Do not adjust your set...

No, your eyes and ears weren't playing tricks on you - the Red Sox were playing host to their sworn enemies, the New York Yankees, at Fenway Park; the Yankees were leading 8-4 in the final game of an important three-game series at the top of the AL East; and the Fenway crowd really did give the "Evil Empire"'s starting pitcher a standing ovation as he went back to the dugout in the middle of the seventh inning...

It's not the kind of thing that happens all the time, but it does show what great fans they have up there in Beantown, fans who are prepared to look beyond Clemens' departure from the Red Sox in '96, beyond his subsequent move from the Blue Jays to the arch-enemy in the Bronx and simply applaud one of the club's greatest-ever pitchers. Yesterday's game gave Clemens 306 career victories, 192 of which he won in a Red Sox uniform (including his two 20-strikeout games in '86 and '96). There were boos from the crowd, but you couldn't really hear them above the cheering - whatever uniform Clemens may wear today, the 13 years he spent with Boston have certainly not been forgotten.

It was a great baseball moment, way beyond the score, way beyond the divisional race, way beyond the rivalry between the two clubs - fans saying thankyou (and goodbye - this was Clemens' last-ever regular season appearance at Fenway) to a great ballplayer, and the ballplayer coming out of the dugout to take his curtain call and acknowledge both the moment and the fans' amazing and invaluable support. It certainly gave this particular fan goosebumps, even more so than watching For Love Of The Game last week, because this wasn't some Hollywood movie - this was the real deal...