Astros' Justin Verlander Donating His Weekly MLB Checks To Coronavirus Charities

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Astros ace Justin Verlander is about to be donating a boatload of money for the next couple months to coronavirus charities -- and a lot of people have radically differing thoughts on it.

The pitcher and his wife, Kate Upton, took to IG Saturday to announce ... in light of the MLB continuing to pay its players for at least the next couple months -- per Justin himself -- he says he and Kate have decided to donate those funds toward COVID-19 relief efforts.

They say they'll choose different charities each week for each check, and announce them on their pages. There are tons to choose from these days, so no shortage of good orgs.

Now, time for some math ... 'cause Justin's donations are going to be staggering based on the numbers of his most recent contract with the 'Stros. He got signed to a 2-year, $66 million extension recently (good through the '20 and '21 seasons) and if you break that down -- it's about $634k a week. If he donates for two months ... $5 mil, more or less.

Probably more.

As for how folks received this very gesture ... a truly mixed bag, with lots of people responding drastically different depending on whose feed you check. If you hop on over to Justin's IG page, it seems to be nothing but love in his comments. Not so on Twitter ...

Bleacher Report reposted his video on its Twitter page, and the comments are brutal ... with most everyone blasting him for the Astros cheating scandal. Yeah, they still mad 😬

Vanessa Bryant Kobe's Hall of Fame Honor ... Pinnacle of His Career

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Vanessa Bryant just told the world how proud she is of Kobe, who has been honored as the next Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

Vanessa sat with daughter Natalia as she fought back tears, saying how proud she was of Kobe's posthumous accomplishment.

Kobe will be inducted as part of the class of 2020, and Vanessa says it's the pinnacle of her late husband's storied NBA career, that spanned 20 years with the Lakers.

Vanessa says, "It's an incredible accomplishment and honor, and we're extremely proud of him. Obviously, we wish he was here with us to celebrate, but it's definitely the peak of his NBA career and every accomplishment that he had as an athlete was a stepping stone to be here."

The Lakers praised Kobe, saying, "All of us can trust that this basketball Hall of Fame honor is one Kobe would, and will, deeply appreciate."

What's The Big Frigin' Difference?

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Don't let these two almost identical images of Amy Schumer confuse you. Take another look around and see if you can spot some of the sneaky switches that have been made to this tricky pic!

The comedian was spotted in New York City earlier this week, getting some fresh air with her family. We've made some changes to this photo and now it's up to you to find 'em ... Get a really good look around and see if you can figure out the differences between these two super similar snaps!

**HINT -- There are THREE differences in the above photographs!**

U.S. Law Enforcement Unfazed by Gun, Ammo Sales Spike ... Over COVID-19 Fears

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Guns and ammo are flying off shelves everywhere as Americans seem to be prepping for a worst-case scenario, but, so far, cops are NOT worried about a spike in violence.

Law enforcement sources across the country tell TMZ ... officers aren't blinking at a record number of Americans -- 3,740,688 according to the FBI -- applying for background checks last month alone.

Cops in L.A. tell us, if people knew how many criminals are out there armed, they would not be worried about this current surge. If anything, cops tell us the biggest concern is whether all these new owners have safe places to store their weapons ... such as safes, gun lockers or lockboxes.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas Metro PD sources tell us they have no problem with people buying guns, as long as they're legal. They also hope new gun owners have had or will commit to proper training.

Cops in Miami echo that ... saying the rush of new sales is all good because they're getting background checks, instead of buying illegal guns off the street.

As we told you ... guns and ammo were flying off the shelves in Florida just hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis implemented a "stay at home" order. And remember that nearly 4 million figure from the FBI? It's the first time it's ever gone over 3 mil in a month since 1998 ... when the FBI started recording sales.

At this rate, the FBI and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System will perform more than 36 million background checks in 2020 ... easily beating last year's record of 28M. This, of course, doesn't mean everyone that applies for a background check will actually buy a gun ... but the numbers are startling, for sure.

But, in the words of Lil Wayne ... cops ain't got no worries.

Stars and Scars You Be the Judge

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Our country -- really our world -- has been turned upside down with the coronavirus. So we gotta ask ...

'Love is Blind' Casting For Season 2 ... So Who's Gay, Bi or Straight?

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"Love is Blind" contestants might be blindsided by their fiance's sexual orientation, but the shot callers sure won't ... they're already asking potential cast members how they identify.

Here's the deal ... the popular Netflix reality dating show was recently renewed for a second season and is currently casting in the Chicago area, with producers asking a pretty personal and important question: What's your sexual orientation???

Remember, it became a huge deal first season ... Carlton didn't tell Diamond he was bisexual until AFTER they got engaged, leading to an epic spat and some much-needed therapy.

The questionnaire asks potential cast members if they consider themselves straight, gay, bisexual or other.

The other casting questions are pretty standard ... age, ethnicity, hair color, eye color, occupation, hobbies etc. Casting also wants face photos and complete body shots.

There's also questions about dating status, where the applicant meets prospective mates, what qualities they look for and deal-breakers like religion, ethnicity and cultural differences.

The casting call also asks about cigarette and alcohol use, desired and undesired physical traits in a partner, and descriptions of current dating history and longest relationships.

Interesting ... no questions about politics, which has become a tried-and-true dealbreaker.

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THE WORLD HATES ME

The big question now ... do producers want another Carlton situation or not?!?