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Giant concrete barriers separate a field of jagged rocks from a grassy playground at Rogers Park Beach on Lake Michigan. There is no white sand. Only…

Dear Amy: “Mary” and I were acquaintances in college. We didn’t talk for years after graduating but would see each other sometimes at bars and say hello.In 2020, she decided that she wanted to develop a friendship with me.AdvertisementI quickly realized how unstable she is. She goes through cycles of sleeping with new people, posting them all over social media, the relationship ends, then she starts up with someone new.She has also behaved unethically in her profession.AdvertisementAlmost every weekend now, Mary asks me to go out drinking.I never message her first. I’ve been making up excuses because I don’t feel comfortable telling her that I find her actions problematic.In between texts asking to hang out, she would tell me how good of a friend I am and how much she cares about me.Amy, I would see this person once every few months.Last weekend, I finally left her text as having been “read” but I haven’t answered. Just now, I just got a text from her telling me she misses me.I’m scared to tell her that I don’t want to be her friend.I don’t know how she’d react, and there’s a good chance I would see her around my small city.Should I continue not to respond to her and hope she finally gets the hint?Advertisement– No ChaosDear No Chaos: If you are genuinely afraid of “Mary’s” reaction to any statement from you, then yes – I’d suggest a continued light ghosting. She will text you, you will read her texts, but you won’t respond unless you feel the need to answer a question. (For instance, if she asks you to meet her at a bar at a certain time, you should respond: “Sorry – I can’t make it. Hope you have a good time.”)If things come to a head and you feel boxed into a corner, then keep your statement simple: “I don’t party like I used to, but I’m sure I’ll see you around town at some point. Take good care of yourself.”Dear Amy: I recently visited my mother-in-law in her home.It was a nice and cordial visit except that I think she called me a liar without so much as saying those words.I was in her kitchen cooking a meal for her and other family members when she stated: “Do you know how the silverware got mixed up in the drawers? Not that I care, but I was just wondering.”AdvertisementI told her: “No, I’m not aware of how that happened.”Then she said, “Well, if you didn’t do it, I wonder who did? I know that ‘Susan’ (her daughter who had visited the previous month) didn’t do it.”I just let the subject drop, but then started thinking: Did she just accuse me of lying?Am I making too much of this? I don’t want to bring this matter up with my husband (her son), but it is certainly bothering me.– Mixed-up Drawer in MichiganDear Mixed-up: You may have heard of the “non-denial denial,” brought into popular culture during the Watergate era. This refers to denying an accusation without actually or specifically denying it: (“That doesn’t sound like something I would do…”)AdvertisementYour mother-in-law’s comment falls into a classic mother-in-law category: The non-accusation accusation.Of course this bothers you!And yes, you should do your best to drop it.Dear Amy: May I weigh in on the question from “Bay Area Stepmom Cook” the woman who refused to leave onions out of food, even though her son-in-law had an aversion to onions?I am a retired professional chef.Cooking is the art of making food delicious to other people. A true artist (and mature human being) rises to meet challenges with zest.AdvertisementMany people have potentially lethal allergies, religious taboos, health concerns or simple aversions and preferences that should be respected.The artist in the kitchen – and the generous host – will encounter ingredient changes with the joy of triumphing via creativity.There is a proverb, “A guest is the jewel on the cushion of hospitality.”It is also an unappetizing idea to start an ego war in your family.Bon Appetit!Ask AmyDailyNo-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.- Mary Birnbaum, BostonAdvertisementDear Mary: This question continues to receive a robust (zestful?) response.This speaks to the importance all of us attach not only to food and nutrition, but to notions of hospitality and generosity.Thank you so much for your sensitive and wise response.Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and we’ll send it to her.Sign up here to receive the Ask Amy newsletter to get advice e-mailed to your inbox every morning, and for a limited time — get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.©2021 Amy Dickinson.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Davis Martin got a call around 2 p.m. Thursday.He wouldn’t be starting that evening for the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. He would be rejoining the big-league club.AdvertisementMartin started Friday after the Sox placed Vince Velasquez on the injured list with a left groin strain.The right-hander recovered from a rocky first inning to keep the Sox close. But the team couldn’t come through in late opportunities, falling 6-3 in front of 8,930 at Tropicana Field.AdvertisementThe Sox loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but reliever Colin Poche struck out Luis Robert to end the game. The Sox lost their fourth straight and have dropped seven of their last nine.“No one is packing it in here but we’re in the results business,” Sox left fielder AJ Pollock said. “We know we have to scratch out some wins.”Chicago White Sox pitcher Davis Martin (65) waits for a new baseball as Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena runs the bases after his two-run home run during the first inning, June 3, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Chris O’Meara/AP)Friday had the makings of a quick night for Martin, who surrendered four runs in the first.Ji-Man Choi had a sacrifice fly. Harold Ramirez drove in a run with a single and scored on Randy Arozarena’s two-run homer.Martin bounced back, at one point retiring eight straight, and didn’t allow a run the rest of his outing.He exited after 5⅓ innings, allowing the four runs on five hits with one strikeout and three walks.“(I) started mixing in some other pitches, kind of getting some quick outs,” Martin said.Martin’s changeup and curveball were particularly effective.Advertisement“Early I think we were fastball-slider heavy,” Martin said, “and then mixing in those two pitches both sides (of the plate) I think helped a lot.” Martin (0-2) allowed one run on five hits in five innings in his debut May 17 in the second game of a doubleheader at Kansas City. He said he took a lot away from his second big-league start.“Statistically, (Friday) wasn’t a great outing, but I think I learned a lot about how to pitch today,” Martin said. “I learned a lot of adjustments that are going to help me down the road with the help of (pitching coach Ethan) Katz and (catcher Yasmani) Grandal.”Sox manager Tony La Russa liked what he saw from Martin.“He made the adjustment,” La Russa said. “You get behind like that and a lot of bad things happen sometimes. You get distracted, you start doing less or more. And he just pitched. That’s impressive.”The Sox scored once in the third and got within 4-2 with a solo home run by José Abreu in the sixth. Abreu went 2-for-4, extending his hitting streak to 12 games.AdvertisementRays starter Shane McClanahan (6-2) exited after allowing the two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in six innings. He turned it over to Rays bullpen, which worked out of several jams.The Sox had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh, but Matt Wisler got a grounder for a force out and struck out Andrew Vaughn in a nine-pitch at-bat.The Rays made the most of their chances in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice to push the lead to 6-2.Robert and Grandal had back-to-back singles for the Sox with two outs in the eighth. Jake Burger grounded to shortstop for the inning’s final out.The Sox got a run in the ninth and brought one of their more dangerous hitters to the plate in Robert. But Poche made the big pitches to continue the Sox slide.“What I look at is we got down by four and kept playing until the end,” La Russa said. “All that gets a lot of high points from me.”AdvertisementThe Sox had 11 hits, but left 11 on base.“You don’t know when it’s going to turn but if you do the right things, they’ll turn,” Pollock said. “We just need to play good baseball. String together some good at-bats. It would be nice to have a 10-run game and just blow somebody out. But that’s like saying I’m going to go 4-for-4. It’s tough.”

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Kahleah Copper scored 21 points, Candace Parker had five of her nine in the last 2:37 and the Chicago Sky beat the Atlanta Dream 73-65 on Friday night after blowing a 20-point first-half lead.The Dream (6-4) took their only lead at 60-58 on a tough drive by Erica Wheeler with 7:45 to play. Chicago rookie Rebekah Gardner tied it with a short shot and followed with a wide-open layup from Courtney Vandersloot for a 62-60 lead for Chicago (6-3).AdvertisementIt was still two point game when Parker’s heavily contested 10-footer went through for a 66-62 lead. In the last 1:27 the Sky made 7 of 8 free throws, three by Parker and two by Emma Meesseman, who had 16 points.[ [Read more] 3 takeaways from the Chicago Sky’s opening month, including Kahleah Copper’s return getting the offense back up to speed ]Vandersloot had nine points to move past her wife Allie Quigley to become Chicago’s career scoring leader at 3,394 points.AdvertisementCheyenne Parker led Atlanta with 19 points, and Wheeler had 15. Star rookie Rhyne Howard was held to five on 2-of-12 shooting.Vandersloot’s basket midway through the first quarter made it 20-4 for Chicago and a few minutes later Azura Stevens scored to give the Sky a 26-6 lead.A 3-pointer by Kristy Wallace cut the deficit to single digits at 35-26 in the middle of the second and it was 39-31 at the half as the Dream closed on a 13-4 run.

PARIS — An environmental activist wearing a T-shirt with the message “We have 1028 days left” interrupted the French Open men’s semifinal between Casper Ruud and 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic by attaching herself to the net with metal wires and glue and kneeling on the court Friday.Play was delayed for 13 minutes during a game with Ruud serving in the third set while leading 3-6, 6-4, 4-1, 15-all at Court Philippe Chatrier.Advertisement“The young woman, of French nationality, entered the grounds with a valid ticket early in the day,” the French Tennis Federation said in a statement issued after Ruud finished off his victory in four sets to reach his first Grand Slam final.He will face 13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal for the title on Sunday.AdvertisementA climate activist tied herself to the net during the semifinal match between Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, June 3, 2022. (Christophe Ena/AP)A climate activist is carried off after she tied herself to the net during the semifinal match between Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, June 3, 2022. (Christophe Ena/AP)The protester remained on the court for several minutes before four security guards approached her, detached her from the net and eventually carried her away.“The security team needed to formally identify the objects she used to get onto the court before they could remove her,” the federation said, adding that she was “handed over to the police.”Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo looked on from near the entrance to the court and both players we escorted to the locker room during the episode.“I didn’t really know how to react to it, and … I didn’t know if she was holding anything,” Ruud said. “I didn’t get to see too much. So it was a little bit (of a) tricky and difficult situation. Never happened to me before.”Eventually, Ruud and Cilic returned and were given three minutes to warmup before resuming their semifinal.Cilic said the disruption did not affect his level of play.There have been other episodes involving people interrupting matches at Court Philippe Chatrier over the years.During the 2013 men’s final, a topless man carrying a fiery flare jumped onto the court. In the 2009 final, a man went up to Roger Federer and tried to put a hat on his head. In the 2003 final, a male streaker hurdled the net.

Nestor Cortes’ winning ways continue off the field.A day after Jim Kaat dubbed him “Nestor the Molester” as he talked about Cortes’ incredible start to the season, the Yankees lefty starting pitcher let him off the hook.Advertisement“Hey everybody — Jim Kaat has spent an entire lifetime in this game we love,” Cortes wrote on his Twitter feed on Friday. “He reached out to me and apologized for his remark last night, but he didn’t need to. “We all make mistakes and feel 100% there was no malice intended. I plan on lifting him up with this tweet and I hope others do too. Advertisement“No sweat here Jim!”Nestor Cortes says he got an apology from Jim Kaat over on-air ‘Molester’ remark. (JAMES A. FINLEY/AP)Cortes, the 27-year-old Cuban hurler, has won his last four starts and after pitching seven shutout innings against the Angels on Thursday has a 5-1 record on the season with a staggering 1.50 ERA.Kaat, 83, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Golden Days Era Committee this year, is a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins. He was calling the Twins-Tigers game Thursday night when he made the offensive remark. “Nestor the Molester,’ Nestor Cortes,” Kaat said while describing Cortes’ hot start to the season for the Yankees. “Angels and different speeds. He’s a pitcher.”It’s the second offensive gaffe delivered by the three-time All-Star pitcher in as many years.In 2021, he apologized after saying teams should try to “get a 40-acre field full of” players who look like White Sox infielder Yoan Moncada, who is Cuban, during Game 2 of the ALDS between the Sox and Astros.After the U.S. Civil War, the government pledged to give freed slaves 40 acres and a mule, but the pledge was not kept. Cuba also has an ugly history of slavery-backed plantation farming.Kaat apologized later in that broadcast. “I need to read this right now. Because, earlier in the game when Yoan Moncada was at the plate, in an attempt to compliment the great player that he is I used a poor choice of words that resulted in an insensitive and hurtful remark. And I’m sorry for that.”AdvertisementJust a few weeks ago, Cortes was offering up his own apology after rival fans dug up and shared old tweets of his dating to his late teen years where he used a racial slur.“I hate myself for having done that, it’s not who I am or want to be,” Cortes said.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Vince Velasquez was in line to start Friday for the Chicago White Sox in the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.Instead, the right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list with with a left groin strain. The move is retroactive to Tuesday.AdvertisementSox manager Tony La Russa said the injury occurred while Velasquez was shagging baseballs during a recent batting practice before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays.“(Shagging) is part of his conditioning, and you watch him, he’s a great athlete,” La Russa said Friday. “He came in after the batting practice (Wednesday) and said ‘I feel a little something.’ We weren’t sure, give it 24 hours. (Thursday), when he was treated, the doctors said he has some kind of strain in that groin area. He had an MRI, so he’s going to be out, at least for the disabled period.”AdvertisementVelasquez’s placement on the IL was one of six roster moves the team announced Friday.The Sox recalled right-hander Davis Martin from Triple-A Charlotte to start Friday’s game against the Rays.“Once we found out (about Velasquez), pulled Davis from Thursday night’s start (for Charlotte), flew him in here,” La Russa said.The Sox reinstated starter Dylan Cease and reliever Kendall Graveman from the restricted list and returned pitchers Kyle Crick and Jimmy Lambert to Charlotte.Cease and Graveman were placed on the restricted list Monday ahead of the team’s trip to Toronto. Last week, Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the team wasn’t 100% vaccinated and that two players would have to be replaced for the series because of Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions.“The baseball rule, or administrative rule, that applies is that those (unvaccinated) players wind up on the restricted list and are eligible for replacement according to the rules,” Hahn said Saturday.Graveman thanked the Sox and said the organization has “really been supportive of allowing me to make a decision.”“I think that was something that they didn’t have to take that route, but they did,” Graveman said Friday. “And I really respect our organization as a whole from the time that they were trying to get me as a free agent to spring training to up close to the time to go to Toronto that they’ve really supported me making a decision for myself.Advertisement“And that is something that I don’t take for granted because I really respect our front office and the people within our organization that have communicated with me and been supportive of me. I think that’s a positive and shows our organization has a ton of class and that’s been something that I’ve really appreciated.”Graveman, who is 1-1 with a 2.78 ERA, 19 strikeouts, two saves and 10 holds, spent a portion of the week working out with Charlotte. He threw a bullpen Wednesday.“For me personally, I want to compete and win,” he said. “That’s our goal. … (D)eep down in my heart I’m a competitor, so any time I have to miss games it really hurts. But I’m excited and I feel refreshed as far as having a few days where I didn’t pitch and the unique thing was I was able to get a bullpen in.“I always try to find opportunities to make myself better and that was one of those rare events throughout the middle of the season that I got to do that and hopefully we get on a hot streak here as we move forward towards the All-Star break.”Graveman kept tabs on the games in Toronto.“I thought Crick did a great job when he came in,” Graveman said. “Such a good thing to see.”AdvertisementCrick on Monday was recalled from Charlotte when Cease and Graveman went on the restricted list. He had a 1-2-3 inning Tuesday and allowed one hit while striking out three in two scoreless innings Wednesday.“I had a good sinker-slider combo going, pounded the zone early,” Crick told the Tribune on Friday. “(Catcher) Reese (McGuire) had a really good game plan and we executed and stuck to it. We made all the pitches when we needed to.”The Sox will need to do some more juggling after another player landed on the injured list.The list of Sox players currently out includes shortstop Tim Anderson (right groin strain), left fielder Eloy Jiménez (right hamstring tendon tear, rehabbing with Charlotte), starter Lance Lynn (Friday’s scheduled starter in a rehab assignment with Charlotte as he recovers from right knee surgery) and reliever Joe Kelly (right hamstring strain).“Everybody’s getting beat up (throughout the majors),” La Russa said. “We just have to handle it, have to deal with it.”

Starter Caleb Kilian will make his major-league debut Saturday at Wrigley Field, giving the Chicago Cubs their first look at one of the top prospects acquired during last summer’s sell-off.Manager David Ross made the announcement after Friday’s 14-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals before 32,482 at Wrigley Field.AdvertisementWhether it’s a spot start or a chance to join the rotation remains to be seen.“Take it for what it’s worth,” Ross said. “(Christopher) Morel came up and got a chance to play a little bit. Good things happen to guys who take advantage of opportunities.”AdvertisementKilian will start Game 2 of the split doubleheader. Matt Swarmer is set to start the first game.It’s sure to be a momentous occasion in the Cubs’ rebuild, or reset, or whatever word team President Jed Hoyer prefers to use when describing his game plan, and a chance for the organization to show the future is brighter than it seems.Kilian, 25, is one of only two of the Cubs’ top 15 prospects above the Double-A level. Outfielder Brennen Davis, the No. 1 prospect, underwent back surgery Thursday, the Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro reported Friday. When Davis will be able to return is unknown.So for the time being, Kilian will be the prospect getting the most scrutiny. The lack of pitching talent coming through the system over the last decade has been well chronicled. But if Hoyer’s latest plan comes to fruition, Kilian, Keegan Thompson and Justin Steele could be part of the rotation for years to come.Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Caleb Kilian stretches during minor-league spring training workouts, March 1, 2022, in Mesa, Ariz. (Ross D. Franklin / AP)One of the biggest differences so far between the Theo Epstein rebuild and Hoyer’s re-whatever has been the low-hype approach to the top prospects. Kilian, who arrived in the Kris Bryant deal with the San Francisco Giants, has been much less talked about than Bryant was in the days and weeks before his arrival in April 2015.“The rhetoric from outside is going to be glamorous, glorious,” then-manager Joe Maddon said a day before Bryant’s call-up. “Whatever you want to call it, from within, (the hype) has to be real. In conversation with the guy, whether it’s Kris Bryant or potentially an Addison Russell or a Javy Báez, we have a lot of these guys.”Kilian went 2-0 with a 2.06 ERA in nine starts at Triple-A Iowa, with 41 strikeouts in 39⅓ innings. An eighth-round pick by the Giants out of Texas Tech in 2019, he’s the Cubs’ No. 5 prospect, according to MLB.com rankings.Catcher P.J. Higgins, who played with Kilian at Iowa but never caught him, said Cubs fans should be excited about Kilian’s debut.Advertisement“The sky’s the limit for him,” Higgins said. “I’m impressed with what he’s doing.”The Cubs insist they’re still trying to compete for a postseason spot — while conceding they’re focused on developing young talent and building the next contending team. Balancing those diverse goals is an inexact science, as the players in the clubhouse know well.“You’ve got time to develop and time to grow,” Higgins said. “But with the resources we have and the coaching staff and the veteran presence we have, those steps can be quicker and easier. It’s easier said than done. But we have two top notch guys in Willie (Contreras) and Yan (Gomes) who have a lot of insight to help these guys advance quickly.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Kilian has been limited to between 70-80 pitches at Iowa, and has thrown more than five innings in only one start. Injuries to Drew Smyly and Wade Miley have opened up two rotation spots.The Cubs could use a boost after Marcus Stroman (2-5) came into Friday with a 1.80 ERA over his last five starts but was knocked around early, allowing a career-high nine runs on 10 hits over four innings, his worst outing in nine starts this season. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman hit three-run home runs off Stroman, with Goldschmidt extending his hitting streak to 25 games.“Just one of those days where I’ve got to come back to the drawing board and figure some things out,” Stroman said, adding: “I need to be better. That’s it.”AdvertisementWith the game tied 4-4 in the fourth, the Cardinals broke through with five runs off Stroman, who has a 9.93 ERA in four starts at Wrigley and has yet to last more than five innings at home. Ross said he would “look at the tape” to find out what went wrong.First baseman Frank Schwindel served up a pair of home runs pitching the ninth, the second time a position player has thrown relief for the Cubs in the last nine games.The Cubs fell to 22-30 and have a 10-18 record at Wrigley Field.With 110 games remaining and the postseason a pipe dream, it will be up to kids like Kilian, Morel, Thompson and Steele to make the season more palatable for Cubs fans.

A second probable case of monkeypox was found in Chicago, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Friday evening.The second case was a close contact of…

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday said the Illinois State Police no longer has any DNA evidence from sexual assault cases that has not been…