NO LONGER SIMPLY HAVING TO AGREE WITH EVERYTHING MIKE SAYS RUSSO LET'S LOOSE SOLO: ELIMINATION DAY

RUSSO SOLO OPEN: (picture this transcript with Russo wearing a Rays hat and bobbing and weaving throughout. Also picture it with Russo suddenly having balls now that Mike is not in studio)

This is a good day today. Today is the day that we are going to celebrate, that we have infamously called in the past, elimination day. I was quiet all year about but today when you have the picture of Dr. James Andrews on the backpage of the newspaper, with a smile crease, with Joba, not that you want him to get hurt and with Arod hitting into double play after double play despite the fact that he was safe in the 9th. And Andy Pettite, the great Andy Pettite getting bombed again, second consecutive start. Tampa won, Red Sox won, Tampa pound the Indians.

I said to myself that today is the day that we will make it Yankees Elimination day. We will wear the Tampa hat the rest of the program. We will wear Ray blue or teal, whatever the color may be. Because today is the day that we can start to pinpoint the reasons for Yankees collapse in 2008

I don't want to hear about injuries, they have a 200 million dollar payroll, i don't want to hear that they are unlucky or that it was Girardi's first year, let's give him a chance. I don't want to hear that they have not had their ducks in a row. Pitchers have been hurt, Wangs out. I don't want to hear a word. What the heck, i felt like doing it today so i am going to do it. The Yankees are seven out in the loss column. The Yankees have clinched a losing series record to Texas. The Yankees who usually win six of seven against Texas. The Texas Rangers with last nights demolition of Pettite, have clinched the season series with the Yankees. And think about this for a sec, if Ron Washington on July 4th week when he came to Yankee Stadium, hadn't decided to experiment in the 7th inning in the third game with some rookie pitcher that no one ever heard of and the Yankees hit for 50 runs.. the Yankees WOULD NOT HAVE BEATEN TEXAS IN A GAME!

In a game! In a game! And Pettite and you think of some of the big starts that he has had in the month, he got bombed by the Red Sox, he got bombed by the Angels the other night and last night he got bombed.

Bombed. Bombed. Bombed.

So, because the Yankees have fizzled all year long, because the Yankees can't get out of their own way, because they are an older club with 30 more road games to play, because the Yankees have to play six games in Anaheim, a place they never win, because the Yankees have to pitch Ian Kennedy who has been a bust and Dan Giese at Angels ballpark this weekend, because the Yankees it's now August and not June, because the Yankees have not been able to make any headway...

As a matter of fact, last year we all thought at 38-41 they were dead. What was the Yankees record at this point last year? Can you look that up for me Sal? They have played 113 games. What was the Yankees record after 113 a year ago and tell me how far behind the Red Sox they were.

Now the Yankees go into Texas for these last two they have to cross their fingers that Ponson gives you a good start and Mussina follows it up in 102 degree heat.

So with AROD not being able to get out of his own way all year. With the great Jete batting .279, with Wang out, who knows on Joba, Hughes can't pitch, Kennedy we don't know anything about, velocity down in the minor leagues. Rasner, Ponson, Andy not being the great Andy. We figured that we would start our Wednesday in early August with ELIMINATION DAY. With Elimination Day. WHY NOT

It has taken a while. I have been burned. Incessantly burned. Mike has had last laugh every year. This year i have waited long enough. Last night when i saw Pettite get blown up, when i saw a Richie Sexson grand slam go for naught in the 8th against CJ wilson and then i saw the ground double play AROD in the 9th. Because of that I said to myself, despite the Giants losing 13-4 to Atlanta, whatever it was, when my smiling face hit the pillow, only marred by the Mets getting that last out in the 9th for the Mets, I had a smiling face last night, I said to myself, Chris, why not spend 5 1/2 hours today counting the Yankees out for 2008.

So last year, last year at this point when we all said the Yankees were dead, including yours truely, with Joe Torre who was not good enough for the Yankees hierarchy to manage in 08 and got a big decrease in, big decrease in his pay. Last year at this time the Yankees were 63-50, 5 behind the Red Sox in the American League East. This year, they are 61-52 and 7 back in the loss column of Tampa. TAMPA

It's not going to be too much. If Texas can win the next two games, Texas will be ahead of the Yankees in the wild card chase where all the have nots, all the muck roam.

I know that it is old, you have heard Russo do this before, what else is there to do. What else is there for me to say today? Cubs and Brewers, Mets beating San Diego. We all wait with baited breath as the Yankees make this the atomic bomb secret with Joba. They are secretive with this stuff, oh my god, it drives you crazy. You don't send a guy to James Andrews if things are ok? Why to Birmingham if it is good?

Today I have done it a million times, what the heck, let's have some fun with it. So the Steve from Bayside, the Jerome's, Mike from Bablyon. I have put the kibosh on the season so from that standpoint you can say Russo did it again. We will be sitting there at the end of October, Tampa Minnesota, Angels Red Sox. Watch it be a Tampa Red Sox ALCS.

Here is the thing about Tampa right now in the American League. Tampa is so good in their building. Tampa at home at 44-17. Tampa is 44-17 in the Trop. That is hard to believe, they are 27 games over .500. They only have 21 more games at home to play. If they go 15-5 which is what their pace is, if they go 15-5 let's do some math. Let's make Tampa 15-5 at home the rest of the way. That would give them 82 wins and 50 losses. Ok, then they play 51, 31, 30 on the road. Ok, they have 50 games to go 20 home 30 road. If they only win 10 games on the road, go 10 -20, they win 92 games.

For the Yankees to get to 92-70 as we speak they have to go 31-18. The Yankees going 31-18 with this team right now? I am not sure the Yankees are going 31-18.

Now you are going to say Chris, what about the Wild Card? Well Jason Bay is hitting. The Red Sox are 40-16 at home and if you wanted to do a little math with the Red Sox. The Red Sox are 40-16 in their building, which is a record that the Yankees at 46-26 don't approach. And the Red Sox and all you need is the team. You know how many home games the Red Sox play from August 29th , which is 3 weeks from Friday, from August 29th on, the Red Sox play 3, 6, 9, 12, 19 at home and 9 on the road. And their 9 games are Tampa, Toronto and Texas. The Red Sox play 19 of their last 28 in their building.

Let's say that the Red Sox go 17-8. Put the Red Sox at 17-8 at home. If they go 10-20, they win 92 games. Let's do the math for a sec. The Red Sox who play a host of games in Fenway from late August on, they have won 65 games, if they go 17-8 in Fenway, and they should do that, that's 82 and then win 10 games on the road, 10 and 20, that's 92. Tampa 15-5 at home at that kind of pace and they go 10-20 on the road, they win 92. For the Yankees to beat 92, to beat it, they have to go 32-17.

For those reasons, for pitching woes, for age, for mortality for Jeter and Arod, for Joe Girardi, it has to stop the consecutive playoff streak eventually, for those reasons, I woke up with a smile on my face. For today on this Wednesday in New York, on the Great YES network, beamed coast to coast, today we have made this, and this was Eddie Ericksons idea at 10 of 1 so scream at him, for those who think i am a jinx. Eddie, Dog i got no guests, so do that. Ok Fine. Who cares, i am going to forget about it October anyway. For that reason i have made today ELIMINATION DAY FOR YOUR BRONX BOMBERS

Here is video of the first minute or two of his open: