On Wednesday May 21, 2003 Roger Clemens received perhaps his warmest reception at Fenway Park since his hey day as Boston's ace. By this I mean that no one there was bellowing the sing-song taunt/chant, "Ro-ger, Rog-ger."

There was other evidence that many Red Sox fans in attendance were rooting, if silently, for Roger to get a win--or at the very least showing the man some respect. It's too bad the Yankees fell on their faces against Texas or that night would have been Clemens' shot at #300. Instead, it was #299, but it was still, as one sports-radio caller labeled it "awesome sports theater." The caller, a Sox fan through and through justified his desire to see Clemens win thus: "It's just one game! How many times are you going to see history in the making?"

Other callers in the weeks building up to the game expressed similar sentiments. "You have to respect what he's done." "He's a great pitcher." "He was run out of town." "I don't have to like him as a person to respect him as an athlete." "He's matured a lot." "I understand he had to leave Boston, it's just too bad he's a Yankee." Even Peter Gammons noticed the warming of Boston to one of its former heroes. "In four or five years, you won't even be hearing any question about whether Clemens is one of the greatest Red Sox who ever played. Fans will welcome him back into the fold," Gammons told WEEI's "Big Show." Gammons also believes if the Hall of Fame wants to put a Boston hat on the Rocket's plaque, Roger won't complain.

But for Yankees fans--he is a Yankee. He became a Yankee in the 1999 World Series, when he took the reins on the stagecoach for the last leg of the championship run, Game Four of the sweep of the once-feared Braves. Poor John Smoltz pitched his heart out, but Clemens was dominating. It looked like Roger might pitch the complete game, but his hustle cost him on a play covering first and he tweaked his leg. The bullpen had to finish the job. The ovation as he came off the field was deafening.

He cemented his place in Yankee consciousness with a riveting pitcher's duel against Pedro Martinez in a nationally broadcast Sunday Night ESPN game, where both pitchers went the distance. He lost that game, but it hardly matters. Then there was the one-hitter against Seattle in the 2000 ALCS. (If only Tino had been able to leap three inches higher!)

And the milestones. He passed the legendary Walter Johnson on the all-time strikeout list on Opening Day 2001 in front of the Bronx faithful. The three hundredth win, though, is more than a milestone. It's a suspension bridge into a new realm of historical indelibility.

Roger works hard. For years now fans have been reading reports of his legendary offseason workouts. Andy Pettitte, a Texas neighbor, started joining him a few years ago and discovered a few extra miles an hour on his fastball. And during the season? Roger's workouts on off days are almost as legendary. Two late season call ups joined him once, and only once. (One threw up, the other passed out. Both are out of the Yankees organization now.)

But the place Roger has to work hardest these days is on the mound. It's not as easy as it was before he turned forty. And some days the fastball is hittable.

Wednesday night at Fenway Park was one of those nights. Nomar Garciaparra smacked one of those tasty 94 mph meatballs for a two run homer in the bottom of the first. Light-hitting catcher Doug Mirabelli hit a booming double off the Green Monster in the second. Roger knew the fastball wasn't going to do it for him, so he threw it only enough to make the Sox think they were going to keep seeing it. Instead, he threw 60% "Mister Splittee," mixed in with some crafty changeups and other stuff that came in at 80 mph and below.

And it worked. The Sox got nine hits off him in six innings, but no runs after those two in the first. With the game tied at two, the Bostons got a threat working in the sixth. With two outs in the inning, Clemens took a Bill Mueller line drive off his pitching hand. The ball was so hard hit it rocketed (no pun intended) into center field as if it had missed him completely. But it had clipped Rocket's knuckles and where the seams had dug into the skin, blood welled up. "That kind of woke me up," Clemens later commented. Joe Torre, Mel Stottlemyre, trainer Steve Donahue, the entire infield, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir joined him on the mound to find out if hie was okay.

After a few warmuop pitches, he chased them all off the mound--swelling, bruises, and blood notwithstanding--insisting he'd get out of the inning. Yankees fans held their breath, thinking back to Opening Day 2002, when Clemens tried to catch a liner barehanded, lost the sensation in his fingers, and proceeded to get smacked around mightily by the light hitting Orioles. Mirabelli was at the plate hoping to repeat his wall ball.

Clemens struck him out.

The Yankees scratched out a run in the top of the inning, putting Roger in line for the win. In the dugout he was insisting to Mel that he could go out there, and would go out there, for the seventh. But tough as Roger is, Joe Torre is tougher. He sent Clemens to the showers and the bullpen locked down the win with three tense no-hit innings in which Mariano Rivera got the final out of the eighth by picking off pinch runner Damian Jackson and Hideki Matsui made a highlight reel sliding catch of a sinking liner in the ninth.

Fans leaving the game--even Red Sox fans--were heard saying "you couldn't ask for a better game." "That was the best of the three." "So exciting. A well-played game." And here's some more evidence that Sox fans were not in their usual humour--fewer fights and ejections in the stands than the previous night. Apparently, truly great baseball trumps hooliganism.

Luckily for fans of awesome theater, there is a sequel coming up. Despite the bone bruise, X-Rays and MRIs have shown the Rocket is fit to go for number three hundred on Monday, Memorial Day, at Yankee Stadium. He will be in front of his home crowd and also flying in friends and family to share the occasion with him. And his opponents? Of course. The Boston Red Sox.