Sometimes I just don’t get it !!!

As offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers last year, Mike McCarthy’s offense finished 32nd and dead last in the NFL. How bad was it ??? That offense finished 32nd in passing, 22nd in rushing, and was 30th overal in points going eight games of a sixteen game schedule without an offensive touchdown.

As quarterback coach of the Packers during Ray Rhodes short-lived and ill-fated 1999 regime, McCarthy guided Bret Favre to his second worst season as a professional with the future HOFer throwing 24 pics to just 23 touchdowns. Favre’s 74.7 QB rating was was only supraceeded by his 1993 sopomore season rating of 72.2 and this year’s train-wreck of 70.9 yet this week Mike McCarthy was brought back to Green Bay and hired as the 14th Head Coach in arguably the most storied franchise in NFL history.

The Packers had to know that this was a controversial hire as the McCarthy news conference seemed to be more of a damage control preemptive rather than a celebration of the man that was going to restore tarnished lustre and return Green Bay to the promised land.

McCarthy was lauded for his past accomplishments, particularly his work with the Saints spanning 2000-2004. During that time, the Saints established 25 team and 10 individual marks. Joe Horn who caught 437 passes for 6289 yards and 45 TD’s during McCarthy’s tenure. New Orleans led the NFL in points (432) and toucdowns (49) during the 2002 season.

McCarthy’s prior work with the Kansas City was also cited. As quarterback coach of the Chiefs between ’95-’98, the combo of Gannon, Grbac, and Bono threw an AFC low 52 interceptions over that four year period. Huh ??? Whupdidoo !!!

In his year with Favre, Bret did throw for 4,091 yards but the Packers were just seventh in passing and ninth overall in total offense.

At the press conference it was also brought up that McCarthy had spent most of last year mentoring the leagues first overall draft pick, Alex Smith – possibly an inference that Aaron Rodgers would be in good hands if Favre decides to call it a career.

Alex Smith’s season by any standards was an unmitigated disaster! Smith’s numbers were horrific – 84-165 (50.9%) for 875 yards and a 1/11 TD/INT ratio. Granted, Smith had little to work but based on his freshman year, he’s well on his way to becoming a bust in the proportions of Tony Mandrich and Ryan Leaf.

McCarthy becomes the youngest coach in the NFL, three months younger than John Gruden. He inherits a a young (26.04 years at season end, 3d in NFL) team that is filled with uncertainties like the health of Javon Walker and Ahman Green and the return of Brett Favre.

Mike McCarthy was a surprisingly desperate hire from a surprisingly desperate franchise. The Packers had been to the playoffs five of the six years under Mike Sherman and while the talent level of the team has fallen appreciably due primarily to poor drafts, the whole Packer post-season shakeup wreaks of panic!

McCarthy’s coaching background:

1987-88, Fort Hays State – Graduate Assistant
1989-91, Univ. of Pittsburgh – Quarterbacks
1992, Univ. of Pittsburgh – Wide Receivers
1993-94, Kansas City Chiefs – Offensive Assistant/Quality Control
1995-98, Kansas City Chiefs – Quarterbacks
1999, Green Bay Packers – Quarterbacks
2000-04, New Orleans Saints – Offensive Coordinator
2005, San Francisco 49ers – Offensive Coordinator
2006, Green Bay Packers – Head Coach

Cyrussiminpour10
Cyrussiminpour9
Cyrussiminpour7
Cyrussiminpour3

The Winter Olympics….

Once again the fishing world has been ignored.

As I sit watching a spine tingling, heart thumping, always tension packed Olympic Curling event competition, I can’t help but wonder why a fishing event has never been represented in the Olympics.

What are they trying to say?

Are they saying that there is no athletic prowess involved when trying to flick a #12 Adams to a 20 inch ring created by the kiss of an 18 inch Rainbow trout!

Is the firing of a high powered rifle after skiing around on a pair of wooden planks any more demanding than fording a riffle packed stream and tossing a chunk of powerbait deftly into the “honeyhole” pocket containing an 8 inch stocker?

I see no difference.

But then I’m an idiot.

Or am I? Let’s at least take a look at some future options for the winter Olympics, that can finally give the fisherman his due when it comes to skill and athleticism….

1) What event shows stamina and grit more than ice fishing? I propose a winter Olympic event that is comprised of ice fishing. In this event, contestants will be timed on their ability to saw a hole in 8 to 10 inches of a frozen lake surface, run in sneakers across the frozen ice to a designated staging area where they will grab up a rod, and stool, and sprint back across the ice to the open hole, bait up, and sit for hours in a fierce northern wind. The athlete then will hopefully, eventually catch a fish, pull his fish from the ice hole, drop it in a bucket, and sprint again across the ice, into a 1975 Ford pick- up truck, drive across the finish line to the cheers, flag waving,and cow bell jingling of his fellow countrymen.

More challenges? Perhaps a couple of fellas name Swen and Ole can sit across from the contestant and constantly be throwing a verbal barrage of “You Betcha’s” and “Don’t ya know’s” at the athlete, as he or she agonizingly attempts to coax a fish out of the water.

Talk about grit!!

Of course the Norwegian contingent might not have a problem with this and be at a decided advantage.HOW do you say “you betcha” in Norwegian anyway?

We will all watch as the hole starts to skim over with ice,and the athlete frantically chips away at the hole to keep it ice free.All the while precious time clicks away as the fish only nibbles at the bait.

They can even hold this event indoors at the Olympic Hockey or Figure Skating venues. It might even make the hockey games more interesting with a few holes in the ice, and figure skating?PLEASE… a double axle into a gaping hole in the ice will add more excitement than Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan living in the same trailer park. Or they can leave a few frozen fish on the ice to help add to the Olympic ambiance.

The events could also easily be held as a “two man” competition with one athlete fishing, while the other builds an ice shack.

If the extreme thrill of the Downhill is your cup a tea, imagine if they hold the event on thin melting ice. The now famous runs of Franz Klammer and Hermann Maier will pale in comparison to the crackling of ice beneath the ice fisherman’s stool as he scrambles for shore before disappearing into the frigid waters.

Talk about the agony of defeat….

2)Boat Slalom. Never mind the luge, bobsled, or skeleton(which at first glance appear to require the two major athletic skills of courage and alcohol), try standing up in a drift boat while running a classIV rapid with a 40 pound salmon stripping line off of your reel, hell bent for return to the ocean. Yes, athletes in ten layers of clothing including the mandatory flannel outer jacket, will try to stay afoot while “the driver” navigates the boulder choked channel of a stream. Not only are the contestants timed in this event, but style points are given for the degree of difficulty the athlete shows while doing “gunnel grabs”, “spins”, and the ever popular “aerials”. Throw in a number of slalom gates, and you have the making of an event made for television. Fall in or lose your salmon, and it’s sorry Charlie–see you in four years.

“OOOHHH, tough break Vern–Elwood has been training all his life for this moment, and to see it all go overboard in one instant is heartbreaking….”

3) No offense to our Canadian friends north of the border, but –CURLING!!! CURLING!! A combination of bowling on ice and a group of shop keepers trying to keep the storefront spiffy.

Gawd, the winters must be awful up there.

Outside of the obvious “sex appeal”of the Olympic Curlingevents, the only thing more thrilling would be to watch Dick Cheney go quail hunting.

But, given that there is a place on the podium for chiseled curling athletes, I’m sure we could find a spot for the skilled athleticism of the Winter Fly Tying Team !This event would obviously be dominated by the American squad, which has trained year round in a meat locker in Detroit. Size #28 midge after miserable size #28 midge, the Americans have relentlessly been training, by tying these little buggers to 8x tippet–in a meat locker kept at 14 degrees below zero.

That’s minus 26 celsius for our European competitors.

There at the Olympic Fly Tying arena, in frigid weather, teams of fly tiers will take to the vice, and tie up various flys. We will watch pained expressions and complete intense concentration as athletes try to get their fingers to work in the icy cold. We will hold our breath as they try to get the hackle and dubbing just right. Precious time will tick away as they blow on their hands, and we watch split screen images of just where the Olympic hopefuls lost time along the way.

Of course,in this two day event, athletes will be judged on speed, style,difficulty, and the ability to catch and release fish.

So, here’s to the athletes of the XX th Olympiad, and I will see you fishing rod in hand, in Vancouver in 2010.

Cyrussiminpour2
Cyrussiminpour3
Siminpourcyrus1212
Cyrussiminpour3
Cyrussiminpour6
Cyrussiminpour5

Some of the best beach parties can happen in the Midwest, with temperatures below freezing. Sounds crazy? It is, but it is a memorable and fun way to celebrate a birthday, retirement or special occasion. Beach parties can happen in the summer too, near a pool or a lake in any region.

A beach party needs radical invitations, man! You can follow a surfer theme and use surfboard shapes or any beach theme motif from the party supply store. Other supplies like paper products for food and decorations can match your beach party motif.

Decorating can be fun. Buy plastic beach balls and blow them up to toss around your party, whether it’s inside or out. Buy an old fishing net and hang from the corner of one room. Fill it with sea creatures and marine life, or use it to put in pictures of the guest of honor. If your party is outside, truck in some sand for beach volleyball.

Use the sand and have a sandcastle competition. Give away personalized party favors to all the winners. Besides volleyball, other sand activities can be horseshoes, Frisbee and football. If there are kids at the party, bury a treasure and create a map for them to follow. Depending on their ages you can make it difficult or easy to find. Use a treasure chest and bury candy or plastic trinkets for them.

If your beach party is inside in the winter, have guests bring their swimsuits and change into them. Turn your thermostat really hot to get them in the mood. Heat and swimsuits will make everyone in a better mood and look forward to spring and summer.

Serve finger food and anything with a beach theme. Make surfer sandwiches or tidal wave macaroni salad. Use regular dishes but jazz them up with a title.

Cyrussiminpour3
Cyrus Siminpour

In case you are planning to cheat on a term paper, you should at least know how to do it right. Even though most teachers are not willing to admit it, many of the essays they get from students are copied, plagiarized or written by someone else. There are hundreds of companies available which offer custom term papers for lazy students who have enough money to pay for them. These websites are constantly looking for students who wish to get their papers done without any efforts. These companies will provide them with papers for a fee, promising that it will be custom term paper and will get a good grade.

Many students who have tried this will tell you that custom term papers are not as good as they might seem at first. Many colleges and universities have tracking down systems. They check if there are the same essays online and even cross-check the past students essays from your university. Thus, if you are planning on buying your economics class from a senior student, then you might consider the possibility of being caught. It is also possible that your custom paper is not as custom made as you think it is. Many professors will copy one paragraph of your paper and check it online and they might find some similar essay posted online somewhere.

Many of the websites selling custom term papers provide a few paragraphs of the essays on the website, so that students will get an idea what they are paying for. However, this is a wonderful way for any suspicious professor or teacher to find what you’ve done. Sometimes you might try to contract someone else to write a term paper for you via e-mail or a message board.

However, most frequently the style of the essay will vary your own writing style and the teachers might get suspicious. They will start asking questions and eventually you might get into trouble, so in my opinion it’s not worth taking that risk. Many high schools will be able to forgive plagiarism but if you do that in college or university you might get suspended. Most students realize the risks of paying for custom term papers and thus they don’t do it. Don’t risk being expelled. If you really don’t have the time to finish your paper in time, talk with the professor. Most of them will give you some time extension. Even if they don’t, it is better to give them a late essay than a stolen one.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Custom Term Paper. Get more information by visiting http://www.theeducationannex.com/education/education–learning/the-dangers-of-buying-a-custom-term-paper.html.Cyrussiminpour
Cyrussiminpour
Cyrussiminpourarticles