Let us now praise famous men (a line from Mr. Agee - James, not Tommy)

You can't keep an injured team down.

With two rotten months in the books, the 2016 Yankees' wild card dream remains as solvent as the ooze from Kim Kard- WAIT A MINUTE, DAMMIT, LET'S DROP THE SNARK! I need to talk about CC Sabathia and Carlos Beltran.

In mid-April, I would have happily traded both for Robbie Cano's cabana boy, and tossed in Randy Levine's weave as a garnish. I vowed to never forgive Sabathia for falling apart last fall on Wild Card Eve - though, to be sure, alcoholism is one frickin' nasty disease, and in my worst angry-fan-lunatic tirades, when I call for people to be boiled in oil, I wouldn't wish that fate to be visited on anyone. As for Beltran, he stood like a statue - literally, in RF - to the monumental hubris of the Yankees. Two more guys playing well beyond their sell dates.

For the last eight months, they have served as my personal pinatas, whenever I needed someone to blame for the sorry condition of the Yankees. (Though I've tried not to hit the players, but focus on Exhibit Number One, a certain heir to the pocketbook.) And don't get me wrong: The Yankees are a long way from the dim light down the tunnel. They have merely beaten a few teams that are a weekend away from Philadelphia 76ers status - that is, piling up losses for some future draft. When we play the big boys, we'll see what this team has, and we might not like it.

But today, I am here to officially eat my grubby words - anything I ever typed, shouted or wretched about CC and Beltran. Both have proven themselves to be great Yankees, if not great individuals. Beltran has done everything for this team; even his fielding in RF has improved. But it's Sabathia that deserves an hour-long back massage from Megyn Kelly and a parade down the Canyon of Heroes. CC has done what few fireballers ever learn: To win with brains rather than brawn. Moreover, he has beaten - (for now, anyway, because every single day for the rest of his life will be a struggle) - one of the worse diseases on this planet.

I don't know where CC be a month from now. Neither does he. And if he collapses, you can bet I'll eat his liver with fava beans. But the guy has been more than a comeback. His pitching is nothing short of inspirational. Eight months ago, he was in rehab.

All season, we've wondered what - if anything - Cashman could get for Sabathia and/or Beltran. The debate will continue through July 31, when the cards get called.

I just hope both players get the chance to play for a team chasing a pennant, not a wild card. But whatever their fates, damn, I hereby tip my hat to them.