Steckbrief » an MRI to find the cause of soreness in

The greatest gymnast Mary Lou Retton has ever seen is a wonder.She has the power to get such height on the vault it seems as if shes bungee jumping from the roof.She has the energy to make the final tumbling pass of her boundary-pushing floor exercise -- when most of her peers are breathless and counting the seconds until the music stops -- as fresh as her first.She has the poise to flip and swoop and turn on a 4-inch wide slab of wood 4-feet off the ground so fluidly its like an X Games version of ballet.The god-gifted ability of explosiveness and just her athleticism, you cant teach that, said Retton, the 1984 Olympic champion. You cannot teach that. You can teach somebody to be a little bit more graceful. You can teach someone more skills, but you cant teach that special unique quality that Simone has.Get ready to know Simone Biles. In her sport, the live-wire 19-year-old from Spring, Texas, enjoys first-name only status, the byproduct of a three-year run of dominance that includes 14 world championship medals with a record 10 golds and three all-around titles.Were joking she should have to compete with the guys, Retton said. Shes so good. She pushes it. Shes just special.If still somewhat anonymous outside of the buzzing fans who inhabit the social-media driven gymternet. For all of the awe Biles inspires, the one thing -- really the only thing -- Biles lacks is that Olympic moment of triumph with the world -- the whole world, not just part of it -- watching.Its that Olympic all-around gold medal, the Queen Bee, the most important, Retton said. Yeah I think she needs it as part of her repertoire.There is no denying Biles excellence. She could never turn another backflip and her spot in her sports pantheon would be secure. Yet to the general public, she remains somewhat unknown. It took her two world titles before Twitter would verify her. Her followers -- currently in the 82,000 range -- total just 10 percent of those who follow 2012 Olympic champion (and 2016 teammate) Gabby Douglas.Its like you still need that one puzzle piece, said 2004 Olympic champion Carly Patterson. Its just crazy. You really need to have that checkmark to be looked at as one of those tops. Thats what it seems like. Her career is incredible and you wonder if that creates so much pressure.Such is the fine line Biles, her family and longtime coach Aimee Boorman have been trying to walk in the run-up to Rio. While they have taken steps to maximize the potential a golden moment in Rio would provide -- Biles turned professional last spring -- they have also been careful in creating internal expectations focused more on the process than the end result.She could quit tomorrow and still be a world champion, said Boorman, who coaches at the aptly named World Champions Centre, the state-of-the art training center/passion project the Biles family opened in suburban Houston last fall. We tell her that is people want to put pressure on her to win the Olympics, thats their pressure, not hers.For Biles, its not about her scores. Biles doesnt pay much attention to them. Its not about winning, maybe because every meet she has entered since the 2013 US championships has ended the same way: with Biles atop the podium ducking her head so the latest medal to her ever-growing collection can be draped around her neck.Its not even about her highly GIF-able routines either, the ones that leave her peers in awe. If Biles is being honest, she doesnt even know the formal terms for some of the skills she does anyway.Theyre like, `Oh, you did a ... and Im like, `I did a what? Biles said. No, I flipped twice. I twisted twice. They go `its called a ... and Im like `Why do I need to know that? I just need to go and do that.While Biles is happy to talk about shopping, favorites pictures of junk food on Instagram and kidnapping Steph Currys kids so she can babysit them (as she did on Monday after securing a spot on the five-woman team while easily winning the Olympic trials), shes not interested in fangirling over herself.It hurts my head, but its fine because its something I do every day, Biles said. You cant avoid the gymnastics questions.Particularly the most basic one. How?We all have skills I guess, she said.Maybe, but Biles somehow seems to have all of them.The sports code of points -- overhauled over a decade ago to get rid of the 10-point system in favor of one designed to great a higher risk/reward factor -- forces its competitors to make a choice between aggression and precision. Biles is the rare gymnast who doesnt have to choose. She can do both.If you made it look as easy as Simone, youd be smiling too, said former Olympic Bela Karolyi, whose wife Martha has turned the U.S. national team into the Harlem Globetrotters in leotards and ceiling-scraping hair buns. There is no one to compare Simone to.On the final night of Olympic trials Sunday night Biles drilled her intricate Amanar vault and earned a 16.2, the highest of the meet on any event. The score included a 9.9 mark for execution, as close to perfection as the judges let things get these days. Her two-day total on vault of 32.200 was 1.3 points clear of runner-up MyKayla Skinner, the equivalent of a three-touchdown win in football.Theres so much cushion between Biles and the rest of the world that even a fall or two like the one on beam Sunday night that briefly set her eyes ablaze -- a miscue that would jeopardize the medal hopes of most -- is basically no big deal. Not that it mattered to Biles. Shes spent the last three years setting a standard that is uniquely hers, which may be her most remarkable talent of all.Typically you can have an athlete thats head and tails above the rest, they might rest on their laurels a little bit, said seven-time Olympic medalist Shannon Miller, a member of the 1996 U.S. team that won the countrys first team Olympic gold. They might slide a little bit. She doesnt. Shes at the top of her game every time.The ultimate stage awaits. Louis Domingue Jersey . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. Ondrej Palat Lightning Jersey . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. http://www.lightninghockeystore.us/Mikhail-Sergachev-Jersey/ . 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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ask the streaking Seattle Mariners what the primary catalyst for their success has been over the past few weeks, and they wont say home runs or quality starting pitching.Theyll say its fun.Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager homered to lead the Mariners past the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 on Wednesday night, extending their longest winning streak of the season to eight games.The surging Mariners moved within 1 1/2 games of Toronto for the second AL wild card, with Detroit the only team in between.This environment is really special right now, Seager said. It starts with (manager Scott Servais). Hes built this culture and its a lot of fun. Theres a lot of belief here.Hisashi Iwakuma pitched into the seventh inning and earned his 16th win for Seattle (78-68), which completed a three-game sweep.Its the first time the Mariners have won eight in a row since July 2013. They have the longest active streak in the majors.Guys are really confident, really happy and the energy is up, Servais said. Were just focusing on one game, thats the key. And then you get on the plane and youre thinking, just win the series. And you win the first couple and you think, why not sweep it? Thats kind of been our attitude.Cruz hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh off Jose Alvarez (1-3), his 37th of the season and fourth in four games. It was the sluggers 10th home run this year against Los Angeles, more than any other Mariners player has hit in one season against a single opponent.Jay Buhner belted nine off Minnesota in 1995.Seager hit his 29th of the year off Jhoulys Chacin in the fifth to tie the score at 1.Edwin Diaz pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save.Iwakuma (16-11) won his second straight, allowing one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He exited after Cliff Pennington bunted for a leadoff single and advanced on Juan Graterols sacrifice.He dialed it up. You could see the look on his face, Servais said. Hes very good at slowing the game down. Its almost to the point where it drives you crazy, like, lets go! But thats what he does; he slows it down, he executes pitches.Tom Wilhelmsen retired the next two batters.The bullpen was really solid tonight and they needed to be, Servais said. Theres not much room for error.Chacin came out of the Angels bbullpen to make his first start since Aug.dddddddddddd 21, in place of injured Tyler Skaggs. Chacin settled for a no-decision, limiting the Mariners to one run and three hits in six innings while striking out five.I think he commanded the sinker, changed speeds very well, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. And for a guy who hadnt started very well, he threw six strong innings against a team who has been hitting the ball well.Since losing five straight starts through June and July, Chacin is 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA as a starter.Chacin might need to make another start in place of Skaggs. An MRI revealed no damage to his surgically repaired elbow, but Skaggs will be out at least a week. He said he plans to pitch again this season, however, possibly making Chacin the odd man out in the rotation at some point.I tried to call the right pitches for him and he did an unbelievable job, Graterol said. Hes doing great. Hes throwing everything for a strike. Hes always ahead in the count.Graterol scored on a wild pitch by Iwakuma in the third.TRAINERS ROOMAngels: Skaggs had an MRI to find the cause of soreness in his left forearm. The test showed no damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, which was repaired with Tommy John surgery in 2014. The MRI came back clean but Skaggs was diagnosed with a mild pronator strain and will be shut down for at least seven days. ... RHP Cory Rasmus (groin strain) was activated from the 60-day disabled list. Rasmus hasnt pitched in a major league game since June 12 and was on a rehab assignment last week with Class-A Orem. ... RHP Matt Shoemaker (skull fracture) was transferred to the 60-day DL.UP NEXTMariners: RHP Felix Hernandez opens the series against Houston on Friday. Hernandez is 7-1 with a 4.22 ERA in his last 11 starts since returning from the disabled list on July 20. Against the Astros, he is 3-3 with a 3.45 ERA in eight starts.Angels: RHP Daniel Wright pitches the opener of a four-game series against Toronto on Thursday. Set to make his fourth major league start, Wright, who was claimed off waivers from Cincinnati on Sept. 4, is 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in the big leagues this season. ' ' '