The BulleTin • Thursday, april 15, 2021 A7
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: My husband’s
dad, “Adam,” is very mellow
and can talk to anyone. His
mom, “Eve,” is friendly, but a
little more reserved.
Early in their marriage,
Adam was a drinker, and
my mother-in-law has never
forgiven him for the way
he treated her during that
time. She has always treated
him disrespectfully, but as
they get older, it’s becoming
worse.
She has hit Adam when
we had people over because
he didn’t do what she told
him to do. I told her to stop,
and my husband told her she
embarrassed him, but Eve
forgets or doesn’t care and
continues to do it. She talks
down to him constantly. If
that’s how she acts when peo-
ple are around, I hate to think
what happens behind closed
doors.
When she hits him, Adam
sits there expressionless and
doesn’t react.
He’s not the man he once
was, and he is adored by
many people.
What can we do to help my
FIL and make her stop doing
this in front of her grandkids
and company? Eve claims to
be a Christian, but isn’t acting
like one.
— Frustrated in Michigan
Dear Frustrated: Your fa-
ther-in-law may have had a
drinking problem years ago,
but he has a different prob-
lem now.
He is a victim of verbal and
physical abuse. He may have
tolerated it all these years out
of guilt for what he put his
wife through when he was
drinking. He may also have
become so beaten down that
he can no longer protect him-
self.
He does need help. With
your and his son’s encour-
agement, he can receive it
because there are programs
available for male victims of
domestic violence.
Stop Abuse for Everyone
(SAFE) is an organization
that helps abused individu-
als of all ages, genders, races
and sexual orientations. The
website is stopabuseforevery-
one.org.
Dear Abby: I met a nice
friend. He’s a widower whose
wife has been gone for three
years. My husband died 10
years ago.
He makes me laugh, some-
thing I haven’t done in a
while. I really like this guy,
but he is still grieving. Some
days he’s good, but others he’s
a mess.
I want us to be in a rela-
tionship, and I think he could
be “the one.” We’ve only been
courting for a month, but he
has been pursuing me for a
year.
Should I give it more time,
or should I move on with my
life?
I haven’t been intimate
with him, but he still makes
me feel like a woman, which
is something I’ve missed.
— Thinking It’s Him in Maryland
Dear Thinking: As you
know, the process of grieving
isn’t a straight line. When a
loved one dies, the survivors
have good periods and ones
that are less so.
You are further along in
this grieving process than
your friend because his loss is
more recent.
If a relationship (or more)
is what you want, allow him
more time to work through
his feelings.
However, if the bad spells
don’t become less frequent,
suggest he talk with his doc-
tor about joining a grief sup-
port group in which he can
safely vent his feelings.
Ducks have strength, depth among RBs
EUGENE — C.J. Verdell
thought about leaving for the
NFL, but that was before.
Before a shortened 2020
season. Before an injury to his
left thumb. Before the Oregon
iron horse missed the first two
games of his career.
Verdell met with Mario Cris-
tobal, offensive coordinator Joe
Moorhead and running backs
coach Jim Mastro after the sea-
son and said he’d return for a
fourth season in five years.
“I love Oregon, I love the
team here, I love the coaching
staff, a great environment over-
all,” Verdell said. “Coming back
was never something that I
was like, ‘No I don’t want to do
that.’ Talking with my parents
they were with me 100% what-
ever I chose and when I said I
wanted to come back they was
with me full bore.”
A 1,000-yard rusher in 2018
and 2019, Verdell is one of
the best running backs in the
Pac-12 and the country when
healthy. But in just five games
last season he had only 65 car-
ries for 285 yards and three
touchdowns.
Verdell said the left thumb
injury that kept out of the
Pac-12 Championship game
against USC and the Fiesta
Bowl actually happened during
the Washington State game,
when he had 18 carries for 118
yards and a score, and not the
UCLA game, when he fumbled
and saw his workload fall dra-
matically afterward.
He said there was “a whole
lot going on” with the injury,
including a torn ligament and
bone fracture.
Baseball
Continued from A5
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021:
Free-thinking, assertive and self-assured, follow your dreams no matter
how challenging they seem. This year, you show those who underestimat-
ed you a thing or two. Watch your tendency to become a workaholic. Make
time for recreational family activities. A steady income with an occasional
bonus will let you plan ahead seamlessly. If single, a casual friendship takes
a serious turn. If attached, love always wins an argument. CAPRICORN is
loyal.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Community issues and concerns may take you by surprise. An online
meeting or town hall will clarify the situation. Offer your assistance, but only
allot time you can spare. Prepare for a visit from out-of-town relatives. To-
night: Share music recommendations.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Keep an eye open for garage sales. Think about organizing one of
your own. It is not easy to let go of items that have sentimental value. A friend
not attached to your possessions can start the process. Tonight: Practical
chores.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Throw modesty to the wind. Toot your own horn and show off an
accomplishment or milestone. Shop with a friend at a local or online mall. Go
a little crazy but don’t break the bank. Tonight: An indulgent meal.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Put your money where your mouth is. Try your hand at that artistic
endeavor you’ve been doing in dribs and drabs. A class or instructor will
allow you to finesse your talent. Show off what you’ve done. Tonight: Lazy
evening.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Streamline membership organizations for which you pay monthly
dues. Eliminate those whose meetings you do not attend and whose publi-
cations you do not read. Join an alumni online group and track down class-
mates with whom you lost touch. Tonight: Exercise video.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Your need to be in charge serves you well. Present your vision tact-
fully to people with whom you work or volunteer. Given your powers of per-
suasion, they will embrace your ideas and weave them into a current project.
Tonight: Romantic plans.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Declutter your home office or the room where you go online. Clear
shelves of books you won’t read again. Donate them to a charity that makes
house calls. Save the space for reference materials that are not digital. To-
night: Group dancing.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Competing gets your juices flowing. Ask your children and grandchil-
dren to show you how to play the latest brain teasers. Organize a friendly
game night between multiple generations. Stock up on finger foods and
have fun. Tonight: Movie night.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Avoid a debate with someone whose ideas you will never change.
Forge a new bond with someone who shares your ideas about love and life.
Take things slowly, and your connection is more likely to blossom. Tonight:
Select new podcasts.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
You could be affected by a sad story, so keep tissues handy. You will
feel the urgency to do something altruistic. Consider adopting a rescue
animal from a shelter, or post photos of furry friends in need. Tonight: Gossip
with friends.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Enjoy the fresh air. Take a detour on a daily walk or run. Visit a local
museum or gallery. If there aren’t any nearby, then go online. The world of art
is at your fingertips. Tonight: Step up your fitness routine.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Let people you love know how much you appreciate them. Prepare
a favorite meal, give them compliments or buy a gift mentioned in passing.
Plan a get-together with friends who are part of your extended family. To-
night: Book club.
“Those last few games that
I played, I was playing with a
club the whole time so it kind
of made it rough,” Verdell said.
“I kind of played through it. …
I was definitely going through
it, especially the Pac-12 cham-
pionship. I couldn’t even go be-
cause I had to go to the doctor
the same day so I was watching
it from (Eugene).
“It was definitely one of
those feelings like, man, I wish
I can be out there or at least
have been out there on the
field rooting the guys on. It was
good to see them take home
that championship. I called and
FaceTimed the whole group
after and we all talked and cele-
brated so it’s still good.”
Back to full strength, Ver-
dell still tops Oregon’s running
back corps this spring, even as
Travis Dye emerged in a dif-
ferent and even more dynamic
role last season. They don’t see
each other as competition, but
rather as a tandem that few
others can match.
“I think before the season he
was leaning on more of leav-
ing,” said Dye, who ran for
443 yards and a touchdown
and had 239 receiving yards
and four scores on just nine
receptions last season. “In the
middle of the season we talked
about it a little bit more and he
said he wanted to come back
and I was all for it. I told him
this 1-2 punch can keep going
and that we’re going to be an
awesome duo still. Last year I
know there’s a bad taste in his
mouth. He’s ready to come out
there year and go off and I’m
all for it.”
At their peak, Verdell and
Dye make a compelling case for
the best running back duo in
the conference and one of the
best in the country. The only
Pac-12 teams with comparable
running back pairings are Col-
orado and Washington State,
which also saw their leading
rushers from 2019 miss most
or all of 2020 due to injury.
With Sean Dollars and Trey
Benson both out this spring
recovering from injuries, Ver-
dell and Dye are the only two
healthy scholarship running
backs on Oregon’s roster and
while there’s always something
to refine and improve, staying
healthy is the priority for the
next nine practices and the off-
season.
They have high aspirations,
individually and as a team,
and in order to each them the
Ducks need both to be avail-
able on Saturdays.
“The goal for us right now
is we want to win a national
championship really bad,” Dye
said. “Becoming the best 1-2
punch in the Pac, that’s going
to help us. Obviously I believe
that we are the best 1-2 punch
in the Pac, if not the nation. Of
course we’re going to say that,
but we’re going to show it this
year for sure.”
Individually, Verdell is
shooting for 2,000 yards. If he’s
able to stay healthy enough to
not only play each week, but
not been limited due to a vari-
ety minor injuries he’s played
through over the years, there’s
no reason to believe he can’t
reach that.
Durability remains the ques-
tion with Verdell though and
he recognizes the wear and tear
he’s taken.
“For me it’s like maybe pick-
ing and choosing when to be
physical,” he said. “Knowing
to spare my body. Not to try
to take too many hits if I don’t
have to. If I can make some-
body miss here, I do that, not
always lowering my shoulder.
That’s one of the main things
me and coach Mastro have
been talking about.”
adopted by the American
League in 1973 and was used
in all major league games
during the 2020 season due to
pandemic rules. Its possible ex-
tension to the National League
is expected to be discussed
during bargaining between
MLB and the players’ associa-
tion this year.
The Atlantic League will use
the 18-inch bases, which were
part of the 2019 experiment,
but the league decided to do
that on its own this season.
The rule that a pitcher face
three batters or end the half-in-
ning that was used by the At-
lantic League in 2019 was ad-
opted by the major leagues in
2020.
BY JAMES CREPEA
The Oregonian
Two years ago, MLB an-
nounced that Atlantic League
mounds would be moved back
24 inches to 62 feet, 6 inches,
for the second half of that sea-
son but then abandoned the
experiment before it began.
In addition, the MLB part-
ner league will have an exper-
imental “double-hook DH”
rule in which a team would
lose its designated hitter when
its starting pitcher leaves the
game. That will be in effect the
entire season, which starts May
27, and the goal is to encourage
managers to leave their starting
pitchers in games longer.
The Atlantic League will
continue use of the automated
ball-strike computer umpire
system that it started with in
2019. The ABS will be used in
some Low-A Southeast League
games this season.
In a change, the strike zone
in the Atlantic League this year
will be two-dimensional, mea-
suring at the front of home
plate, rather than three-dimen-
sional.
“One we think will better
match the human zone people
are expecting,” Sword said.
The Southeast League also
will use a two-dimensional
zone, but it will run on the
Hawk-Eye system of cameras
and the Atlantic League will
use TrackMan radar system.
MLB’s Statcast system switched
from TrackMan to Hawk-Eye
for the 2020 season.
“We’re talking about it but
we haven’t made a firm deci-
sion yet of whether to modify
the geometry of the Atlantic
League strike zone a little bit,”
Sword said. “The zone that’s
actually called by major league
umpires is kind of like an oval.
And going to a two-dimen-
sional zone that has corners in
it is going to be pitcher-friendly
because you’re adding space to
the strike zone.
“So the thought is you actu-
ally might end up with some-
thing that feels better to people
if you widen the strike zone by
an inch or two and compressed
it vertically by an inch or two.”
Other experimental minor
league rules this year require
infielders at Double-A to keep
both feet in the infield at the
start of every play; the use of
18-by-18-inch bases at Tri-
ple-A rather than 15-by-15 and
a limit of two step off or pickoff
attempts per plate appearance
at Low-A with at least one run-
ner on base.
The designated hitter was
Sean Meagher/The Oregonian file
Oregon running back C.J. Verdell (7) carries the ball against Stanford in
the Pac-12 season opener in Eugene in November.