TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ex-heavyweight champ Shannon Briggs went toe-to-toe with Wladimir Klitschko in the most insane way -- but did it in flip flops -- and ended up landing himself in the hospital with an injured foot.

According to Shannon ... he saw Wlad eating at a restaurant in Miami, walked up to him and had the balls to start eating food right off his plate! Briggs says Wlad got pissed and poured out a glass of water on him.

Briggs slipped and fell because he was wearing flip flops ... he claims, and also because one of Wlad's boys was rushing him.

Of course Briggs has been hounding Klitschko -- earlier this week he interrupted the champ's training session, repeatedly called him a coward ... and tried to taunt him into a fight.

Briggs says he went to the emergency room with cuts on his foot and leg from broken glass ... but won't need stitches.

We've called Klitschko's camp ... no word back yet.

New York Giants running back David Wilson became a hero in the avian community yesterday -- when he saved a helpless baby bird from being trampled on the team's practice field.

Witnesses at the field say Wilson scooped up the little guy and released him back into a safer area -- don't worry, we're told the bird was jumping around and moving (signs it could take care of itself).

As for Wilson -- he's currently nursing a neck injury and there are reports he may never play football again.

PGA legend John Daly tells TMZ Sports he wants to help Dustin Johnson conquer his reported cocaine problem -- but only if Dustin wants the help.

We spoke with Daly -- who's overcome addiction issues of his own -- and he tells us he feels bad for Johnson since he's such a good guy and a talented golfer.

"I texted Dustin a few days ago and told him how much I love him. He's talented ... he's the future of golf."

As far as Johnson's reported struggles with substance abuse -- Daly says, "My heart goes out to him. I would love to help but I know how things are and he would have to come to me."

Daly is very open about his issues with alcohol -- and says his drinking problems "messed up" his career in the '90s. He's now committed to staying sober, but admits every day is a battle.

Daly says people need to understand that addiction is not weakness, it's a disease -- adding, "It's not something you ever fully get over ... but it is something you can get control of."

PGA star Dustin Johnson -- Paulina Gretzky's fiance -- has been suspended from the PGA tour after reportedly testing positive for cocaine.

5:30 PM PT -- We just got word Ronnie was found in pretty bad shape. According to his family a stranger spotted him lying on the ground in the Silverlake area of L.A. -- at least a 25 minute drive from Culver City -- and took him to a hospital.

Ronnie was dehydrated, and is currently getting treatment. He's expected to be okay.

Ronnie Jay Leipold -- one of the original members of the legendary Z-Boy skating crew -- has gone missing ... and his family is extremely concerned because he suffers from Alzheimer's Disease.

62-year-old Ronnie -- who excelled as a pro surfer before joining the Z-Boy crew back in the '70s -- was last seen in Culver City wearing his medical ID bracelet.

Family members say Ronnie has no short term memory.

We're told the Culver City Police are actively looking for the skate legend -- and are hoping the public will aid in their search.

It's the second time Leipold has disappeared since being diagnosed with the disease 6 years ago.

Hulk Hogan says he HATES his daughter's ex-fiance -- former Dallas Cowboys lineman Phil Costa -- and claims he ALMOST had to kick his ass after a explosive run-in during the engagement.

The Hulkster went on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas to talk football -- and after praising the Cowboys, the WWE legend put Costa on blast ... and took credit for ending his engagement to Brooke.

"There's no way my daughter's gonna marry somebody that I don't like ... that got me mad ... or that got in my face."

Unclear why Hogan and Costa nearly came to blows -- but Hogan says the guy backed down because the 6'3" 303-pounder knew "he'd have gotten slammed just like Andre the Giant."

Wanna date Keyshia Cole?
Do you play professional sports?

If you answered yes to both of these questions, too bad -- AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN ... 'cause Keyshia tells us her days of hookin' up with pro ballers is 100% over.

Keyshia is currently separated from her NBA star husband Boobie Gibson -- and divorce is imminent. In fact, she was rockin' a hat that says "SINGLEish" in NYC yesterday.

He was powerless over the cravings ... consuming it like an junkie ... but NY Yankees star CC Sabathia says he's now 3 years clean and sober after a hardcore addiction to Captain Crunch.

CC is very open about his obsession with the food (part of a complete breakfast) saying he would eat it by the boxload because it's so delicious.

But when he was told to lose weight back in 2011, CC had to kick the Crunch from his diet ... one of the hardest things he's ever done.

Rob Kardashian's downhill spiral was triggered by Lamar Odom ... but we've learned it had nothing to do with Lamar's drug use ... it was all about fatherly abandonment.

Sources connected with the Kardashian family tell TMZ ... Rob was devastated when his dad -- famed O.J. lawyer Robert Kardashian -- died back in 2003. We're told he took it much harder than his siblings and never really got over it.

When Khloe married Lamar ... the bballer became a father figure to Rob. Sources close to Khloe tell us Rob thrived around Lamar, inspiring him to start a business and get in awesome shape. They became best friends, but Rob idolized him.

Khloe has said on the Kardashian's show, Rob's recent troubles were triggered by the dark things that happened in the house. But we're told it's not about drugs -- Lamar compartmentalized his drug use and mostly kept it out of the family home. We're told Khloe was referring to the arguments and breakdown of the marriage.

Our sources say when Lamar cut off the entire family and went radio silent ... Rob went into a tailspin because he felt abandoned by the only person who measured up to his dad. And that's when Rob got deep into lean and other drugs, which resulted in a dramatic weight gain.

Dean Cain says he feels bad Matt Leinart got so upset with him last week -- saying the only reason he was critical of the former NFL star is because he expected him to have a better career.

This is the most amazing thing we've ever seen!!!

A man born with no arms threw out the 1st pitch at the K.C. Royals game last night -- using his feet -- and he absolutely CRUSHES IT.

The guy's name is Tom Willis -- a motivational speaker who has a production company with the slogan, "No hands. No arms. No problem."

Willis used his feet to fire out the first pitch -- and put 50 Cent to shame!!!

The 54-year-old has thrown out the 1st pitch at 22 stadiums -- we're guessing he's trying to get to every single one.

Vernon Davis ain't the only NFL star trying to make the jump to the big screen -- former NY Giants running back Brandon Jacobs just shot his 1st movie ... complete with a real FIGHT SCENE!!

The project is called "The Grievance Group" -- in which Jacobs plays the leader of a militant army trying to protect his community.

He's pretty bad ass ... he yells at a bunch of people, fights a guy in army fatigues and (pretends) to fire a heavy duty machine gun.

We spoke with the film's director Rob Hawk who tells us they started shooting the flick about 7 months ago in New Jersey -- and he's almost finished with production.

Hawk says the movie will open in 20 theaters on the East Coast in September and hopes it expands from there.

As for Brandon, we're told he's got a real interest in acting -- and hopes this role can springboard his acting career.

Team USA soccer star Jermaine Jones says he's got big plans when his playing days are over -- telling TMZ Sports he wants to start his very own sports agency ... a la Lil Wayne.

Jones was out in L.A. -- riding on one of the cool Cam-Am 3-wheeled motorcycles (don't worry, he was wearing his helmet) -- when he told us he doesn't just want his future biz to focus on soccer ... but music and entertainment as well.

Probably a good idea for Jones -- he's been crushing the networking side of the agency business since he returned from the World Cup ... kicking it with huge stars like Paris Hilton, Charlie Sheen, Mike Tyson and more.

As for how he feels about Weezy getting into business with Cristiano Ronaldo -- he talks about that too ... check out the clip.

Some idiot soccer fan got absolutely ANNIHILATED when he ran on the field at a Man U game last week ... thanks to two badass security guards who hit like NFL linebackers.

It all went down in L.A. when the L.A. Galaxy hosted Manchester United for a friendly match at The Rose Bowl.

Right after the final whistle blew (finalizing Man U's 7-0 victory) ... the fan jumped on the field and started approaching some of the players.

That's when security raced after the guy and delivered a BONE-CRUSHING tackle on the guy that woulda made Lawrence Taylor proud.

Jay-Z, Kanye West, LL Cool J, who's missing? According to Russell Simmons it's Shaquille O'neal because the Hip Hop pioneer tells TMZ Sports he "wishes" he'd have signed Shaq to a record deal back in the day.

Russell, co-founder of the legendary Def Jam records, was out in New York City when we asked him if there was a rapping athlete that he'd have wanted to work with back in DJ's heyday.

Simmons doesn't hesitate to big up the Diesel -- who recently dusted off his rap skills to audition for Pharrell -- cracking a huge smile and telling us Shaq was "kinda cool" on the mic.

Ya hear that Pharrell? Russell says it's OK.