TMZ Sports - Page 50

No doubt Dennis Rodman knows how to rebound -- but heading to Vatican City to meet the new Pope might not be the smartest follow-up to his North Korean trip. Cardinals ... you've been warned.

Dennis Rodman -- fresh from his basketball summit in North Korea -- is now setting his sights on fixing those pesky problems plaguing the Catholic Church ... because he's jetting to Rome today in hopes of meeting the new Pope.

Rodman tells TMZ ... his "people" in Rome have been in touch with the muckety mucks at the Vatican and they're trying to arrange a sit-down with the next person to don the big funny hat.

Rodman -- who wants to be there when the white smoke fills the air -- is gambling just a bit, because the Cardinals are voting today and Rodman won't land until late tonight. But our top Catholic source -- Shevonne -- tells us ... it's unlikely anyone will get the nod on the first vote.

As for what Dennis wants to accomplish ... he tells TMZ, "I want to be anywhere in the world that I'm needed ... I want to spread a message of peace and love throughout the world."

Rodman cites his March North Korean excursion -- where he met with leader Kim Jong Un -- as proof he's the right man to hash out a peace plan ... claiming he broke barriers in the DPRK nobody else could.

Now, Cyborg is striking back ... telling TMZ, "Fraud? I’m not the one that hides behind a weight class that she knows I can’t make."

FYI -- Rousey has made it clear ... the only way she will fight the 145-pound Santos is if Cyborg drops down to the 135 lb weight class -- where Ronda currently reigns supreme.

Cyborg's response? "Meet me at 140 lbs" ... adding, "Then ask her if I’m a fraud after I knock her ass out!”

Cyborg -- who'll get in the ring for the Invicta Fighting Championships on April 5 -- says Rousey's ultimatum is the move of a coward:

"Obviously she knows that she can’t compete with me – take the time, maybe [Ronda] will get good enough and gain some confidence."

"Until then … I am the best and do not want to talk about hypotheticals. I fight in Invicta and I’m proud to be helping save women's MMA!"

It's been almost 25 years since Orel Hershiser fireballed the L.A. Dodgers past the Oakland A's in the 1988 World Series ... and this week, he reminded everyone of his former greatness by rocking his championship ring to dinner in Bev Hills.

Orel -- who's now part of ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" team -- was out at Madeo with friends this weekend ... when we noticed a large, shiny, blue object on his pitching hand.

Turns out, Orel still believes in showing off the goods in public ... 'cause the bling turned out to be his '88 ring ... and Orel was quick to flash it to the cameras.

On one hand, it's pretty badass ... on the other hand, it's a little Springsteen "Glory Days."

Even though he lived through a lot of it firsthand -- and would rather forget at least one part of it -- Evander Holyfield mustered up the courage to see Mike Tyson's biographical one-man show in Los Angeles this weekend.

Holyfield and Tyson -- who HATED each other following the infamous ear-biting incident of '97 -- buried the hatchet a few years ago (with a little help from Oprah). In fact, Tyson even showed up at an event in Chicago last month to support Holyfield's BBQ sauce.

This weekend, "Real Deal" returned the favor, checking out "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth" ... and not only did he give the show a great review -- he gave Mike props for showing "respect."

When Joe Flacco touched down at BWI airport near Baltimore this weekend ... there was no fancy limo waiting for him ... no chauffeur ... just a regular bus to the regular person parking lot ... and the $121 MILLION quarterback hopped on it like everybody else.

TMZ cameras rolled when the Baltimore Ravens superstar QB arrived ... and the guy couldn't have been more down to Earth.

First we talked to the 28-year-old about that McDonald's run he went on the day he signed his deal ... and then we watched him hop on the bus to the $12-per-day airport parking lot.

Guy couldn't have been nicer -- signing autographs and taking pics with everyone who recognized the Super Bowl MVP.

For the record, Joe's a french fry guy ... not really into the nuggets.

Girlfriend killer Oscar Pistorius is NOT on the verge of taking his own life -- despite multiple reports to the contrary -- this according to a source very close to Oscar.

Various reports hit the Internet this weekend claiming Oscar was suicidal ... after a man named Mike Azzi -- claiming to be one of Oscar's "dearest friends" -- told a British media outlet he feared for the Olympian's mental state, saying "I would say that, just by speaking to him, he is a broken man. I’d go as far as to say he would be on the verge of suicide."

But the source -- who has daily contact with Oscar -- says it's just not true. "Oscar is absolutely not suicidal and any reports out there are just false. Oscar is grieving like anyone would be ... but he is not suicidal."

The source also says Mike and Oscar were business acquaintances, not friends -- Mike trained Oscar's horses ... that's it, and he's in no position to know Oscar's mental state.

San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick may not have a Super Bowl ring, but he still managed to get one perk ... courtside seats at the Clippers game on Sunday.

The 25-year-old brought along a few of his burly pals to watch the Clippers destroy the Detroit Pistons, 129 -97.

After countless broken bones ... horrible seasons ... and penis pics gone public (we're lookin' at you Brett Favre) ... the Madden Curse has finally been LIFTED ... at least according to John Madden.

The curse is legendary ... with more than a dozen NFL stars experiencing terrible seasons after appearing on the cover of the Madden football video game series ... just ask Ray Lewis, Eddie George, Shaun Alexander, Donovan McNabb and Garrison Hearst.

But this weekend outside Craig's in L.A., Madden explained how Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson finally broke the most famous jinx in pro sports.

Madden -- who was having dinner with his former NFL announcer colleague Al Michaels -- also told us about how his new $750k bus costs only HALF as much as a vehicle owned by a famously flashy NFL owner.

Paris Jackson could go straight from high school to the pros ... because she's already drawing interest from the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleading squad ... TMZ has learned.

In fact, Eagles cheer-honcho Barbara Zaun tells TMZ ... she's seen the footage of Paris shaking her pom poms for her prep school's varsity squad recently and was super impressed ... saying, "We think Paris will make a great Eagle cheerleader!"

"We thought that she had a lot of poise, confidence, and enthusiasm in her cheer performance," Zaun says ... adding, "Paris has that 'wow factor' that makes a great cheerleader."

But Michael Jackson's 14-year-old daughter will have to wait a few years before she can join the squad ... because the ShEagles (we just made that up) require members to be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma.

Still, Barbara says when Paris is ready to don that Midnight green, black and silver ... Philly is more than happy to give her a shot.

"She is already very comfortable in the limelight, so we think she would definitely stand out and impress the judges ... We hope that she will try out for the team and be an Eagles cheerleader!"

Kris Humphries' relatives have a major bone to pick with Kim Kardashian ... claiming Kim K's 72-day-marriage to the NBA star was nothing but a "sham" and it's about damn time she fess up to it.

Kris' aunt Dedria -- who attended K & K's wedding back in 2011 -- is adamant Kim duped her nephew into tying the knot as a ploy to boost ratings for "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," telling The UK Sun, "[The wedding] was a sham."

Not only that, Dedria says Kim needs to own up to her fraud so Kris can get the annulment he desires, explaining, "An annulment says it wasn’t valid in the first place. She should admit that it was a sham at the very least.”

As TMZ previously reported, Kim wants a simple divorce, but Kris is hell-bent on fighting for an annulment ... claiming he was defrauded, which could render any pre-nup illegitimate and free the NBA'er from his confidentiality clause.

That said, Kris' Uncle Mike believes his nephew's legal battle is motivated by revenge, telling the paper, "I believe he wants payback."

Los Angeles Clippers Star Ronny Turiaf is finally playing ball again in L.A. ... and the welcoming committee presented him with THREE traffic tickets in one day.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Turiaf -- who signed with the Clippers back in July after a 5-year absence from L.A. -- was driving in Santa Monica Friday when he caught the attention of cops, because Ronny was blasting music with the windows down.

Police quickly noticed Ronny's whip was one big moving violation -- his front windshield was tinted (violation), he had no front license plate (violation) and he didn't have the proper registration sticker (violation).

Ronny got three fix-it tickets -- meaning he can skate with a small fine if he corrects the problems.

Honoring Macho Man Randy Savage's death with a national holiday is NOT a ludicrous idea -- just ask his brother -- who tells TMZ he is 100% on board with a new White House petition trying to make that happen.

If you didn't know, the folks over at Mandatory.com petitioned the government (thanks to their handy online forum) to make May 20 -- the day Macho died in 2011 -- an official "Day of Remembrance."

The petition reads, "Macho Man Randy Savage was a national treasure loved by everyone ... no matter if you knew him from Slim Jim commercials or his wrestling career, you felt a deep connection with Savage ... keep his legacy alive for future generations to appreciate and enjoy."

Macho's brother, Lanny Poffo, tells TMZ that he couldn't be happier the fans want to honor his bro that way AND he's all for it, adding, "The fans will never let Randy Die. He made it cool to love wrestling."

FYI: The group needs 100,000 by April 4 in order to get Obama & Co. to review it -- so far it's only got 2,425 and one really supportive brother.

Olympic skiing champ Bode Miller is firing back at his baby mama ... claiming she's lying when she says he's bad dad material with a drinking problem.

TMZ broke the story ... Bode's baby mama Sara McKenna filed legal docs demanding primary custody of their newborn son ... claiming Bode's a drunk and an unsuitable father who lives recklessly on a yacht in San Diego.

She also said Bode didn't even want the kid and asked her to abort it.

Bode's lawyer tells TMZ ... the skier does NOT have a drinking problem and has wanted to be a part of the child's life ever since he found out he was the father. It's true ... Bode filed a paternity lawsuit earlier this year, asking for JOINT legal and physical custody.

As for his fathering skills -- Bode's lawyer says the skier's been a great dad to his other child ... and wants nothing more than to be a good one for his new son.

The lawyer says, "He is going to support his son. He wants to be part of the child's life."

Jennifer Capriati may be a wanted woman ... because she may be on the receiving end of an arrest warrant after allegedly beating on her ex-BF.

The North Palm Beach Police Dept. is reportedly seeking an arrest warrant, after Jennifer -- who won 2 Australian Open and one French Open -- allegedly punched Ivan Brannan in the chest several times ... this according to Gossip Extra.

Interestingly ... Brannan was shut down after trying to get a restraining order against Capriati, claiming she called his place of work north of 100 times in a single day.

BTW ... Capriati has had a troubled past ... which includes arrests for shoplifting and possession of weed.

Guess Kim Jong Un just isn't a Lakers fan ... 'cause Kobe Bryant claims he was NEVER approached by the North Korean dictator to come visit ... a la Dennis Rodman.

Bryant appeared on Jimmy Kimmel last night and talked about the missile crisis ... saying, "You know it’s a crazy world ... I mean, our President is a Chicago Bulls fan. Dennis obviously has great history with that and North Korea."

He added, "I mean, I think we are all just as shocked as everybody is here about that ... but it’s a weird world."

When asked if KJU ever reached out to him, Kobe replied, "No, I haven't heard anything yet."

And then came the zinger ... when Jimmy asked if Kobe would consider heading over to N. Korea if called upon.

Kobe: "Yeah, I would probably pass, I’d probably pass."
Jimmy: "Oh, for once you are passing!?"