TMZ Sports - Page 32

While Jayson Tatum's right leg needed repair, his attitude clearly requires no adjustment ... check out a photo he just posted, he seems to be in good spirits despite undergoing brutal surgery.

Tatum's been hanging out in a hospital ever since he blew out his Achilles in Game 4 of the Celtics' playoff matchup with the Knicks, but in a pic he shared to his Instagram page Wednesday morning, he showed he's not letting it all keep him down.

Tatum -- whose right ankle was heavily bandaged -- had a smile in the snap ... and he also flashed a big thumbs up.

Adam Sandler shared a touching tribute to the late Hollywood legend Morris the Alligator after his passing this week ... pouring his heart out for his "Happy Gilmore" costar in an emotional social media post.

The actor and comedian said goodbye to the reptile Wednesday morning ... reflecting on the challenges of working with a live gator -- as well as the good times.

"You could be hard on directors, make-up artists, costumers -- really anyone with arms or legs -- but I know you did it for the ultimate good of the film," Sandler said.

Jordon Hudson penned an emotional letter to her cheer team after making the decision to quit ... and in the note, she issued an apology to her squadmates for all of the hoopla her relationship with Bill Belichick caused.

The message -- which was obtained by The Washington Post -- appeared to be sent this past winter ... after Belichick had accepted the UNC football head coaching job.

Hudson explained to her teammates she would no longer be flying for ECE Blackout in Massachusetts -- as she was going to follow her 73-year-old boyfriend to Chapel Hill.

Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale have transformed themselves into John Madden and Al Davis for an upcoming flick about the Raiders legend ... and when compared to the real-life figures, they're just twins, baby!!

Amazon MGM Studios provided an image of the two actors dressed up as the coaching great and team owner for the "Madden" movie that's currently in production ... and they nailed the two iconic figures' appearances.

In the promo pic, Cage and Bale pose in front of the camera while sporting Super Bowl rings ... with the former rocking a Raiders jacket and the latter rocking Davis' slicked-back hair and sunglasses.

The NFL schedule drops in full later today ... but Travis Kelce already gave us a big hint about where the Kansas City Chiefs will open the season -- and he's heated, literally and figuratively!

Trav and his brother Jason Kelce were discussing a rumor ... that the Chiefs would make the 5k-plus mile trip down to São Paulo, Brazil, to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. With the podcast dropping on release day, Kelce at least confirmed the location.

"This isn't out until Wednesday," Kelce explained ... "Yeah, we're definitely playing in Brazil."

Watch out, MLB -- Mookie Betts' son took the field for the first pitch at the Dodgers game on Tuesday ... and he proved he's got skills just like his pops!!

The adorable moment happened before Los Angeles faced the Athletics ... which was also Betts' bobblehead night.

Betts' loved ones joined him on the diamond for his special night ... including two-year-old Kaj, who had the honor of throwing the ceremonial toss.

"Barehand" and "clean-up" took on whole new meanings at one Minor League Baseball stadium over the weekend ... as a team staffer had to scoop up a bat dog's poop -- with no gloves on!!

It all happened at Atrium Health Ballpark on Sunday ... when the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers were taking on the Carolina Mudcats.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Cannon Ballers' de facto mascot had a bathroom emergency just feet away from home plate ... and a stadium employee was unfortunately given the unenviable assignment of getting it out of the dirt.

Angel City FC player Savy King is recovering from heart surgery after collapsing on the field during Friday's match ... with the team announcing her prognosis is, thankfully, "excellent."

King fell to the pitch in the 74th minute of Friday's match against the Utah Royals ... and after receiving immediate care for several minutes, she was stretchered off and taken to California Hospital Medical Center for treatment.

The club provided an update on her status ... saying 20-year-old King was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Saturday, where doctors discovered a heart abnormality.

It seems Cooper Beebe's big, hairy belly is a bit of a good luck charm ... 'cause after the Cowboys center showed it off during the Stars game Tuesday -- Dallas pulled out a huge playoff win!!

Beebe popped his top in his luxury box seat in the second period of the Stars' postseason tilt with the Winnipeg Jets -- and just minutes after his bare tummy was broadcast on the American Airlines Center's jumbotron, Mikael Granlund buried a goal to give Dallas a lead!

In the next period, Granlund netted one more ... and the Stars ultimately won, 3-1.

Patrick Mahomes Sr. will be allowed to watch his son tee off for a good cause this week ... TMZ Sports has learned authorities in Texas have given the elder Mahomes permission to attend Patrick Mahomes II's charity golf event in Vegas.

The Kansas City Chiefs star is throwing the bash at Shadow Creek Golf Course starting on Wednesday ... in an effort to help raise some funds for his 15 and the Mahomies Foundation.

Earlier this month, according to court documents we obtained, Mahomes Sr. asked his probation officer if he could go see it in person -- and on May 7, the plans were approved.

As Cassie gets set for Day 2 of her testimony in Diddy's federal sex trafficking trial, TMZ is rolling out some more exclusive unseen video of the disgraced music mogul and his A-list pals.

This time we see them at a Super Bowl LII party in Minnesota in 2018, partying hard and engaging in fiery conversations.

In this footage, Diddy and his pal, fellow rapper French Montana -- who Diddy spent a lot of time with during the mid-2010s -- and DJ Khaled are attending a Super Bowl party at an undisclosed location in Minnesota.

Rob Gronkowski just turned 36 on Wednesday ... and while he's been retired for a while, he still looks like he could suit up and hit the field today!!

About 3 years have passed since the tight end played in the NFL ... where he had plenty of success with four Super Bowl rings alongside his quarterback, Tom Brady.

There was no retirement bod for Gronk, though ... as he looks just like the ripped five-time Pro Bowler who set records in the NFL.

Big praise for Timothée Chalamet from Amar'e Stoudemire -- the former New York star tells TMZ Sports the actor's been such a good Knicks fan, he's ready to dub him "the next Spike Lee!!!"

Chalamet, of course, has put his blue and orange support on full display this spring -- just as Lee has done for years -- attending Knicks games regularly, and even appearing to miss out on The Met Gala to catch one of New York's postseason matchups against the Celtics.

Stoudemire told us Tuesday he's noticed it all -- especially when he saw it up-close at Madison Square Garden during NY's huge Monday night victory over Boston ... and now, he's ready to give Chalamet his flowers.

There's a lot to celebrate in the Ohtani household ... 'cause Shohei's famous pooch, Decoy, has made another trip around the sun ... and the Dodgers superstar commemorated the big birthday with an adorable tribute!!

The three-time MVP -- who has quite the stuffed trophy case -- gave his four-legged friend some hardware of his own ... by gifting him a "Most Valuable Dog" plaque.

Decoy also got flowers and a number two balloon for his little pawty. We didn't see any treats ... but with Ohtani's $700 million contract, we're sure he was able to splurge a bit.

Jayson Tatum's playoff run is over -- the Celtics just announced he had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles.

The Boston forward sustained the injury late in Monday night's loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden -- when he went down while trying to leap for a loose ball.

Initially, all of Boston had hoped it wasn't too serious ... but the Cs said Tuesday that Tatum had "successful surgery" on his ruptured right Achilles and will have a lengthy rehab to get back to the floor.

1:50 PM PT -- The Hall of Fame confirmed Rose will be eligible for enshrinement starting in 2027.

"The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball's permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration," board chairman Jane Forbes Clark said.

"Major League Baseball’s decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered."

The late Pete Rose is no longer banned from baseball -- MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is removing the Cincinnati Reds legend and several other deceased players from the league's permanently ineligible list ... clearing the path for him to potentially finally get his spot in Cooperstown.

The shocking news broke on Tuesday ... with Manfred stating the lifetime ban on athletes will be lifted once they are no longer around.

Rose was banned back in 1989 for betting on games while serving as the Reds' manager.