TMZ Sports - Page 50

It's been 3 days since Kevin Pillar was drilled in the nose by a 94-MPH fastball ... and yeah, his face still looks like hell.

The MLB star showed off another selfie of the battle wounds he suffered after Jacob Webb accidentally pounded his mug with a heater during the Mets-Braves game on Monday night ... and it's still VERY bad.

You can see in the pic, Pillar's got two awful black eyes ... and the scrape on his nose is still bloody.

His whole face, meanwhile, is puffed up like a marshmallow -- but somehow, the dude still appears to be in great spirits.

"For those who have been asking: Still feeling good," the 32-year-old Mets outfielder captioned his pic.

"Ready to get my nose functional again so I can breathe out of it. Will be back soon!"

As we previously reported, the Mets say Pillar suffered multiple nasal fractures after he was hit by the pitch ... and have said he's meeting with doctors and specialists to see how to proceed with the injury going forward.

Pillar, meanwhile, said the day after the incident he wanted to get back to the field ASAP.

Jana Kramer's been named the primary residential parent of her 2 kids in her divorce with Mike Caussin ... but we’ve learned she's agreed to keep dishing out the dough.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the country singer will have primary residential custody of the ex-couple's children -- 5-year-old Jolie and 2-year-old Jace -- 240 days out of the year ... while the former NFL tight end gets them 125 days.

So, Jana gets more parenting time, but she’s also agreed to pay Mike $3,200 per month in child support because her income is $166k monthly while his is only $8k ... according to the docs.

In addition, Kramer's agreed to pay her estranged husband $592,400 as part of their property settlement ... but she doesn't have to fork over any spousal support.

As you may know ... the country and former "One Tree Hill" star announced her split from Caussin in April after nearly 6 years of marriage, saying it was time. She wrote ... "I've fought y'all. I've loved hard. I've forgiven. I've put the work in. I've given everything I have, and now I have nothing else to give."

There will be no Rob Gronkowski-like return for Julian Edelman -- not now nor ever -- so says the former Patriots star, who claims he's REALLY retired.

Rumors of a possible reunion with Tom Brady in Tampa at some point in the future have still swirled despite the 32-year-old's retirement announcement last month ... but JE insists he's seriously done.

Edelman -- who still certainly appears to have game left in his body -- broke it all down for Michael Irvin on The Michael Irvin Podcast this week, explaining he simply doesn't want to push his body any further.

“My knee's breaking down," he said. "I’m not going to sit here, you know, I got everything I want. I got three rings. Played in a magical dynasty with an unbelievable franchise, coach, best quarterback of all time, like, yo, I’m not a greedy guy."

Edelman continued, "I'm not going to sit out there and look like some old dude in an old BIKE knee brace and ankle braces -- you know the old guy? I don't want to look like that, man. I can't do that."

Some of Edelman's closest friends clearly are having a hard time believing him ... Gronk told TMZ Sports just a few weeks ago there was a "69% chance" Edelman joins him on the Bucs eventually.

And, even Brady joked about an Edelman reunion in Tampa during the NFL draft weekend last month too.

But, Edelman -- who's taken a gig as an analyst on Inside the NFL since announcing his retirement -- swears that just ain't happenin'.

This is no stunt to Anderson Silva ... the MMA legend says he's been training his ass off for his June 19 fight against Julio César Chávez Jr. -- preparing for an all-out war.

We broke the story ... 46-year-old Silva is all set to fight 35-year-old Chávez Jr. at Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Silva was known as one of the top strikers during his UFC career -- but he hasn't taken a pro boxing match since 2005 ... while Chavez is 52-5-1 as a pro and scored a victory over Jeyson Minda in his latest fight back in Nov. 2020.

We spoke with Silva at his open workout in L.A. this week -- and safe to say, he's VERY excited for the scrap.

"I'm working hard and I'm going to put my heart into this fight," Silva told us ... "I know it's tough because boxing is different. I've never fought in this same level in boxing but I'm preparing my mind, I'm preparing my body."

"The secret I think for me is how much you love doing this and I love it a lot."

Silva says he's also honored to be on the same card as his opponent's father -- boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., one of the sport's all-time greats.

"I'm very excited because Julio Cesar Chavez is a legend in this sport and for me, I'm on the same card for this legend?! ... I'm happy!"

There's more ... Silva also talked about the possibility of a future boxing match with Conor McGregor, his message to Chris Weidman if he thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov will ever fight again.

Move over, Jerry World ... Dan Snyder says he's in the process of building his own massive palace for his Washington Football Team -- telling TMZ Sports he expects to have it all done by 2027!!!

The WFT owner was in Los Angeles this week scoping out SoFi Stadium to draw inspiration for the new project ... and he explained to us he's got "big plans" for the building.

The logistics, though, are still murky ... Snyder says they don't have a tentative location or any sort of blueprints yet -- but he and WFT President Jason Wright said they're fired up for it all regardless.

"We're touring stadiums," Snyder said. "We're coming West Coast and touring. There's about 12 of us and we're just looking to build a new venue back home in D.C., Virginia, Maryland."

"So, we're everywhere. Jason, our whole group, 12 of us, we're having some fun and looking at the future."

Snyder says the stadium tour will take them all the way to Europe too ... explaining they hope to get all kinds of ideas for the new "state of the art" facility in the D.C. area.

"We're taking inspiration from everywhere," Wright said. "Because if we're going to do something that our fans really deserve -- which is cutting edge and innovative -- we're going to take in all the ideas. So, we're absorbing."

As for if the team will have a new name by the time the stadium opens ... both Wright and Snyder said they weren't sure of that -- but insisted the search for a permanent moniker is going well.

IT'S TEBOW TIME IN JACKSONVILLE!!!

Tim Tebow has formally signed his 1-year contract with the Jaguars to begin his journey as an NFL tight end -- and is expected to work out with the team STARTING TODAY!!

33-year-old Tebow -- who hasn't worked out with an NFL team since a brief stint with Eagles in 2015 -- says he's ready to compete for a roster spot.

"I want to thank the Jaguars for the opportunity to compete and earn the chance to be part of this team," Tebow said Thursday morning.

"I know it will be a challenge, but it is a challenge I embrace."

He added, "I am dedicated to taking the direction of our coaching staff and learning from my teammates. I appreciate everyone's support as I embark on this new journey."

Tebow will rock #85 on his jersey for Thursday's practice -- though NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says the number could change if he makes the roster.

Tebow is facing a steep uphill battle to make the roster considering he was drafted as QB back in 2010 ... and spent the past 5 years playing minor league baseball for the NY Mets organization.

Will he be able to make an impact? NFL tight end Marcedes Lewis told us he thinks Tebow has a legitimate shot.

How much does CC Sabathia HATE Tony La Russa for the Yermin Mercedes drama in Chicago?

"This s*** is terrible. He shouldn't be f***ing managing that team ... s*** is stupid as f***."

Yeah, that much.

The former New York Yankees superstar went absolutely IN on the White Sox manager Thursday ... blasting the 76-year-old on his 'R2C2' podcast for starting unnecessary beef with his players.

If you missed it ... the whole ordeal boils down to this -- Mercedes hit a home run off a position player on a 3-0 count in a blowout win over the Twins earlier this week.

And, while nobody seemed to have an issue with it ('cause, ya know, it was a 15-4 game and a position player was pitching) -- La Russa decided to railroad Yermin anyway.

The manager publicly called out his rookie and said he'd punish the young, budding star for the swing. Which, of course, ultimately led to the Twins throwing at Yermin in their ensuing matchup.

Fast forward to Thursday ... and Sabathia could not have been more upset at La Russa for igniting the entire situation.

"Tony La Russa's out of touch with the game, cuz," Sabathia said. "He should not be managing one of the best teams in the American League. Period."

CC continued, "You got a rookie that's basically been carrying your f***ing team these first six weeks of the season, this guy's been carrying you and now you don't have a problem with the f***ing weird-ass Minnesota Twins throwing behind one of your biggest hitters?! That's just f***ing stupid."

CC then went in on the Twins for the situation too ... saying, "I was so mad, cuz. Then I was re-pissed off yesterday when [Tyler Duffey's] weird ass threw behind him!"

"You guys look f***ing stupid," CC said of the Twins. "You guys were losing 15-4, cuz! ... Play better! You guys f***ing suck!"

Nationals manager Dave Martinez LOST HIS DAMN MIND after an awful call in a game Wednesday ... screaming, yelling, and even throwing and kicking a base!!!

The epic outburst all went down in the 7th inning of the Nats' game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field ... when after Trea Turner was inexplicably called out due to his route to first base, Martinez exploded.

Dave CLEARLY felt his star shortstop had taken a perfectly acceptable path ... and then began a tirade for the ages.

He screamed at the home plate ump ... demonstrated Turner's run himself -- and then pulled the base straight out of the ground and spiked it!!!

He wasn't done there, though ... 'cause then he kicked the hell out of the base so far that it nearly landed in the dugout!!

Martinez was then obviously ejected and he's now subject to both a fine AND a suspension ... but afterward, he really didn't seem to care about any of it.

Martinez ripped the call -- and implied he'd continue throwing temper tantrums if umps made similar rulings down the road.

"Honestly, I am beside myself now with this whole out-of-the-baseline thing, I really am," Martinez said, adding ... "I'm over it. I really am over it."

"I'm tired of it. I'm going to argue a thousand times when that happens. I really am. I'm sick of it. I mean, you guys saw it. It's a brutal call. And I'm done hiding it."

If this all sounds familiar ... it's because it is -- Turner and Martinez were involved in a nearly identical situation back in the 2019 World Series!

In that game, Trea was also called out for running inside the baseline ... and Martinez was also promptly ejected for arguing.

Seems all of the bitchin' and moanin' is working for Dave, though ... his team went on to win the World Series that year -- and the Nats won Wednesday night too!

Jake Paul is following in the footsteps of boxing legends like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao ... he just signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime Sports.

Both Jake and the network have confirmed the deal -- which also means Paul's run with Triller is over for now.

No word on how much money Paul will pocket from his new contract with Showtime -- or when he's expected to get in the ring.

But, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reports the two sides are in "advanced talks" about locking in Paul's next opponent -- as well as a date and location.

Also, no word on how much cash Paul will make from the contract.

But, it's huge news for the 24-year-old YouTube sensation who's been destroying opponents like Nate Robinson and Ben Askren since turning his focus to the sweet science a few years back.

Paul -- who's now 3-0 as a pro -- was the main event for the Triller Fight Club PPV event on April 17, when he knocked out Askren in the 1st round.

Paul bragged the event pulled in more than 1 million PPV buys -- which is massive ... begging the question, why would Triller let him walk?

Triller honcho Ryan Kavanaugh told The Athletic's Mike Coppinger there were NO plans for Paul to headline a card moving forward and the April event was simply a novelty.

"Paul being anything other than an undercard for us would change it from novelty to unacceptable,” Kavanaugh told Coppinger.

He also commented on Showtime signing Paul -- "Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery."

As for Jake, he's fired up about the move -- saying, "BOUTTA PUT ON ANOTHER SHOW."

Gotta hand it to the New England Patriots ... once again using their resources to help combat the global COVID pandemic.

This time, Robert Kraft's team sent the Patriots jet to El Salvador to deliver 500,000 doses of the COVID vaccine.

Photos show the plane at Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport on Tuesday delivering the payload ... great news for a country that's been trying to roll out the vaccine to its 6.4 million citizens.

So far, El Salvador has recorded more than 71,000 cases and 2,100 deaths. The CDC has issued the country a "3" rating, which indicates a high level of COVID, noting "travelers should avoid all nonessential travel" to El Salvador.

Officials in El Salvador have said the country is on track to reach its goal of immunizing the entire population "very soon" ... thanks, in part, to the Patriots.

Back in April 2020 -- and the beginning of the pandemic -- Kraft sent the Patriots team jet to China to bring back more than 1.2 million N95 masks to distribute to people in need in the U.S.

Sure, you can hate the team on the field ... but gotta hand it to the Patriots for making a real impact off of it.

LeBron James says he was damn near BLIND during his game-winning shot Wednesday night ... explaining to reporters his eye injury had him seeing "3 rims!"

The Lakers superstar had been poked in the left peeper just minutes before he uncorked a 3-pointer to beat the Warriors in their play-in game at Staples ... and Bron said the injury was so bad, he barely had any vision when he pulled up for the big shot.

"The first thing I did when KCP kicked it out, I looked at the shot clock," LeBron told reporters after his team's huge 103-100 victory.

"The second thing I saw was three rims from being poked in the eye on that previous possession when I drove to the hole and then in transition. So, I just aimed for the middle one."

The shot was incredible -- it was about 5 feet beyond the 3-point line -- and when ya factor in the pressure AND what his face had just gone through ... it's pretty big time.

Even Drake loved it!!!

As for the injury going forward, LeBron was clearly fortunate to have escaped serious issues ... 'cause after he was jabbed by Draymond Green on the possession prior to the game-winner, things did NOT look good for L.A. or its superstar.

But, LeBron -- with his eye clearly watering and swelling -- said after the game he expects to be all right as the Lakers move on into the playoffs.

Bombshell news out of Argentina where SEVEN people have been charged with homicide in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona.

Maradona passed away back in November from heart failure -- just 2 weeks after undergoing brain surgery. He was only 60.

The Maradona family had suspected there was something fishy behind his death -- which led to a special investigation into the situation.

Police in Argentina raided the house and private clinic of Dr. Leopoldo Luque (the surgeon who performed the brain operation) in the days following Maradona's death -- and clearly, they believe they found enough evidence to prove criminal wrongdoing.

Now, prosecutors in San Isidro, Argentino have announced 7 people -- including Dr. Luque -- have been charged with "simple homicide with eventual intent," according to ESPN.

The other 6 people facing charges include Maradona's psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov -- along with 2 nurses and other medical professionals.

If convicted, they each face up to 25 years in prison.

According to reports, prosecutors believe there is evidence showing Maradona received insufficient medical care following the brain surgery.

In other words, they believe Maradona's death could have been prevented had the medical team performed their jobs correctly.

It's unclear WHY prosecutors believe the medical team, failed to perform their duties -- some have suggested a nefarious motive.

Torah Bright says her handstand breastfeeding wasn't meant to bring anyone down -- and despite some mothers apparently feeling that way ... there were even more who were supportive.

The Olympic gold medalist snowboarder will be on "TMZ Live'" Thursday to clear up her M.O. behind the now-viral photo -- which shows her balancing herself upside down topless, with her baby boy latching on to her breast and sucking away.

There were A LOT of reactions to it ... including good old-fashioned, pearl-clutching indignation -- but as Torah explains here, there were also some moms who genuinely felt they were being shamed for not being as fit and/or capable of doing something similar.

For anyone who might've perceived it like that ... Torah's here to set the record straight, telling us that was NOT her goal in posting this, noting everyone's breastfeeding experience is different -- and that she was simply sharing her own in a way she thought was fun. She also says it's a testament to the bond between mother and son.

That leads us to her next point ... which is that as big of a "backlash" she got from this, there was more love she says she got that toppled it -- which is great to hear.

The man who bleeds Denver orange and Colts blue is now throwing his support behind Green Bay ... with Peyton Manning telling TMZ Sports he'd REALLY like to see the Packers resolve the drama with Aaron Rodgers.

We got the future Hall of Famer out at Dulles on Wednesday ... and he explained to us that he'd prefer it if Rodgers stayed put with the Packers.

"When I think of Aaron, I think of him as a Green Bay Packer," Manning said. "Hopefully they can get it worked out."

Of course, things currently aren't looking super promising for GB in that department ... because while Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been begging for a Rodgers return, the star QB has been vacationing in Hawaii, seemingly dug in on his trade demands.

Manning -- who had to famously leave the Colts for the Broncos at the end of his career -- told us he knows a move could happen, but he'd really rather not see it.

"He's done such a great job there in Green Bay," Peyton said.

As for if Rodgers could -- and perhaps should -- leave it all behind to host "Jeopardy!" full-time ... Manning didn't seem to love that idea, explaining he thinks Aaron could do both!

By the way, when it comes to Manning's own off-the-field endeavors ... he still doesn't sound ready to jump into a broadcast booth or an NFL general manager role -- telling us he's content just coaching kids in baseball and flag football for now.

Though he did admit, he's had to do some explaining to parents given his history as a leader of children ...

For the first time in more than 2 months, Deshaun Watson has posted on social media to remind everyone he's still an elite NFL quarterback.

... and yeah, he looks good.

The last time we heard from DW was on Twitter back on March 16 -- when he posted a statement to try and get ahead of the sexual misconduct allegations that were coming down the pike.

Watson denied wrongdoing and proclaimed his innocence -- saying, "I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect."

He added, "This isn't about money for me -- it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that."

After that, the Houston Texans QB went radio silent -- and his attorney, Rusty Hardin, has been doing all the talking ever since.

But, as the NFL season draws closer, Watson is clearly trying to remind teams -- including the Texans -- that he's still focused on football and ready to play.

There are a few issues ... the NFL is still investigating the sexual misconduct allegations against Watson from more than 20 accusers who say the QB crossed a line during what were supposed to be routine massage therapy sessions.

If the league finds he violated the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, he could be suspended -- which could make teams nervous about trading for him.

Fernando Tatis Jr. can clearly do EVERYTHING on the baseball diamond -- including hitting a full split to steal a bag in a game!!

The MLB superstar showed he's got that in his bag of tricks during the Padres' tilt with the Rockies on Wednesday ... twisting like a gymnast to make sure he was safe at second.

The play was seriously awesome ... the 22-year-old got on first base in the second inning via a single to center and took off for 2nd just moments later.

He slid into the bag underneath the catcher's throw ... but in order to ensure he didn't come off the base -- he dropped it real, real low!!

What makes it even more impressive? Tatis Jr. is 6'3", 217 pounds!!!

Oh, and by the way, El Niño wasn't done there ... he went to hit a home run just two innings later.