FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT
A5
S PORTS
THE BULLETIN • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021
bendbulletin.com/sports
INSIDE
TENNIS | AUSTRALIAN OPEN
On the move
Elaine Thompson/AP file
Seattle Seahawks QB
Russell Wilson looks to
pass against the Dallas
Cowboys in Seattle on
Sept. 27.
Russ not wrong —
Seahawks QB Wilson has
voiced his displeasure with
his offensive line, but some
of the blame for the hits he
has taken falls on his shoul-
ders. Commentary, A7.
NFL
Serena Williams’ court
coverage brings her near
Grand Slam title No. 24
BY HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer
S
erena Williams agrees
with everyone else
that her footwork and
movement are better these days
than they’ve been for a bit — and
Girl hit by ex-Chiefs
coach out of coma
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
A 5-year-old critically
injured in the car crash
involving now-former
Chiefs coach Britt Reid
has woken up from her
coma, according to an
update posted late Mon-
day on a GoFundMe page
for the family.
Reid, whose employ-
ment with the Chiefs
ended last week, struck
two cars with his pickup
truck on the night of Feb.
4, according to a search
warrant application ob-
tained by The Kansas City
Star. The impact into the
second vehicle injured
two young children, in-
cluding 5-year-old Ariel,
who has remained in criti-
cal condition.
The GoFundMe page,
organized by a family
member on behalf of Ari-
el’s mother, has posted
regular updates that Ariel
is in a coma, but a three-
word post Monday of-
fered the first glimpse of
positive news.
“Ariel is awake,” it read,
offering no further de-
tails.
The page, which has
reached nearly $500,000
in donations, previously
stated that Ariel had
swelling and bleeding
in and around her brain.
Her 4-year-old cousin
sustained a concussion
in the crash, according to
the page.
Kansas City police is
still investigating the
crash, a process it says
could take weeks to com-
plete. Police seized Reid’s
cell phone as part of that
investigation, according
to court records.
Reid, 35, is no longer
a Chiefs employee after
eight seasons with the
team. They placed him on
administrative leave last
week before allowing his
contract to expire with-
out renewal, effectively
ending his employment
with the organization.
The NFL has said it will
review the crash, per its
personal conduct policy.
Andy Reid said last week
that his son had surgery
after the crash. Britt Reid
did not travel with the
team to Tampa for the
Super Bowl, which was
played three days later.
Reid hit two cars on
the side of an entrance
ramp along Interstate
435, near the team’s prac-
tice facility, a police report
said. Two kids were in the
second vehicle.
A police officer said in
the application for the
search warrant that he
could smell “a moderate
odor of alcoholic bev-
erages emanating from
his person.” The officer
also wrote that he ob-
served Reid’s eyes were
“bloodshot and red.” Reid
allegedly admitted to the
officer he had “2-3 drinks.”
— Kansas City Star
that’s a big reason she’s closing in
on what would be a record-tying
24th Grand Slam singles title.
Here’s what she wants to make clear,
though, as a blockbuster Australian
Open semifinal against Naomi Osaka
approaches on Thursday: This is
nothing new.
As much as Williams thrives with
her best-in-the-game serves, superb
returns and booming groundstrokes,
her ability to cover the court has long
been a staple of her success.
Yes, it’s been below par — “the last
AP Photo/Andy Brownbill
Serena Williams hits a forehand return to Romania’s Simona Halep during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open in Mel-
bourne, Australia, on Tuesday.
“I’m good at rallying and I have to embrace the things I’m good at. I’m
good at playing power. I’m good at hitting 100 ball. And that’s one thing
that’s unique about me, that I just need to kind of accept and embrace
and just be good at both.”
— Serena Williams
two, three years,” in her coach’s esti-
mation — but is once again an asset,
thanks in part to finally getting past a
problematic left Achilles.
Two key points during a 6-3, 6-3
quarterfinal victory over No. 2 seed
Simona Halep on Tuesday illustrated
this element of Williams’ game. Com-
ing at deuce while Halep served at
3-all in the second set, the first lasted
21 strokes, the second 13.
Both were extended by Williams’
defense. Both ended with forehand
misses by Halep. Both helped Wil-
liams break serve as part of a five-
game, match-closing run.
See Tennis / A7
ALPINE SKIING
Lots of confusion with 2 races, 3 winners at worlds
BY ERIC WILLEMSEN
Associated Press
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO
— Katharina Liensberger was
talking to reporters in the
mixed zone when she learned
that her silver medal in the
parallel giant slalom event had
been upgraded to a tie for gold
at the world championships.
The Austrian fell to the snow
in celebration.
“I just cannot believe it, but
it’s true,” Liensberger said. “I
was a little bit confused in the
finish.”
She wasn’t the only one.
Ski racing’s quick-fire par-
allel event has seen so many
rule changes over the years that
many fans hardly understand it
anymore.
On Tuesday, even athletes
and organizers at the world
championships were so con-
fused by the regulations that
it took a while to sort out the
medals.
The women’s two-run final
between Marta Bassino and
Liensberger ended in a tie, and
organizers initially declared the
Italian the winner as she came
from behind in the second leg.
However, that was an old
rule which isn’t valid any-
more. So the results were
quickly changed to having two
co-champions.
“Just 0.00 (on the clock), and
then nobody knew what was
going on,” Liensberger said.
There was no confusion
over the result in the men’s
final, where Mathieu Faivre
won both runs against Croa-
tian skier Filip Zubcic to earn
France its first gold of the
worlds.
Bronze in the women’s event
went to France’s Tessa Worley,
who defeated Paula Moltzan of
the United States.
“My best at world champs
before this was (18th), so
fourth is incredible,” said
Moltzan, who finished run-
ner-up in the only World Cup
parallel event this season in
November.
On her way the semifinals,
Moltzan beat Wendy Holdener,
who had posted the fastest
time in qualifying. The Swiss
skier earlier defeated Moltzan’s
teammate Nina O’Brien.
Why is Moltzan doing so
well at parallel races?
“I like the start gates,” she
AP Photo/Marco Tacca
Italy’s Marta Bassino celebrates with Austria’s Katharina Liensberger,
face to camera, after winning the parallel giant slalom, at the World
Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Tuesday. The women’s
two-run final between Bassino and Liensberger ended in a tie, and or-
ganizers initially declared the Italian the winner, then Liensberger’s sil-
ver was upgraded to a second gold.
said. “As athletes we’re all su-
per-competitive so I think this
is an interesting way to bring
it out of everybody and I had a
lot of fun. I just like it.”
See Skiing / A6
GOLF
Unable to ‘fail in the dark,’ Jordan Spieth is seeing light
BY DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
LOS ANGELES — The text
messages were meant to en-
courage. They felt like back-
handed compliments to Jordan
Spieth.
He had just posted his sec-
ond straight 67 in the Phoe-
nix Open, three shots off the
lead, and it was cause for cel-
ebration. After all, Spieth had
missed the cut six times in his
previous 15 tournaments. The
nine other times he made it to
the weekend, his average finish
was nearly 15 shots behind.
“I was receiving texts that
were like it was my first PGA
Tour event ever,” Spieth said.
“And as much as I enjoyed that
support, I mean, I’m not lead-
ing by three. I didn’t win the
golf tournament. Yeah, I know
it’s been a little while since I’ve
been near the top, but like,
come on guys. I expect to be
here, you know?”
Spieth knows better.
His slump has been so pro-
nounced that he now has gone
80 individual tournaments
worldwide since his last victory
at Royal Birkdale in the 2017
British Open. And it won’t offi-
cially end until he wins again.
He’s getting closer.
Whether it’s baby steps or
giant leaps, at least he’s moving
forward.
He shared the 54-hole lead
in Phoenix until he limped
home with a 72 to tie for
fourth. One week later, he
opened with rounds of 65-67
and took a two-shot lead into
the final round at Pebble Beach
only to endure another poor
start and spend the rest of the
day trying to catch up. Two
birdies at the end gave him a
tie for third.
He was No. 2 in the world
when he won at Birkdale. He
dropped as low as No. 92 after
missing the cut at Torrey Pines
last month. The close calls at
Phoenix and Pebble allowed
him to move up 30 spots to
No. 62.
“If I put myself in the position of leading after 54 holes
enough times, especially with how I know I’m going to
fight even if it’s not going my way, I’ll end up on top one
of these days.”
— Jordan Spieth
Even so, he needs another
top finish this week at Riviera
or Spieth won’t be eligible for a
World Golf Championship for
the first time since becoming a
full PGA Tour member in the
summer of 2013.
But he has momentum now,
which has been lacking the
better part of two years.
In his first start to the new
year, he shot 75 on the South
Course at Torrey Pines to miss
the cut by one shot and wasn’t
even sure he wanted to go to
Phoenix. “I was not in a great
head space,” he said.
And then it turned.
There was a time when go-
ing consecutive weeks with at
least a share of the lead and not
converting would have been
considered a failure. Now it’s
called progress.
“If I put myself in the posi-
tion of leading after 54 holes
enough times, especially with
how I know I’m going to fight
even if it’s not going my way,
I’ll end up on top one of these
days,” Spieth said.
His game is not all the way
back. Spieth sensed that Sat-
urday night at Pebble Beach
when he led by two shots. Yes,
he felt more and more con-
fident. He also said he didn’t
have control of his game the
way he did when he was win-
ning at least three times a year.
Remember, he was still 23
when he already had 14 wins
worldwide and three legs of the
career Grand Slam. Nothing
about the game had ever felt
like a burden.
And that’s what has made
the climb feel that much
steeper. Spieth was as honest as
ever last fall when he spoke of
anxiety from all the scrutiny of
his slump, which he described
as “not being able to fail in the
dark.”
That was neither an excuse
nor a complaint. That was re-
ality.
“No hard feelings, no blame,”
he said. “That’s what I get for
the start of my career, which
was awesome. Anything asked
in a negative manner, it’s not
like I don’t feel that way in my
own game. I know what I’ve
done. I know what I’m capable
of doing. And when I don’t, it’s
more frustrating for me than it
is anyone else.”
Frustration has given way to
disappointment, and that’s a
good thing.
See Golf / A6