TMZ Sports - Page 50

Bobby Valentine's been known as the unofficial Mayor of Stamford, CT for years, but now the former NY Mets skipper is looking to make it official ... running for the top seat in his hometown.

“I have passion for this city. I have a skill set that meets the requirements of leadership, management, of team building,” Valentine said in a recent interview.

Stamford is one of the wealthiest cities in Connecticut ... and it's the place 71-year-old Bobby V was born and raised.

Bobby says people are tired of the partisan BS in politics ... so he's not running affiliated with Republicans or Democrats.

"My main takeaway of the last five-plus months of campaigning is that for the most part people are really tired of the partisan divide that the two-party system has created here in the city and in the nation," Valentine said.

He might not be affiliated with either party, but that doesn't mean Valentine doesn't have powerful friends who have endorsed him. In fact, former president (and MLB team owner) George W. Bush has thrown his support behind Bobby V.

We're told Valentine hasn't been sitting at home, hoping his celebrity will carry him to a win at the polls ... he's been rubbing shoulders with people around town, even recently going to a Little League baseball game to shake hands and campaign.

Valentine last managed in 2012 ... when he was fired by the Boston Red Sox.

While his time in Beantown was marred by failures on the field ... Bobby V was a heckuva, albeit controversial, manager.

He managed the Mets from 1996 to 2002 ... leading the Mets to the World Series in 2000. The NYM lost that series to the NY Yankees.

One of the most notorious Bobby V stories went down in 1999. After getting ejected, Valentine returned to the dug an inning later wearing a bad disguise -- glasses and a mustache made out of eye black.

Chargers star Joey Bosa is finally spending some of the cash he got after signing his mega, $135 million contract last year ... copping an insane waterfront mansion in Florida this month.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the L.A. superstar just bought the crib in Fort Lauderdale -- his childhood hometown -- and the pad is amazing.

Pictures of the place, which was listed by realtor Tim Elmes, show it's right on the water, with an open floor plan and a ton of windows to soak in the view.

The house also comes with a dock, a wet bar, a pool and a fire table ... and it even features an elevator inside!!

Unclear what the final cost of the place was -- but it was last listed at $6,995,000.

Of course, Bosa just inked a huge, new contract with the Chargers back in 2020 ... so making the payments ain't going to be too much of a problem.

Josh Allen's grandmother is being remembered in an incredible way ... a local Buffalo hospital has named an entire wing in her honor after Bills fans made more than $1 million in donations.

Remember, the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital was flooded with over 27,000 donations from fans after the Buffalo Bills QB's grandmother, Patricia Allen, passed away last November.

The contributions -- which totaled around $1.1 million -- were used to open up the Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing.

The 25-year-old Pro Bowler was in person for the awesome launch on Monday ... and took a tour of the 10th floor's brand new recovery center.

"It's such a surreal moment," Allen said, "I'm so grateful to have this honor, to have my grandmother immortalize like this."

The new wing also has a "Bills Fans Fun Zone" -- a playroom dedicated to the 27,000 fans who donated.

"I'm so indebted to this great community and the city of Buffalo," Allen added. "We can't thank you guys enough for allowing us to be a part of this."

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins says a Dallas Stars fan crossed the line before Monday night's game ... claiming he was taunted over the death of his teammate Matiss Kivlenieks -- and now the team is investigating.

Merzlikins -- who was friends with Kivlenieks before his tragic passing in July -- says he was walking out of the tunnel before taking the ice in Columbus when a fan in a Stars sweater started heckling him.

The 27-year-old addressed the incident with reporters after the 4-1 win, saying he truly believes the nasty remark resulted in karma on the ice.

"I was expecting a shutout because I believe in karma," Merzlikins said. "There are some stupid people in this world. It was really bad what happened in the tunnel when I was walking out. There was a fan from Dallas who (provoked) me about Matiss."

"After the first period, the three posts that I got, I really believed in karma. I saw that he was really there."

Merzlikins says he did not respond to the fan or get upset over the comment ... adding, "stupid people don't really come in my head."

Iman Shumpert not only wowed the judges on "Dancing With The Stars" on Monday, he also impressed his good friend LeBron James ... who went crazy after his ex-teammate got a perfect score!!

Shump and partner Daniella Karagach had an incredible routine based on the Jordan Peele flick "Us" for the 'DWTS' horror-themed show ... dancing to the eerie "I Got 5 On It" remix.

Iman used his athleticism throughout the dance ... and even had DK standing on his shoulders -- mind you, he's 6'5"!!

The dynamic duo got 10s across the board -- and Derek Hough even wanted to give them an 11 score, saying, "That was something people are going to watch over and over and over."

King James made sure to check out Iman's performance ... and needless to say, the dude was ecstatic over the perfect score.

"Man my G Iman Shumpert in his f'n bag!!!!!!" James said on social media.

"LFG. Don't even try to front, just respect the conglomerate!"

Dwyane Wade also caught the act, saying, "Stop playing with this man Iman Shumpert."

It seems to come natural for Iman --  remember, his wife Teyana Taylor told us last month he'd always be at her rehearsals ... so he's clearly learned a thing or two along the way.

The guy who gave back Tom Brady's 600th TD pass ball might have cost himself a small fortune ... 'cause one memorabilia expert says the pigskin was worth at least $500K!!

Here's the deal ... after catching the record-setting touchdown pass from Brady in the 1st quarter of the Bucs' win over the Bears, Mike Evans ran over to a Tampa Bay fan and gave away the ball.

Evans didn't think much of it at the time -- he does the nice gesture after most of his TDs -- but when he got back to the sideline, he realized his blunder.

Cameras at Raymond James Stadium caught Mike full of regret over handing away the valuable item (no player in NFL history has ever thrown for 600 in their careers) ... and eventually, Bucs staffers got to work on getting it back.

Somehow, during the middle of the game, the team convinced the guy to return the ball ... a move auction expert Ken Goldin says could have cost him HALF A MILLION DOLLARS -- and maybe even more than that.

"Given how historic this ball is as the first 600th TD in NFL history," Goldin said, "I'd estimate this ball to be worth a minimum of $500,000 (and possibly much more)."

The fan said during an interview mid-game that he gave back the ball simply because he was told Brady really wanted it.

"The trainer came over and asked for it," the fan said. "What am I going to do? Say no to Tom Brady?"

The fan added that he was promised some swag and maybe a handshake from Brady in return for it all.

As for Brady's side of it all, he was pleased with the guy's good gesture -- telling reporters after the game, "He’s going to get something nice in return."

"We'll get him a helmet or a couple of jerseys or some other stuff. It was really cool of him to do that."

Peyton Manning found himself apologizing yet again on Monday night -- this time, it's all 'cause Marshawn Lynch hilariously dropped an f-bomb live on his show!!

Just a month after Manning was forced to say sorry for his little bro, Eli, flipping off cameras during the brothers' "Monday Night Football" Manningcast ... Peyton found himself in a similar situation with Lynch.

Late in the first quarter of the Seahawks' tilt with the Saints ... Lynch was watching a play when Seattle snapped the ball unexpectedly.

"Oh," Marshawn said. "What the f***?!"

The 35-year-old former running back knew right away he had messed up, covering his mouth and adding, "I mean!"

Lynch dropped a few other expletives during the show too ... and it all caused Peyton to issue a mea culpa later in the night.

"I want to thank Marshawn Lynch,'' he said. "Not as wild about the language. I want to apologize for some of the language. It's not what we're trying to do on this show.''

He then joked about Eli's September double-barrel salute, saying, "I had to remind Eli that this show is live. So Eli's learned his lesson. Marshawn, I probably should have talked to him."

Ja'Marr Chase's early NFL success is no fluke ... so says Michael Irvin, who tells TMZ Sports he believes the new Bengals star is a "more talented" wideout than The Playmaker ever was.

"Ja'Marr Chase is off the chain, man," Irvin said of the Cincinnati rookie.

Michael told us out in NYC on Monday that he's been particularly impressed by Chase's ability to respond from a terrible preseason, one in which he dropped so many passes that people wondered if he'd be a 2021 bust.

"To make the switch to playing like one of the best receivers in the NFL right now, it's incredible," Irvin said.

The Cowboys legend added that Chase, who put up 201 receiving yards and a touchdown on 8 catches in a win over the Ravens on Sunday, is "way more talented than I ever will be."

"Now," Irvin continued, "let's see if he can get more rings than I ever had."

As for Michael's former team ... we asked Irvin about what Dallas should do in the offseason if offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, gets a head coaching offer from another team.

Sad news in the NFL ... replay official Carl Madsen died on Sunday shortly after working the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans game in Tennessee.

He was 71 years old.

The NFL announced the tragic passing on Monday -- with league reporter Tom Pelissero saying Madsen died "while en route home" from the Week 7 matchup at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

No other information surrounding his death has been given.

Madsen -- a veteran of the U.S. Air Force -- was an on-field official for the NFL from 1997 to 2008 ... before he became a replay official for the league in '09.

"Carl Madsen was an NFL officiating fixture for more than two decades, first as a highly respected on-field official before transitioning to a replay role beginning in 2009," NFL senior VP of officiating training and development Walt Anderson said.

"A terrific friend and colleague, Carl's love of football and dedication to officiating was ever-present, as he generously shared his time to mentor young officials at clinics across the country. A veteran of the Air Force, Carl had a tremendous spirit and will be greatly missed."

#RIP

Floyd Mayweather REJECTED a male teenage fan's request for a selfie at the Clippers game over the weekend ... and it's all 'cause his nails were painted.

TMZ Sports has learned a young fan was hoping to get a snap with Floyd after the Clippers vs. Grizzlies game at Staples Center on Saturday ... so he hopped on the court to approach him, but was shut down immediately after Mayweather got a glimpse of his nails.

"You got painted nails, I don't take pictures with guys with no painted nails," Floyd is heard saying in the video as his bodyguard gets the fan to back up.

The fan was clearly upset by the interaction ... saying, "Floyd doesn't want to take a picture with me because my nails are painted. Bruh, really?!"

The fan sent us a pic of his nails ... showing the black paint job that had Floyd pissed off.

Witnesses tell us Floyd had zero issues taking pics with other people after the game ... posing and smiling on the court with another fan.

It seems Floyd is way behind on the times -- TONS of guys regardless of sexuality paint their nails ... just ask MGK, Lil Yachty, A$AP Rocky, Post Malone, Yungblud, Brad Pitt and Harry Styles.

It's not the first time Floyd fans have asked for pics and gotten shut down -- thankfully it didn't turn physical this time. As we previously reported, one of Floyd's guards allegedly beat the crap out of a fan at a Las Vegas mall in November 2019 after a request gone wrong.

It turns out Jedrick Wills can't compliment a guy without sparking a QB battle ... 'cause the Cleveland Browns left tackle is clearing the air after praising Case Keenum, saying he was NOT taking a shot at Baker Mayfield.

Wills was speaking with reporters on Monday following the Browns' 17-14 win over the Denver Broncos ... when he said he didn't feel like there was a drop-off with Keenum filling in for the injured Mayfield.

While Wills was very clearly trying to speak highly of the team taking care of business in Baker's absence, some fans tried to start drama by twisting it into a diss at Baker -- and he ain't having it.

"Bro y’all are weird 😂😂😂," Wills said Monday. "Case played a good game, not s***ing on Bake at all. Relax"

Of course, Baker's still dealing with a shoulder injury ... but Keenum stepped up for nearly 200 yards and 1 touchdown to get Cleveland back in the win column.

Delonte West repeatedly hurled homophobic slurs and said he was a better basketball player than LeBron James during his arrest last week ... and the disturbing scene was all captured on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

West was stopped by cops in Boynton Beach, FL, on Oct. 19 ... after officers say he was yelling and banging on a local police station's doors.

Cops say he was holding two open containers of alcohol -- one beer, one vodka -- during the episode ... so they ordered him to the ground.

That's when officers turned on their body cameras -- and you can see in the footage, they needed to point a taser at the former NBA player while insisting he gets down to get him to comply.

When West finally dropped to the floor, officers told him they were detaining him for "open container and resisting" ... and the 38-year-old then went on a lengthy, rambling rant that included anti-gay rhetoric.

West repeatedly used the f-word, called cops bitches, and claimed he was Jesus Christ and the President of the United States.

In his rant, West also said, "N****, I was better than LeBron James. I'm better than Jordan. I was the best n**** to play every sport. Shut the f*** up!"

West continued to spout words off incoherently before cops finally put him into the back of a squad car.

In the police report, officers noted West reeked of booze and appeared to be drunk.

West was ultimately hit with three charges over the incident, including obstruction/resisting without violence, open container and disorderly intoxication.

He's due in court for a hearing on the case next month.

Van Jones is very disturbed by what he saw play out at the Barclays Center -- protestors storming the building a la the Jan. 6 insurrection -- and he says there's a danger in these scenes becoming commonplace.

The podcast host and esteemed news commentator joined "TMZ Live" Monday and told us what it was like to be there in person when demonstrators clashed with security and bowled over barricades outside the NBA arena.

The protest, which some are comparing to the Capitol riot, was against the NYC vaccine mandate, and in support of Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving ... who is sidelined because he's not vaccinated.

Much like the U.S. Capitol, Van says the arena had to go on lockdown ... and he says it's another sign the country needs to get to a better place.

Van thinks society is looking for the next big division, and with Donald Trump out of the White House, the big catalyst is now the COVID-19 vaccine.

He's got a few ideas about what's behind the massive divisions we're seeing across the country ... but he says we're heading towards an uncivilized society if mob attacks on buildings become normalized.

Buy all the Nikes you want ... nothings toppin' these 1984 kicks Michael Jordan rocked back in the day, 'cause the historic sneakers just sold for a record $1.47 million at auction!

The size 13 white and red Nike Air Ships are from Jordan's fifth game of his 1984 rookie season -- the first model of basketball sneakers worn by His Airness as a pro athlete.

In fact, Nike made these -- and a black and red colorway (known as the 'Bred') -- for the Hall of Famer while the Air Jordan 1s were still being made.

MJ signed and gave the priceless kicks to a Denver Nuggets Ball Boy, Tommie Tim III Lewis -- who kept them safe -- until recently putting the kicks on the market with Sotheby's.

Sotheby's expected to sell the rare sneakers for over $1 million -- and did they ever -- closing Sunday with a final price of $1,472,000.

The lucky (and clearly wealthy) MJ fan who copped the kicks is Nick Fiorella, a high-end sports memorabilia collector.

And, that's a record for the highest-priced sneakers in an auction. The outright most expensive pair of sneakers ever belongs to a fan who copped Kanye West's “Grammy Worn” Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototypes. Those went for $1.8 million at a private sale.

Richard Jefferson has big beef with a former NBA ball boy ... admitting he was a jerk to the guy, but explained it's all 'cause the man used to stare at his "junk" in the locker room.

Jefferson broke it all down in a now-deleted TikTok over the weekend ... responding to a video that a former ball boy had made recently.

In the ball boy's vid, he claimed Jefferson was "always condescending" and was "the biggest jerk I met."

Jefferson revealed he did, in fact, often give the guy the cold shoulder ... but said it was for good reason.

Jefferson accused the man of staring at his groin often, as well other players' ... and then comparing their sizes.

"What he's saying is true, I never interacted with him, but let me explain why," Jefferson said in his video response. "You literally admit to looking at our junks when we were in the locker room."

Jefferson continued, "That is why I didn't interact with you. That is why I avoided you ... That's why I didn't talk to you -- because you were looking at our junks the whole time."

Jefferson concluded his video by railing against the man further.

"I just thought you wanted the attention, I'll give you the attention," Jefferson said. "That is why I never interacted with you."

Dozens of athletes and celebs have gotten Kobe Bryant tattoos in the wake of the NBA legend's passing, but Gerald Green's new Mamba ink might just top them all ...

The former NBA player -- who just announced his retirement last week -- revealed he had a pic of him defending Bryant tatted on his right arm recently.

The artwork is very cool -- it's a tat based on a photo of him trying to block Bryant's shot at the rim during a game when Green played for the Suns.

The piece is a big one ... it stretches from the top of Green's bicep almost all the way down to his inner elbow -- and it's all in black and white coloring.

Of course, Green made the move to honor Bryant -- someone he's never shied away from publicly praising.

You'll recall, Green wore a #8 Bryant jersey to a game in the days following the ex-hooper's tragic death ... saying at the time that Kobe had inspired him since he was a child.

"I don't think anybody could ever achieve the things that he did," the 35-year-old said, adding, "There will never be another number 8 or 24. Never."