The BulleTin • Wednesday, June 30, 2021 A7
OLYMPIC WOMEN’S SOCCER
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 adult
daughter is married. She also
has a boyfriend. Both of these
men live with her and share
her bed. Her children are
horrified by it and want noth-
ing to do with their mother.
They are embarrassed and
ashamed, as am I. Her older
children are of age but still
in school. They would like to
move out but can’t afford to;
the youngest is a minor and
afraid of the boyfriend. My
daughter’s husband doesn’t
object to the share plan. Is
there anything I can do to
help the kids?
— Crowded in Colorado
Dear Crowded: Why is
your youngest grandchild
afraid of your daughter’s boy-
friend? Has he been physi-
cally or emotionally abusive
or “grooming” her? If you
don’t know the answer, it is
important you find out so
you can intervene, if neces-
sary. If there is physical abuse
or possibly grooming going
on, CPS should be notified.
A potential solution might be
to invite your grandchildren
to live with you until they are
out of school and able to live
on their own. Your daughter,
her husband and her boy-
friend may be happier with
all of the children out of the
picture. Parents of the year,
they are not.
Dear Abby: I need your
advice on a certain topic. I’m
in my early 30s, and my hus-
band is in his early 20s. We’re
currently living with my
mother-in-law, who has put a
damper on my and my hus-
band’s relationship. She tells
my husband what to do, tries
to make decisions for him
and doesn’t give him a choice
about anything.
My husband and I have
been talking about moving
when the time is right, but
she continues to put her 2
cents in. I have been treated
like crap by his mother after
doing everything possible to
help her. I don’t know what
to do at this point. I’m slowly
pulling away from the man I
love, and he doesn’t seem to
care. What should I do?
— Stuck in Ohio
Dear Stuck: Your husband
is barely out of his teens. It
may have been an oversight,
but you omitted the most im-
portant fact from your letter.
WHY ARE YOU TWO LIV-
ING WITH HIS MOTHER?
She treats him like a child be-
cause that’s the way she has
always treated him. If you
want to save your marriage,
move heaven and earth to get
the two of you out of there so
he can grow up to be inde-
pendent.
Dear Abby: My husband’s
birthday is on the same day
as our grandson’s first com-
munion. Our grandson’s fam-
ily lives out of town, about a
day’s drive.
The problem is, my hus-
band is not Catholic and
doesn’t want to go because
he doesn’t want to spend his
birthday driving and sitting
in a church. I am so torn.
Should I push it? He was up-
set when I told him I wanted
to go. He feels I should put
him before the children and
grandchildren.
— In the Middle
Dear in the Middle: Your
husband is being childish
and selfish. Your grandchild
will have only one first com-
munion, while you and your
husband can celebrate his
birthday on another day. Can
you get to the site by other
means of transportation to
spare him the driving? He
should be ashamed of him-
self. I hope his candle goes
out before he makes a wish!
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Georgia Nicols
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
MOON ALERT: Caution; avoid shopping or making important decisions
from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT. After that, the Moon moves from Pisces into
Aries.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2021: You
have an intellectual imagination, which make you outgoing, curious and
keen to socialize. You notice things going on around you. You are confident
and sometimes competitive. This is a year of change for you. That’s why it’s
important to stay light on your feet and be flexible so you can react accord-
ingly and go in the direction you want.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 10:30 a.m. to
7 p.m. PDT today. It will be easy to do this because you want to hide and be
low-key. This is a good day to help a family member. Tonight: Stay calm.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Because you are more involved with daily contacts, siblings and
other relatives, be smart and avoid shopping or important decisions from
10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT today. Enjoy socializing with others in a lighthearted
way. Tonight: You might be ready for some solitude after socializing.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Today people notice you, especially bosses, parents and the police.
Therefore, please be aware that you should avoid shopping or important
decisions from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT today. Don’t volunteer for anything
during that time. Tonight: Define goals.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Today you want stimulation and change! However, most of this day is
a Moon Alert, which means you should avoid shopping (except for food) or
important decisions from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT today. Forewarned is fore-
armed! Tonight: You are noticed.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Today the Moon Alert is in your Money House. Therefore, avoid shop-
ping (except for food) or making important decisions from 10:30 a.m. to
7 p.m. PDT today. Protect your assets and shared property. Tonight: Explore
something new.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
This is a good day for a frank discussion with others, especially from
10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT today. However, during that time, avoid shopping ex-
cept for food, and postpone important decisions. Tonight: Check your finances.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Today you are focused on your health, work and getting organized.
Be wise and avoid shopping (except for food) or important decisions from
10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT. This way you will avoid disappointment. Tonight:
Cooperate with others.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
U.S. the team to beat in Tokyo, of course
“There’s so many boxes
that the players need to
check in order to make
the roster, starting from
health and fitness, and very
important, performance.
And then obviously the
experience that they have,
they’ve already been on this
team in big tournaments.”
BY ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
The United States women’s
national soccer team has some-
thing to prove at the Tokyo
Olympics.
It’s not so much about re-
venge after a surprising loss to
Sweden at the 2016 Rio Games
but, rather, a new goal: The
U.S. can become the first team
to win an Olympics following a
World Cup victory.
In Tokyo the Americans will
play for their first world cham-
pionship under coach Vlatko
Andonovski. His immensely
deep and talented squad in-
cludes the sport’s biggest
names: Alex Morgan, Megan
Rapinoe, Christen Press and
Carli Lloyd.
The U.S. team, winner of
the 2019 World Cup in France,
is ranked No. 1 in the World.
They’re undefeated in 42
straight matches and show no
sign of slowing down heading
into the 2023 World Cup.
The biggest hurdle along
that path will be the Olympics,
where a small roster, a con-
densed schedule and the hot
and humid conditions will all
be challenges — along with the
competition.
Andonovski emphasized
versatility in choosing his
squad for Tokyo. Experience
counted, too, with the average
age of the team at 30.8 years
old — the oldest U.S. Olympic
roster ever. Seventeen of the 18
players were on the World Cup
squad.
“There’s so many boxes that
the players need to check in or-
der to make the roster, starting
from health and fitness, and
very important, performance.
They’ve got to perform. It
doesn’t matter if they’re versa-
tile if they don’t perform well.
So there’s a certain level of per-
formance that they need to
to have, or a certain way they
need to execute the task,” An-
donovski said. “And then obvi-
ously the experience that they
have, they’ve already been on
this team in big tournaments.”
The United States, in Group
G, will open with nemesis Swe-
den in Tokyo on July 21. In
Brazil, Sweden knocked the
Blazers
Continued from A5
Former coach Mike Schuler,
for example, went to sit in a
folding chair and fell off the
back of a stage. Billups didn’t
fall. The organization did as it
felt more interested in dismiss-
ing legitimate questions than
letting us get to know the new
coach.
Billups talked about his wife
and three daughters early on.
He talked about his relationship
with star Damian Lillard. He
was later offered a chance by
veteran reporter Jason Quick to
dive deeper, humanize himself
and talk about how the sex-as-
sault allegation shaped him in
“unbelievable ways.”
It was a great question by
Quick. I sat forward to listen.
Maybe you did, too.
This was the moment we
needed. It had the potential to
be a powerful moment but was
quickly cut off by Ashley Clink-
scale, the franchise’s corporate
public relations manager.
“We’ve addressed this,”
Clinkscale said. “Its been asked
— Vlatko Andonovski,
United States women’s
national soccer team coach
David J. Phillip/AP
United States women’s national soccer team coach Vlatko Andonovski,
left, greets Alex Morgan before an international friendly soccer match
on June 10 in Houston.
Americans out in the quar-
terfinals on penalties, after
which goalkeeper Hope Solo
famously called the Swedes
“cowards” for bunkering in on
defense.
One of Sweden’s advantages
in 2016 was coach Pia Sund-
hage, who was the former U.S.
coach and knew her former
team — and it’s weaknesses —
well. She’s now head coach at
Brazil, while Sweden is led by
Peter Gerhardsson.
The basics
There are 12 teams com-
peting, separated into three
groups. The tournament starts
on July 21 and will be played
across six cities in Japan with
the finals set for Aug. 6 at Japan
National Stadium.
In addition to the Ameri-
cans and Sweden, the teams
competing in the tournament
include host Japan, Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, China,
Great Britain, Netherlands,
New Zealand and Zambia.
Germany, the winner in
2016, is not among the teams
in the field. UEFA qualifying
for the Games was the Wom-
en’s World Cup, meaning
France, Great Britain and run-
ner-up Netherlands won the
berths.
Women’s soccer joined the
Olympics in 1996. The United
States has four gold medals
overall, and has advanced to
and answered. Happy to move
on to the next question.”
Can we move on?
That’s what the primary fo-
cus of Tuesday’s news confer-
ence should have been. Billups
himself said the sex-assault
allegation in 1997 changed his
life. How so? It promised to
be an important moment, one
Billups himself deserved. Also,
one nobody got to hear be-
cause the Blazers inexplicably
shut it down.
For Billups, it was an intro-
duction into the ham-handed
world of Trail Blazers, Inc. For
the rest of us, it was another
example of the basketball orga-
nization blowing an opportu-
nity to connect with fans. The
questions about Billups won’t
stop. They’ll continue, only
with added skepticism.
Let’s face it — people want
to like Billups. They want to
accept him. We’re forgiving by
nature, but we need help to get
there.
The news conference was
the first, and maybe only, op-
portunity to hear Billups speak
about basketball, family and
“I’ve learned a lot from the
Brazilian players and I hope
we’ve also taught them a couple
of things about cohesion and
about being on the same page
and doing our best,” Sundhage
said.
the final match in all but the
2016 edition.
Equal pay
The Olympics come as the
U.S. team continues its fight
for equitable pay with men’s
national team players. While a
judge threw out the team’s legal
case, the women have appealed
to the Ninth Circuit. And ne-
gotiations are ongoing with
U.S. Soccer.
The recently released doc-
umentary “LFG” chronicles
the team’s efforts. U.S. Soccer
countered the film with a Twit-
ter thread. No doubt it will be a
frequent topic of conversation
over the course of the tourna-
ment.
Canada’s quest
The Canadians qualified
along with the United States
in the CONCACAF region.
Led by new coach Bev Priest-
man, Canada’s roster includes
Christine Sinclair, the all-time
top international scorer among
men and women who also
plays for the Portland Thorns.
As captain of the Canadian
team, Sinclair, 38, is making
her fourth Olympic appear-
ance. She has appeared in 15
overall Olympic matches, scor-
ing 11 goals.
At the 2016 Brazil Games,
Sinclair scored the game win-
ner in a 2-1 victory over Brazil
for Canada’s second consecu-
tive Olympic bronze medal.
Sinclair has 186 career goals
in 299 appearances with the
national team.
Pia’s move
Sundhage was named Bra-
zil’s coach following the 2019
World Cup. She was coach of
the United States from 2008-
12, then coach of her native
Sweden from 2012-17.
Like Andonovski, Sund-
hage has a talented, deep
Olympic roster with five-time
FIFA World Player of the Year
Marta, as well as Debinha and
forward Ludmila. Also in-
cluded is Formiga, who is a
seemingly forever-young 43
and has played in a women’s
record six Olympics.
In announcing her squad,
Sundhage sang: “I’m so excited,
I just can’t hide it.”
The underdogs
Zambia is the lowest-ranked
team at 104. The team upset
Cameroon in qualifying to earn
a spot in Tokyo.
Zambia’s preparation for the
games was hampered when
it had to pull out of a friendly
with Great Britain on July 1
because of complications over
coronavirus travel restrictions.
put to rest any questions in his
past.
We needed it.
Billups deserved that him-
self, too.
Asked? Answered? That
really didn’t happen at all.
I don’t know if Billups is go-
ing to win games in Portland.
He might be a sensational
coach. He might struggle or
have a steep learning curve.
But I know that Tuesday’s event
wasn’t a great start. It was a
clunky corporate production
that ignored the audience.
Peace of mind isn’t propri-
etary.
It should have belonged to
the entire fan base today.
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This is a fabulous, creative day for you! During the Moon Alert, from
10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT, you will enjoy schmoozing. You also will think out-
side the box. (However, during this same window of time, don’t shop, except
for food.) Tonight: Get organized.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Today you’re happy to hunker down at home and enjoy the comfort
of familiar surroundings. Note: Most of this day is a Moon Alert, which means
avoid shopping or making important decisions from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT
today. Tonight: Have fun!
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Today you will enjoy socializing with others and exploring new ideas.
However, avoid spending money (except for food) or making important de-
cisions from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT today. This will protect you from some
minor regrets. Tonight: Cocoon at home.
Lindsey Clark, PA-C
Lindsey provides skin
care for all ages, with
a passion for medical
dermatology and
aesthetics.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Be careful today! The Moon is in your Money House, and because of
the Moon Alert, please avoid shopping (except for food) or making import-
ant decisions from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT today. Tonight: Talk to someone.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Bend • Redmond • Sunriver
541.382.8819
You might be more emotional than usual today because the Moon is
in your sign. Avoid shopping (except for food) or important decisions from
10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT today. This will protect you. Tonight: Check your
finances.
derm-health.com