How many lives do the Yanks have left? I didn't see Pettitte melting down so far in the second half and with Joba's status up in the air the pundits all agree. The Yanks are TOAST.

I wish I made a list of all the Talking Heads that wrote the Yanks off last year when they were down ten games in the wild card hunt and now they feel really  confident this year after back to back losses to Texas in the sweltering heat.

I admit, I'm feeling very nervous about their chances this time around, but then I look up at the wild card standings and guess what? The Yanks are three games out in the loss column. THREE games out. Do you hear the chattering class ever mention the wild card? I was looking for something to break this string of bad play---even the X-Man's incredible start hasn't translated into victories.

But I do have hope now. Chris Russo is formally on the Yankee elimination watch parade that he's been doing the last few years. Thank you, oh lord. I was waiting for him to finally do his anti/Yankee thing and after these two bad losses he finally couldn't contain himself. All he had to do was wait until September and he probably would have been safe, but, no. He couldn't hold back the seething hatred he has of the Yanks. They needed a lift somewhere to offset the funk they are in and I think they found it.

There is hope in Yankee-land after all.