DVD Ranger 2.8.1 could fulfill my DVD ripping needs

I do not normally have a need to rip my DVD's but if I did I might give a good look at
DVD-Ranger.

You can download the free three day trial from their website if you are a Windows user (sorry, no Mac versions). It is compatible with Windows xp, Windows Vista and of course Windows 7.

The basic features of DVD-Ranger allow a user to backup their DVD collection with backups of 1:1 to DVD9 or shrinking an entire DVD to a DVD5 if needed. Users can also transfer their DVD to a number of devices, such as an iPod, PSP, Zune or laptop. ISO creation is another method covered by DVD Ranger and the ability to backup just the movie form a DVD is available as well.

Want to transfer your DVD to a BluRay disc? No problem. You can fit up to ten DVD movies on one BluRay disc. The most notable feature though may be the HotFix Manager. Here is what the DVD Ranger website says about the HotFix Manager...

The HotFix Manager is a small utility that allows users to quickly and simply fix most DVD copy errors. The resulting HotFix database is also ideal for any processes developed with our DVD-Ranger. For example, you can use it for fixing the newest DVD releases that are not part of the current DVD-Ranger version!
The HotFix Manager is a brand new function that comes included with the DVD-Ranger software application. Take a minute to read the short manual; you’ll see the advantages of using the HotFix Manager for optimized DVD copies.

This technology would be nice to use. I can not tell you how many times I have attempted to burn a CD or DVD only to have something fail somewhere before completion, there by ruining the disc and rendering it useless. That disc always finds a new home in the trash can.

So without any further delay, head over to DVD-Ranger's website and click the download button for the three day trial and let me know what you think of it!

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These are a few of my favorite things...

Green Man meets the Nittany Lion (shrine).

Photo courtesy of @OnwardState via Twitpic.

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Mario Monday takes a sneak peak at upcoming New Super Mario Brothers Wii

Today Mario Monday takes a brief hiatus from walking down memory lane and instead looks forward. Don't worry, we'll go back in time next week.

New Super Mario Brothers Wii was released yesterday and it found a nice home at the top of my Christmas list for this year. The highly anticipated Wii release is more than a straight port of the hit DS title of a similar name. The Wii version has multiple playing modes to allow for four player co-op (or competitive) play, something never before seen in a Mario game.

Judging by what I have seen from some select videos and reviews the game play looks to be transported perfectly from the DS version and alot of the familiar game play features of the entire Mario franchise seem to have been included.

I tweeted earlier today that it is nice to see the Koopa Kids make a long awaited return. I had fears that Bowser had killed them off in order to give his entire attention to the younger version of Bowser in recent Mario games.

You can check out a number of reviews online already but I hope to be able to give my own assessment sometime after the holiday season, by which time it may be obsolete anyway.

If you have picked up the game already please let me know what you think of it!

Game Trailers

IGN

USA Today - 'New Super Mario Brothers Wii' a pleasant adventure
ComputerandVideoGames.com - New Super Mario Brothers Wii Review

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Penn State #14 in the BCS

The latest BCS rankings are out and low and behold, Penn State is at #14, which is the cut-off point for BCS at-large teams for the BCS bowls (championship, Fiesta, Sugar, Rose, and Orange). Ohio State clinched the Big Ten's automatic BCS bid with their win over Iowa this weekend so if Penn State is to play in a BCS game they will need to be selected as an at-large.

I went into more detail and my own personal breakdown of how Penn State can realistically be picked this morning on Examiner, so please feel free to read through that and let me know what you think. In addition I explored the out-of-this-world scenario of how Penn State can play for the BCS Championship in January over on Nittany White Out. That post will also be reprinted tomorrow on Examiner.

With Penn State having lost in ugly fashion to both Ohio State AND Iowa, I personally do not feel the Nittany Lions have earned the opportunity to represent the Big Ten in one of the biggest bowl games.

But I would love to see them take on Boise State or TCU.

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Today in Sixers history

From my Page-a-Day Calendar e-mail...

November 15, 1975
Newly acquired forward George McGinnis scores 39 points before fouling out, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 110-109 triple-overtime victory over the Washington Bullets at the Spectrum. Mad Dog Carter has 21 points, Doug Collins 19 and Billy Cunningham 18 for the resurgent Sixers, who will post a 12-game improvement in the standings this season (34-48 to 46-36) and make the playoffs for the first time in five years.

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Sunday Sports Page

Evan Royster's touchdown tied the game for Penn State.
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Penn State 31, Indiana 20
The Penn State seniors left Beaver Stadium with one final win to their career record. It was not pretty by any means, but the defense got the job done and allowed the offense a chance to get back into the game. Linebacker Navorro Bowman had the play of the game with a long interception return for a touchdown to give Penn State a 17-10 lead in the third quarter.

Sabres 3, Flyers 2
The Flyers saw their five game winning streak come to an end in a game in which penalties haunted the orange and black. Danny Briere's double minor late in the third really took away any chance for the Flyers to pick up a W in this one.




Bulls 94, Sixers 88
The 76ers took to the road but came up short in Chicago as the Bulls handed the visiting Sixers their second loss in as many games. The Sixers fall to 4-6.



Penn 17, Harvard 7
The Quakers clinched at least a share of the Ivy League crown with a dominating victory at Harvard. In a battle of unbeaten teams in Ivy League play the Quakers jumped out to a 17-0 lead on the home team by halftime, and the Quakers held off a late Harvard threat to take home the Ivy League crown for 2009.

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Live Blog - Penn State vs. Indiana

I am conducting a live blog for today's Penn State game on Examiner and Nittany White Out, but viewers of Ramblings can also feel free to join in! Below is the same chat that can be seen on either of the "host" sites.

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Penn State Game Day - "We named the dog Indiana" edition

Penn State has some wounds to lick and this week and there is no better opponent than Indiana to help expedite the healing process from last week's loss to Ohio State.

I have a lot of links for you to check out today so get clicking to get caught up! Be sure to check back later this morning to join in a live chat during the Penn State game today!

Examiner
Preview: #18 Penn State (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) vs. Indiana (4-6, 1-5)
Big Ten Examiner Round Table
Previewing Indiana with Hoosiers Examiner Brandon Moore
Indiana may be just the medicine for Penn State
For Penn State, it's time to let go of 2005

Nittany White Out
Happy Birthday Vinny Testaverde!
Video Preview: Indiana

Phinally Philly
Temple football going for eight straight, Penn State looks to rebound

The 700 Level
Penn State seniors look to go out with a win

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Dr. Mario with Lyrics

Previously on Mario Monday - Dr. Mario

I am a big fan of YouTube sensation Brentalfloss. I have posted some of his masterpieces here before, but his latest creation is hands down my favorite.

With the animation skills of Parker Simmons this video is an instant classic if you ask me. I could not wait for Mario Monday to share this one, so kick start your Friday with it instead!

Friday blogging schedule, November 13, 2009

• 10:00 AM weekly guest post on Phinally Philly
• 2:00 PM Video preview of Penn State-Indiana on Nittany White Out
• 3:00 PM Full game preview for Penn State-Indiana on Examiner

Saturday blogging schedule, November 14, 2009

• 8:00 AM Football links on Ramblings
• 10:00 AM Game day post for Penn State-Indiana on The 700 Level
• 12:00 PM Penn State-Indiana live blog on Examiner/Nittany White Out

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Am I a genius?

Of course the answer is no. But I am starting to receive a number of compliments for some of my recent prognostication skills. I have been given some praise for many of my predictions on the final scores of the Penn State games this season, although I have picked he Nittany Lions to win every game so far and look how that has turned out.

But within the last 24 hours I was asked this question on Facebook by Shaimus guitarist Evan Brown...


So I thought why not take a look back at my official prediction post for the 2009 Phillies, originally posted on April 5, 2009.

I feel that this year's team has potential to be better than the 2008 squad. Replacing 16 starts from Adam Eaton with a full year of Joe Blanton, possibly having a refocused Myers for an entire year and getting a full season out of Chan Ho Park as opposed to Kyle Kendrick only seems to give the Phillies a much better starting rotation with a steady Jamie Moyer and the ace in Cole Hamels.

Well, that did not quite go as I thought it would. Cole Hamels entered the season unprepared after not focusing on work outs in the off-season, which is understandable and typical for a World Series MVP. Hamels finished the regular season with a losing record and had a frustrating post season.

I still stand by my notion that not having Adam Eaton for a full season was a benefit as Joe Blanon was one of the most dependable pitchers on the team for the entire season, despite a tough start. Chan Ho Park? Well, again I was off on that as well. Park never grasped the fifth starter's job like I thought he would and moved to the bullpen in exchange for JA Happ, which turned out to be a solid decision. Happ went on to have a great season and won the Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year for his performance.

Refocused [Brett] Myers? Steady Jamie Moyer? Thank goodness for Cliff Lee and to a lesser extent, Pedro Martinez.

I expect Jimmy Rollins to have a season that falls between his 2007 MVP season and last year (which seemed worse than it was because of his spectacular 2007 season). Ryan Howard will push for 50 home runs and Chase Utley will play at an MVP level.

Truth be told this was a cop-out type of prediction as all three players universally had the same kind of expectations. Aside from a down turn in walks and a slight rise in strike outs, Rollins' numbers did go up from 2008 in most offensive categories. His batting average took a drop but considering how poor his first half of the season was, it would be hard to be too upset with what Rollins did offer at the plate for the entire season.

Ryan Howard finished the season with 45 home runs. Chase Utley played well all year but his numbers went down across the board except for walks and stolen bases. Best second baseman in the National League, but not an MVP type player.

I'll go on record and predict a 94 win season from the Phillies, culminating with a third straight NL East division title. But repeating is tough so I'll play the odds and say they lose to the Yankees in the World Series. Call me a sucker, but I buy into the hype that the Yankees may have just bought their way back to the Fall Classic.

The Phillies finished the regular season with 93 wins, one shy of my bench mark prediction. Still 93 wins was more than good enough to capture a third consecutive NL East division crown, and even though they stumbled a bit late, the Phillies clinched the division this year before the final weekend series.

As for the World Series prediction, I was pretty dead on with that one...unfortunately.

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Day-late Veteran's Day post

Yesterday was Veteran's Day and I never posted anything in honor of those who served. I apologize for that.

But a number of people did post some good stuff yesterday. Naturally I found the most interesting content from Geeding over at BagofNothing.com (boasting a new design by the way). In one post he shared a number of heart warming videos of soldiers returning home. We always see the videos of men and women returning to their spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, children, parents and siblings and it is bound to give you a good feeling in your heart.

But what about the family dog? How do they react? I honestly found some of these videos to be so much more touching and wanted to share one with you here.

To those who have served or are currently serving, I thank you for your dedication and service to this country that I love. Happy (belated) Veterans Day to you all.

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Today in Philadelphia Flyers history - streak busting Flyers drill Oilers

From my Page-a-Day Calendar e-mail...

November 11, 1984
The Philadelphia Flyers defeat Edmonton, 7-5, at the Spectrum, snapping the Stanley Cup champion Oilers’ NHL record 15-game unbeaten streak (12-0-3) from the start of the season. The Flyers out shoot the Oilers, 46-26, score three goals in a three-minute span of the third period and come back from three Edmonton leads during the game to gain the victory. Goals by Mark Howe and Ilkka Sinisalo just 31 seconds apart with four minutes remaining prove decisive against Edmonton goalie Andy Moog.

Of course, November 11 also marks a tragic event in the history of the Flyers organization. A year after the above factoid the great goal tender Pelle Lindbergh was pronounced dead after a horrific automobile accident the day before. My friends at The 700 Level have more on this today.

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Recapping the Decade in Seven Minutes

In case you forgot what happened this decade, this video should bring you up to speed.

As we inch closer to the close of this decade I have some retrospective post ideas that I will be sharing through out December with you. Stay tuned.

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Amazon now selling jeans?

It's true! Amazon has opened up a Denim Shop on their site now offering a wide selection of premium brands and offers free returns.

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Football pool gives me a good lickin'

My performance is dipping as the season continues

Much like Ohio State gave Penn State a good lickin', according to Joe Paterno, the Onexia Football Pool crushed me this week. I scored a pool-wide season low 39 points. My down fall? Riding the hot hand of the Philadelphia Eagles after last week's dismantling of the New York Giants, thinking the Giants could rebound at home in a big game, and looking past the Tennessee Titans.

In those three games I placed 35 points on the wrong team. Picking those games would not have handed me a win but it would have helped me greatly in the season long competition with my dad who would have finished with with 69 points if the Eagles, Giants and 49ers had won.

Oh well. Here is an updated look at my points vs. those of my dad.

My points for the season in blue. My dad is in orange, and pulling away.

To top off the awesome sports week I had I also said good-bye t the NFL Suicide pool I have been in. Leave it to me to think the Green Bay Packers would rebound form a tough loss against a Tampa Bay team who was still looking for their first win. In retrospect it was unwise to pick against Tampa Bay for the fourth or fifth time this year. Of course they were due for a win. And I did not realize the game was in Tampa. I try to avoid picking road teams in suicide pools.

On the bright side, my fantasy team kicked butt this week, defeating the Phrontiersmen in the process. Tough match-up this weekend as I take on a first place team from the Eagles Blogger Division, Team Vicktorino. I remain two games out of first in the Phillies Blogger Division.

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Happy Anniversary to Sesame Street

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the debut of Jim Henson's Sesame Street. To honor the ground-breaking children's educational show I wanted to share some of my thoughts and memories of the show.

To the best I can remember I watched Sesame Street every day on a small television in our family's dining room. It just seemed natural I believe to watch Sesame Street in the morning, near the breakfast table. Cereal and Sesame Street.

This was a time well before the thought of Barney and Friends came to be popular, and am I ever glad I missed that era. Maybe Barney had his advantages for kids and I am sure the show taught some valuable lessons, but Sesame Street used the power of Muppets, which I was surrounded with at an early age. The Muppets were everywhere for me. Fraggle Rock, movies, animated shows, and of course Sesame Street.

My personal favorite character on Sesame Street was and always will be Cookie Monster. Who would not love a blue furry guy who loves cookies? But combine him with the classic character of Kermit the Frog and you get some classic clips, if you ask me.

After each episode of Sesame Street my local PBS aired an episode of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood (won't you be my neighbor?) and somewhere in the schedule I believe came Reading Rainbow, which I always referred to as the reading show with that guy from Star Trek (even at an early age I seem to recall Star Trek: the Next Generation being on often either at home or at my Grandmother's), but I never really watched that program.

As they did last week, today Google celebrates the gang from the show by including them in today's Google doodle.

For more links pertaining to the iconic Jim Henson creation here are some fun links:

20 Things You Didn't Know about Sesame Street - SmartCanucks.ca
Sesame Street Facts - more info on the show
Sesame Street questions, facts, and information - If you ever wanted to know how old Elmo is for instance
Bert is Evil - an oldie but goodie
Sesame Street Wiki - via the Muppet Wiki

I would share with you Dave Chappelle's thoughts on Sesame Street, but they are not what you would call "safe for work". So go ahead and Google it on your own time.

More Cookie Monster related videos over at WFY's William World News.

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Axis of Evil makes for a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad sports week

Or the Yankees or Ohio State...

The Phillies lost the World Series to the New York Yankees. Penn State lost to Ohio State. Last night the Eagles lost to the Dallas Cowboys, causing me to lose a fun bet against my blogging friend over at BagofNothing.com.

You find me a worse trio of teams to lose too and you win a cookie.

To top off the incredibly disappointing of sports for me personally, I lost in the suicide pool (too much faith in the awfulness that is the Tampa Bay Bucs) and I was humiliated in the football pool. Thirteen points on the Eagles, 12 on the Giants and 10 on the 49ers. Ugh.

Looking for a bright spot? My fantasy team kicked butt and Shippensburg beat Cal in the PSAC State Game! More on them later on.

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Mario Monday - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

This week Mario Monday take s a look at the final classic game from the series to be played on the Super Nintendo. Thought to be a bit of a high risk-high reward title, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars successfully blended the terrific RPG game play that only a company like Squaresoft, known today as Square Enix and the lovable characters form the Mario universe.

Japanese commercial for Super Mario RPG

Super Mario RPG is perhaps one of the best role playing games to be played on the Super Nintendo, a system that had a healthy share of awesome games in the genre. The game featured an action-command battle system, which helped make the game more fun. In older RPGs the player typically just chose a command and hoped for the best result. But Super Mario RPG added animations for each move in a battle. As great as the game was it enjoyed limited success as the release of the Nintendo 64 followed just four months later. With the release of the next home console a blockbuster (Super Mario 64) stole the show.

But do not look past Super Mario RPG.



The storyline is somewhat familiar but with a twist. Captured once again is Princess Peach by none other than Bowser, King of the Koopas. After Mario chases down his nemesis and seemingly rescues the captured damsel in distress, a giant sword plows into Bowser's castle and sends Mario, the princess, and Bowser in separate directions. After making his way back to Bowser's castle Mario is told that the stomping grounds have been taken over by the Smithy Gang.

In the journey to save the day Mario must team up with Bowser as well as two new allies. Mallow is a fluffy looking side-kick. Mallow learns that he is actually a prince during the quest as he was raised by a character who found him stranded as a baby. Geno is a little bit more mysterious and very powerful. He possess a great knowledge of many things along the way. Mallow joins Mario's party first and Geno is the second side-kick picked up along the way before Bowser joins the party.

Though the game does not have a true sequel it did set the ground work for future Mario RPG styled games, such as Paper Mario and the recent Mario & Luigi series.

I will be honest in telling you that I have never played this game, but since it is available for download on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console, perhaps I should check it out some day. If you have played the game before please feel free to add your thoughts on the game below to fill in the many missing pieces I may have above.

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Penn State Game Day - Tosu Edition

I call this "The World Series Fumble"

Big day in college football today. Naturally I will be in State College, Pa to witness the Penn State-Ohio State game in person. For a refresher on my Penn State coverage this week, be sure to check out the following links!

Examiner
Penn State #11 in AP poll, #10 in USA Today Coaches Poll
Penn State, the BCS, and the big bad Buckeyes
Penn State 101: The Fumble - Part I, Part II
Preview: #11 Penn State (8-1, 4-1) vs. #16 Ohio State (7-2, 3-1)

Nittany White Out
Let's get it started - Ohio State
Are you ready?
Video Preview - Ohio State

Phinally Philly
Temple WINS! Penn State, Villanova with pivotal games

The 700 Level
Terrelle Pryor returns to the [Penn State] Country; Big Ten, BCs on the line? (game thread, posts at 12:30pm)



The best part about the Ohio State not coming until today is that there is no World Series distraction. Last year the Ohio State game took place the same night as game three of the 2008 World Series. Thankfully, for me, there was a long rain delay for the Phillies so I was able to sit and watch the Penn State game without distraction! Of course, Penn State won that night and the Phillies eventually won sometime after 1am on a Carlos Ruiz grounder to score Eric Bruntlet in the ninth inning.

Ahh the memories.

Previously: Worlds are Colliding! (updated) - 10/29/2008

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Your glance at the PSAC State Game

Tomorrow Shippensburg, the unlikely champions of the PSAC East division will host the California (Pa), the PSAC West champs, in the PSAC State Game. This is the second year for the reborn State Game.

California has won five straight PSAC West titles, a string that started the season after Shippensburg took home the 2004 PSAC West crown. Since then the PSAC has expanded and Shippensburg moved to the East division.

Both teams are offensive juggernauts in the conference, with both averaging over 30 points per game. the Red Raiders lead the series history by a 42-29-1 margin, but Cal is riding a three game winning streak after Ship had won 14 straight games dating back to 1991. Cal is not the same team they used to be as they have started to spend more money on their athletic department in recent seasons in all sports. Cal has gone from a cellar-dweller to the dominant force in the PSAC West and a legitimate team on a national stage.

The winner will not only win bragging rights within the Keystone State and the largest conference in college football, but also a trip to the upcoming division two playoffs. The loser will likely fall out of contention for a post-season spot. Shippensburg enters the game as the #3 team in Super Regional 1 while Cal is #2. the top six teams will go on to play in the playoffs.

For Shippensburg the 2009 season has been a pleasant surprise. After losing a tough game to Shepherd in the season opener the Red Raiders went on a four game winning streak, demolishing Lock Haven, East Stroudsburg and Millersville in the process. they also picked up a tough victory against Edinboro. A crushing blow came in an upset loss at C.W. Post but wins over Kutztown and PSAC East powers West Chester and Bloomsburg set Ship up to clinch the PSAC East's outright division title with a win at Cheyney last weekend.

Now the question is whether or not the #23/24 Red Raiders have one more statement game in them against the #18 Vulcans. Shippensburg's last home playoff game did not go so well as West Chester blitzed past the top seed in the Northeast region and held on despite a late Red Raider rally in the fourth quarter. For West Chester it was revenge for losing the regular season finale in Farrell Stadium, an overtime loss when Ship intercepted the first offensive play by West Chester.

I will not be watching this game as I will be up at State College, but if you are not making the trip to the Cumberland Valley for this one you can watch it online.

Shippensburg has six PSAC championships in their history and California is looking for their ninth title. West Chester owns the most PSAC titles with 18 with IUP and Bloomsburg second with 16. Shippensburg's last overall PSAC championship came in 1981 with a victory over Millersville, 34-17. They tied in 1976 with East Stroudsburg, 14-14, for a share of the crown. All previous championships before that were awarded by sports writers.

For more on the game here is some media coverage:

Public Opinion - PSAC title game loss could be bad news for Shippensburg
Tribune Review - Shippensburg awaiting California's visit
The Morning Call - Parkland grad Herod leads Red Raiders into title game
Observer-Reporter.com - State Game love-hate relationship in PSAC

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Today in Philadelphia Eagles history - special teams stuns Cowboys

From my Page-a-Day Calendar e-mail...

November 6, 1966
In a bizarre game at Franklin Field, the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 24-23. The Eagles score all their points in the first half on three kick returns and a field goal, despite gaining only six yards from scrimmage the entire first half. Tim Brown becomes the first player in NFL history to run back two kickoffs in one game for touchdowns, running 93 yards the first time and 90 yards the second. Aaron Martin adds a 67-yard punt return TD and Sam Baker boots a 31-yard field goal to frustrate the Cowboys, who dominated play only to fail miserably on special teams.

The Eagles host the Cowboys on Sunday night. I would love to see DeSean Jackson one-up this performance.

UPDATE: The 700 Level informs me that today is also the anniversary of the release of The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, released on November 6, 1979. This movie of course has a role for Philadelphia 76er legend Julius Erving as Moses Guthrie.

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Bummed about the Phillies? Maybe free cell phone cases will cheer you up!

I know how you feel Phillies fans because I am one of you. While I am holding my head high with high hopes for a successful 2010 I know some of you are taking the World Series loss a little harder than I am. Let me try to cheer you up.

A couple weeks ago I was selected to receive some free gear from the folks at foneGEAR. They asked me to pick a couple items of my choice and to post my thoughts on the entire order process from start to finish. Now I will tell you that my order process encountered a number of problems. It took me three attempts to make a successful order. Each of the first two times I placed my order I was promptly e-mailed by a customer service rep alerting me that one of my desired items was discontinued or currently out of stock. They allowed me to select another item though.

Currently I am still waiting for two items but below is a picture of the nice laptop case and cell phone case I picked up. The laptop case I chose came in North Carolina Tar Heel blue and is embroidered with the logo. The cell phone case came branded with the Stately Nittany Lion.


While these items are great and I am enjoying them, I am just waiting for my headphones and FM transmitter to arrive. I'll post about them whenever they do arrive, although the shipment process appears to be pretty quick.

But here is the kicker. One of YOU is guaranteed to win a prize package valued at $50 from foneGEAR. That's right! As a reward for reviewing their services foneGEAR is offering one lucky reader from nine separate blogs a prize package of select items containing the winner's favorite NFL or NCAA team. There are a number of cell phone cases for fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and more. You can also find cell phone cases for a number of the top college teams out there, although to be honest the selection for Penn State fans may be a tad limited. But as I have stated already, there is more to choose from than just cell phone cases. I ordered headphones for my iPod and an FM transmitter for the car. You can also check out their selection of GPS cases, phone chargers, Bluetooth headsets and more! Many of the items are currently 20% off right now too and you get free shipping on all orders over $35.

To be eligible for the $50 prize package is simple. Here is how to enter the contest:

1. Follow foneGEAR on Twitter @foneGEAR.
2. Tweet a message declaring your allegiance to your favorite NFL or NCAA team and include the hashtag "#foneGEAR" and a link back to this specific post.
   An example of a tweet to become eligible could be...
   "Eagles are going to crush the Cowboys on Sunday! #foneGEAR http://bit.ly/f9NYO"
   

It is imperative that you link back to this post as it will qualify you to win the prize designated for THIS blog. For more check out the official rules. The contest ends at 11:59 Pm on November 24, 2009 so get your tweets in! To link back to this site please use the following URL:

http://bit.ly/f9NYO

Good luck to my readers! Please let me know that you entered the contest by leaving me a comment here or sending me a tweet @krmcguire. As always, I hope to hear a good story about a winner from this site!

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Phillies' repeat bid comes to a stop in six

What can you say? Sometimes it just is not your year.

The Phillies were attempting to become the first National League team to repeat as World Series champs since the Big Red Machine did so back in the 1970's. That Cincinnati Reds team even took out the best regular season Phillies team on the way, and they steamrolled the Yankees in their repeat bid but the 2009 Phillies were unable to do the same.

Last night the World Series ended with the New York Yankees celebrating their 27th championship in franchise history. The Phillies lost their fifth World Series in franchise history in six games.

Despite my Phillies losing I find myself to be holding my head high today, thinking about the wonderful memories that this club has brought me, my wife, and my friends. Naturally I am reflecting back on the great 2008 season in the process because losing this one reminds me how fortunate I was to witness a championship celebration. I also find myself confident in what could be next year. It is hard to reach the World Series two years in a row; it will be even tougher to reach a third straight. But the Phillies sure look to be the best team in the National League already so if they can make the right adjustments in the off-season then there is no reason the Phillies should not be the favorite to win the National League pennant in 2010.

Three keys to a return to the World Series in 2010

1. Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge get on track - I believe I am at the point where I think that Hamels is over-rated despite his potential ability. I just do not think at his age that he has the character to be the bull-dog type pitcher Phillies fans want him to be. And can Lidge's 2010 be any worse than 2009? I don't think so.
2. Depth on the bench - Greg Dobbs went from being one of the best pinch hitters to a player that didn't even see a World Series at-bat. Matt Stairs' legend was running on fumes from his mythical homerun in the NLCS in 2008 and his moment in Phillies history as the final home run call by Harry Kalas. Eric Bruntlett? Miguel Cairo? Aside from Ben Francisco, who had a terrible World Series at the plate, who instills any confidence in you? I am looking at the farm for some help but Ruben Amaro Jr. would be wise to check out his options in the Hot Stove.
3. Solid starting rotation - Cliff Lee is clearly the ace of the staff and Hamels will hopefully have a better season next year. After that what will the rotation look like? Do you roll the dice with a full year of Pedro Martinez? I expect JA Happ will be a full time starter and Joe Blanton is a logical, and confident, choice for the third or fourth spot. I am not sure who is available in free agency or via trade yet, but I am sure Amaro will be investigating. Or does Kyle Drabek make a push for a fifth spot in the rotation. I will be anxious to see what he does in spring training, but I am just guessing he starts the year in triple A Lehigh Valley.

Certainly the Phillies are a great team. Reaching the World Series two years in a row is a testament to that and it is something that everybody should be proud of. Sure, the Yankees were the ones having a champagne shower, but the Phillies are a group of players that you can truly stand behind proudly. There are no players with a steroid or HGH history (on record at least). There are no players who act like ten year olds with fake tosses to the opposing fans. And most importantly, as Charlie Manuel always says, they love to play baseball and they take pride in performing the right way.

Maybe they did not win the World Series for Harry Kalas, but they have definitely won a place in my heart forever. And that is reason to celebrate in it's own right.

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Google honors Sesame Street

Like you most likely did, I grew up watching Sesame Street. Remarkably the 40th anniversary for the television show designed to educate and entertain kids is creeping up on us all. November 10th will mark the milestone but the good folks at Google cleverly decided to send an early anniversary present to Big Bird and company.

Coincidentally I recently took in a great exhibit at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Norristown, Pa. The Smithsonian's traveling exhibit titled Jim Henson's Fantastic World will be on hand until the end of November and I naturally encourage you to go check it out (we actually ran into my cousins at the exhibit)!

Sadly I could not take any pictures of the exhibit itself. If I were allowed I surely would have shared a photo of a Bert Muppet from the 1970's and an Ernie Muppet from the 1980's (my time frame). Also on display was a Rowlph the Dog (which I always assumed was spelled "Ralph" for some reason), Gobo Fraggle and Cantus the Minstrel (a character I honestly do not remember at all) from Fraggle Rock, and of course a vintage Kermit the Frog.

Did you know that the original Kermit Muppet was created using an old green coat that belonged to Henson's mother? And a simple ping pong ball was split in half to be used to make the eyes.

There is no denying the universal love for the Muppets, whether they are the ones from Fraggle Rock, The Muppet Show or Sesame Street, but the exhibit has so much more to offer for those looking to get a glimpse of the great mind of Henson.

Aside form a number of items from more involving Henson movies and short films with a cult following, there are a large number of sketches that show you the creation of many of the iconic characters. My personal favorite was the sketches and old documentation that brought Cookie Monster, my favorite Sesame Street character, to the character he is today. did you know Cookie Monster used to have teeth?

If you are not near the current stop for the exhibit in Norristown, Pa be sure to see if the exhibit will be making a stop near you. Click here for the tour schedule. The tour wraps up in January of 2011 so if you can, go see it while you can!

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Looking for inspiration Phillies fans?

Phillies Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas on a float for the
2008 World Series championship parade

Look no further, because this video is all the inspiration I need as I prepare to watch the Phillies try and extend the baseball season for one more game.

Harry Kalas throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Phillies
receiving their 2008 World Series championship rings.

Win it for Harry!

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Phillies defend their home turf, extend World Series to a Game Six

Two of my favorite Phillies doing their thing.

Last night was a nerve racking game for me as a Phillies fan, but they got it done. Behind Cliff Lee on the mound and Chase Utley's Wonderboy bat the Phillies defeated the Yankees in game five at Citizens Bank Park. After dropping two games to the American League rivals up north the Phillies had to win last night to keep the champagne from being poured all over their own building in the visiting clubhouse.

Now the World Series heads back to New York, where the Phillies have won three times in 2009 (two regular season and game one of the World Series). Pedro Martinez will take the mound for the Phillies and I can not help but feel strangely confident in what will unfold tomorrow night. I consider Martinez a Wild Card and those always work well when playing Uno.

This thing is going seven games. I'm feeling it.

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Catching up on the World Series

Well neither game was pretty for my Phillies fans. In fact I wish the whole weekend had never happened and we could just start over. The Phillies were uncharacteristically sloppy on defense, the starting pitching and relief pitching continued to find ways to keep the momentum from swinging in favor of the home team, and the Phillies enter tonight in a must win situation.

With the Phillies down 3-1 there is no pitcher I would rather see taking the mound tonight than Cliff Lee. I have faith that Lee will perform in a manner in which Curt Schilling did back 1993. In the same scenario (Phillies down 3-1 in the World Series), Schilling dazzled everybody with a complete game 2-0 win to send the World Series back to Toronto for a game six (after that I sort of blocked out what developed north of the border).

Lee has been the best pitcher for the Phillies all postseason and I'm not sold that the Yankees' A.J. Burnett can duplicate his success from game two. All that matters is winning tonight's game. I am not going to worry about any future games in New York because for me it is all about tonight. A loss tonight and the season is over and I do not feel like this Phillies team will finish this storied season like this.

Below is the latest little video I put together to bring you up to speed on the World Series (in case you have not been watching - and I am pretty confident in saying that most of you reading this have been watching).

Hang in there Phillies fans. It ain't over!

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Mario Monday - Going Japanese Now

Mario Monday returns with a look at another classic game in the legendary Mario series, but today we take a look at some classic Japanese commercials to star the Italian plumber.

The first is a joint commercial for a pair of classic Famicom Disk System. The games of course are the original version of Super Mario Brothers 2 and The Legend of Zelda, itself the first in a classic smash hit series. If you recall, in Japan there was the Famicom, which was the original form of the Nintendo Entertainment system, and the Famicom Disk System, which would read specially designed diskettes for the games much like a computer game. The Disk System was a separate add-on in Japan to the Famicom and the idea was never released in the United States. Instead the NES game library would use passwords and codes, or battery back-ups within the game cartridges in order to save a player's progress.

I can not translate exactly what the two are saying, but I would guess the guy is saying something along the lines of "Super Mario Brothers 2 - it's hard!". As Mario says something in Japanese ("Don't hurt me!" perhaps?) the girl probably says something along the lines of "Come on!"

Poor Link is sentenced to the same fate as Mario in his half of the commercial.

The Japanese commercial for Super Mario Brothers 3 is a little bit more traditional. Set to a classical sounding tune you would think Mario is frolicking through an open field by people having a nice picnic. Instead stairs are crumbling beneath him and the Koopa Kids make their first appearance.



Finally today, a look at the Japanese commercial for Mario Paint on the Super Famicom. Much like in the US the innovation of the SNES Mouse was new to Japan so I can only guess that the following commercial makes mention of the new tool. Mario enters the commercial riding the mouse as a way of introducing the peripheral, and I only assume there is a comment about it.



Check back next week for a new edition of Mario Monday as we get back to looking at the actual games. We return to the land of the 16-bit genre with a look at a legendary game in the Mario series, the last Mario classic before making the jump to the 3D world offered by the Nintendo 64.

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Sunday Sports Page

Phillies drop game to Yankees amid controversial video replay
All I am saying is if that camera is not hanging over the outfield fence, I believe the ball's trajectory carries it in play. Hamels struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

Penn State overcomes early struggles to win at Northwestern
For the first time all season Penn State trailed at halftime, but they made the right adjustments (and were fortunate that Mike Kafka did not return to the game with a leg injury). Read my recap on Examiner.

Shippensburg clinches PSAC East title
There's a new Beast of the East! Next up is a big game at home against California (PA) in the State Game.

Temple clinches bowl eligibility with win at Navy
Congrats to Al Golden's team. This is a big thing for them a I expect to see them going bowling next month.

Flyers dominate Hurricanes, win 6-1
Too bad some of those goals could not be converted to runs for the Phillies...

Sixers blow lead to Knicks, but run away with overtime victory
At least the Sixers beat their New York opponent yesterday.

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