peanuts, Cracker Jacks and squirrel out at the old ballgame Tuesday night -- and the Pinstripes supporters couldn't have been more mortified by it!!!

The Animal Planet-like scene all went down during New York's tilt against the Baltimore Orioles ... when, somehow, a squirrel broke into Yankee Stadium and took an in-game jaunt around the outfield.

First, it was seen posted up near the Yanks' bullpen ... then it was spotted in the center field grass. But, when it made its way near the stands, that's when all hell broke loose.

Check out video of rodent's run across an outfield wall -- fans were absolutely terrified to be so close to the creature!!

You can see most of the guys in the area had alarmed looks on their faces -- which is not too surprising ... considering New York is, after all, known as a concrete jungle.

Don't worry, no one was bit by the creature -- and as far we know, no squirrels were harmed during the game. Plus, the Yanks seemed to get some good mojo by it all ... going on to beat the O's, 6-5, in a walk-off thriller.

Brace yourself, hockey fans ... the last jersey NHL legend Wayne Gretzky wore during the final game of his historic career is being offered publicly for the first time, and the threads could be yours -- if you've got deep pockets!

TMZ Sports is told Gretzky's jersey -- which he had on in 1999 when he racked up his 2,857th point with an assist -- is now up for grabs at Grey Flannel Auctions.

Gretzky wore the jersey, which features his handwritten signature on the tag and the game date, "4-18-99", against the Penguins at Madison Square Garden, and although Wayne's Rangers team came up short, losing 2-1 in overtime, it was the "Great One's" emotional farewell that stole the night.

GFA says the iconic blue #99 jersey -- complete with the word "Rangers" on the front and "Gretzky" on the back -- shows signs of game use. John Rosasco, the Rangers' long-time Senior Vice President of Public Relations, authenticated the jersey with a letter to GFA.

Of course, Gretzky, who made 18 All-Star games, is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time ... and one of the best athletes to ever play a sport.

Just how amazing was he?

Wayne, the only player to score over 2,000 points, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame just months after retiring ... after officials waved the usual 3-year waiting period. The NHL also retired number 99 leaguewide ... making WG the only player in the NHL to have achieved that honor.

Michael Jordan's giving Floyd Mayweather's car collection a run for his money ... His Airness plunked down $3.5 MILLION on one of the rarest hypercars in the world, a Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster that goes OVER 300 MPH.

60-year-old Jordan got the special ride this week from Hennessey founder and CEO, John Hennessey, who posted photos with the NBA immortal on Instagram ... and the car is amazing.

"Today was a special day," Hennessey, one of the most respected minds in the automobile industry, said in the IG caption.

"Such an honor to build a special Venom F5 for a special friend 🐐"

The 2-seated Roadster -- which is based on the Venom F5 coupe -- is souped up with a massive twin-turbocharged, 6.6-liter, 'Fury' V8 engine that packs an incredible 1,817 horsepower.

The Texas-made car also has a tempered glass engine viewing window and according to the site, "can withstand aerodynamic forces exceeding 300 mph and temperatures beyond 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit."

"This panel, in the middle of the rear engine cover, spotlights the massive ‘Fury’ V8 engine in all its glory," the company said on the site.

"Its engineering was no simple task – developed and certified for use in jet aircraft."

The ride -- known as a hypercar -- also comes with lightweight, aluminum wheels that have the words "Hennessey" and "Roadster" scripted on the outer face of each rim.

Jordan's new Venom F5 is one of 30 made ... and Hennessey expects it to be the "world's fastest convertible."

The current record is held by the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder at 265.6 mph.

"The Roadster version takes the Coupe’s speed, exhilaration, and awe, plus a sprinkling of respect-inducing fear, to a new, truly visceral level that brings owners closer to the Venom F5®’s extreme performance," Hennessey said.

You knew Aaron Rodgers liked ayahuasca, darkness retreats, and crystals ... but did you know the quarterback got down with gym, tan, laundry, and T-shirt time too?!?

It's true ... the new NY Jets star admitted Tuesday out at organized team activities that he was, indeed, a superfan of "Jersey Shore."

In fact, the 39-year-old called it "one of the greatest shows" ever!!!

Rodgers' talk with reporters about the classic MTV hit all came about because he said he knew next to nothing about New Jersey prior to his trade from Green Bay -- outside of what he had seen Pauly D, Snooki, and The Situation get into on the NJ-based show.

"The only Jersey I kinda knew about besides Teterboro was 'Jersey Shore,'" Rodgers said with a laugh. "I was assured that was not a proper representation of this state."

Then he explained he couldn't have been a bigger consumer of the reality TV hit -- telling media members he had actually chastised his 30-year-old teammate, C.J. Uzomah, earlier in the day for not being aware of JWoww, Ronnie, Sammi Sweetheart, and all the other cast members who made the show legendary.

"I said 'How can you not watch the show?!'" Rodgers said.

Rodgers went on to say he was such a big supporter of it all, he used to go see Pauly D perform DJ sets in Las Vegas back in the day.

Jeff Bezos clearly timed his big proposal to Lauren Sanchez to align with the maiden voyage of his spectacular superyacht and their grand arrival in the French Riviera ... because shortly after landing in Spain last week, he did the deed!!!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Jeff pulled out the 20-carat sparkler on dry land, somewhere in Spain ... we believe either Ibiza or Mallorca. We're told the proposal was private -- just the 2 of them -- and boy, did they keep a secret for a few days.

Check out our gallery. Sanchezos arrived in Mallorca by private jet on May 15 and that's where they first boarded the ship.

They headed to Ibiza May 17 ... check out the photo -- she has a ring, but it's turned around so you can't see the enormous rock.

Fast forward to May 20, when the yacht pulled into French waters, where they headed to Antibes. This is the now-famous butt-slapping pic with the newly-engaged couple.

From there they headed the next day to Cannes, and this is where we see Lauren with her hand on the railing of the ship. The ring is impossible to miss.

As for why Lauren finally turned the ring so the rock was visible ... the secret was out once their guests arrived ... guests including her ex, Tony Gonzalez.

Sanchezos celebrated Monday night on dry land, looking very much in love and super swanky.

CONGRATS!!!

Odell Beckham Jr. is off the hook in his assault case ... prosecutors said this week they will NOT hit him with criminal charges after concluding their investigation into the allegations against the NFL star.

The probe initially kicked off back in April -- after a woman alleged Beckham put his hand around her neck during an encounter at Delilah, a popular restaurant in Los Angeles.

The woman, according to law enforcement, claimed the 30-year-old Super Bowl champion went up to her and grabbed her throat with light pressure.

But, prosecutors said on Tuesday surveillance video from the lounge "contradicts the complaining witness' account of events."

"The video does not capture any battery," prosecutors added.

Officials also said there were no other witnesses who could corroborate the alleged victim's story ... explaining that even a friend of the complainant -- who they said was standing next to Beckham and the woman during the alleged incident -- did not see an assault take place.

According to prosecutors, there was simply "insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."

As we reported, Beckham was adamant all along that he had done nothing wrong. The restaurant's owner, John Terzian, called the claims bogus as well.