The Management Consulting Group

There are moments immediately before your fantasy basketball draft that can be nerve racking. The questions everyone’s wondering are: “What is the draft order?” And “Where is my first pick?”

Yahoo Fantasy NBA randomly generates its leagues draft orders approximately 30 minutes before the start of each draft. So if you have the “unfortunate” luck of having to pick at spot number eleven or twelve in the draft order you better get over the grief of not having a top pick pretty fast. (Hint: check in as early as possible to see your draft order and plan how you will pick - DON”T BE LATE).

Having a multi-category stud like Kevin Garnett, LeBron James or Shawn Marion at the 11th or 12th Pick will likely NOT happen. But there is no reason to cry about it. You can still win your league. The key way to think about it is not that you are the last pick of the first round, but that you are also the first pick of the second round!

Some might argue that you get more talent with the 12th and 13th picks than with the 1st and 24th picks. The talent level at the 24th pick is considerably lower than even the 15th pick. Drafting near the top also makes you much more reliant on your number one pick to contribute to your team effort - which is a big risk if he gets injured.

If I draft in the very back of the first round, and the elite players of the league are off the draft board, I believe in drafting for “positional need”. The most rare players in Fantasy Basketball are Centers and good/great starting Point Guards. Yahoo Fantasy NBA of course requires that you start two Centers for 82 games each, and realistically there are only really five Center’s, not counting Shaq who is a Free Throw Deal breaker and Amare Stoudemire who is reportedly out for four months, who are worth picking in the first 3 rounds.

An ideal point guard in the late first and early second round should average at least 6 assists per game, should make his fair share of three pointers and average about a steal or more per game. (Think: Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury and Mike Bibby).

After picking for these two positions, which are the hardest to fill in your draft with good/great players, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to fill your roster with Guards and Forwards, which are in much greater supply. The drop off in talent level for these players between the 4th and 8th round is minimal.

I recently drafted in a private league of thirteen teams and had to pick at spots twelve and fifteen. I chose the league leader in assists last season, Steve Nash, to be my Point Guard at pick 12, and chose Yao Ming at the 15th pick to be my first Center. Considering my draft position, I was very happy to have both those players still available. It’s much easier to pick the best available player in the third round, than it is to draft the best available Center and Point Guard in the second and third round.

Also remember, whenever you are drafting around the first or last picks in each round, you need to think about picking pairs of players. If you are the 12th pick, you also have to pick 13th, etc. Be prepared and have two players in mind every time you are approaching time to pick.

Good Luck, no matter where you pick.

http://fantasybbcoach.blogspot.com/

Tony Stewart is up to his old tricks again, hitting people and crying foul, only this time, the people he is attacking aren’t camera men or fans seeking autographs. Stewart attacked Matt Kenseth, driver of the Rouch stable number 17, at 190 miles per hour during the Daytona 500. What makes this extra-ordinary, even for Stewart, is that he waited til they, and 40 other cars were racing into a turn, an act that could easily send a man to the hospital, or just as easily sent him to the cemetery. I wonder how it would have washed with NASCAR fans had it been Tony Stewart that sent the late Dale Earnhardt into the wall and his subsequent death at Daytona back in 01′? This could have just as easily have happened to Kenseth or any other driver on the track on Sunday. Luckily, they all walked away. But what about next time?

Tony Stewart is going to wind up killing someone very, very soon. His on track attacks of other drivers are constantly overlooked by NASCAR, the same NASCAR that has sent crew chef Chad Knaus of the number 48 Lowes Chevrolet home for 4 races and fined him $25,000 for a technical violation. The violation? Three-quarters of an inch too much behind the rear deck of the car. A seemingly run of the mill infraction, but NASCAR has thrown the book at Knaus, while they look the other way as Stewart plows through other drivers, bad mouths his fellow competitors, and throws hissy fits on and off camera. Not an hour after pointing the finger of blame at other drivers for rough driving, this maniac could be found at Daytona trying to run other competitors off of the track at 190 mph. All of this after just 3 months ago winning the NASCAR championship.

And if Stewart isn’t attacking drivers on the track, he can usually be found punching out camera men as well as the occasional autograph seeking fan. To say that Stewart is a champion is to put a bad apple on a pedestal in front of children worldwide and say, “Kids, this is what you should strive to be when you grow up”. NASCAR should be ashamed of it’s handling of this loose canon, especially considering the harsh fines and suspensions of not only Knaus, but other drivers and crew chiefs as well.

I think it should be a criminal offense to maliciously go after another driver with the intention of wrecking him. Drivers are obviously aware of the danger level involved with this act, which could easily result in death(s). In such a scenario, NASCAR could also be held liable if they repeatedly looked the other way while one of the drivers were attempting to murder people on the track. Maybe then they would step up and take care of out of control hot heads like Tony Stewart before they actually take the life of a fellow driver.

By Rebecca Blain of http://w
ww.discount-hunting-supplies-and-tips.com.

Out of all of the sports participated in around the world,
hunting is considered to be one of the most dangerous. Due to
this, many safety precautions must be made to ensure your
safety, as well as the safety of those around you. This cannot
be emphasized enough, as your life and the lives of your
companions must be protected when you are going hunting, whether
it is coon hunting, deer hunting, moose hunting or simple fowl
hunting. There are several categories of hunting safety you
should keep in mind, which consist of the following:

• Hunting Equipment
• Gun Safety
• Bow
  Safety
• Hunting Safety Courses
• Seasonal Hunting
  Safety

Hunting Equipment

Having the proper weapon and discount hunting supplies to go
hunting is the first consideration you must make when preparing
for a trip. If you are planning to hunt deer, you need to make
certain that you have a gun or bow appropriate for deer. A
standard pistol, for example, is considered an inappropriate gun
type for deer hunting, while a crossbow or rifle are considered
the right gun for the job. Taking a moose hunting rifle deer
hunting would be considered inappropriate, as these guns are too
powerful.

In addition to having the proper style of gun, you need to make
certain you have everything you require to clean and field dress
the animal you are hunting. This prevents unneeded trips back to
your truck or other vehicle. You should also make certain you
are wearing the proper clothing for the trip. This usually
consists of the bright orange vests and hats, as well as other
brightly colored clothing so other hunters can see you easily.
While camouflage may help prevent the deer from seeing you, it
also prevents other hunters from seeing you. This can result in
your death, as other hunters may mistake you for a deer or
another animal.

Gun Safety

When you are hunting with a gun, there are several things that
you need to keep in mind. The safety on the weapon should be on
at all times, unless you are preparing to fire at your quarry.
The gun should always be pointed away from you and others, and
never at your own feet. Being shot in the foot is highly
uncomfortable, and requires surgery to repair the delicate
bones. This precaution should be taken regardless of whether or
not the safety on the weapon is on or off. Should the safety
fail, it is much safer to have the gun misfire where no one will
be hit.

The second primary consideration you should make is always
taking proper care of your weapon. A well cared for weapon
should not misfire or present unnecessary risk to yourself and
your companions. A gun that has not had this level of care runs
risk of misfiring, having a jammed barrel, or worse.

Bow Safety

Hunting with a bow is something that takes a lot of skill and
energy to do. On account of this, there are just as many, if not
more precautions a bow hunter must take in able to hunt safely.
Before you go hunting with your bow, you need to make certain
that your bow has been thoroughly checked. If the string or wire
used on your bow looks frayed, replace it before you are out in
the field. While a snapped bow string usually only causes mild
welts or cuts, it is always best to have equipment in top shape
before going go on your trip. If you are using a bow, you will
want to make certain that you have the proper arm guards with
you, and that you are wearing them when you notch your arrow and
are preparing to kill the animal you are hunting. This helps
protect you from injuries due to snapping strings or string
rebound.

Another aspect of bow safety that you need to keep in mind is
making certain that you have a bow that fits your strength.
While being able to pull a heavier bow is considered a badge of
honor among many hunters, pulling a bow that is too heavy for
you can cause painful injuries that can take a lot of time to
heal. If you insist on pulling a heavier bow so you can kill
larger prey such as deer, you should take the time and care to
work up slowly to the heavier bow. This can help prevent
strained or torn muscles in the future.

Hunting Safety Courses

Before you go out hunting, especially if you have not been
hunting in a while, you should make certain you participate in a
hunting safety course in your area. Safety courses go over gun
safety and handling, as well as teach or remind you the basics
to the care and precautions that should be taken. Many of these
courses cover hunting laws in your area, which you should be
familiar with before you go hunting. Hunting safety courses are
also good for those individuals that do not hunt, but live in an
area where a lot of hunting takes place.

Seasonal Hunting Safety

In some areas, especially heavily forested areas, seasonal
hunting safety is something that you should always keep in mind.
As many hunters are out in force during specific hunting
seasons, you should always make certain that you are wearing
bright, easily seen clothing so that hunters can easily identify
that you are not a deer or another type of animal that they are
hunting for. This applies whether or not you are a hunter, and
especially if you are not on your own property. When hunting,
you should always have permission from the land owners to hunt
on their property, so that you will not be in an area where
there are likely to be children or individuals that could be
accidentally shot by either gun or arrow.

If you keep all of these things in mind, you should be able to
go hunting without putting yourself or others at risk of injury
or death. If you live in an area where hunting is popular,
knowing hunting safety rules can protect you as well, as
knowledge is protection when it comes to weapons of any kind.

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

Many pontoons boats are equipped with mood lightning that can enhance your overall experience while riding on a pontoon boat. In some cases the mood lighting in concealed within the boat, in other cases not, but mood lighting can always add a special flair to nighttime pontoon boating.

Mood lighting can help transform your pontoon boat party in a charmingly wonderful affair. Mood lighting provides a minimal amount of lighting so that you can still get the feeling of being out underneath the stars without accidentally tripping over your neighbor and falling into the water.

In some pontoon boat models the mood lighting is attached underneath the seats on the pontoon boat. This concealed form of lighting makes the lights unobtrusive during the day, and makes it so unsightly lights do not compromise the overall aesthetics of your pontoon boat. The lights hidden under the seats are also less susceptible to accidental breakages.

Other pontoon boat models will hide their mood lights in other locations. In some cases mood lighting is located on the stairs of the vessel, or some other similar location.

For the most part mood lighting is put into pontoon boats as a safety feature to ensure that passengers are always able to see what’s going on around them on the pontoon boat. Mood lighting decreases unnecessary injuries, and overall pontoon owner satisfaction. There could be nothing worse than cutting off your pontoon boat late at night and not being able to locate your keys or the ignition to be able to turn the boat back on. Pontoon boat mood lighting provides an always-helpful minimal amount of light.

Pontoon boat mood lighting can also be a wonderful way to set a romantic mood while out on the water during a late night pontoon ride. Just like dimly lit candles, pontoon boat mood lighting can help provide just enough light to make your late night romantic rendezvous memorable.

No matter whether you are using mood lighting as a safety feature, or you are using mood lighting to literally set the mood, pontoon boat mood lighting is always a wonderful feature to have in any pontoon boat. Pontoon boat mood lighting is a feature that you won’t realize how much you need it until you don’t have it and are stuck in the dark wanting a very small amount of light to keep your pontoon boat ride going.

About the Author

Thomas Holley is owner of Pontoon-Boat-Products.com where you can find all your pontoon boat products and accessories. Pontoon-Boat-Products.com, because we know where you’d rather be. Also, be sure and sign up for our free newsletter, “The Pontoon Boating Life.”

Hair loss is arguably one of the most difficult conditions men & women have ever had to suffer with. A lot of people think of their hair as; an important ingredient of one’s charisma, a fundamental ingredient of one’s self. Hair together with baldness is repeatedly looked at as symptoms of one’s present age. That is unmistakably why people are continually shocked whenever faced with the chance of balding. Therefore people continuously do all they are able to do & believe everything they hear simply to make certain that they preserve that amazing hair of theirs as lush & as healthy as can be. If you are looking to prevent hair loss then let a qualified AdvancedHair Studio consultant help you out!

Hair thinning is not unlikely in women & is more frequent after the menopause; though; alopecia will not happen in every case. In lots of cases the sufferer will merely notice increased hair loss and thinning of the scalp, numerous treatments can help to improve the effect. While alopecia is usually accepted in men it is not so accepted in females & in a number of cases it can have terrible impact on the sufferer’s emotional situation & self-belief. Yet you must not be concerned - hair loss can be resolved and stopped as soon as you have recognised what is causing it and what you ought to do.

For sure the most well-known type of hair loss seen in females is androgenetic alopecia, also branded as female pattern alopecia or baldness. This is seen as hair thinning preliminary over the top & sides of the head. It is reported to affect approximately thirty-three percent of all at risk females, though it is most frequently seen shortly after menopause, however it may start as early as puberty. Normal hair fall is approximately one hundred to one hundred and twenty five hairs per day. Fortuitously, these hairs are replaced by the mechanisms in the body. It’s fact that hair loss takes place when lost hairs are not re-grown or when the daily hair fallout exceeds one hundred and twenty five hairs. Naturally hair loss can be passed on from either parent’s branch of the family.

Asian and Mid-Eastern dishes often have a subtle and distinctive flavor that comes from spicing the dish at the end of cooking with fresh ginger root. As these dishes grow in popularity, many grocery produce departments stock this pleasingly pungent root for use in homemade dishes. Your favorite grocer’s produce department is also the best place to find ginger root for growing.

What we call fresh ginger root is actually the rhizome of the ginger (Zingiber officinale) plant. Choose a smooth, shiny root that has some buds beginning. These will look similar to the eyes of a potato.

• A fun way to start a ginger plant is to suspend a two-inch piece of the rhizome over a glass of water. Do this by poking a toothpick on either side of the root. Fill the glass, submerging about one-third of the ginger. When roots grow to about an inch long, plant the rhizome just below the surface of a rich, moist potting mixture in a pot that has good drainage.


• Plant ginger in a pot for growing indoors or out! Using a rich potting mixture, choose a pot at least four times the size of your ginger rhizome or plant it in the large pot that will be its permanent home on your patio, deck, or other outdoor garden area. Fill the pot three-quarters full of potting mixture; lay your rhizome flat on top and cover it with about an inch of soil. Keep the pot in a sunny location until sprouts appear, then move it to an area with good indirect light. Ginger won’t tolerate bright, direct light.


• Start a small plant for transplanting into your garden. Plant your ginger root directly into a pot filled with rich potting mixture. Cover the pot with a plastic bag and place it on a sunny windowsill. When the first shoots appear, remove the plastic bag. If all danger of frost is past, move your young ginger plant directly into your garden. Alternatively put the pot in a location where it will get indirect sunlight. Water it regularly, but be sure not to let the soil become saturated.

Your ginger plant will grow two to four feet tall. Slender stems and narrow, glossy leaves may reach up to a foot long and resemble the foliage of a lily. Occasionally, your ginger may produce a yellow green flower, but flowers are both rare and unnecessary for the health of the plant.

Ginger is not frost hardy so in temperate areas bring plants indoors for the winter and ignore it! Foliage will yellow and die back, but the plant will return to growth in the spring.

Harvest ginger after the rhizome has grown three to four months. Since the best time to plant ginger is in the spring, this usually means a fall harvest. Harvested ginger root is usually sun-dried for longer preservation. It can either be stored in a dry cupboard or refrigerated.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda is the main editor of Gardening Guides and the Lawn mower and care guide

We previously discussed favorite lairs of lake trout, this article will focus on food sources of lakes. While many of the same patterns that are used frequently in river fly fishing will also apply in lake fishing. There are some different areas of concentration for lakes.

First of all let me state that this is intended as a general source of information. There is nothing like first hand information for the lake you are intending to fish. Either by observation, collection of samples, or talking with locals, direct information about your location is always the best. However there are some generalities and some fundamental information that can be applied to lakes in general.

I keep several fly boxes dedicated to just lakes, they are filled with midges, mosquitoes, scuds, damsel and dragons, leeches, buggers, crayfish, and terrestrials.

Midges are of primary importance to lake fishers. They are small worm-like in shape, and are in abundance in the majority of lake habitat. They are a reliable food source for lake trout, and can emerge every month of the year that the lake is ice free. Reliable patterns include, chironimid pupa, rs-2 emerger, wd-40, and for low visibility situations the disco midge can’t be beat. And for dry fly fishing try the Griffith Gnat as well as small parachute patterns, work very well.

Virtually every alpine lake fly fisher, knows the both the curse and blessing of the mosquito. They can both foil and save the fly fishing trip. Showing up unprepared in your fly box is bad enough, but showing up without skin protection will quickly end your trip. Mosquitoes are a hearty species indeed, hibernating all winter to show up at the earliest possible time when warming begins. They drop their resilient eggs in shallows and are valuable to fish both as larva and as adults. They can vary greatly in size so be prepared with everything form 12-16 in dries, and use chirnomids for the larva.

Scuds are without a doubt my favorite food source for lake trout. They have high caloric content for trout, so they are readily gulped. They are a great indicator of healthy trout populations. In fact, I know of no lake that doesn’t have scuds that does hold trout. I am sure they exist but they aren’t the rule. Scuds are simply freshwater shrimps, they are omnivores feeding on smaller creatures and vegetation alike. They can be many different colors depending on their diet, but are most commonly gray, tan and olive. Like midges they are constantly available and are probably more desired than midges due to their high caloric content.

Dragons and damsels are commonly found in weedy areas, although they can be mud dwellers as well. Dragon and damsel nymphs have huge appetites and their constant scavenging is what makes them so available to trout. Many fly fishers that focus on lakes are students of their local dragon and damsel population. Damsel emergences are likely to happen several times a year most often in the summer. While dragon emergence happens relatively constantly throughout the summer months. Both are more valuable as nymphs than as adults. But that is not to say enticing a strike on a dry pattern is unlikely, they happen all the time. And as dry patterns they have the added bonus of easy visibility.

Leeches, crayfish, and forage fish are all food sources for trout. They can exist in varying availability, depending on the lake and the season. But trout will not refuse these offerings, and they have the added bonus of attracting larger than average trout. They swim in different motions, and for most effective fishing try to imitate their natural motions with your retrieve. Leeches are fairly consistent in their motion. Crayfish fly off the bottom in a violent surge of activity.

Terrestrials are anything born on land, of most importance to lake anglers are ants, beetles and sometimes hoppers. Ant falls in particular produce great fishing. But all terrestrial fishing greatly improves with the aid of a high unpredictable wind. Concentrate on banks full of foliage where terrestrials might be lying.

Mayflies are not to be ignored just because your lake fishing. Again get to know your waters, but callibeatis, Tricos, and Hexagenia are all common in lakes, and their specific hatches can result in some of the hottest fishing of the year.

Like river fly fishing lake fly fishing requires patience and dedication to excel at it. Different but equally as rewarding, lake fly fishing as gained in popularity, but can still offer solitude that can be hard it find at popular river destinations.

About the Author

Cameron Larsen is a retired commericial fly tier and fly fishing guide. He now operates The Big Y Fly Company. http://www.bigyflyco.com/flyfishinghome.html He can be reached at info@bigyflyco.com. This article will appear in the Big Y Fly Fishing E-Zine at Http://www.bigyflyco.com/Bigyflyfishingezine.html

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