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. 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