You Want It? You Del-gad-it! Getting Squirrely Is Back for Week Three

To truly "Get Squirrely" is to sink into oblivion into the sounds gravitating toward your ears. The cuts this week, in my humble opinion, will do nothing more than surrender that kind of experience. In this initial cut I give you an this artist who came upon an album while pulling a "Thoreau" in the woods. The sound is simple yet true and while segregating yourself in a cabin for months isn't necessarily for everyone it worked for troubadour.

Bon Iver - "Flume"

While not a completely fresh cut - this song debuted in the fall of 2006 - the artist, Cold War Kids, exhibited a piano-infused number that will long stay in your musical conscious for days to come if not longer. Serenading over keys about "Vietnam and Fishing Trips" this track exposed the rangy and Robert Plant-like vocals of lead man Nathan Willett. To quote the Los Angeles foursome it embodies both the "Joy" and "Misery" of the indie rock landscape.

Cold War Kids - "Hospital Beds"

Sal's Back and So Are the Mets

Note Schedule Change: Getting Squirrely will return on Friday, July 25, a day later than its normal Thursday slot. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we hope your ears are ready.

Now you can all breathe easy. Yes, the New York Mets have taken another series from the archrival Philadelphia Phillies to catapult themselves into sole possession of first place in the National League Eastern Division. You can all breathe easy because Salvatore did not deep six himself after Tuesday night's stunning, unfathomable defeat to Philly and he is speaking once again after a two-day hiatus.

Salvatore Francesca?: Forgive me for a moment while I take on the role of a sports talkshow personality and tell you how great of a prognosticator/genius I am. Looking back at Tuesday's preview of Johan Santana's start in the series opener of this three-game, first-place turnpike tussle, yours truly stated, "Regardless of what happens tonight, the Mets will remain a N.L. East title contender for the forseeable future and Santana will still be viewed as one of the game's top aces."

Well, the oft-criticized Santana stepped up and proved his worth by twirling eight innings of two-run ball. Still, it was not enough as the Mets, with their bullpen taking the lead and Jose Reyes following, melted down in the ninth inning and watched a 5-2 lead turn into an 8-6 loss. Santana could have and should have came out for a ninth inning of work, but there is no sense in revisiting that nightmarish loss any more than we have to.

Now, let us digress back to the central theme of this passage. Santana dazzled, shutting up the skeptics. The Mets squandered his effort with a number of miscues that led to the team's worst loss since Tom Glavine last started in a New York uniform. It was not the end of the world though. Santana is still an ace and the Mets showed their mettle by taking two. For the first time since April, the Mets are top dog.

A Great Matinee at Shea: The Mets are reaping the benefits now, and Oliver Perez's bank account will eventually feel the effect this off-season. A 15-game winner in 2007, the screwy southpaw, a.k.a. Big-Game Ollie, has shaken off his inconsistency and has surrendered a total of five earned runs over his last six outings.

If the Shane Victorino is a Mets' killer, then Perez must look like Charles Manson to Philadelphia. Striking out 12 and allowing only one run over 7.2 innings, Perez continued his dominance of a division rival and once again performed well against a marquee opponent.

The Phightin' Phils have managed only one run, Jayson Werth's seventh-inning shot on Thursday afternoon, in 26 innings against Perez this season.
The Mets have now won nine of their first 13 games with Philadelphia this season, claiming all four series between the two.
Perez's surge over the past month has dropped his ERA from 5.29 to 4.15, but it may not be the most impressive on the team.

After Aaron Heilman induced a clutch, tie-preserving fly out in relief of Perez, Carlos Delgado continued his tear. Miraculously hitting .406 this month, Delgado lined an opposite-field double off J.C. Romero to drive in Robinson Cancel and David Wright with the difference in a 3-1 victory.

Stage Set for Santana in Battle for First

Jeremy Shockey found his own way to Sainthood without having to facillitate a single miracle.
Although this particular penman is preaching patience, Johan Santana has been perceived as anything but Saintly by a contingent of the New York Mets' Faithful.

Tuesday night at Shea Stadium provides Santana with a golden opportunity to woo a demanding home crowd, but more importantly, a chance to help the Mets capture sole possession of first place against rival Philadelphia.

Many members of the Mets' deprived fan base (when your team has two fewer World Series titles over the past two decades than the expansion Florida Marlins, your fan base warrants the adjective "deprived"), myself included, have been waiting for what numerous pundits have deemed "Johan's signature Mets' moment." The ERA and masterful control have come as expected, but the Mets' biggest acquisition since Mike Piazza has not exactly come as advertised. Santana hasn't overpowered, has been prone to the long ball, and owns a pedestrian 8-7 win-loss record.

With the Mets' first-place companions visiting tonight, Santana can erase any prior disappointment from the short memory of Mets' fans and prove that he was worth Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, and $138 million by mowing down Chaset Utley and Co. to the tune of a crisp victory.

I'm hoping that Santana emulates what he did at Shea last season as a member of the Minnesota Twins when he twirled a complete-game shutout of the Amazins. I am also prepared for the possibility that Santana's line could resemble the one from last week's start in Cincinnati (4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB).

Santana may replicate his Independence Day performance in Philadelphia where he allowed only two runs over 8.0 innings while pitching in a bandbox. He did more than give his team a chance to win that night, but it still wasn't good enough to win nor was it good enough to satisfy his somewhat insatiable critics.

Regardless of what happens tonight, the Mets will remain a N.L. East title contender for the forseeable future and Santana will still be viewed as one of the game's top aces. Mets' fans won't change either. We will still be a demanding bunch, and rightfully so.

Click Here for MLB Game Preview of Mets-Phils.