Larry Brown Sports

John Smoltz has the most incredible backyard I have ever seen. The former Atlanta Braves Cy Young Award-winning pitcher lives in a multi-million dollar mansion in Milton, Ga., and he turned his backyard into an amazing sports complex.

Smoltz showed off his backyard in an episode of HGTV’s “Million Dollar Rooms” that aired recently (h/t Cosby Sweaters). The mansion is over 18,000 square feet, has 10 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, spans 22 acres, and is home to Smoltz, his wife, and their six children.

Smoltz did much of the work creating the yard and estimates he spent over $2 million and thousands of hours of labor on it. He says he has a full-time landscaper and that it takes seven hours to cut all the grass.

Here’s what the yard contains:

- 9-hole golf course (according to Smoltz; listings say 18 holes)
- putting green that has lights to practice at night
- baseball field with splash zone beyond left field
- fishing pond
- tennis court
- volleyball court
- full basketball court
- football/soccer field

Other cool details: The golf course has a watering system featuring 38 different zones and is irrigated through the pond. The baseball field is made of synthetic turf. Smoltz says many teams have gone there to work out when their fields were in poor condition.

“This is a lot,” says Smoltz, “but it’s so much fun.”

The backyard is not the only amazing part of the mansion. Not only does it include a theater, bar, eight-car garage and fitness room, but the whole bottom floor is a museum-like trophy area.

The floor features newspapers, jerseys, gear, and other memorabilia in well-lit cases. Smoltz’s memorabilia includes his Cy Young Award trophy, a replica World Series trophy from the Braves’ 1995 win, and a torch Muhammad Ali carried for the Atlanta Olympics.

The estate was actually for sale last January and listed for $7.2 million. It’s unclear whether Smoltz is still looking to sell, but the listing on the often outdated site Realtor.com says the property is still active. You have to wonder why Smoltz would be selling something he put so much time and effort into perfecting.

In case you can’t sit through the entire video, below are some shots of the yard:

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Michael Jordan has put his luxurious home from his days with the Bulls on the market. And it can be yours for just $29 million!

Located in the swanky Chicago suburb Highland Park, the 32,683 square-foot pad, which was built in 1995, comes fully furnished and boasts nine bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, four half-bathrooms, a gated entrance, a pool, a putting green, a pond, tennis courts and an indoor basketball complex (hey, Jordan didn’t hone his game merely shooting jumpers on a hoop in his driveway).

And unlike the Bobcats, this MJ investment has held up well over time. So don’t be afraid to make your best offer!

H/T The Big Lead via Sportress of Blogitude
Photos via Baird & Warner

Throw a 104 mile per hour fastball and you too can own a fantabulous mansion like the one just purchased by Reds reliever Aroldis Chapman. Chapman bought this bad boy on September 1st. You want details? Fine. This is a 5 bedroom/5.5 bathroom, 10,548 square-foot mansion in Davie, Florida. It was initially listed for $2.25 mil but Chapman snagged it for $1.85 million. Let’s take a look inside this reliever’s paradise:

The LBS headquarters are pretty expansive, but I’m guessing we could manage in a place like that. Just not sure it could hold all our laptops.

Chapman has pitched well since returning from the minor leagues in May. He signed a six-year $30.25 million contract as a free agent defector from Cuba. If it makes you feel any better, his pad has nothing on Adrian Beltre’s mansion.

Thanks to Fan Phooey for the story

In case you couldn’t have predicted, that post title is what we like to call sarcasm.  Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen are pooling their millions and setting up shop on the West Coast, in Brentwood, CA.  The married couple’s new home, which is estimated in the $20 million price range — not including the $11 million they paid for the lot — is going to be a 22,000 foot mansion (understatement) with 8 bedrooms, a covered bridge, six-car garage, and lagoon-shaped swimming pool.  Take a look at some of the pictures of Tom Brady and Gisele’s mansion, courtesy of New York Daily News.

Source:
Patriots star Tom Brady, supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen build $20M dream home in Brentwood, Calif. [NY Daily News]

OK, so I realize that Gil was talking about building a replica of the Playboy Mansion pool at his house before signing his new deal, but it just makes it more fun to say it this way. Anyway, DC Sports Bog was able to snag some photos of Gil’s highly hyped lagoon. Check out the pics of this million-dollar bad boy in its preliminary state:

Here are a few fast facts about the pool:

* The stone for the “mountain” cost nearly half a million dollars.

* There are three different fish tanks, one going in the “grotto,” one in the front hall, and one in the basement. Their normal retail price would have been about another half-million.

* The tank in the basement will have a recess with a couch in it so Gil can “relax and look up at the fish.”

* The work is scheduled to be finished in August.

That’s pretty clutch right there. Never have I wanted to be invited to someone’s place more than Gil’s (Playboy Mansion comes a close second). More pics after the jump

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I often wondered why Evander Holyfield, clearly way past his boxing prime, decided to keep fighting in the ring, even to the point of endangering himself. Not only was the old man ruining his record with every fight past the age of 40, but he was also getting beat up pretty bad. I was critical of Old Field for getting his ass kicked in October and was hoping he’d quit (even though I have campaigned for Tyson/Holyfield III). From the sounds of things, retirement plans probably aren’t imminent for Old Field; he’s dealing with some serious financial woes:

[Evander's] $10 million estate in suburban Atlanta is under foreclosure, the mother of one of his children is suing for unpaid child support, and a Utah consulting company has gone to court claiming the boxer failed to pay back more than a half million dollars for landscaping.

A legal notice that ran Wednesday in a small local newspaper said Holyfield’s estate will be auctioned off “at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash” at the Fayette County courthouse on July 1. The 54,000-square-foot home — located on Evander Holyfield Highway — has 109 rooms, including 17 bathrooms, three kitchens and a bowling alley.

Honestly, who needs a home with 109 rooms? He deserves to have it foreclosed just for being that ostentatious. Of course, he could be using the rooms to house all his kids. The best quote came from the dude representing one of the Baby Mamas that wants some money from Old Field. As he said, child support of $6,000? That’s probably the light bill at Old Field’s place. No doubt. So yeah, once again, we have an athlete in a serious financial mess. Don’t be fooled however, some do have success in the afterlife.