A GOAT's rebuttal

 Simone Biles flew again early today in Paris, and half of Hollywood showed up to watch her. Tom Cruise was there. Snoop Dogg, of course. Ariana Grande, Jessica Chastain, John Legend, others.

What they came to see, they got to see.

In the Olympic gymnastics prelims, Biles easily led the American women in total points, posted the highest score in the world by miles this year in the vault, and pretty much looked as much like Simone Biles as Simone Biles has ever looked.

All while limping around between rotas on tightly wrapped lower left leg.

That it was hurting her when she wasn't competing was as clear as a mountain stream, but you'd never have known it when it came time to put up the numbers. Pain became a ghost then. If she felt a jolt every time she landed after taking glorious flight -- and no doubt she did -- you'd never have known.

And what I want to know now, at 8:02 on a Sunday morning, is where that one guy is right now. And what he's having for breakfast.

I hope it's crow with a side of crow, smothered in crow gravy.

The one guy I'm talking about see, was some dim bulb of a columnist who, three years ago, when Simone Biles came down with gymnastics' version of the yips in Tokyo, called her a  coward in print. And bragged about how brave he was to do so, because only HE had the guts to write it.

Of course, he wasn't the only one. Other dim bulbs and wanna-be tough guys soon crawled out their holes, calling her a quitter, a choker, an all-time choker, and saying she let her teammates down and her country down and, I don't know, maybe all of humanity down.

Simone Biles, they were saying this about. Most decorated woman gymnast in history.

Who, of course, went on from her crisis of confidence in Tokyo to regain the world all-around title a year later. And who, at 27, came to Paris the unquestioned leader of the latest crop of tiny American flyers with more pure guts than all the tough guys put together.

Women's gymnastics has never been my thing, and I profess to know next to nothing about it. But as a stranger in a strange land, I covered enough of it on the high school level to know this: Those tiny girls/women are among the toughest athletes I know.

Or maybe you'd like to show up at a gymnastics meet and see how many knee-ankle-wrist- brace warriors are out there whirling around bars with those braced wrists, and landing jumps on those braced knees and ankles, and getting decent air above a four-inch-wide beam.

Try it sometime. Me, I wouldn't be brave enough.

At any rate, it's on to the team finals on Tuesday, where Biles and the Americans are heavily favored. Then, on Thursday, it's the individual all-around. Two guesses who'll be the favorite there, and the first one doesn't count.

Thaaaat's right: Simone Biles. The GOAT. Looking for one last rebuttal to all the tough guys.

Be afraid, boys. Be very afraid.