TMZ Sports - Page 50

The start of the NFL season does something indescribable to the most loyal football fans -- It has the power to transform the most ordinary members of society into die-hard pigskin psychopaths ...

... and it's glorious.

He wrecked the guy in traffic ... and now Tommy Lasorda just wrecked his accuser in court -- after the victim in a fender bender demanded $10k from the Dodgers legend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Tommy had already admitted fault in a rear-ender that went down in Orange County, CA back in 2012 -- but the victim claims he suffered serious injuries and demanded $10k to pay for medical bills.

Bu Tommy called BS -- and after a hearing in small claims court ... the judge didn't only side with Lasorda ... he RIPPED the accuser, claiming the guy LIED in an effort to score a payday.

In fact, the judge said ... the plaintiff's claim he was rear-ended at 30mph was "so wildly implausible given the physical evidence (photos of the two involved vehicles showing essentially no damage) that it served to completely undermine plaintiff's credibility."

"Menace II Society" actor Bill Duke -- guy delivered the classic line of the '93 flick -- thinks it's time to make it rain on LLWS players, telling TMZ Sports the tykes deserve a cut of the cash.

Duke was in Hollywood when we asked him about the notion that it's time to pay LLWS players 'cause star players like Mo'ne Davis have made the tournament a multi-million dollar operation.

Check out the clip -- Duke says that not only should we pay the Little Leaguers but there is another group of athletes that deserve a check as well.

MLB star Everth Cabrera was arrested in San Diego early Wednesday morning ... after cops say the San Diego Padres shortstop was driving while high on weed ... TMZ Sports has learned.

What's tiny and green and SUCKS??? Avocados ... so says boxing champ Bernard Hopkins.

We were out in NYC talking to the 49-year-old legend about his upcoming fight with Sergey Kovalev ... when we asked the nutrition-conscious athlete if there was a food he's eliminated from his diet.

And that's when B-Hop UNLOADED on the avocado ... calling it "overrated."

In fact, Hopkins says he'd rather put it on his toenails that in his mouth (apparently, some people use avocado oil for luxuriously soft cuticles).

But avocados aren't the only item to draw Bernard's ire ... check out the clip to find out what drink The Alien could do without.

He just retired, but ex-Super Bowl hero James Harrison is still out to prove he can outlift EVERYONE in the NFL ... by crashing the Pittsburgh Steelers gym and dominating the bench press.

With current Steelers Ike Taylor and Lawrence Timmons spotting him (shirtless for some reason), the former linebacker repped out 405 POUNDS like it was nothing.

The video is pretty hilarious ... and a tad frightening ... with 36-year-old Harrison explaining that he doesn't plan on shrinking down in his retirement.

She may be from Florida, but Ariana Grande put her butt on the line for the Seattle Seahawks last night.

NY Jets coach Rex Ryan is saying the team is keeping a close eye on rookie WR Quincy Enunwa -- who was arrested for domestic violence Sunday -- but says there's a big difference between "accused" and "convicted."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Enunwa was busted at a hotel in NJ, where he allegedly got violent with a woman during a heated argument. Enunwa plead not guilty to the domestic violence charge.

Coach Ryan addressed the issue during a media conference Thursday and said, "We are aware of it. This is something we take very seriously, obviously."

When asked if he would allow a player to remain on the team after he was convicted of domestic violence, Ryan said ... "There are different things. But, obviously there is a big difference between being charged, allegedly charged, and being convicted."

Ryan initially said the team knew about the arrest before they signed Enunwa to the practice squad this week -- but then backtracked and said:

"You know what, I said that before about the practice squad, I can’t really remember the timetable. I have been so focused on the Raiders. I am not going to get into the specifics of it. I don’t want to give you false information. Quite honestly I don’t remember if it was before the practice squad or not."

Kanye West hit the gym in Australia Thursday -- challenging some friends to a pickup basketball game ... but he wasn't rockin' Jordans (Game 6) ... Yeezy strapped on some Adidas.

After his relationship with Nike soured, Kanye signed a deal with the rival shoe giant last year -- and though he hasn't released his own Adidas shoe yet, he's already supporting the brand in public.

These happen to be the Adidas "Pure Boost" running shoes ... not ideal for basketball, but they seem to be working for K.

Fun Fact -- Kanye's "Red October" Nike shoes run as much as $5k on eBay.

Manny Pacquiao tells TMZ Sports he will pray for his rival Floyd Mayweather -- after learning about allegations that Floyd pulled a gun on his ex-fiancee.

Pacquiao was out at Ecco! restaurant in Tribeca (where he's promoting his upcoming fight with Chris Algieri) when we asked him about the lawsuit filed by Floyd's ex-fiancee Shantel Jackson.

As we first reported, Jackson accuses Mayweather of doing horrible things to her over the years -- including domestic violence, public shaming and forcing her to hand over her engagement ring at gunpoint.

Gilbert Arenas' lady Laura Govan is serving notice to all basketball wives -- there's only one (engagement) ring to rule them all ... and it's the MILLION DOLLAR stone she rocks on her hand.

Laura was out in Calabasas when our camera guy asked her about Russell Westbrook's endearing display of love to his fiancee -- a sick $700k engagement ring.

That's when the bombshell was dropped -- Laura told us she thinks the Westbrook ring is "cute" ... but can't touch the million dollar MONSTER on her ring finger!!

Sure, she put a hurtin' on a heavy bag in that new Under Armour ad -- but how would Gisele do in a real fight with fellow supermodel pugilist Adriana Lima?? She'd get her perfectly sculpted ass kicked.

At least according to actual boxing champ Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin.

By now you've seen the Gisele ad -- and it's impressive -- but she can't hold a candle to Lima ... who's been boxing for years and even trained with Manny Pacquaio.

"Seeing [Lima] hit the pads, I expect her to do better in the ring than Gisele," Quillin says ... noting her form, her power and her precision.

"Hitting the pads is different than hitting the bag ... it's harder. You have to have more direction with the pads. But you really never know what kind of fight someone has until they step in the ring."

But Quillin says he was definitely impressed with Gisele too ... especially when it came to her physique.

Floyd Mayweather's ex-fiancee Shantel Jackson is suing the boxer -- claiming he attacked her on multiple occasions and once PULLED A GUN ON HER and threatened to shoot.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Jackson claims Floyd first got violent with her back in 2012 ... right after he was released from the slammer in a domestic violence case involving another woman.

Joan Rivers made one hell of an impression on her former "Celebrity Apprentice" co-star Herschel Walker ... who just told us a story about Joan that's pretty awesome.

First off, Walker says Rivers was one of the nicest people he'd ever met -- and says he's "very depressed" after learning about her passing.

"I didn’t know much about Joan before 'Apprentice' besides the fact she's a comedian -- but she’s much more than that. She taught me a lot. She's an amazing person."

Now for the story ... Walker says," After 'Celebrity Apprentice,' she asked for my mom’s address. Then, she sent my mom a letter saying how I was such a nice man and sent her a charm necklace by the Joan Rivers collection."

How cool is that?!

"So, unexpected and kind of her," Walker tells us.

R.I.P.

Thiago Silva just scored the biggest victory of his life -- prosecutors DROPPED all of the charges against the ex-UFC star stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident earlier this year that ended with a S.W.A.T. team standoff.

As we previously reported, Silva was arrested in South Florida February 6th after rolling up to an MMA studio and allegedly pointing a gun at his wife.

He was initially charged with attempted murder -- but that charge was quickly thrown out. Instead, Silva was hit with two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.

But TMZ Sports has learned ... prosecutors decided to nuke those charges as well -- which means Silva is essentially off the hook.

The Broward County Attorney's Office tells us ..."All charges against Thiago Silva were dropped. The victim was uncooperative, and investigators determined that she has likely moved out of the country."

Silva's attorney, Scott Saul, says the fighter has always proclaimed his innocence and is looking forward to moving on with his life.

"Thiago was described as some sort of rabid bird, [the allegations] made him look like a crazy person. But he was not," Saul says.

After Thiago's arrest, UFC honcho Dana White swore he would NEVER allow Silva to fight in the UFC again. It's unclear if he'll change his position now that Thiago is in the clear.

Yasiel Puig tells TMZ Sports ... he was PUMPED to get Mo'ne Davis to sign his baseball ... and says it's already on display at his house -- right next to a Kobe Bryant autographed basketball.

"She's the best pitcher I've ever seen at her age," the L.A. Dodgers star says ... adding that he couldn't wait to meet the 13-year-old Little League phenom when she threw out the first pitch at Dodgers Stadium earlier this week.

"I think [throwing out the first pitch] was a great moment for her. I was very happy for her."