Simone Biles leads Team USA Gymnastics to gold; MLB trade deadline winners and losers

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🥇 Good morning to everyone, but especially to …

SIMONE BILES AND U.S. WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

The first part of Simone Biles’ and the United States women’s gymnastics’ “redemption tour” is complete. The U.S. won gold in the team final with dominant performances from its biggest stars — Biles and Suni Lee — with Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey playing supporting roles and 16-year-old Hezly Rivera joining them on the podium.

• Biles posted team-bests in the vault (14.900) and floor exercise (14.666), and Lee had the group’s top score on the balance beam (14.600) and uneven bars (14.566).
• It’s Biles’ eighth Olympic medal, most all-time by an American gymnast — and five of those eight medals are gold.
• The United States beat silver-medalist Italy by nearly six points and bronze-medalist Brazil nearly seven points. 
• These games are deemed the “redemption tour” for several reasons. The team as a whole finished with a surprising silver at Tokyo 2020 behind Russia (not allowed to compete at these Olympics), with Biles pulling out of the team final with the “twisties.”
• The United States has now won gold or silver in six straight Olympics and has won gold in three of the last four.

Biles and Lee aren’t done. Far from it. They have the individual all-around final tomorrow. But with the United States back on top of the gymnastics world, Biles’ redemption story — even though she never needed one — is writing itself, Matt Norlander says.

• Norlander: “At 27, she’s practically ancient for her sport, but this feels right; that she decided to come back; that she’s on this stage again; that’s she’s going to be the biggest star of these Games. Tuesday was a team win the whole way, to be sure, but Biles is at the heart of this dominance and is once again beaming at the center of American sports glory. … Biles is, of course, likely to add to her stockpile later this week, when she competes in individual competition. And isn’t that the best part of all of this? There’s more greatness to come. This comeback story isn’t written in one day or completed with one event.”

Here’s more from Paris:

• How to watch
• Medal tracker
• Live tracker
• U.S. women’s rugby sevens beat Australia in stunning fashion to earn bronze, its first Olympic medal.
• The USMNT U23s are into the Olympic quarterfinals for the first time since 2000 — when 15 of the team’s 18 players weren’t even alive — after a 3-0 win over Guinea. Djordje Mihailovic opened the scoring, and Kevin Paredes bagged two goals. Paredes’ bright future is on full display, Chuck Booth writes. The U23s face Morocco on Friday.
• Here’s who to watch for the USWNT vs. Australia, and here’s our preview.
• Dawn Staley spoke on Caitlin Clark missing the team.
• Sam Quinn has best bets for Team USA men’s basketball vs. South Sudan, and here’s our preview.
• Coco Gauff lost after being on the (very) wrong end of a bad call.
• Team USA Swimming earned another four medals Tuesday.
• France men’s basketball needed a minor miracle to force overtime against Japan before Victor Wembanyama took over. France, Germany and Canada are into the quarterfinals.
• Jimmer Fredette and Team USA 3×3 men’s basketball lost its opener to Serbia. The women also lost. Why is Team USA not good at 3×3?
• Men’s golf starts tomorrow, and Kyle Porter made his pick.

😁 Honorable mentions

• Trevon Diggs is off the PUP list.
• This George Pickens grab was ridiculous.
• Jalen Ramsey had a fiery speech for his teammates.
• We have another way-too-early 2025 NBA Mock Draft.
• Here’s how top men’s college basketball transfers will fit on their new teams.

😔 Not so honorable mentions

• Gerrit Cole (illness, general body fatigue) was scratched from his start.
• Mike Trout had a setback in his rehab and may not play again this season.
• Aaron Rodgers is unlikely to play in the preseason. Caleb Williams and other Bears starters won’t play in the Hall of Fame Game.
• Evan Carter (back) is likely out for the season.
• Joel Embiid spoke on getting booed at the Olympics.
• Roman Wilson (ankle) is week-to-week.
• John Cominsky tore his MCL.
• Arden Key was suspended six games for his PED violation.
• Former Louisville and former Kentucky players had to be separated at The Basketball Tournament.
• Could this be the end of FBS football walk-ons as we know them?

⚾ MLB trade deadline: Dodgers winners, Yankees losers at quiet deadline

If you were waiting for a blockbuster at the MLB trade deadline … keep waiting until next year at the very least. The MLB trade deadline came and went quietly Tuesday, with some of the biggest rumored names, such as the White Sox‘ Garrett Crochet, staying put.

But quiet doesn’t mean silent, and the Dodgers were among the teams making some noise. The NL West leaders bolstered their diminished starting rotation by acquiring Jack Flaherty from the Tigers for prospects C/1B Thayron Liranzo and INF Trey Sweeney.

The deal earned an “A” grade for both sides in R.J. Anderson’s estimation.

• Anderson: “Flaherty, 28, enjoyed a resurgence in Detroit. It’s safe to describe him as being in the midst of what may go down as the second-best season of his career. In 18 starts to date, he’s amassed a 2.95 ERA (144 ERA+) and a 7.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio. … It seems wholly reasonable to think that he’s going to be overqualified to be a Game 3 or Game 4 starter this fall. … Some in the industry regard Liranzo as the top prospect moved this week. … There’s some risk with both Liranzo and Sweeney that may compromise their actual value. But we think the Tigers did well enough to grant them the highest grade.”

That also landed the Dodgers in the “winners” column of Matt Snyder’s trade deadline winners and losers. Here are some more notable moves from deadline day.

• The Yankees acquired Mark Leiter Jr. but reportedly backed out on a Flaherty trade over medical concerns.
• The Mets got Paul Blackburn.
• The Orioles added Trevor Rogers from the Marlins and Eloy Jiménez from the White Sox.
• The Padres brought in Tanner Scott.
• The Guardians traded for Alex Cobb.

Here’s our trade deadline tracker with every major move.

You’ll notice one big-time team with big-time aspirations didn’t get much of a mention here. Leiter and Enyel de los Santos help their bullpen, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. is off to a historic start with his new team, but the Yankees needed to do more and now need many players to step up, Mike Axisa says.

🏈 Bears extend D.J. Moore with four-year, $110-million deal

The summer of wide receivers getting paid continues. The Bears signed D.J. Moore to a four-year, $110 million extension, locking in yet another young key piece.

I love this move by Chicago. Pay your stars while your quarterback — rookie No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams — is cheap!

• Moore is only 27 and is coming off a 96-reception, 1,364-yard, eight-touchdown season.
• At $27.5 million per year, this is the seventh-largest contract among wide receivers currently. Five of the top seven deals have been signed this offseason.
• Moore leads a revamped receiving corps that also includes Keenan Allen (trade with Chargers) and Rome Odunze (No. 9 overall pick).
• Chicago also extended Jaylon Johnson to the tune of a four-year, $76 million deal earlier this offseason.

A few weeks ago, I assessed whether Williams, Moore and the Bears could live up to the lofty expectations placed on them.

• Pereles: “Per CBS Sports research, Williams is the first rookie quarterback picked in the top five to inherit multiple wide receivers coming off 1,200-yard seasons. Furthermore, the Bears have the first quarterback-wide receiver pair drafted in the top 10 of the same draft. The Bears also have Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett at tight end and D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert in a deep, capable running back room.”

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

🏅 We’re watching the Olympics. Here’s how.
⚽ USWNT vs. Australia, 1 p.m. on E!
🏀 Team USA men vs. South Sudan, 3 p.m. on USA