TMZ Sports - Page 50

Darryl Strawberry's ex-wife just suffered a massive setback in court -- after a judge ordered she can't touch $800,000 in Mets money Darryl earned in the 80s ... until the IRS gets its cut.

According to court docs, Darryl has an arrangement with the Mets, in which the ball club pays him $8,891 a month as delayed compensation for his time with the team.

According to the docs, Strawberry had earmarked $800,000 of the money specifically for his ex Charisse Strawberry as part of their divorce settlement agreement. But turns out, Darryl also allegedly owes the IRS $472,086, which creates a big problem ... who gets paid first?

Charisse had sued Darryl and the Mets earlier last year, demanding they fork over the $800,000 -- but the Mets refused, insisting its hands were tied ... because when it comes to debtors, the IRS always gets its money before anyone else.

Charisse and the Mets finally agreed last month to let the IRS take its cut first -- but since the Mets are only doling out $8,891 a month in Darryl's name ... it'll be at least until 2016 before Charisse sees a penny.

Deion Sanders swears he's still "cool" with his soon-to-be ex wife... even though his daughter SLAMMED her on Twitter ... and now the NFL great is begging his fans to "pray, pray, pray ... for Pilar."

Deion just phoned in to K104 FM in Dallas to talk about life since he filed for divorce ... and he started things off by apologizing for all of the nasty things his daughter Deiondra tweeted about Pilar last week.

"I apologize for my daughter" ... Deion said, adding, "She loves her father and she feels like I was being abused and misused and she lashed out."

In case you missed it, Deiondra called Pilar a "golddigging h*e" ... and insinuated she was screwing around with other guys behind Deion's back.

But Deion went on to explain, "The thing about it ... Pilar and I are cool, we’re cool. I mean we are cool, when I say cool, we’re cool."

Sanders also commented on the TMZ report that Pilar is still living in his insanely huge Dallas mansion ... saying, "We’re living under the same roof, that’s true ... I see her every morning. I say what’s up, what’s up girl?! It really is like that."

Kobe Bryant isn't talking about his injury and how it affected his performance Sunday night against Denver -- he scored only 16 points -- however we found out he was in such agony, the team doctor gave him an injection in his wrist to numb the pain, but it hardly worked.

Kobe tore a ligament in his right wrist during the first pre-season game against the Clippers. Sources connected to the team tell TMZ ... the pain has been excruciating. Our sources say he's gotten a numbing shot before each game since the injury, and as a result the pain was tolerable during play. But we're told the shot did almost nothing Sunday night, and as one source put it, "It was a miracle that he even played."

Our Lakers sources tell us ... in addition to the numbing shots, Kobe's regimen is now to play with a cast, get physical therapy after each game and wear a flexible cast at all times off the court.

One source put it this way ... "If it was anyone else but Kobe, if they did play they'd come up goose eggs on the scoreboard. It's incredible he's playing at all."

Erin Andrews got caught in a tight situation at the Rose Bowl yesterday ... in the shape of her form-fitting mom slacks.

Andrews was patrolling the sidelines in Pasadena as the Oregon Ducks rolled over the Wisconsin Badgers in a 45 to 38 shootout.

He's been to dozens of stadiums ... covered hundreds of games ... and this weekend, ESPN college football guru Lee Corso used his expertise to determine the ROWDIEST fans in the country.

Nelson Mandela's daughter just lost a $7.5 million battle in court -- because that's how much a judge ordered her to pay an L.A. boxing promoter ... after she allegedly flaked on a deal to organize a Pacquiao/Mayweather fight.

TMZ broke the story ... a guy named Duane Moody sued Nelson's daughter Zindziswa Mandela for $7.5 million earlier this year -- claiming she hired him to organize a Pacquiao/Mayweather bout for her father's birthday ... but ultimately flaked on the deal ... and the fight never materialized.

The fight was expected to rake in $100 million -- and Duane claims Zindziswa promised to pay him a 15% commission on all proceeds ... but fell off the radar as he was trying to organize the match.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Zindziswa never responded to Duane's complaint -- so an L.A. judge entered a default judgment, awarding the promoter $7.5 million in damages ... plus costs.

Duane's lawyer tells us, “We haven’t heard anything from any representative for Ms. Mandela. It appears she feels hiding in South Africa means she can avoid her obligations in the U.S.”

Atlanta Falcons stud wide receiver Roddy White is stepping up to the plate in his paternity case and admitting he IS the father of a 5-month-old baby boy -- but there's a catch ... TMZ has learned.

White filed legal documents in Georgia earlier this month ... acknowledging he DID father a child with a Georgia banker named Stacey Hott ... and he's willing to accept responsibility.

But according to the docs, White isn't ready to fork over child support just yet -- despite Hott's claim that he's capable of providing a "generous" amount due to his massive NFL salary.

Unless the two can strike a settlement quickly, a judge will get to decide Roddy's payments.

Bill Maher is at it again ... poking fun at Tim Tebow on Twitter just a week after he took some serious heat for mocking the Broncos QB on Christmas Eve.

Maher took a not-subtle-jab at Tim following his terrible performance in a blowout loss to the Bills (see below) which ticked off both Tebow fans and the religious right.

The "Real Time" host took to his Twitter again yesterday to post two pics of him Tebowing in Hawaii -- one of which he calls Treebowing since, as you can clearly see, he's up in a tree.

New rule ... every one needs to lighten up just a little.

LeBron James didn't just ring in the New Year last night ... he put a ring on it, as in he got engaged!

King James proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Savannah Brinson, who is also the mother of his two children. The two have been together since high school.

LeBron popped the question during a NYE party at the SL Nightclub in Miami.

Miami Heat owner Micky Arison tweeted the couple well wishes, writing, "Congrats to Lebron. @KingJames and Savannah so happy 4 u guys."

Deion Sanders and his wife Pilar have made a shocking decision -- they will continue to live under the same roof, even though their divorce war has become epic.

But here's how rich folk do it ... The house is 29,122 square feet, with 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. In case they want to swim, one will get the indoor pool, the other will swim outdoors.

And to avoid those awkward moments when they might run into each other while taking a stroll, they can roam separately on the 109 acre estate.

Truth be told ... Deion probably still wants Pilar out, but we're told she has no plans to move.

Uncle Sam must have been THRILLED when Santonio Holmes signed his $50 million contract with the NY Jets back in July ... 'cause it may have helped the NFL star FINALLY pay off a 6-figure tax debt.

TMZ has learned ... the federal government had obtained a tax lien against the former Super Bowl hero back in March to the tune of $175,482.92 ... after Holmes allegedly screwed the IRS out of income tax for 2009.

But back in August -- after he signed the mega-deal -- Santonio paid off the debt ... and is now even-Steven with the gov ... this according to official docs filed in Florida.

Brock Lesnar knows when to hang it up. He announced he was quitting the whole MMA thing after suffering a lightning fast loss to Alistair Overeem last night at UFC 141.

Lesnar was floored by a brutal kick to the stomach and the fight was stopped at the 2:26 mark of round one. He said after the fight, "I've had a really difficult couple of years with my disease, and I'm going to officially say tonight is the last time."

The former pro wrestling star fought only three times in the last 2.5 years while battling a lower-intestinal disease that nearly killed him.

L.A. Lakers star Andrew Bynum FOR THREE ... run-ins with police in the month in December!!!

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Bynum was pulled over by Culver City PD in early December for allegedly trying to pass another vehicle ... by crossing a divider and driving on the wrong side of the road.

We're told Bynum was cited for illegal passing and sent on his way ... and was extremely cooperative with the officers.

Here's the rub -- the incident went down JUST DAYS BEFORE Bynum earned himself two more driving tickets on separate occasions -- one for tinted tail lights and a missing license plate, and one for speeding.

It hasn't been a great month for the NBA player -- dude had to serve a 4 game suspension for elbowing JJ Barrea during the playoffs last year (below).

MLB superstar Ryan Braun -- the 2011 National League MVP -- says he will not hide from allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs ... telling TMZ, "My day will come."

TMZ broke the story ... MLB sources say Braun's dirty test was caused by medication for a private medical issue.

Usain Bolt is fast ... especially when he's POUNDING ALCOHOL ... and TMZ has the photos to prove it.

The fastest man on the planet went to Jamaica for the holidays to hang out with his parents ... but dude made some time to have a little fun Wednesday at a beach party in Kingston.

We're told Bolt rolled up to the blowout sandbar party in a yacht filled with girls and quickly joined the drunken festivities ... hitting a booze bong and chugging Patron X.O. Cafe ... a coffee-flavored tequila.

Once again, it seems nobody on the planet can keep up with this guy.

The Lakers are now 1 and 2 for the season, but Andrew Bynum's record this week is even worse -- he's 0 and 2 on the streets of L.A.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Bynum was pulled over Tuesday for driving without a license plate and having illegally tinted tail lights. Bynum walked away with a fix-it ticket.

But it was not lesson learned, because today Bynum was pulled over in his Porsche 911 on the freeway for going over 80 mph. Bynum was cited and released.

Truth be told, Bynum has actually slowed it down, because last year he was cited for driving 110 mph on an L.A. freeway in his Ferrari.