TMZ Sports - Page 50

The Boston Red Sox are mourning the loss of longtime executive Larry Lucchino on Tuesday ... with the team announcing the former CEO and president passed away at age 78.

After serving the same roles for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres, Lucchino -- a former Princeton basketball player -- joined the Red Sox organization in 2001 ... and was tasked with putting together a squad that would end the franchise's World Series drought.

Not only did he succeed in 2004, breaking the 86-year curse, he also led the Sox to two more championships in 2007 and 2013. Lucchino was the chairman of the Worchester Red Sox, the team's AAA affiliate as well.

Caitlin Clark ... that's why Angel Reese is famous, according to Jason Whitlock who says the LSU hooper only got big 'cause she taunted the Iowa superstar -- no more, no less.

The polarizing columnist and host shared his harsh opinion after Reese -- the SEC Player of the Year -- and the Tigers lost to the Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight of the Women's NCAA tournament on Monday.

Clark was unstoppable ... leading all scoring with 41 points. Reese put up her 27th double-double of the season (17 points and 20 rebounds) ... but that didn't change JW's opinion.

"We can officially quit putting Angel Reese on Caitlin Clark's level," the 56-year-old said. "Stop it."

"One is an all-time great player. The other got famous for taunting. The rivalry is dead."

Of course, Whitlock is referencing to last tourney's memorable moment ... when Angel mocked Caitlin during the title game, which LSU won, 102-85.

AR also used John Cena's famous "You Can't See Me" hand gesture ... something Clark had previously employed.

Reese became a big star after the calendar flipped on March Madness ... and has since been everywhere, including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

But, it's clearly taken a toll on her. Following the end of LSU's season last night, Reese talked about some of the struggles since becoming famous.

As for Clark, she's in the process of collecting just about every record that exists ... but she hasn't won a title (yet).

The NFL says it's keeping a close eye on Rashee Rice ... this after one of his vehicles was allegedly involved in a massive car wreck in Dallas on Saturday.

A spokesperson for the league told TMZ Sports on Tuesday they're "monitoring" the situation ... although no further details surrounding their probe into the matter were given.

As we previously reported, two high-end cars -- a Lamborghini and a Corvette -- caused a huge pile-up on an expressway over the weekend, after they were seen speeding in and out of traffic. None of the passengers of the cars, cops say, stayed on the scene to see if anyone needed medical help.

Angel Reese opened up to media members following LSU's loss to Iowa on Monday night ... and through tears, she revealed she's been the subject of death threats over the past 12 months.

The 21-year-old took the podium with two of her Tigers teammates after falling to Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight -- and after about three minutes on the dais, Reese began to cry.

At first, she got emotional when Flau'jae Johnson praised her for her toughness and her leadership. But then, she really teared up when she told reporters how difficult everything has been for her since she helped LSU beat Iowa in the national championship one year ago.

Rashee Rice was celebrating with family and friends before one of his cars was involved in a nasty car wreck ... at least based on new pics we got from a restaurant/bar and new video from the accident scene.

TMZ obtained photos we're told were taken Saturday in Dallas, appearing to show the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver hanging out with his mother, Marsha Kearney, at the restaurant/bar ... and they all seem to be enjoying themselves for a special occasion.

There's a photo that looks like Rashee posing with his mother -- and another shot that shows him next to others as they appear to raise drinks in the air for a toast.

Ryan Garcia might be causing a ruckus on the internet, but there's one guy who's sticking by his side no matter what -- 'cause Canelo Alvarez tells TMZ Sports he's got the young superstar's back amid his bizarre social media antics.

"You know, he's a good kid and we don't need to judge him," Canelo told TMZ Sports. "He's a good kid and this is the moment when you need to support your friends and, I know, we have a lot of issues before but ... I don't care."

Of course, Ryan has been making a ton of noise leading up to his April 20 fight against Devin Haney ... spewing wild conspiracies and promising free BBLs -- among other wild proclamations.

Have a bad case of the Mondays??? Cheer yourself up with some hot takes courtesy of TMZ.

Let's start out on "TMZ Live," where Harvey and Charles broke down Tori Spelling's divorce filing ... and how the "Beverly Hills, 90210" actress broke the news to her estranged husband, Dean McDermott, while recording a podcast.

The famous Boston Marathon dog, Spencer -- who became well known for cheering on runners for years before his death in 2023 -- will now be remembered forever at the iconic race ... officials just erected a statue in his honor.

The bronze sculpture was unveiled over the weekend -- less than two weeks before the next iteration of the famous marathon will take place -- and you can see it features the golden retriever posing with two "Boston Strong" flags in its mouth.

Spencer's owner, Rich Powers, was at the unveiling ceremony ... and he said it was a very "emotional day" for him.

"THANK YOU to all that helped to make this happy," Powers said. "SPENCER is back on the marathon route."

The statue will be positioned at the intersection of Frankland and West Union in Ashland, Massachusetts -- where runners will pass by frequently on the Boston Marathon route.

The journalist who called LSU women's basketball players "dirty debutantes" in a column last week has just issued an apology ... admitting, "I have failed miserably in my choice of words."

Ben Bolch wrote the controversial piece for the Los Angeles Times last Friday ... and it was almost immediately met with backlash. Critics slammed the way he compared the UCLA women's basketball team to "milk and cookies," while calling the Tigers' players "Louisiana hot sauce" -- insisting it was both racist and misogynistic.

In fact, LSU coach Kim Mulkey and her star player, Hailey Van Lith, were so offended by the article, they both used portions of their meetings with media members over the weekend to rail against Bolch.

The reporter clearly heard the criticism ... because on Monday afternoon, he issued a lengthy mea culpa.

In his statement -- which he posted to his X page -- Bolch acknowledged his words were "not appropriate" and were "deeply offensive."

"It was not my intent to be hurtful," he said, adding his employer did not require him to write the note, "but I now understand that I terribly missed the mark."

He concluded his message by writing, "I am deeply sorry."

For the L.A. Times' part, they swapped out portions of Bolch's original article ... writing in an editor's note, "The original version of this commentary did not meet Times editorial standards. It has been edited to remove language that was inappropriate and offensive."

2:06 PM PT -- Jail records show Cameron Sutton was released from custody on Monday afternoon ... roughly 24 hours after he turned himself in.

"After completing an investigation into this matter, the Office of the State Attorney has elected to file a single misdemeanor," Sutton's attorney said in a statement following the NFL player's release. "Both Mr. Sutton and the mother of his children request privacy in this matter, as they view this as a family matter and wish to resolve it as a family."

Former Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton has turned himself into police ... this after cops say he ran from them for several weeks.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office had been seeking to arrest the NFL player for most of last month ... after it said a woman claimed he roughed her up on March 7.

According to police, Sutton's attorney told cops on March 25 he intended to turn himself in ... and on Sunday, at around 8:24 PM, they say he did just that.

Video from the Orient Road Jail shows Sutton, 29, was wearing a white shirt and mustard-colored shorts when he arrived. He later donned what appeared to be an orange jumpsuit and took a mugshot.

Jail records show he was booked on a charge of felony domestic battery by strangulation ... and as of Monday morning, he remained behind bars.

"After weeks of evading law enforcement, this man has finally made the right choice to turn himself in," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "Domestic violence has no place in our community, and no one is above the law here in Hillsborough County. My thoughts are with this woman as she continues to heal from this man's gruesome actions."

Sutton -- who had just signed a 3-year, $33 million contract to join Detroit in 2023 -- was cut by the Lions on March 21, one day after they say they were made aware of the allegations against him.

He had previously played for the Steelers for six seasons.

The Kansas City Chiefs say they're preparing to do everything they can to figure out what role Rashee Rice played -- if any -- in a car crash that allegedly involved one of his vehicles ... with the team's president, Mark Donovan, vowing to "get to the bottom of it."

According to the Dallas Morning News, a car registered to Rice was caught up in a multi-vehicle accident on a Dallas expressway at around 6:25 PM on Saturday. It's not clear at all how exactly the NFL player is believed to be connected to the incident, although the DMN reported cops are now looking to speak to him.

Donovan appeared on KCMO Talk Radio Monday morning to address the allegations -- and he said while they're still in the process of getting information, "We'll get to the bottom of it."

Former NFL star cornerback Vontae Davis -- who played 10 seasons before retiring in 2018 -- has been found dead in a Florida home. He was only 35.

WSVN reported that a male body was found at a home owned by Davis' grandmother on Monday in Southwest Ranches Florida, which is 30 miles north of Miami.

Police said no foul play is involved and the investigation is ongoing.

Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik revealed he's been dealing with a serious health condition .... admitting he was in kidney failure after he was diagnosed with a disease that left only 14% of the organ's function.

The 49-year-old went into detail about the discovery on Monday ... explaining his wife, Gina, was concerned that he looked thinner and tired -- so she begged him to get a physical after missing the last eight annual exams.

Zanik -- who became the NBA team's GM in 2019 -- set up an appointment with the Jazz physician David Petron in September 2023 ... and was told he was in kidney failure.

The diagnosis is Polycystic Kidney Disease -- an inherited disorder where cysts develop on the kidneys causing them to work less -- and Dr. Petron said Zanik only had 14% of the kidney's use left.

Zanik will have to get a transplant -- something his father did 21 years ago ... and he found a match with his wife's best friend's husband. The procedure will happen on Tuesday.

"I'm a fixer by nature. My job with the Jazz, my role with my family -- I mean, I was a [player] agent for 15 years. I fixed a lot of s***. I'm the one who's supposed to help," Zanik said.

"I'm the one who's supposed to take care of everything. I really didn't know how to ask for help, but I had to get over it. I knew I had to get over it."

Zanik's children were also diagnosed with advanced forms of PKD ... and were told that Ava, Oskar, and Lucy would need transplants before they were 30 years old.

"We're going to do this together," Zanik said. "We're stronger together."

Drake's got Travis Scott in his sniper scope, and unloaded fake gunfire on a prop representing him ... putting Trav on the impressive list of rappers -- Kendrick Lamar, Future and Metro Boomin -- he's targeting for revenge.

On Sunday, Drake and J. Cole's "It's All A Blur -- Big as the What?" tour rolled into Penn State University Park ... Drake launched into an angry performance of "Meltdown" ... his most recent collab with Travis from last year's "Utopia" album.

But, he ended the verse screaming at the top of his lungs, and then mimicked gunshots on the giant Travis Scott head -- popularized during the Astroworld era -- which Drake had been using as a tour prop during the performance of the song.

Several men attending the Giants vs. Padres game at Petco Park on Saturday evening got into a violent fistfight in a concourse ... and the wild scene was all captured on video.

Check out the footage, you can see at least four men were involved in the altercation ... with two tussling on the floor -- while the other two were slugging one another while upright.

At one point during the standing skirmish, a punch appeared to land so flush on the man in a No. 44 San Diego jersey, it knocked him to the ground.

Russell Westbrook unloaded on a heckling fan during Sunday's game against the Charlotte Hornets ... with the LA Clippers star cussing the guy out -- and it was all captured on video.

The tense interaction went down prior to the second half of the Clips' 130-118 road win at the Spectrum Center ... when Russ addressed a spectator who, according to witnesses, had been mouthing off about him in the first two quarters.

The clip of the interaction shows Russ scolding the balloon hat-wearing Hornets supporter ... explaining his jeers went too far.

"I got kids, don't disrespect my name," Russ is heard saying during the exchange ... adding, "I don't give a f***" to whatever the spectator replied.

It appears a team staffer was right next to Russ throughout the convo ... probably to make sure things didn't escalate.

The 35-year-old vet has been vocal about the hate thrown his way during games -- especially the "Westbrick" nickname -- saying the effect the name-calling has had on his family goes far beyond the average trolling.

The NBA has also taken action against mouthy fans ... kicking people out on numerous occasions if the athletes on the hardwood complain.