THE BULLETIN • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021 A7
NFL COMMENTARY | SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: I am 20-some-
thing years old, and my fa-
ther still hits my behind
sometimes. I feel it is inap-
propriate, but the last time I
complained about it, several
years ago, it didn’t go over
well. It also didn’t stop his be-
havior.
What else can I do?
Right now all I can do is
try not to place myself in a
position where my behind
is exposed. I no longer walk
in front of him or wear leg-
gings, and I wear oversized
jackets to cover it. I’m a mod-
est dresser. I’m not provoca-
tive. Did people back in the
day normally “playfully” hit
their adult daughters’ be-
hinds?
— Inappropriate in Idaho
Dear Inappropriate: No,
they did not. Your daddy is
acting like a dirty old man.
His behavior may seem
“playful” to him, but to per-
sist after you asked him not
to is not only inappropriate
but also somewhat creepy.
You are an adult. No one
has a right to hit, swat or put
his hands on you regard-
less of how he claims it’s in-
tended.
Tell him again that you
don’t like it and it makes you
uncomfortable, and if he per-
sists, he will see far less of his
daughter.
Dear Abby: My husband
and I grew up in very con-
servative households. Since
college (where we met) and
moving to a large city, we
have become more liberal.
We have friends of other
races with whom we are very
close, but both of our fami-
lies frequently post inflam-
matory and offensive, racially
biased comments on social
media. Do we have a duty
because of our beliefs and
our friends to publicly ob-
ject to their posts? We have
previously discussed our dif-
ferences with these family
members, and we don’t see
eye to eye.
— Different Now in Texas
Dear Different: Because
you have already discussed
your differences privately
with these relatives, feel free
to post your reaction to the
offensive posts. They won’t
like you for it, and the rest
of the tribe may gang up on
you, but you and your hus-
band will be able to look
at yourselves in the mirror
knowing you spoke aloud
your truth.
Dear Abby: My wife of
nine years has been fak-
ing a disability for seven of
them. Yes, she was injured.
However, I and many oth-
ers are not convinced she’s
in chronic pain. She doesn’t
take her medication, and she
functions like she did before
her injury.
This has had a detrimen-
tal effect on my life as well as
our sons’ because we have to
live with her lies. When con-
fronted, she denies it, and so
does her family.
— Stuck in the Lie
Dear Stuck: Your wife
should be examined by a
pain management special-
ist. Whether she’s in physical
pain, psychological pain or
faking can be determined by
a medical doctor and possi-
bly a licensed therapist who
understands PTSD, depend-
ing upon how she was in-
jured. For your sake, your
sons’ and hers, you owe it to
yourselves to find out what
the cause is.
Of course, this suggestion
depends on your wife agree-
ing to the examination. If
you are correct in your sus-
picions, you may want to
rethink whether this is how
you want to live the rest of
your life.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
õ õ õ õ õ DYNAMIC | õ õ õ õ POSITIVE | õ õ õ AVERAGE | õ õ SO-SO | õ DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 2021: Sen-
sitive, realistic and hard-shelled, you go to bat for yourself, others and what
you believe in. This year, preservation of your individuality while doing good
for others is vital to your happiness, and you make a fortune. If single, you
meet your soul mate in June, surprisingly and unexpectedly. If attached, you
like your partner to awaken and inspire you. This year, greater trust grows.
GEMINI is the most fun.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
õõõõ Money can come from another source. There is something unpre-
dictable about old financial patterns. Your values and priorities regarding
finances are shifting. Learn by listening carefully to conversations. Tonight:
The keyword now is <effort.= You must keep trying. Rewards will manifest.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
õõõõ Today makes you the center of attention. Others seek your counsel
and guidance. You9ll be very aware of companions9 limitations. Allow for the
differences that generation and background make in their capabilities. To-
night: Faith is a factor in the quest for the best quality of life.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
õõõõõ You9ll cherish your privacy today. Revel in solitude and begin a
dream journal. Answers brought by dreams and self-reflection are preferable
to the guidance offered by others. This brings a new sense of identity. To-
night: You are embarking on an odyssey of personal discovery.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
õõõõõ Today shows some intensifying of involvement with groups and
organizations. Ambitious people become worthwhile role models. Your so-
cial and romantic prospects will blossom. It9s a perfect time to purchase new
finery or pursue creative work. Tonight: Release all you9ve outgrown.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
õõõõ Making contacts with helpful and powerful individuals, displaying
your talents and abilities, and striving to climb a bit higher on the ladder of
success will absorb you. Consider adding some feng shui cures to your work-
space. Tonight: Take the night off.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
õõõõõ Today shows wider mental horizons developing. You grow bored
with old concepts and long to learn something new. You develop deeper
insight into your own nature. The pursuit of a new study is favored. Tonight: A
new vision concerning the direction of your life.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
õõõõ The veil to the other world grows thinner, and a meaningful message
from a spirit guide is due. You9ll experience a sense of deeper peace. Dreams
and fantasy abound. Seek a wholesome creative outlet and don9t jump to
conclusions. Tonight: Keep stress under control.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
õõõõ Cooperation is a must. Others will have plans and projects that
involve you. A legal matter might need your attention. You can make a de-
cision about a partnership. The prospect of a more settled and committed
situation can have appeal. Tonight: Dinner with a loved one.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
õõõ Take time to understand precisely what is going on with your body. If
appropriate, give a gentle alternative treatment enough time to work. You9re
inclined to leap into aggressive procedures. This might not be wise at pres-
ent. Tonight: You feel a wonderful healing influence.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
õõõõõ Love and romance are highlighted favorably today. Attend social
functions online and develop promising relationships by taking the initiative.
Opportunities for love will abound. Get involved in sports and exercise func-
tions. Tonight: Delightful invitations and at least one admirer.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
õõõõ Living arrangements are about to improve. Real estate transactions
can be more profitable than you think. For those with bittersweet memories
of early home and family life, it9s time to process them for release. Tonight: A
new sense of peace and acceptance develops.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
õõõõõ Today brings a solution to transportation dilemmas. Select proj-
ects that can be completed sooner rather than later. A bond with a neighbor
or sibling strengthens. Your happy thoughts act as a magnet to draw support
from others. Tonight: Answer emails and calls promptly.
Russell Wilson correct about improvements
needed from the O line, and from himself
lost three of their final four
games — including the season
finale to San Francisco. Wil-
son’s passer ratings in those
losses? 69.8, 78.6 and 95.1
The passer-rating baseline
for a star quarterback in a given
week should be at least 100. But
as Wilson underperformed, the
Seahawks lost the division. The
result was them surrendering
a first-round bye and collid-
ing with the Packers in Green
Bay in the second round of the
playoffs. They lost 28-23.
And then there was the lat-
ter part of 2020. After again
garnering early MVP consider-
ation, Wilson threw seven in-
terceptions in a four-game span
from Week 7 to Week 10, re-
sulting in three losses. This led
to a change in Seattle’s offensive
approach, which demanded a
greater pass-run balance.
Wilson played more effi-
ciently in the first couple games
after the adjustment, but failed
to post a passer rating over
100 in four of the last five reg-
ular-season games, as Seattle’s
offense became notoriously
sluggish. The culmination of
such stagnation? A first-round
playoff loss to the Rams, when
Wilson completed just 11 of 27
passes for 174 yards.
Russell might seem like a ro-
bot sometimes when he’s field-
ing questions from the press,
but rest assured he feels human
emotions. And my guess is part
of the reason he was so forth-
right about his lack of pass pro-
tection was to distract from his
own shortcomings.
The Seahawks’ most suc-
cessful years came when they
were defined by their defense
and their running game. But
since they unofficially became
Wilson’s team, they’ve failed to
reach the conference title game,
and once missed the postsea-
son altogether.
This doesn’t mean that Wil-
son isn’t still one of the best
quarterbacks in the league. It
doesn’t mean that his griping
last week was invalid, either.
The 394 sacks he has taken
in his nine seasons is more
than anyone else in the NFL
over that span — and 146 of
those have come in the past
three years. Yes, a lot of those
are due to his inimitable ability
to extend plays, but Wilson has
never had an offensive line that
ranked in the top half of Pro
Football Focus’ pass-blocking
grades — and it ranked either
30th or 32nd in five of his sea-
sons.
It would be amazing for
any quarterback to miss just
two meaningful snaps in their
nine-year career, as Wilson has
done. It’s downright miracu-
lous for him to have done so
given the carnage he has en-
dured. But that doesn’t change
the fact that he was below the
top quarterback tier last year,
or that he has suffered notice-
able drop-offs in each of the
past two seasons.
All that said, Wilson isn’t go-
ing anywhere. He is too valu-
able to the Seahawks, and isn’t
the type of player who will
squawk his way into a trade.
The line needs to be better if
Seattle wants to go all the way.
But make no mistake — Rus-
sell has to as well.
6-2, 6-1 on Wednesday.
In each of her previous two
rounds at Melbourne Park,
there were drawn-out points in
which Williams sprinted this
way and that, somehow get-
ting the ball back over the net,
before eventually producing a
desperation defensive lob.
And each time, Williams was
rewarded when her opponent
put an overhead into the net.
“Movement has always been
one of my strengths, and so it’s
actually more natural for me
to move, than for me not (to).
So it was just kind of, like, ‘Oh,
that’s how I used to move!’ So
it’s pretty good,” Williams said.
“I’m happy that I’m doing that
again and that I put it back into
my game. I think I was more
focused on other things and
not focused on something that
is actually a strength of mine
— has always been a strength
of mine.”
BY MATT CALKINS
The Seattle Times
You’re not going to find a
complaint about Russell Wil-
son’s candor in this space.
That’s an all-too-common
form of media hypocrisy —
grumble about someone spout-
ing too many cliches, then
grumble more when they’re a
little too honest.
The truth is, as Wilson re-
cently implied, the Seahawks’
offensive line has been a subpar
pass-blocking unit for most of
his time in Seattle. But I want
to focus on another truth he ut-
tered last week.
“I’ve got to find ways to get
better, too.”
Lackluster as the offensive
line has been over the past cou-
ple years, Wilson has fallen
short of superstardom. The
man who signed the (then)
richest deal in the NFL two
Aprils ago has been a hash
mark or two shy of expecta-
tions.
Sure, the starts he had to the
2019 and 2020 seasons were
Herculean, as he vaulted his
way to the top of the MVP dis-
cussion in the first halves of
each year. But then came the
second halves, when RW went
from all world to just all right.
It isn’t atypical for offenses to
slow down a touch in the latter
part of the season, but Wilson’s
drop-offs have been rather pro-
nounced. Take the end of the
regular season in 2019, for ex-
ample.
Locked in a divisional battle
with the 49ers, the Seahawks
Tennis
Continued from A5
Asked how long it’s been
since she felt she owned those
sorts of lengthy, pivotal points,
Williams crossed her legs,
folded her hands and cracked
herself up with a joke.
“It’s definitely been a minute.
It’s been a long minute. I think
1926 — the summer of 1926,
I think — was the last time I
felt that,” Williams said, before
turning more serious.
“I’m good at rallying and
I have to embrace the things
I’m good at. I’m good at play-
ing power. I’m good at hitting
100 balls,” said the 39-year-old
American, whose most recent
major championship came at
the Australian Open in 2017.
“And that’s one thing that’s
unique about me, that I just
need to kind of accept and em-
brace and just be good at both.”
Halep, a two-time major
champion who beat Williams
in the 2019 Wimbledon final,
certainly noticed a change.
She said Williams is “run-
ning more,” and described two
aspects that matter about a re-
newed ability to get where she
wants to go as quickly as she
wants to get there.
One is that it makes it
“tougher for the opponents
to finish the point,” Halep ex-
plained, and the other is that
it’s “much easier” for Williams
to properly calibrate offensive
shots when she is in the right
spot at the right time.
That patience within points
is helpful, even if not always
second nature for players with
the sort of quick-strike power
that Williams possesses. But by
biding her time, tracking down
opponents’ shots and letting it
all develop, Williams can let the
other players’ mistakes help her
as much as her own winners do.
“When you’re not (having)
a good day, you need a Plan B.
… If you can’t move well, there
is no Plan B; the only plan is
attack,” said Williams’ coach,
Patrick Mouratoglou. “I think
it cost her a few important
matches. So we have decided
to find a way to bring back the
footwork that she used to have
in the past.”
That could come in handy
Thursday in the semifinals,
when Williams takes on three-
time major champion Naomi
Osaka, who won their memo-
rable 2018 U.S. Open final. The
semifinalists on the other half of
the draw will be No. 25 Karolina
Muchova, who upset No. 1 Ash
Barty 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, and Ameri-
can No. 22 Jennifer Brady, who
came back to defeat unseeded
compatriot Jessica Pegula 4-6,
Jae C. Hong/AP file
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is sacked by Los Ange-
les Rams linebacker Leonard Floyd on Nov. 15 in Inglewood, California.
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