TMZ Sports - Page 50

Wanna see a World Series game for just a few hundred bucks?!

This is apparently the year for that ... 'cause Dodgers vs. Rays tickets are cheap as hell!!!

Multiple ticket exchange agencies are reporting alarmingly low prices for this year's Fall Classic ... with seats for Tuesday night's Game 1 in Texas selling for as low as $290 a piece!!

Of course, it ain't exactly chump change ... but given most years' World Series prices are in the 4-figure range for seats -- it's a great deal!!!

The World Series is being played at neutral site Globe Life Field in Arlington due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... and MLB says it's allowing 11,500 fans to attend games.

The issue ... the Dodgers and Rays play nowhere near the stadium -- so demand for tix ain't exactly soaring.

According to StubHub ... Game 2 tickets on Wednesday night can be bought for as low as $375 apiece, while Games 3 through 7 are currently going for as low as around $500 per chair.

As for safety at the event if you do swoop up the tickets ... MLB officials have established strict COVID guidelines for in-person attendance.

The league is only selling tickets in 4-person pods ... with each pod 6 feet away from the next. And, concession stands are selling only pre-packaged food.

Masks are mandatory as well ... because, duh.

Cops are on the hunt for the person who opened fire at a youth football game in Jacksonville -- killing a 27-year-old man and wounding his 7-year-old son.

Video shows the moment the shooting took place Sunday at the football fields next to Arlington Heights Elementary School.

The footage does NOT show either of the victims.

You can see dozens of children playing football while their families watch -- and then all of the sudden, 4 gunshots ring out.

Cops describe the shooter as a man wearing a hoodie and a mask -- who jumped out of a grey SUV and fired the shots, before jumping back in the vehicle and driving away.

Officials believe it was NOT a random shooting -- they believe the 27-year-old victim was targeted.

During the shooting, most of the football players dropped to the ground to avoid being hit. Moments later, everyone on the field took off running, trying desperately to leave the area.

When the dust settled cops say the 27-year-old victim was killed in the attack -- and a 7-year-old boy (believed to be his son) was also shot, but he's expected to recover.

The Astros are STILL employing a bunch of cheatin'-ass cheaters ... despite having "pretty clear" evidence of who the bad apples are -- so says the team's ex-GM, Jeff Luhnow.

The 53-year-old -- who was fired for his alleged role in the team's 2017 sign-stealing scandal -- made the revelation in a lengthy interview with KPRC 2 that aired Monday.

"It’s pretty clear who was involved in the video decoding scheme, when it started, how often it happened, and basically when it ended," Luhnow said.

"And it’s also pretty clear who was not involved. And I don’t know why that information, that evidence, wasn’t discussed in the ruling, wasn’t used."

Luhnow continued, "The people who were involved that didn’t leave naturally to go to other teams are all still employed by the Astros."

In fact, Luhnow claims one of the "intimately involved" cheaters that he had demoted during his time as GM was actually re-promoted in the aftermath of MLB's punishments.

"None of those people faced any repercussions," Luhnow said. "They weren’t discussed in the report, but the evidence is all there that they were involved.”

As we previously reported ... MLB officials dropped the hammer on Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch after the probe into cheating allegations was completed in January -- with the league suspending both men from the game each for one year.

The suspensions ultimately led to their firings from the 'Stros ... but Luhnow claims he got a raw deal in it all.

Luhnow says he has tons of documents, emails and messages proving he had NO awareness of a cheating scandal ... and he even says he offered to take a lie-detector test to prove it.

But, Jeff says he believes commissioner Rob Manfred overlooked it all to make him a fall guy for the scandal ... and he's clearly pissed about it.

"I think the investigation was not attempting to really uncover who did what, and who was really responsible," Luhnow said. "The goal of the investigation was to deliver punishments that Rob could feel good about and that would calm the panic."

Jeff added, "They had to create a case they felt good enough about in order to punish me.”

FYI, players received immunity from punishment for their cooperation in the investigation.

You know you messed up when O.J. Simpson thinks he has the moral high ground on you.

The Juice decided to take time away from his search for the real killer Monday to tee off on Jeffrey Toobin ... clowning the CNN analyst for his Zoom penis incident.

As we previously reported, the lawyer, author and legal analyst exposed himself on Zoom last week during a work call with the New Yorker staff and WNYC radio.

Toobin claims he thought he was not visible to others on the call, and thought he was on mute as well.

Spoiler: He was not.

Enter O.J. ... who made a video mocking Toobin over the incident.

"Damn, Jeffrey Toobin," Simpson said ...  "At least Pee-wee Herman was in an X-Rated movie theater, I'm just sayin'."

The reference ... Pee-wee actor Paul Reubens was arrested in 1991 for masturbating in an adult movie theater in Florida.

There's a connection between O.J. and Toobin -- Toobin famously wrote the 1997 book, "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson."

The book was later adapted into the FX TV series, "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" ... which portrayed Simpson as the obvious person who killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.

Simpson's video did not go over well with some of Toobin's co-workers -- including CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who fired back at the ex-NFL star on social media.

"I think [Teofimo Lopez] is the future in the lightweight division and there’s a lot of great fights out there for him -- including our very own Ryan Garcia, which would be a massive, massive fight."

That's Oscar De La Hoya already trying to line up a fight between Teofimo Lopez and Ryan Garcia ... explaining it would be an instant classic that would be HUGE for the sport.

Oscar tells TMZ Sports he was incredibly impressed with Teo's victory this weekend over Vasyl Lomachenko -- a fighter many considered the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet.

"If you saw the fight, Lomachenko came in strong toward the end, but it was too late," Oscar says ... "Teofimo looked amazing. He stepped it up. He showed his true colors."

Of course, Oscar is one of the top promoters in boxing and reps Ryan Garcia -- one of the top young fighters in the game.

Garcia is 22. Teo is 23 ... and Oscar says a clash between these two young superstars seems inevitable and would be amazing!

"That’ll be like Fernando Vargas vs. De La Hoya all over again, bro … I mean that's a classic!"

Garcia is 20-0 with 17 knockouts -- though he's gearing up for a big fight in December against Luke Campbell, a guy who went the distance with Loma in 2019.

Garcia fights at lightweight -- and Lopez just became the unified lightweight world champion. So, the weight class wouldn't be an issue.

Look, Teofimo has said he wants big fights -- and if Garcia gets through Campbell ... Garcia would be a very attractive opponent.

"I think both guys are skilled, amazing fighters. That will be a classic," Oscar says.

Meanwhile, Oscar is keeping busy by raising money for the Oscar De La Hoya Foundation, which contributes to schools and hospitals in East L.A.

NASCAR has officially reinstated Kyle Larson after his infamous n-word incident -- clearing the way for the 28-year-old to race again in 2021 ... but there are a BUNCH of catches.

Remember, Larson was fired by the Chip Ganassi Racing team and dropped by his sponsors after he called a teammate the n-word during a virtual race back in April -- not realizing his audio was streaming out to thousands of people on Twitch.

NASCAR suspended Larson indefinitely at the time while it figured out how to handle the situation.

But, after 6 months in the penalty box, the racing org. announced Monday that Larson has been formally reinstated and can return to the track on January 1, 2021 ... but he's essentially on probation until 2023.

NASCAR says in addition to completing a sensitivity training course -- he must continue "to take further training and engagement classes through 2023."

Larson must also complete several NASCAR speaking engagements through 2023 ... where he will "share his experiences with NASCAR’s weekly series, e-sports and dirt-racing communities."

There's more ... Larson has also been ordered to continue his work with the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia and Rev Racing, providing coaching and mentorship for those initiatives.

Larson has agreed to all of the demands -- so NASCAR has given him the green light to resume his pro racing career.

The issue now for Larson -- is there a team willing to give him a second chance?

The driver appeared on "CBS This Morning" last week and told James Brown he felt horrible for what he said but was adamant he's not a racist.

Larson says he didn't realize why the word was so offensive and has pledged to never use it again.

The NFL is NOT dropping the hammer on the Tennessee Titans for alleged COVID-19 protocol violations that may have led to an outbreak ... but they may have to cough up some cash.

24 members of the Titans organization -- including 13 players -- have tested positive for coronavirus since Sept. 24. Tennessee has been hit harder by the pandemic than any other team in the NFL.

During the outbreak, there were reports that several players met at a local school for an unauthorized workout which allegedly violated the NFL's COVID policy.

The NFL investigated those allegations -- along with other allegations -- and have finally wrapped up their probe, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and others.

"NFL informed the Titans that their review now has concluded. Team was fully cooperative. Inspected facility and found it be in compliance," Schefter reported.

"There were incidents of people not wearing masks. There was insufficient communication regarding player workouts outside facility."

Aa for NFL punishment, people have speculated the NFL could go hard at the Titans to send a message to the rest of the league ... but Schefter says that's unlikely at this point.

"Individuals will not be disciplined, there is no discussion of forfeiture of draft picks. Titans’ organization will face a potential fine."

So, that's it -- ownership will likely cut a check ... and the team will continue the season as if nothing happened.

The SSC Tuatara has officially been crowned the "fastest production vehicle" EVER ... this after the supercar hit a staggering 331 mph on a Nevada highway earlier this month!

The rocket-ship-on-wheels took off on Oct. 10 on State Route 160 just outside of Las Vegas ... with its sights set on crushing a world record.

And, after a week and a half of analyzing data and confirming times ... officials say the car did exactly that.

SSC says its 1,750hp Tuatara ran two test runs to pull off the accomplishment ... hitting 301.07 mph one way and then 331.15 mph on the way back for an average of 316.11 mph.

Officials say that feat is good enough to dub the car the fastest production ride of all-time ... topping the Agera RS's 2017 mark of 277.9 mph.

And, get this ... the dude who drove the Tuatara says it could've gone even faster!!

"The car wasn’t running out of steam yet," Oliver Webb said of when he got the ride to 331. "The crosswinds are all that prevented us from realizing the car’s limit."

By the way, check out footage of Webb hitting the 331-mph mark ... it's intense as hell!

Taraji P. Henson is officially single again ... the actress confirmed she's splitting up with her fiance.

Taraji revealed the news Monday while on "The Breakfast Club" and inferred she and Kelvin Hayden may have hit a rocky patch, so she suggested going to therapy to work on the relationship. But, ultimately ... Taraji said they weren't on the same page when it came to that.

She said, "I’m dedicated to the black man, y’all. I just turned 50 and I mean, I hadn’t said it yet, but it didn’t work out. I tried. I was like, therapy. Let's do the therapy thing, but if you're both not on the same page with that then you feel like you're taking it on yourself and that's not a fair position for anybody to play in a relationship."

Hayden, a former NFL cornerback, and Henson got engaged back in May 2018. They were reportedly set to get married in June but nixed those plans due to the pandemic.

Rumors started last month the pair were on the fritz ... after Hayden was NOT part of Henson's 50th birthday event in Mexico.

A normally calm Nick Foles was absolutely JACKED UP after the Bears' big win Sunday ... and the quarterback says it's all in part because of Meek Mill!!

Here's the deal ... Foles helped lead Chicago to a 23-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers -- and he says when he got back to the Bears' locker room, the DJ fired up "Dreams and Nightmares."

Of course ... that was Foles' Philadelphia Eagles team's anthem when they won the Super Bowl in 2018 -- so he went CRAZY!!

"It reminded me of Philly a little bit," 31-year-old Foles said. "So that, I'm not going to lie, that got my juices going. So, shout-out to Meek."

Nick continued, "I might've got up and danced a little bit. I'm used to -- I'm more like country, maybe some Christian rap. But, I'll tell you what, if Meek comes on with that song, I get rollin'!"

Nick didn't have his best game ever in the win ... completing just 23 of his 39 passes for 198 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT -- but the dude did ultimately move his squad to 5-1 this season.

Better than 1-4-1 in Philly, right?

By the way, Foles ain't wrong about the Meek track ... it's still FIRE!!

France's premiere soccer league -- Ligue 1 -- will pay tribute to the teacher who was killed last week in a terror attack in Paris, officials say.

47-year-old Samuel Paty -- a history teacher at Collège du Bois d'Aulne -- was attacked and beheaded on Friday while walking home from work.

Officials say the killer is 18-year-old Abdoullakh Abouyezidovitch -- who was upset Paty used caricatures of the prophet Muhammad during recent lessons.

Cops tracked down the suspect after the killing -- but when they approached, he allegedly opened fire with an airgun.

Officers fired back -- striking Abouyezidovitch 9 times, killing him. Cops say Abouyezidovitch confessed to the murder before his death.

The story has been headline news in France (and around the world) for the past few days.

Now, Ligue 1 -- home of legendary teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and more -- says the entire league will honor Paty's memory this upcoming weekend with moments of silence, armbands and more. Ligue 2 will also participate in the tributes.

"Before the matches kick off, a minute's silence will be observed in tribute to the history and geography professor beheaded on Friday in the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine attack and his portrait will be shown on giant screens in the stadiums," league officials said in a statement.

"During the match, all the players in the game (players, coaches, referees) will wear a black armband to pay tribute to him."

President Trump is taking the gloves off against his top COVID-19 specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and throwing his expertise out the window ... this after the doc, arguably, went on the attack on "60 Minutes."

POTUS had a press phone conference Monday, and let the insults fly against Fauci ... who he suggested was one of many "idiots" advising the White House and the public on the pandemic. He even said people were tired of hearing the guy ... plain and simple.

Reporters on the call said Trump called each of Dr. Fauci's media appearances a "bomb," but mused that firing him would cause more political fallout ... especially this close to the election. He also sarcastically referred to Fauci as a "wonderful sage" who's been around for "500 years."

Age shade from the 74-year-old.

Trump clearly feels it's time for Fauci to go, as he added ... "People are tired of COVID ... People are tried of hearing Fauci and all these idiots."

There's been tension between Trump and Fauci for months, but as for why Trump's going all out now -- blame it on "60 Minutes," perhaps.

Dr. Fauci did a thorough segment on that show Sunday and touched on a number of things COVID-related -- including a claim the White House had restricted him in recent months from doing more interviews to get the word out about the virus.

Fauci also talked about Trump's positive diagnosis, and how there seemed to be a war on science and authority ... which he implied had been sparked by the President while in office.

The gloves are off.

Shareef O'Neal -- Shaq's son -- just revealed his second Kobe Bryant tribute tattoo ... showing off the ankle ink in a social media post Sunday.

The LSU basketball player had already gotten a calf tattoo to honor the NBA legend ... but O'Neal clearly felt that wasn't enough and underwent the needle for more Mamba art recently.

And, the new tat came out great ... it's a depiction of a famous image of Kobe celebrating -- and it looks real as hell!!

As we previously reported ... Shareef was devastated over the passing of Bryant -- sharing that he actually received text messages from Kobe just hours before the tragic helicopter crash.

In an emotional post days after Bryant's passing, Shareef reflected on everything his father's former star teammate meant to him.

"You always wanted me to be the best I could be," Shareef wrote. "you always made sure I was happy, you put me before you put yourself and when we had our moments you made me feel like I was great."

"I love you , I thank you , I miss you."

Kobe Bryant's legacy will live on at the Smithsonian -- where his jersey from the 2008 NBA Finals now hangs at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Bryant wore the jersey in Game 5 of the '08 NBA Finals -- the night the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics. Kobe dropped 25 that night.

The Celtics ended up winning the series (remember the Kevin Garnett "Anything is possible" moment?). Kobe was named MVP of the league that season. Plus Mamba led the Lakers to the NBA title in 2009 and 2010.

Kobe -- a founding donor of NMAAHC -- later donated his Game 5 jersey where it will now be featured in an installation called, "Sports: Leveling the Playing Field."

The text next to the jersey reads, "In 1996, Kobe Bryant became the first guard to successfully make the leap from high school to the National Basketball Association. At the time, experts were skeptical that high school wing players could compete in the NBA. His success ushered in the modern era of younger players in the league."

Kobe was a huge supporter of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. -- he was a founding donor.

In fact, Smithsonian officials say the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation has contributed more than $1 million to NMAAHC over the years.

"As a founding donor, [Kobe] understood the significance of this museum to the nation and the world," museum official Spencer Crew said.

"After postponing the March installation due to COVID-19, we believe now is the perfect moment in history to honor his memory by placing his jersey on view."

FYI, Bryant’s jersey will be on view next to a pair of LeBron James 15 “Equality” sneakers by Nike, museum officials say.

Principe Aéreo -- a star wrestler in Mexico -- died at 26 years old after collapsing in the ring during a match over the weekend.

The tragic scene all went down Saturday at Arena San Juan Pantitlan in Mexico City during a Mexa Wrestling event.

Principe -- real name Luis Ángel Salazar -- was performing in a tag-team match ... and everything appeared to be going smoothly.

The luchador was hamming it up for the crowd ... and then took two slaps to the chest and a kick to the stomach -- when suddenly he appeared to faint onto the mat.

Video showed his opponent and the in-ring ref immediately knew something was very wrong ... and within minutes, the wrestler was reportedly rushed out of the building by medical personnel.

Sadly, Salazer did not survive ... with MasLucha.com saying an official medical report revealed the wrestler suffered a "ruptured middle cerebral artery."

The wrestling world was shocked by the news ... with Mick Foley tweeting his condolences Sunday.

"Rest in peace Principe," the ex-WWE superstar said.

Other wrestling events in Mexico held moments of applause to honor Salazar -- who had reportedly begun wrestling a decade ago.

Fly, fists, fly??

Here's video of Eagles fans throwing violent haymakers at each other while breaking every COVID-19 protocol in the book during Philly's loss to Baltimore on Sunday.

Unclear what prompted the massive brawl in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly ... but the fight was INSANE.

A man in a Carson Wentz jersey climbed down about 10 rows of seats to get to another man ... and he let the punches go as soon as he got in striking range.

The two traded blows for a few seconds ... when suddenly ANOTHER man came into the melee and started throwing bombs of his own!

Other fans were eventually able to break up the scrum ... and, fortunately, despite the violence, nobody appeared to be too injured.

The Eagles had JUST been given the green light to allow a very limited number of people to attend Sunday's game ... and protocols stated fans were supposed to stay in their pods, wear masks and social distance at all times.

But, Philly is gonna Philly ... even in a pandemic. Let's just be happy no police horses were punched in the face this time.