Brandt Snedeker stepped up to defend Watson on Wednesday

RIO DE JANEIRO -- There were smiles and hugs all around, even a celebratory chant. Winning gold felt good -- awfully good -- even if everyone in the arena knew this U.S. gymnastics team was simply too good to lose.This was the U.S. basketball team -- men or women -- crushing an opponent by 50 points. This was Michael Phelps lapping the field in the relay.It was just like another competition for us, said 19-year-old Madison Kocian. It didnt even feel like the Olympics.What might be the most superb collection of gymnasts ever put together -- led by Simone Biles, a teenager who may one day be crowned the greatest gymnast ever -- put on the show the sport had been waiting for Tuesday in a performance that was over almost by the time Laurie Hernandez finished the first vault.In a sport usually decided by the smallest of margins, the U.S. women obliterated the competition, finishing a whopping 8 points ahead of the silver medalist Russians. They did it by winning every discipline, finishing it off when Biles bounded to a finish in the floor exercise that by then had been rendered meaningless.Two of the members of the self-titled Final Five won gold medals for their second Olympics in a row. The three others pocketed their first, though there should be others to come before everything is wrapped up a week from now in Rio.They did it for themselves and they did it for their country. They did it for national team coordinator Martha Karolyi, who is retiring after her final Olympics and enjoys fierce loyalty from her charges.But they also did it for each other, for the long hours spent training and living together as they were molded into an Olympic team to behold.It is the hardest sport in the world and we make it so easy. At least thats what people tell us, Biles said. The pride we show on the floor is really genuine.This is a team so deep that Gabby Douglas -- the spectacular star in London four years ago -- was a mere role player, going out for only a turn on the uneven bars. She sat, legs crossed, just watching as her teammates warmed up for the final floor performance.Later she stood, fingering the gold medal she will add to the two she won in London.It never gets old, Douglas said. Its so refreshing. It doesnt feel different. It feels the same. Going out there and competing with these amazing girls and standing on that podium, it feels the same.Many on the team will now have to compete with each other as medals will be awarded in the individual events and the all around. Led by Biles -- who has a legitimate shot at making Olympic history with five gymnastic golds -- they could win them all.Theyre all part of a team so good it had to have a name. The Final Five is a tribute to both Karolyi in her last Olympics and the fact that in Tokyo four years from now the teams will be limited to one less member.For Biles, the Olympic debut couldnt have gone any better. The 19-year-old is a three-time world champion and so dominant that she is a prohibitive favorite in her remaining four events, but still had to deal with the realization this is the worlds biggest stage.I slept OK, I had some weird dreams, she said. The moment we all woke up we were so happy and so excited. Weve trained so hard for this. We expected to hit all our routines and be very confident because we did it in practice.Cool under pressure, they delivered what everyone expected and they delivered it in style. Thanks to NBCs heavy coverage of their sport, they were introduced in prime time to America and America has to like what it sees.There might be some tears later, maybe after everyone is done. For now, though, these are terrific athletes in search of more than just a team gold.That doesnt mean they arent happy, even if they find it a bit difficult to describe just how happy they are.I havent found the word yet, Biles said. I need a dictionary.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg Cheap Air Max 2017 . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Air Max 90 Sale .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. http://www.airmax2018womens.us/ .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Nike Air Max 95 Sale . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. White Air Max Online . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. ATLANTA -- Bubba Watson is a two-time major champion who is ranked seventh in the world, and he finished ninth in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, one place removed from an automatic spot.But captain Davis Love III didnt make Watson an at-large selection on Sept. 12, instead choosing?Rickie Fowler, J.B. Holmes and Matt Kuchar -- 10th, 11th and 12th in the standings -- with one more pick to go.That led to all kinds of conjecture that Watson was passed over due to various issues, perceived or otherwise, about his qualities as a teammate. A 2015 ESPN.com poll of 103 PGA Tour players -- in which Watson was named by the most players as the one theyd least like to help in a fight -- also fueled the argument.But without prompting, Brandt Snedeker stepped up to defend Watson on Wednesday.I dont know where everybody gets this idea that Bubba Watson is a bad teammate, said Snedeker, who along with Watson is competing in the 30-player Tour Championship this week at East Lake Golf Club. His is probably one of the best teammates you could possibly have. I want that out there for everybody to hear. Bubba Watson is a great teammate.So I dont know where everybody keeps making this diversion of the truth, making Bubba out to be this bad guy. He is a great teammate. He was unbelievable on Monday (when several players practiced together). Hes been unbelievable all year. And we would be lucky to have him on the team as a teammate, period, end of story.The story, of couurse, has yet to end.dddddddddddd Love has one more pick on Sunday after the PGA Tours season-ending Tour Championship. Watson could very well be it. He won earlier this year at the Northern Trust Open. He tied for eighth at the Olympic Golf Tournament last month.But Love perhaps inadvertently fueled this thinking when he didnt say Watsons name last week in announcing his first three picks and seemed to give little indication that Watson was being considered, suggesting that Love had not even called him.It doesnt help Watsons cause that he is 3-8 in three Ryder Cup appearances, including 0-3 in singles. Hes never won a foursomes match (alternate shot.) Hes also 0-1-1 in singles at the Presidents Cup.But Watson was invited to a practice session on Monday at Hazeltine National, along with other potential picks Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger, who are also in the Tour Championship field. They joined Snedeker, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and others in getting a look at next weeks Ryder Cup venue.Snedeker acknowledged that Love has a tough, tough decision. We were sitting around, a few of us talking about it last night, and we were all scratching our heads thinking theres so many different ways he could go.Love is scheduled to make his final pick Sunday night, and the team meets for the first time at Hazeltine on Monday. ' ' '