TMZ Sports - Page 50

St. Louis Cardinals rookie Oscar Taveras' blood alcohol level was 5 TIMES the legal limit at the time of his fatal crash last month ... officials in the Dominican Republic say.

The 22-year-old MLB rising star died on October 26th when the car he was driving smashed into a tree. Oscar's 18-year-old girlfriend, who was a passenger in the car, was also killed in the wreck.

Initially, cops said preliminary evidence did not lead them to believe Oscar was intoxicated at the time of the crash ... but toxicology reports showed his blood alcohol was at an extremely high level.

Cops also say he was driving "very, very fast" at the time of the accident.

ESPN is not backing down from Daniel Tosh -- telling TMZ Sports the network did NOT steal one of his signature comedy bits ... despite Tosh's accusations.

As we previously reported, the Comedy Central star went nuclear on ESPN Tuesday night -- claiming the network copied a popular "Tosh.0" segment called "Web Redemption" and changed the title to "Awesome Video Segment."

Tosh claims ESPN even stole his catchphrase, "Are you ready to give it another shot?"

But ESPN tells us ... "This was more of an instance of us using a common phrase than it was copying his wording."

"We know that doesn't sound like the strongest explanation yet it’s the truth."

The network adds, "We are looking forward to ‘giving it another shot’ in future installments of 'The Awesome Video Segment.'"

So ... ESPN host Michelle Beadle took a shot at Kim Kardashian and her big fat ass.

After Kim K posted her brand new naked pic, Beadle went to Twitter to mock the reality star.

"Just purchased $633 in baby oil and performed an at-home lobotomy...let's do this. #BreakTheInternet #MoonRiver."

She later added ... "Are we done talking about giant, greasy poo-makers yet? #CometLanding."

Beadle isn't the only celebrity to go after Kim -- Chelsea Handler implied Kim's ass is fake and Naya Rivera also threw shade ... saying, "You're someone's mother."

File Under: "The Perils of Being Giant" ... because 7'6" Yao Ming hilariously tried to squeeze into the front passenger seat of a SUV this morning -- and just didn't fit.

It's not like it's a tiny 2-door coupe ... the former NBA superstar had a massive Lincoln Navigator waiting for him -- and it still couldn't handle all 90 inches of Yao.

Eventually, Ming crunched into the backseat ... but even that was a tight squeeze.

Matt Lauer had every opportunity to say he does not have an interview lined up with disgraced NFL star Ray Rice, but he didn't.

As TMZ Sports first reported ... NBC sources told us Lauer snagged an interview with Rice and wife Janay. Our Rice sources say nothing is set in stone for him ... that "Today" is more interested in Janay, but our NBC sources say that's not true -- Rice is the prize.

So when our photog spotted Lauer in NYC Wednesday morning and mentioned the Ray interview, Lauer said repeatedly no "announcement" had been made. Interesting.

BTW ... how cool is Matt?

Mike Myers has a bone to pick with Michael Buble ... claiming the singer was dead wrong about the greatest NHL fighter of all time.

Of course, Buble had picked Geno Odjick ... who once tried to fight an entire NHL team. The video is awesome.

But Myers says his #1 goon is Ken Baumgartner ... who's ranked #37 on the all-time list of penalty minutes served in the NHL. He was a badass too.

Well, after some quick cyber-snooping ... we actually found a video of a KEN vs. GENO fight from 1993 -- and when those guys dropped the gloves, there was one clear winner.

They might suck at the moment, but Jack Black refuses to turn his back on the L.A. Lakers.

Black was out in L.A. last night when he was asked if he would ever consider buying a sports team -- or at least part of one ... a la Usher (Cleveland Cavs) or Justin Timberlake (Memphis Grizzlies).

Jack, being the huge Purple and Gold fan that he is, picked the Lakers ... but noted he could "probably get it for a steal right now."

But, as Black points out ... if the Clippers sold for $2 BILLION -- how much would the Lakers sell for if the Buss family was looking to unload????

There are some experts who believe the Lake Show could be worth close to $5 BILLION!!!

Daniel Tosh has declared WAR on ESPN -- claiming the network ripped off one of his most famous bits ... and last night he went after the 4-letter without mercy.

Tosh claims ESPN essentially stole the "Web Redemption" segment from "Tosh.0" -- where he finds someone who had an embarrassing moment that went viral and gives them a chance to redeem themselves.

The Comedy Central star claims ESPN jacked the bit for a feature on that Canadian singer who tripped HARD while singing the Canadian national anthem before a hockey game. They even used his signature catch phrase.

But Tosh didn't just get mad, he got even -- and ripped off a segment from ESPN ... mocking "Sports Science" while tearing apart the network and it's talent.

**Warning -- this video is going to make you smile**

He was a 1st round pick in the NBA draft last year, but Reggie Bullock isn't too big to PERSONALLY roll out the red carpet for his mom when she comes out to L.A. this week ... and TMZ Sports has the footage to prove it!

Not only did the 23-year-old millionaire go right to the arrivals gate at LAX to greet his mother after her flight in from North Carolina ... but he crammed his entire 6'7" frame into the backseat of the waiting 2-door car to make sure she sat comfortably in the front seat.

After they got home, the L.A. Clippers player posted a pic of the two of them to Instagram with the caption ... "With my #1 #mommasBOY."

If you think being LeBron James' kid is all about living the good life ... you're wrong ... because when it comes to sports, they might have it harder than ANYONE.

It's called "I'm the S**t Syndrome" ... at least according to "Chappelle's Show" star Donnell Rawlings who says 'Bron is super concerned over whether his children will be able to compete on his level in the sports world.

Essentially, Rawlings says LeBron is putting pressure on himself to make sure his kids are just as dominant as he is.

Rawlings says LeBron isn't the first superstar to deal with the issue -- pointing out Michael Jordan and his kids also battled with ITSS.

Case in point ... MJ's Hall of Fame induction speech when he told his children, "You guys have a heavy burden. I wouldn't want to be you guys if I had to."

Hopefully, LeBron handles it better than MJ did ...

Ricky Williams says he doesn't believe Adrian Peterson did ANYTHING wrong when he beat his 3-year-old son with a switch ... saying it's just the way black people raise their kids.

The former NFL star appeared on "Jim Rome on Showtime" and explained why he thinks there's no way in hell a jury comprised entirely of black people would ever find Peterson guilty of a crime.

Check out the clip ... Ricky insists corporal punishment is the status quo in the African-American community ... and Rome pushes back pretty hard.

The Lakers are rallying around their new teammate Wayne Ellington ... after getting the news that the guard's father was murdered in Philadelphia.

Ellington's father was killed Sunday night. The Lakers say they've given Wayne an indefinite leave of absence while he copes with the tragedy.

Ellington's 57-year-old father was shot while sitting in his car Sunday night. Police say an unknown gunman shot him in the head, and he died later at the hospital. So far they have no leads on a suspect.

It's Veteran's Day ... and NFL star Pierre Garcon is giving back in a pretty awesome way -- WITH FREE PIZZA!!!

The Washington Redskins wide receiver is offering free slices to military vets at the SpinFire Pizza restaurant he owns in Ashburn, Virginia.

We're told several of Pierre's teammates are at the restaurant RIGHT NOW taking pics with fans and hanging with military vets ... including Robert Griffin III.

Pretty cool, right?

Matt Lauer has won the war for Ray Rice -- booking the disgraced NFL star to appear on the "Today" show for an exclusive sit-down interview during sweeps ... TMZ Sports has learned.

It's unclear if Ray's wife Janay Rice will participate in the interview.

We're told the interview is expected to air sometime between now and Nov. 26th.

It's a huge score for NBC ... especially since Rice and Janay have been radio silent with the media ever since we published the elevator footage showing Ray KOing Janay in an Atlantic City casino.

A source connected with Rice just contacted us and said Rice has made no commitment to sit-down with "Today" and will not do anything until after the arbitration decision on his suspension is made. The source says "Today" was really only interested in Janay, not Ray. Our NBC sources dispute that and say Rice is the prize. The Rice source says they will consider the interview but only after arbitration.

Ray Rice wasn't the only athlete in Eminem's cross-hairs -- the rapper also dropped a few lines about Adrian Peterson's child abuse case on his new album.

Em takes aim in a new song called, "Detroit Vs. Everybody" on his new compilation album "Shady XV" -- in which he spits the following lyrics:

"What's makin' you think I need a switch? I'm Adrian Peterson ...
When he's raging and heated and on the way to go beat his kid ...
On the track I spank like he just did."

So far, no response from AP.