TMZ Sports - Page 15

Turns out, there's not many NFL players who are hate hate hating on Taylor Swift's newfound presence in the league ... as a recent poll of pros revealed she has their support.

The Athletic asked over 100 NFLers earlier this season about Swift-mania -- which kicked off in September 2023 after she sparked a romance with Chiefs star Travis Kelce -- and for the most part, the guys said she's been great for business.

The outlet -- which granted the jocks anonymity so they could speak their minds freely -- reported a whopping 74 out of 102 players "viewed the singer’s interest in the game (and the coverage that stemmed from it) as a positive."

Rashee Rice's mother is being accused of swiping a package containing Chappell Roan records right from her neighbor's porch just hours after the Kansas City Chiefs receiver went down with an injury on Sunday ... and the neighbor says it was all captured on video.

TMZ Sports has obtained Ring footage of what one Texas resident claims shows Marsha Kearney -- wearing a custom "Momma-Rice" No. 4 jersey -- walk by their doorway and look right into the camera before walking down the hall around 6:39 PM CT on September 29, a few hours after the Chiefs defeated the Chargers in Los Angeles.

You can see the woman in the jersey then made her way back to the door, slid a package sitting on the ground with her foot and moved it out of frame (or so she thought).

Pete Rose arguably signed more autographs than any ballplayer in MLB history, but that doesn't mean "Charlie Hustle" memorabilia isn't experiencing a sizeable boost in value in death, according to a top expert.

TMZ Sports talked to David Kohler, founder and president of SCP Auctions, just days after Rose's death ... and we asked whether items signed by the legendary Reds player have increased in worth following Pete's death on Monday.

"Every time a really important person in a game of a big American sport such as baseball passes, there's a lot of interest. I'm sure on eBay, there's a lot more sales now for his memorabilia," Kohler told us, while noting, "for a long, long time, [Pete] was at all the card shows, making appearances, signing a lot of balls and bats. He did it for a long time."

James Earl Jones was widely respected on the set of "The Sandlot," even by his 13-year-old costars ... actor Patrick Renna recalls to TMZ.

We caught up with the former child star outside LAX, where he told us what it was like working with the film and stage legend ... and he had nothing but nice things to share.

As Patrick put it ... everyone knew who James was while filming the 1993 coming-of-age movie ... but, they unfortunately didn't get a ton of interaction with the A-lister.

Diddy accusers are coming forward now that he's behind bars, Taylor Swift's guitar smasher is clearing the air and a UFC star saved a man's life in Hawaii ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles explain why the feds are seeing an uptick in Diddy accusers now that he's in custody.

John Daly says his home in Florida was completely wiped out by Hurricane Helene last week.

The legendary golfer revealed the sad news to PGATour.com on Wednesday ... adding that a few of his close family and friends in the area lost their houses in the storm as well.

"You live in Florida," he said, "you have to understand that's going to happen, but not like this. I didn't think it would be this bad."

Caitlin Clark's popularity is being used to catapult the WNBA's racism conversation to the forefront ... so says retired legend Sue Bird, who claims the negative treatment from fans has been an issue long before the Indiana Fever superstar was drafted.

Clark's fellow WNBA ballers have spoken out on their mistreatment numerous times this season ... which has led many to believe it's the new spectators she brought to the league that are majorly at fault for the hate.

Bird weighed in on the subject on her "A Touch More" podcast with her ex-USWNT superstar wife, Megan Rapinoe ... and she said given her 21 years in the league, she knows damn well Clark wasn't indirectly responsible -- she's just being used as a "pawn" in the situation.

Forget plyometrics, Tom Brady's clearly hitting the weights in retirement ... check out his arms following his latest gym session Wednesday -- dude's biceps are bulging!!!

TB12 got in the sweat sesh down in Miami on his off day from his Fox broadcasting duties ... and it's clear it was an upper-body hump day for the GOAT.

Take a look at what was underneath the sleeves of his tan shirt as he walked out of the fitness facility ... his pythons were hissin'!

Julius Randle's wife is opening up on the blockbuster trade that sent her husband to Minnesota in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns ... saying she's actually excited for the change of pace in a much smaller city.

Kendra Randle took to her TikTok to talk all about the chaos the family has gone through over the past 72+ hours ... revealing they flew out to Minneapolis immediately to try and find a house and school for their kids, seven-year-old Kyden and two-year-old Jaycey.

"It is pretty hectic," she said. "I'm really grateful that it's actually not in the middle of the season, like, before the tradeline, or whatever. But, it has been pretty crazy for our first time and unexpected."

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Fernando Valenzuela will not return to his role with the team's Spanish broadcast crew this season ... saying he's taking time to focus on his health, but the legendary pitcher hopes to be back calling games in 2025.

The National League West champs released a statement on Valenzuela's status on Wednesday ... several days after he abruptly left the mic on September 24 against the San Diego Padres.

"Fernando Valenzuela has stepped away from the Dodger broadcast booth for the remainder of this year to focus on his health," the team said.

Jaylen Brown stirred up a stink online with Ice Spice's Munchkins fanbase when he declared her "Think U The S**t (Fart)" song was the worst flood of diarrhea hip hop music ever experienced ... a comment on par for the opinions and buttholes equation, claims "Fisherrr" rapper Bay Swag!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Bay Swag in NYC earlier this week ... he, Ice Spice and Cash Cobain helped spread the sexy drill movement with the "Fisherrr (Remix)" earlier this year, which marches to the same drum as Ice's "Fart."

Of course, that means nothing to the 2024 NBA Finals MVP ... JB says Ice's pooting was the first song that came to mind ... and Bay Swag tells us JB has a right to feel that way, even if he doesn't agree.

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz, who has repped some of the biggest and best fighters to step foot in a cage, nearly drowned during a recent trip to Hawaii ... and likely would've died if not for Ottman Azaitar.

"Ottman's a great kid. He has a big heart. He literally saved my life," Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports when asked about the frightening incident.

FYI, Azaitar is a 34-year-old lightweight fighter signed to the UFC. He's got a 13-2 record ... and last fought in mid-2023.

As for what happened, we're told Ali, Ottman, and some others went for a swim near a waterfall in Hawaii ... before heading to Salt Lake City for UFC 307, where Abdelaziz has Kayla Harrison fighting on the card.

Unfortunately, Abdelaziz, who isn't a strong swimmer, ended up in an area that was deeper than he anticipated ... and when he couldn't reach the ground, Ali's head began dipping below the waterline, and panick ensued.

Azaitar, thinking quickly, swam to land where he grabbed a rope-like vine from the forest before bringing the line to Ali, and reeling him in to safety.

Travis Kelce's not losing his mind over his stat line like the rest of the world ... saying despite having the best outing of his season on Sunday, the only number he gives a damn about is the one in the win column.

The All-Pro tight end addressed his seven-catch, 89-yard performance in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers on the latest episode of his "New Heights" podcast with brother, Jason, on Wednesday ... which was surprisingly the strongest performance of the 2024 campaign for the usually dominant force.

Travis admitted the narrative of his struggles on the field leading up to the Week 4 contest were true ... but only in one area.

One of Pete Rose's closest friends and former teammates could tell the Hit King wasn't his usual playful and talkative self the day before he passed ... with Tony Perez explaining members of the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds didn't fully enjoy their last experience together.

The Hall of Famer joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs on FS1) to discuss his final meet-up with Rose ... a signing session at the Music City Autograph Show with Fiterman Sports Group featuring Rose, Perez, Dave Concepcion, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

The former first baseman admitted it "wasn't a good time" because Rose was "not himself" ... and the guys didn't take part in their usual banter during the show, a far cry from how things were when they were last together about six months ago.

Michael Jordan's racing team is suing NASCAR and its CEO, Jim France ... alleging the guy and his organization are "monopolistic bullies."

His Airness' 23XI Racing -- along with Front Row Motorsports -- filed the lawsuit in federal court in North Carolina on Wednesday ... after the two teams say they refused to sign updated pacts with NASCAR over "unfair terms."

In the suit, the teams said they wanted more when it came time to extend their charter agreements beyond 2024 -- namely, a bigger piece of the revenue pie -- but France and NASCAR wouldn't budge.

Donald Trump sent a message loud and clear to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the day after Pete Rose died ... urging the org. to put the ex-Reds star in "now," "before his funeral!"

The former prez issued the demand during J.D. Vance's debate with Tim Walz on Tuesday night ... taking a brief break from watching his running mate to heap some serious praise on the baseball legend.

"The GREAT Pete Rose just died," he said. "He was one of the most magnificent baseball players ever to play the game. He paid the price! Major League Baseball should have allowed him into the Hall of Fame many years ago."