Author: staff
In 1997, Wilco’s double album Being There became a fundamental pivot for the Chicago band in a decade filled with triumphs. Twenty-five years later, those songs…
Starting today, Illinois voters can cast an early ballot ahead of the 2022 primary elections on June 28. From U.S. senator to Cook County board commissioner,…
The Chicago Bears are in Week 2 of organized team activities, and as with any team in the early stages of a rebuild, questions abound at many positions. Brad Biggs’ weekly Bears mailbag covers the running backs, secondary and offensive line — and starts by asking where the biggest holes are.Now that the draft and the first few rounds of free agency are over, where do you think the roster is most deficient? Are there any players currently available that would address those needs or will they need to wait until preseason cuts to fill those holes? — @theengineer_danAdvertisementThe Bears certainly hope they have players on the roster who can emerge as options beyond 2022 by proving themselves this season. The offensive line has legitimate questions. Is Larry Borom a starting-caliber player, especially at left tackle? Can Teven Jenkins be a good fit for this offense with his first look coming at right tackle? Who will play right guard? As for the rest of the offense, are the wide receivers good enough to be productive? Are the positive early signs from Justin Fields that the coaching staff has outlined proof he will take a significant step forward in his second season? Without significant investments on the defensive line, with the exception of pass rusher Robert Quinn, can the Bears be solid not only stopping the run, but also rushing the passer? Is there a high-caliber nickel cornerback on the roster? Can free safety Eddie Jackson bounce back from a couple of seasons that weren’t to the level of his contract? The Bears have players in place for all of these positions, and some will step up and provide good answers. How many remains to be seen. Some will fall short and there will be clear needs entering next offseason, when general manager Ryan Poles will have cap space, cash and more draft picks.AdvertisementI wouldn’t expect a windfall of solutions via preseason cuts. Generally, players whom other teams let go can serve as bridge players and depth. It’s less common that a player who is cut loose can be a real building block for the future. Try to be patient with the process. The roster will evolve over the next 15 to 16 months before the 2023 season starts.What positions are most deficient? I’d say the offensive line, wide receiver and maybe the defensive line. But we’ve yet to see the Bears in full pads or in the preseason, and real answers will come during the regular season.[ [Don’t miss] The Bears are back at Halas Hall for OTAs. Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of their roster. ]Do the Bears get a deal done with David Montgomery after this year or do you think they ultimately let him walk? I’m factoring in the emergence of Khalil Herbert. It was a small sample size but given the position, well, you know. — @runbackdaveIt’s difficult to project what Montgomery’s market will look like after this season without knowing how he will perform in the new offense. As a general rule, running backs are largely replaceable. It’s probably the easiest position on the roster to plug in help other than specialists. Look at the variety of backs the San Francisco 49ers have used with great success, and that’s a similar offensive system.Montgomery has been solid for the Bears, but for him to prove real value in this offense, he has to be more dynamic and productive as a pass catcher. Running backs who get paid now, with the exception of someone like Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, are multidimensional threats. To me, this has less to do with how Herbert performs this season and more with what Montgomery does.Bears running back David Montgomery practices Tuesday, May 24, 2022, during OTAs at Halas Hall. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Ryan Poles may have successfully remade the secondary on the cheap. The linebacker and defensive line core seems solid too with some promising players. What do you think the defensive ceiling/floor could be for this roster? — @jmcdavittI assume you are talking about the defense in 2022. I agree the Bears made some strong moves in the secondary by drafting cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker in the second round. They will make some rookie mistakes — that’s natural for any first-year players — but the Bears have gotten out of the pattern of seeking veteran bridge players on the back end, at least at those two spots.The defensive line has legitimate questions. It lacks a signature interior player — someone like Tommie Harris, who was in the same scheme the last time the Bears ran the Tampa-2, or DeForest Buckner, who played for Matt Eberflus with the Indianapolis Colts. This defense requires some special players up front to play at a high level because you’re sacrificing size for athleticism, and that makes it challenging to defend the run.AdvertisementAre the Bears going to keep Robert Quinn for the season? If they do, will they get the record-setting 2021 version or the 2020 version? Free safety Eddie Jackson is coming off a couple of subpar seasons. There are fair questions about who will man the nickel position, which should be viewed as a starter. The ceiling for this group in 2022 is probably middle of the pack, and that might be attainable because the Bears don’t face the toughest schedule in terms of quarterbacks. The floor is a little below that.[ [Don’t miss] 3 Bears storylines to watch, including Justin Fields versus Mac Jones — and Lucas Patrick’s nasty edge ]Why is Jaylon Johnson taking second-team reps? — @wustinwields1The coaches wanted to look at a handful of other players who have been involved in the entire offseason program. Matt Eberflus said not to read too much into who is playing with which unit in May, and that’s good advice in this case. Eberflus said a week ago he hadn’t seen enough of Johnson on the field to say a whole lot about him. When asked about Johnson on Tuesday, he was pretty upbeat.“Now I’ve seen him for a week and I like what I see,” Eberflus said. “He’s moving around really good. His change of direction is nice. He’s got really good hands. As you know, he’s got good size. So now just really looking at his coverage ability and it’s in a good spot. We’re just working with him and trying to assess his skills and we’ll coach him as we go.”Barring something unexpected, Johnson will be a starter with second-round pick Kyler Gordon. I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnson is running with the ones at mandatory minicamp in mid-June, if not sooner. It doesn’t hurt for the coaches to send a message that those who consistently show up for voluntary work will get the first chance to be evaluated. That’s probably a motivator on some level.Is there any hope Kindle Vildor can sustain CB1? I know it’s OTAs. — @just_acyAdvertisementThat seems unlikely with Jaylon Johnson entering his third season and second-round pick Kyler Gordon getting consistent work with the starters already. A realistic best-case scenario for Vildor, who struggled at points last season, is to have a competitive training camp and preseason and put himself in position to be a top backup on the outside.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 11 Meet the Chicago Bears’ 2022 NFL draft class. (Jae C. Hong/AP)Likelihood one of the rookie offensive linemen starts Week 1? — @dwcprodzThat seems like a long shot. It looks like the Bears are rolling with Larry Borom at left tackle and Teven Jenkins at right tackle — or at least it’s headed in that direction for the start of training camp. I highly doubt the Bears have a rookie offensive tackle who will prove he’s ready to start in Week 1. The best chance — and again, I don’t think it’s a high probability — is one of the rookies getting in the mix for the right guard job, where Sam Mustipher and Dakota Dozier have spent most of the time with the ones.There’s still a chance a newcomer will arrive with a shot at the right guard job, and remember, sometimes those things play out late. The Bears sort of fell into adding guard Josh Sitton to the starting lineup back in 2016 after the Green Bay Packers released him on Labor Day weekend. When GM Ryan Poles used four Day 3 picks on offensive linemen, it was with the idea that one or two of them could push for a spot in 2023. You can’t rule it out, but speculating now is incredibly difficult because they haven’t put pads on.Any chatter about how Charles Snowden is doing? He would seem to be the fast, lengthy, smart, try-hard kind of defensive end that Matt Eberflus’ system calls for. Pre-draft some even saw him as a Day 2 pick. Obviously his broken ankle turned teams off. He definitely has the measurables. — John R., VietnamI have not heard coaches single out Snowden, but with veterans Robert Quinn and Al-Quadin Muhammad not participating in the voluntary portion of the offseason program to this point — at least from what media have been allowed to view — that has given a handful of other players more reps, more exposure and in some cases more time with the first team. Training camp and preseason will be big for players such as Snowden, who is a holdover from the previous regime. The spring is critical for Snowden to show he can pick up the techniques the coaching staff is highlighting and can understand the defense. When it comes to turning the corner and really getting after the quarterback, he’ll have to wait until pads go on in training camp.Advertisement“It’s hard to me to assess a couple things this time of year,” Matt Eberflus said. “Pass rush is hard to assess because it’s a little bit easier for the rushers to get around because there’s no pads on, but once you put the pads on and those tackles can really block ‘em, I think that’s when you really assess what it is. Same thing in the running game. How do you really assess the running game as well?”[ [Don’t miss] Bears 2022 schedule: Here’s who they’ll play — and our predictions for each matchup ]How do you think they are gonna work with Khyiris Tonga? Will they still line him up at nose tackle or try to move him to three technique? — @chicagostatmuseTonga, a seventh-round pick in 2021, was a nice surprise for the Bears as a rookie, appearing in 15 games and logging 216 defensive snaps (23%). He was an ideal fit as a nose tackle in the 3-4 scheme, so there’s a little bit of projection for him in the new front. The Bears listed him at 6-foot-4, 338 pounds last season, and they have yet to adjust the measurements for returning players. When I asked defensive line coach Travis Smith what the target weight is for Tonga this season, he said that’s a decision that involves the strength staff and powers above him. For comparison, the Colts didn’t have a defensive lineman above 314 pounds (veteran tackle Grover Stewart) at the start of last season. Tonga definitely is not a three technique, but he has a chance to play the nose in this defense, even though it’s different from manning that spot in a 3-4.“Our big thing in our front is to make sure that we’re effort first,” Smith said. “We can correct everything else. And so as long as our guys — whatever their weight is — (are) able to run and play consistently at a high level, I’m good with it.“He’s moving good. For a big man, he’s got really great feet. Recall the (term) dancing bear. We have some big men that can move, stay on their feet. We want our big men to play sideline to sideline. We’re a penetrating, vertical, edge-setting defense, but we run. All four of us. We want all four guys running. As long as they can do that, their weight is good to me.”ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 30Virginia McCaskey, the daughter of George Halas, took over as majority owner of the Chicago Bears in 1983. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Memorial Day Weekend is almost here, which means it’s time to crown the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s lacrosse champions. After more than two weeks of games, only four teams remain in the respective brackets.Here’s what you need to know:AdvertisementMENNo. 1 seed Maryland 18, Virginia 9AdvertisementNo. 5 seed Princeton 14, No. 4 seed Yale 10No. 6 seed Rutgers 11, No. 3 seed Penn 9No. 7 seed Cornell 10, Delaware 8WOMENNo. 1 seed North Carolina 8, No. 8 seed Stony Brook 5No. 2 seed Maryland 18, No. 7 seed Florida 5No. 3 seed Boston College 20, No. 6 seed Loyola Maryland 13No. 4 seed Northwestern 15, No. 5 seed Syracuse 4AdvertisementMEN(at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut)No. 6 seed Rutgers vs. No. 7 seed Cornell, Saturday, noon, ESPN2No. 1 seed Maryland vs. No. 5 seed Princeton, Saturday, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2WOMEN(at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field in Baltimore)AdvertisementNo. 1 seed North Carolina vs. No. 4 seed Northwestern, Friday, 3 p.m., ESPNUNo. 2 seed Maryland vs. No. 3 seed Boston College, Friday, 5 p.m., ESPNUMENRentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., Monday, 1 p.m., ESPNWOMENJohns Hopkins’ Homewood Field in Baltimore, Sunday, noon, ESPNAdvertisementChris Cotter, Ryan Boyle and Katie George will handle the call of Saturday’s first semifinal between Cornell and Rutgers on ESPN2. Anish Shroff, Quint Kessenich and Paul Carcaterra will provide the play-by-play and commentary for the second semifinal between Maryland and Princeton on ESPN2 and will return to call Monday’s national championship on ESPN.For the women, play-by-play commentator Jay Alter and analysts Sheehan Stanwick-Burch and Dana Boyle will be on the call for the semifinals and championship game from Homewood Field in Baltimore. The semifinals will be broadcast on ESPNU, and the national championship will be broadcast on ESPN for the first time.MENNo. 1 seed Maryland: Seeking fourth NCAA Tournament title (first since 2017)No. 5 seed Princeton: Seeking seventh NCAA Tournament title (first since 2001)No. 6 seed Rutgers: Seeking first NCAA Tournament titleAdvertisementNo. 7 seed Cornell: Seeking fourth NCAA Tournament title (first since 1977)WOMENNo. 1 seed North Carolina: Seeking third NCAA Tournament title (first since 2016)No. 2 seed Maryland: Seeking 15th NCAA Tournament title (first since 2019)No. 3 seed Boston College: Seeking second straight NCAA Tournament titleNo. 4 seed Northwestern: Seeking eighth NCAA Tournament title (first since 2012)AdvertisementMENNo. 1 seed Maryland: Fifth-year senior attackman Logan Wisnauskas (55 goals, 40 assists)No. 5 seed Princeton: Senior attackman Chris Brown (30 goals, 41 assists)Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.No. 6 seed Rutgers: Junior attackman Ross Scott (49 goals, 23 assists)No. 7 seed Cornell: Fifth-year senior attackman John Piatelli (60 goals, 15 assists)WOMENAdvertisementNo. 1 seed North Carolina: Fifth-year attacker Jamie Ortega (64 goals, 41 assists)No. 2 seed Maryland: Graduate student attacker Aurora Cordingley (66 goals, 50 assists)No. 3 seed Boston College: Graduate student attacker Charlotte North (82 goals, 23 assists)No. 4 seed Northwestern: Graduate student attacker Lauren Gilbert (74 goals, 26 assists)
The Illinois attorney general’s office is investigating whether one of the state’s largest school districts, located in Chicago’s northwest suburbs, violated civil rights laws when police…
Bally’s, which is looking to build a $1.74 billion casino in Chicago’s River West neighborhood, is a storied name with deep Chicago roots. Once a Chicago-based…
Bally’s, which is looking to build a $1.74 billion casino in Chicago’s River West neighborhood, is a storied name with deep Chicago roots. Once a Chicago-based…
This has been a banner spring for Abby Bosco. After spending four years with the Penn women’s lacrosse program, she will play in her first Final Four as a member of Maryland’s team.Nearly as rewarding is the amount of support Bosco has received from her former Quakers teammates — with many of whom she still communicates.Advertisement“There have been a ton of congratulatory texts, even from the coaches and trainers,” she said. “Everyone is definitely in my corner. A lot of people have said, ‘It’s so cool you’re getting to play in the Final Four. This is awesome.’”Maryland’s Abby Bosco, left, is one of several players who used the NCAA transfer portal to their advantage and contributed immediately to their new teams. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun )Bosco is one of several players who used the NCAA transfer portal to their advantage and contributed immediately to their new teams. For the No. 2 seed Terps (19-1), Bosco, a graduate student defender, ranks second among all Division I players in total ground balls (63). She is joined by former Johns Hopkins graduate student attacker Aurora Cordingley, who ranks fourth in the nation in points per game (5.8), and former North Carolina sophomore midfielder Shannon Smith, who is the only player on the team with at least 10 goals, 10 assists, 10 ground balls, 10 caused turnovers and 10 draw controls.AdvertisementIn fact, three of the four semifinalists have benefitted from the transfer portal. Top-seeded North Carolina (20-0) — which will open play Friday against No. 4 seed Northwestern (16-4) at 3 p.m. — has been buoyed by former Notre Dame graduate student attacker Andie Aldave (50 goals and 11 assists), former Penn State junior midfielder Olivia Dirks (19 goals and 30 draw controls) and former Richmond graduate student attacker Sam Geiersbach (29 goals and 25 assists).And No. 3 seed and reigning national champion Boston College (18-3) — which will face Maryland at about 5:30 p.m. — paired former Temple graduate student defender Courtney Taylor (84 draw controls, 31 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers) with former Duke graduate student attacker and 2021 Tewaaraton Award winner Charlotte North (82 goals, 23 assists and 132 draw controls).As much as the Terps, Tar Heels and Eagles have capitalized from the transfer portal, their respective coaches expressed some caution about going to the well too often.“The transfer portal, to me, is very dangerous and can be a slippery slope,” said Boston College coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein, an Annapolis High and Maryland graduate.Added North Carolina coach Jenny Levy, a Roland Park graduate: “Overall with [name, image and likeness deals] and the transfer portal, I think some of this needs to be re-evaluated, quite honestly.”Emily Sterling would rather shift the spotlight around, continuing to share any praise with her teammates on the defensive end of the field. But she acknowledged that she has recently raised her level of play.https://t.co/XUePCjakWM— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) May 25, 2022
Their concerns stem from the notion that greener pastures in the form of more playing time and greater glory await players diving into the transfer portal. Walker-Weinstein said it can be good for players who “genuinely have not found a home,” but it also provides an “out” for athletes.“I think in some ways, one of the toughest and most important lessons you can learn is that sometimes there isn’t an out,” she said. “Sometimes you just have to find a way and tough it out and find happiness because there’s happiness everywhere.”Levy is quick to acknowledge that the Tar Heels have taken advantage of the transfer portal. But she noted that the portal has opened the door for dissatisfied or disgruntled players to leave their current teams for shinier and brighter toys.Advertisement“Even my own players here who have gone from freshman year to senior year, when they reflect on their first two years, [there is] the growth that they’ve gone through in just learning how to play the game, learning how to be a good teammate, learning how to work and train,” she said. “I think it’s a bad message to send to players, ‘Well, I’m not getting what I want, so I can transfer.’”Taylor, the Eagles defender, had planned to call it a career after her senior year at Temple last spring. But training with the U.S. national team in June refreshed her, and after entering the portal in June, she chose Boston College over Northwestern. What she’s found in Chestnut Hill is what she was looking for: “That every single person on the team gives 110% every day.”“I didn’t really find that at Temple,” added Taylor, who graduated with a bachelor’s in supply chain management and is working towards her MBA. “I loved my four years, but I just thought that was enough. I didn’t want to go back and not have a chance to win again.”Joining a new school means making new friends, adjusting to an unfamiliar campus and academic schedule, and absorbing a different playbook. Aldave, the North Carolina attacker who hails from Baltimore and graduated from McDonogh, admitted that moving from Notre Dame to North Carolina took some time, noting “you’re kind of like a freshman.”No. 2 seed Maryland women’s lacrosse returns to NCAA Final Four for 12th time in 13 seasons with 18-5 thumping of No. 7 Florida https://t.co/cEJH7RSPQG— Baltimore Sun Sports (@BaltSunSports) May 19, 2022
When the fit is right, however, transfers can enhance a team’s outlook. The trio of Bosco, Cordingley and Smith turned a Maryland program that went 10-7 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season into one that will make its 12th Final Four appearance in the last 13 years.Advertisement“It just gives me chills,” Bosco said of helping the Terps capture what would be an NCAA-leading 15th title. “You dream of winning a national championship, and to do something so special with such a special group of people, it would mean everything.”Bosco’s coach, Cathy Reese, said she thinks the popularity surrounding the transfer portal has increased as athletes ponder how to use the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA. But she admits she’s worried about “the trickle-down effect,” citing the thousands of basketball and football players who enter the transfer portal seeking more playing time.“We’ll see how that transitions,” she said. “This is all still pretty new right now, and I think adding that COVID year is what made it possible.”Will more programs follow the path traveled by North Carolina, Maryland and Boston College and mine the transfer portal? Much like professional organizations, the NCAA can be a copycat league.“I’ve spoken to a few coaches who didn’t use the transfer portal this year, and they’ve all said, ‘We’re going to hit the transfer portal hard after this year,’” said ESPN analyst and former Virginia midfielder Dana Boyle. “So I think that they’re recognizing the importance of it. I think it does create this wild, Wild West sort of dynamic, but I do think that is part of sports in general. I don’t know if you can get away from that.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.ESPN analyst and former Georgetown attacker Sheehan Stanwick Burch said the financial temptation of the transfer portal is different in lacrosse compared with football and basketball, which can offer full scholarships. But she said teams that have holes to fill or are seeking to strengthen a certain position can capitalize on the transfer portal.Advertisement“I don’t see it going away in the near future,” she said.NCAA Final FourNO. 2 MARYLAND VS. NO. 3 BOSTON COLLEGEFriday, 5:30 p.m.Homewood FieldTV: ESPNU
The Chicago White Sox recalled Jake Burger from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday after center fielder Luis Robert went on the COVID-19-related injured list.Burger was in the lineup Wednesday and hit a go-ahead three-run homer to help the White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1 in front of 21,075 at Guaranteed Rate Field.Advertisement“Timing was right,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “Huge, huge hit.”The White Sox didn’t any have hits until the fifth against Red Sox starter Rich Hill.AdvertisementJosé Abreu broke up the no-hitter with a double to right. AJ Pollock reached on a throwing error by third baseman Rafael Devers. Burger followed with the 444-foot home run, his third of the season.“I want to play baseball and I want to compete, no matter where I’m at,” Burger said. “It’s kind of how I take it. Obviously, I hate referencing back to the three years I missed, but I was sitting on the couch for 2½ of those years. I’m going to put my best foot forward, no matter where I’m at.”Burger missed all of 2018 after suffering a ruptured left Achilles tendon in spring training, then missed all of 2019 because of a bruised left heel.With the 2020 minor-league season canceled because of the pandemic, Burger played in a local league in Missouri before joining the White Sox alternate site in Schaumburg.He spent time with the White Sox and Charlotte last season.“Take every day as a blessing,” Burger said.Burger came in hitting .239 (17-for-71) in 21 games with the White Sox in 2022. He has a .213 average (10-for-47) with three homers and eight RBIs in 13 games with Charlotte.“These past two weeks in Charlotte were good for me in terms of just relaxing a little bit and not doing too much,” Burger said. “I get a tendency, a habit, to try to get ahead every single at-bat instead of taking it pitch by pitch and being able to control my emotion and not overswing.”AdvertisementThe homer put White Sox starter Lucas Giolito in position for the victory.“I’ve experienced a little bit of the up-and-down grind and it’s not pleasant, but he keeps proving time and time again that he’s very effective at this level,” Giolito said of Burger. “Huge home run to give us the lead there. He’s been a wonderful teammate, he works his (butt) off. I look forward to seeing him contribute more.”Giolito allowed one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in six innings. The run came in the first on a two-out hit by Alex Verdugo.The Red Sox had at least two batters reach in each of the first four innings, but Giolito kept finding ways to work out of the jams.“It was a grind,” Giolito said. “I really lacked rhythm and tempo in my delivery, especially out of the windup early. It led to really, really poor fastball command, at times not really knowing where my fastball was going. Luckily I was able to make good pitches with runners on bases early and limit the damage.”Giolito credited catcher Reese McGuire for “keeping me locked in.”Advertisement“We really had to get that slider going,” Giolito said. “We did. That was a good pitch to work off of. All the fastballs I was throwing down in the zone when I usually want to be up. Just working through it and I was able to find a good rhythm later in the game in the last couple of innings.”Relievers Aaron Bummer, Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly and Liam Hendriks followed.Kelly exited with left hamstring tightness after striking out two batters in the eighth. He will be reevaluated Thursday.Joe Kelly left the game with left hamstring tightness. He will be reevaluated in the morning.— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 26, 2022
Hendriks got the final four outs for his 14th save.“It just rained on this parade here,” La Russa said of Kelly’s injury. “It’s hard to enjoy the moment. That’s exciting, not just for the fans but for our team, when you have that kind of depth coming out (of the bullpen).“But nobody said it would be easy. We’ve gone through this before. We’ll wait and see what kind of hamstring (injury it) is.”
Dear Amy: About 10 years ago, I very briefly dated someone who was 15 years younger than me — I was 38 and he was 23.He pursued me. The age difference bothered me from the beginning, and I told him repeatedly that I didn’t want to date because of it. I was also dealing with suicidal depression, was unable to work, and didn’t want to date anyone.AdvertisementHe persisted for months and eventually wore me down (he texted and called daily, showed up at my house uninvited, and made his case through mutual friends. He even had his parents call me to tell me that they approved).We dated for about two months. We had nothing in common. He and his friends were heavy drinkers and drug users, and my depression worsened.AdvertisementUltimately, I ended it (kindly). It shouldn’t have been a surprise to him. The entire time we dated, I told him – and all my friends and family – that I was uncomfortable with the age difference and with dating anyone at that time.My health improved and I moved about 1,000 miles away. We haven’t been in touch for 10 years.Recently, he contacted me on social media and said his therapist is suggesting there had been an inappropriate power imbalance because of the age difference and that he had been unable to consent – all very #metoo ideas.I haven’t responded. I am alarmed because, well, it’s not accurate.I work in the media now and am a little worried about being canceled. But I’m more concerned that he feels this way.Should I respond?– WorriedDear Worried: No, you should not respond. Taking at face value the details as you describe them, being in touch with this man would be like pressing “go” for a person who previously violated reasonable boundaries, engaged in behavior that sounds like stalking, and who seems capable of overall relentlessness.AdvertisementYou state that you were not working at the time of your brief relationship, so I conclude that you were not his superior at work. He was 23-years-old – over the age of consent. The 15-year-age difference between you two is immaterial.It seems reasonable for a therapist to suggest that there was a power imbalance between you two, because many failed relationships are the result of a power imbalance.Don’t read any #metoo allegations into this unless he explicitly makes them, and don’t apologize for participating in a very brief relationship that you broke off.Preserve and print out any communication between you two.Most of us have regrets from choices we made in our early 20s. You can hope that his therapy leads to insight instead of allegations.Dear Amy: What should I do for an alcoholic friend who will not go to treatment because she has been there before and they just preach religion?AdvertisementShe is not religious at all.Are there any resources for alcoholics that don’t preach religion?– Trying to HelpDear Trying: As world-changing as the “12-step” model pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous has been, some people are turned off by references to God, or “a higher power.”Many programs inspired by the success of AA have adopted some of these basic truths and techniques, but have removed any religious references.Aaagnostica.org is an extremely helpful resource for anyone looking for a non-religious recovery program. The site features a comprehensive list of books, blogs, essays, and a database of secular recovery programs – all pointed toward people like your friend.AdvertisementEspecially helpful is their “collection of alternative 12-steps,” which offers secular interpretations of AA’s 12-steps.Your friend might be using her resistance to religion as a reason to avoid any recovery program, but you could certainly help her by pointing her toward the many secular options available.Dear Amy: “Wondering” wrote to you with a question regarding whether she should tell her now adult children about their half-brother (who was adopted out as a baby).Yes she should!I have known that I was adopted since I was 10. I am now 71 and have been in contact with my 11 half-siblings (both paternal and maternal) for some years.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.I found some through persistent research to determine who my birth-mother was, and some through DNA analysis, which gave me my birth-father.AdvertisementAs you said, this will come out sooner or later, and if she talks about it now, she will control the narrative.– AdopteeDear Adoptee: Thank you for providing your important perspective. I hope that adoptive parents follow your advice.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.