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What Had Happened Was

What Had Happened Was: 8/8/16

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    Gymnastics – Artistic – Olympics: Day 2
    RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 07: Simone Biles of the United States smiles before competing on balance beam during Women’s qualification for Artistic Gymnastics on Day 2 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena on August 7, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
    By Ryan Cortes Rhiannon Walker

    GAME. BLOUSES.

    How’s this for a loaded sports weekend: The U.S. women’s gymnastics team dominated the qualifying session (Gabby Douglas missed the cut to defend her 2012 gold medal because two of her own teammates, Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, bested her score), the U.S. men’s basketball team gave China that work Saturday and three-time American League MVP Alex Rodriguez announced that he will play his final game as a New York Yankee this Friday.

    Still, we must begin with 42-year-old Ichiro Suzuki — known to give MAGICAL quotes — and his magical season. The oldest player in baseball (tied with Bartolo Colon) is hammering the ball this year for the Miami Marlins, hitting an absurd .318. On Sunday, Ichiro added one more hit to his list: No. 3,000 of his career.

    In the seventh inning Sunday at Colorado, Ichiro smacked a pitch that nearly exited the field, but instead crashed against the right field wall as he bolted into third base for a triple. There have been just 30 players in the history of the sport to reach 3,000 hits. Along with Rafael Palmeiro (Cuba) and Hall of Famers Rod Carew (Panama) and Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico), Ichiro becomes just the fourth player on the list to have been born outside of the U.S.

    Major salute. Just ask the greatest ever, Barry Lamar Bonds.

    BLESSINGS!

     

    Yusra Mardini, who won her heat but didn’t qualify for the team’s semifinals, is a Syrian Olympic refugee team swimmer who saved the lives of countless Syrian War migrants less than a year ago with her sister. The refugees were stranded after their boat’s motor broke. Another woman joined the sisters, and the three women took turns helping people in the near four-hour ordeal.

    SOCIAL STATUS

     

    Actor Denzel Washington decided to make a guest appearance at Dallas Cowboys training camp over the weekend. The team that finished last in the NFC East, and has had a rather unfortunate summer full of tom foolery, could stand to use the distraction of someone like (non-handlebar) Denzel.

    Also: Aw snap, Gucci Mane and Young Metro are looking like they’re going to be on the same track sometime in the near future.

    RIO

    https://twitter.com/Giselle_M7/status/762395171308920832

    FOR THE CULTURE

    Rapper Drake brought up New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose onstage during his concert at Madison Square Garden this weekend.

    MTV’s Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib wrote about the vitality of black storytelling in early rap videos.

    The Rio Olympians you need to be following on social media, y’all.

    How a crew of California rappers — including a girl named Bird — created Los Angeles’ hottest streetwear.

    TOP THREE TWEETS

    Every morning we’ll hit you here with the best of what we saw on social media the previous night. Why? Why not?

    1. YA BOY DONE GLO’D UP

     

    2. WHY YOU ALWAYS LYIN’?

    3. TRAGIC

    #ICYMI

    The homie Jesse Washington is reporting live from Rio for us. Check out his dispatch from Saturday after Team USA put a hurting on China, winning by 57 points Saturday night.

    The hunter and the hunted. The gangster and the mark. The bully and the — hold up, China was no weakling against the United States Olympic men’s basketball squad. China had heart. But China also had a starting backcourt that got swallowed by the Americans’ superior wingspan, speed, strength, quickness, jumper range and bank account decimals. United States 119, China 62. Seven more wins for the gold. This is how it feels to be the hunter in these Olympics: “You’re able to see how aggressively we come out, especially defensively. We try to feed off that, getting stops, running, try to build the lead,” said DeMar DeRozan, whose intense backcourt pressure alongside various combinations of Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant blew the game open Saturday night. This is how it feels to be the hunted: “The game was very physical. I didn’t fit in well with the competition at the beginning. I need time to fit into such level of games,” the 7-footer Wang Zhelin, drafted this year by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 57th pick, said through a translator.

    PICTURE PERFECT

    (NOTE: This video includes explicit language.)

    Ryan Cortes is a staff writer for The Undefeated. Lemon pepper his wings.

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.

    This Story Tagged: Allen Iverson What Had Happened Was Gabby Douglas Ichiro Suzuki Simone Biles