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The World Series bonus checks are in ... and the Houston Astros are coming up BIG!!!!

Here's how it works ... each team in the MLB playoffs gets a bonus check based on how far they advanced. The bonus money is pooled from gate receipts from the playoff games.

The big winner -- the Houston Astros ... with each player getting a $438,901.57 bonus check!!!!

According to MLB, it's the largest bonus ever paid out. The previous record was held by the 2014 SF Giants, which paid players $392k each.

But don't feel too sorry for the L.A. Dodgers ... even though they lost the World Series, each player still made out with $259,722.14.

Here's how the rest of the bonuses paid out:

NY Yankees -- $138k
Chicago Cubs -- $133k

AZ Diamondbacks -- $40k
Boston Red Sox --$36k

Cleveland Indians -- $36k
Washington Nationals -- $36k

Colorado Rockies -- $18k
Minnesota Twins -- $18k

It pays to be good.

The University of Tennessee says they found no evidence that Greg Schiano helped cover up child rape during his time at Penn State ... but they're still not explaining why they backed out of hiring him as the Vols head football coach.

FYI, Schiano was reportedly signed to be the next head coach -- but some students and supporters lashed out over the decision due to claims Schiano knew about the horrific things Jerry Sandusky was doing to children and didn't report him to police.

Schiano has denied covering up anything -- and said he never had any knowledge about Sandusky's disturbing crimes. Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel explained where the allegation stems from.

Still, many have speculated that outrage over the Penn State connection is what led to Tennessee backing out.

Now, UT athletic director John Currie has issued a statement essentially saying the school vetted Schiano and determined he had no role in protecting Sandusky.

"Coach Schiano worked at Penn State from 1990-1995. Consequently, we, of course, carefully reviewed the 2012 investigation report by Louis Freeh. Coach Schiano is not mentioned in the Freeh report and was not one of the more than 400 people interviewed in the investigation."

"We also confirmed that Coach Schiano was never deposed and never asked to testify in any criminal or civil matter. And, we conferred with our colleagues at The Ohio State University, who had conducted a similar inquiry after the 2016 release of testimony."

Mel B and Stephen Belafonte have struck a deal in their bitter divorce war ... but a judge still has to sign off on it to make it official.

In legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Mel and Stephen struck a deal on November 8 and agreed to the following:

-- Stephen will destroy any compromising videos of Mel

-- Stephen gets spousal support for the next 3 years but the amount listed in the docs has been redacted

-- Neither will pay child support but will share joint legal custody of 6-year-old daughter Madison

-- Stephen and Mel agree to a schedule for sharing physical custody

-- Stephen gets access to the family house to retrieve personal belongings, including childhood photos, clothing and artwork

-- Sell the house and divvy up the profits

TMZ broke the story ... the deal comes on the heels of Mel and Stephen settling the domestic violence portion of their nasty divorce.

Jeremy Meeks is playing hardball with his estranged wife, arguing she's not entitled to a penny of spousal support.

Jeremy filed legal docs in his divorce case with Melissa Meeks, in which he says she's currently earning exactly what she made during the marriage when she was the breadwinner. BTW, she was the breadwinner because he spent time in prison for firearms violations and grand theft.

He is willing to pay child support but scoffs at Melissa's claim he's raking in $1 mil a month. He says his income is more like $6k a month. He says he's willing to pay what the child support schedule dictates ... in his case up to $418 a month for his only child.

And he takes several shots at Melissa, saying he sets a good example for his son, while she gives interviews to the media and engages in "televised reconstructive surgeries" of her nose, bust and vagina.

And finally, he says she needs to back off grousing that he's dating billionaire heiress Chloe Green. He says who he dates is not her business.

Meghan Markle will not be living in royal opulence ... not by a long shot.

She'll be moving into Harry's bachelor pad -- aka, Nottingham Cottage. It's a 2-bedroom, 1,324-sq ft home ... closer to a nice apartment than a royal abode.

The Cottage sits on the grounds of Kensington Palace, a stone's throw from where William and Kate live. William and Kate have 22 rooms.

BTW ... Harry will not be the first Royal to live with his fiancee before getting hitched. William and Kate shacked up before their 2011 nuptials.

As for whether Meghan and Harry will live in the Cottage after they get married ... nothing's been made public.

When it comes to the official White House gingerbread house, Melania Trump's team had one rule -- GO BIG OR GO HOME!

Melania's director of communications Stephanie Grisham claims the edible version of 1600 Pennsylvania used 300 POUNDS of dough!

Grisham says the gingerbread house is also punctuated with Melania's "signature wreaths."

The tradition of making a gingerbread White House dates back to 1969 -- it was started by Nixon's executive chef and as the years passed, they got more grand.

So, here's Obama's gingerbread house from 2016 -- begging the question ...

Jennifer Hudson isn't dishing much these days in the midst of a custody battle ... except a courteous hello.

We got Jennifer at LAX Sunday where we asked her about her baby daddy David Otunga's upcoming hearing in which he'll ask a judge to vacate an order of protection Jennifer got for her and their 8-year-old son, David Jr. Check it out ... Jennifer waved but kept it at that.

Those headphones come in handy when you want to avoid conversation.

TMZ broke the story ... David got his son for Thanksgiving, which was a legal victory in his custody battle with Jennifer.

Josh Duhamel's still thinking turkey but his son's got his eye on the prize ... Christmas!!!

We got Josh and 4-year-old son Axl at LAX Sunday night where our photog greeted them with a good ol' "Merry Christmas." That puzzled Josh who still had Thanksgiving in mind after the long weekend.

That's too bad ... because Axl's laser-focused on his 2017 presents, and from the sound of it he's got a loooooooong list for Santa, who btw is TOTALLY real. Just ask Josh.

Super btw ... good to see Josh in great spirits. He and Fergie split back in September.

TMZ Sports has obtained court documents filed by the man who claims he's being stalked by Ray Allen -- and he believes the NBA star is out to kill him.

But Ray says the accuser is just a "deranged individual" who's obsessed with him -- and the allegations are as bogus as it gets.

Bryant K. Coleman filed the petition for a temporary restraining order against Allen on Nov. 6 -- a petition that was granted by a Florida judge.

In the docs, Coleman claims Allen called him on the phone on Sept. 9 -- after their alleged 3-year relationship had ended -- and said he wanted to "ensure that I went away and never opened my mouth again."

"He said he wanted me to get what I deserved."

Coleman says Allen has "repeatedly spied on me by sending his associates to follow me in my community." One incident allegedly took place in a Publix market on Oct. 10 where Coleman says a man approached him and told him to "watch your back."

Coleman also claims he received a phone call from someone threatening to strangle him -- and he believes the caller was Ray Allen.

In the docs, Coleman says Allen was recently seen in public with 2 armed men and believes the ex-NBA star may be planning a "more direct attack."

One interesting note -- in Coleman's petition, he lists Allen's aliases ... and wrote, "Jesus Shuttlesworth" -- the name of Allen's character in the movie "He Got Game."

We spoke with Allen's attorney, David Markus, who tells TMZ Sports, "As with everything else related to Briant or Bryant Coleman, his petition for a restraining order was filled with lies, falsehoods and fantasies."

"He is a seriously deranged individual who Ray Allen has never met, never spoken with directly or threatened in any way. Coleman is the stalker here who is obsessed with Ray."

"Ray wants nothing to do with him and is exploring all legal options to stop him from continuing to harass and threaten him, his family and friends"

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their first public appearance since announcing their engagement.

The couple walked hand-in-hand at Kensington Palace's Sunken Garden and fans gathered outside the gates to cheer them on.

Kensington Palace is where Harry grew up with his parents, Charles and Diana. It's also where William and Kate call home.

As for Meghan's ring ... it's made of 3 stones -- 2 diamonds from Princess Diana's personal collection and a third stone from Botswana where the couple recently went on holiday.

Kourtney Kardashian must've run out of leftovers quickly because she was dining out over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Kourtney hit up Crossroads in West Hollywood Sunday for a little pre-Cyber Monday dinner. She spent Thanksgiving by the beach with her 3 kids.

Kourtney just doesn't talk ... about anything.

We asked her about the never-before-seen Yeezys Kanye went out shopping in on Black Friday, but it doesn't sound like Christmas came early for her in that department. No need to worry, there's still 29 days to go!

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged, and the Royals couldn't be happier.

The couple announced the engagement Monday and say they will marry in the Spring, 2018.

Queen Elizabeth was quick to voice support, saying she's "delighted for the couple."

It's a break from tradition ... Meghan was born and raised in the United States. She's also divorced, but she's not the first Royal who's on her second marriage. Prince Charles' wife, Camilla, is also divorced.

You may know ... the Queen's uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in 1936 so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Meghan, 36, is 3 years older than Harry. She recently quit her job on the TV show "Suits" as she prepares to move to London.

Lil Peep's death investigation has cops now looking to see if the powerful opioid fentanyl played a role in the rapper's death ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops in Tucson are on the hunt after receiving multiple tips the New York rapper got his hands on some incredibly toxic drugs laced with the potent opioid.

You'll recall fentanyl also contributed to the accidental ODs of Prince and Eric Chase Bolling Jr.

Cops know fentanyl is a problem in Tucson and beyond. What makes it especially dangerous is that even a tiny dose can kill ... especially someone who is not a regular opioid user.

As we reported ... Lil Peep's body was found on the bus last week with drug paraphernalia, Xanax, loose marijuana and an unknown tan powder.

Floyd Mayweather has been telling people close to him that he's considering a 51st fight -- and he's been training like a maniac in the gym ... but we're told there has been NO official movement ... yet.

Here's the deal ... people close to Floyd say he's still in fighting shape and ready to go. He even posted video training in his Vegas gym. We're told he's been kicking around the idea of another comeback.

The obvious matchup ... a Conor McGregor rematch -- especially with the money they made in the first fight.

We saw Showtime Sports honcho Stephen Espinoza -- a major part of the first fight -- and asked if there was any movement behind the scenes.

Long story short -- nothing happening now ... but Espinoza isn't ruling it out at some point down the line.

Stay tuned ...

"Once Upon A Time" star Alison Fernandez's paycheck is a fantasy for most twice her age, because at 12 she's already in line to bank more than $300k a season.

According to her minor's contract Alison's making $14k an episode her first season on the show. The show just rebooted with different characters and Alison, who plays Lucy, is part of the new main cast. In fact, she's listed as appearing in all 22 episodes for season 7 -- which means $308k pre-tax for the pre-teen.

The first run of "Once Upon A Time," which starred Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Morrison went 6 seasons. If the reboot remains as popular, Alison could be a millionaire by the time she's 18.