BOSTON -- Monday's miniature news conference lasted only 11 minutes, but there was still enough time for Roger Clemens to lower the walls of his soul and deliver the following peace-offering to the Red Sox nation.

	“	This town, this ballpark are a part of me. I worked here, I gave my all here. That's the bottom line. That will never change. ”
		— Roger Clemens on playing in Boston.

Going for, and nailing down, career win No. 299 at Fenway on Wednesday night was difficult, but not because the Rocket has any hard feelings about the Sox. Not anymore. And as emotionally taxing as No. 300 might have been in his old ballpark, Clemens doesn't believe it would have been a final act of revenge against deposed general manager Dan Duquette.

Instead, in a sense, Clemens considers the Red Sox his partners in pursuing history. After all, he'd never be this close to 300 without them.

"It's never in the past,'' Clemens said. "This town, this ballpark are a part of me. I worked here, I gave my all here. That's the bottom line. That will never change.''

The Rocket went as far as to say playing in Boston "made me the pitcher I am," which is like asking an entire baseball community -- or at least those who can't forgive his Yankee pinstripes -- for a truce.

	Roger Clemens can't wipe away his Red Sox achievements.

Will Clemens get it? Boston owner Larry Lucchino recently said that "some fans will applaud the achievement (of being so close to 300 wins) and some will remember the departure."

In other words, who knows? Clemens is busy trying to smooth out the rough spots of a subtle, five-game slump, during which he won just once. That's why he insists pitching against Boston, even on history's doorstep -- he went six innings and got the decision in a 4-2 Yankee victory Wednesday -- "will be like every other start since my first one coming back here (as a Blue Jay, on July 12, 1997)."

"My emotions are about the same," is how the Rocket put it. At least that's what he says in public. But ever since he sprinted to a 4-1 start, Clemens has been feeling enormous pressure -- not just to cross the bridge to his 300th win, but to consider putting off retirement for another year, too.

Friends of the right-hander leaned hard on Clemens to at least consider playing again in 2004. The argument they made in April was compelling enough: not only was Clemens beating everyone, he was throwing harder than five years ago.

Clemens was so impressive, even Reggie Jackson found himself trying to lure the pitcher back. During the Yankees' West Coast trip in April, Jackson intercepted Clemens in the clubhouse, entered the pitcher's airspace and bluntly asked:

"Roger, let's say you go 22-7, a 2.94 (ERA), you win four games in the postseason and you guys win it all," Reggie said. "What are you going to do?"

Clemens understood the question, because it was more like a challenge. But he'd heard it so many times last month, he had an answer prepared for Jackson.

"Reggie, one year from today, if you and me are here (in California) together, it'll be on Pebble Beach (playing golf)," Clemens said. "I'm done."

	Friendly Fenway?
	Following are Roger Clemens' team-by-team numbers at Fenway Park:
	Team	W-L	ERA	GS
	Red Sox	75-47	3.13	154
	Blue Jays	1-0	1.20	2
	Yankees	2-1	4.83	6
	Totals	78-48	3.15	162

If even a Hall of Famer couldn't detour Clemens from a promise to return to his family, the Yankees won't try, either. As Joe Torre put it, "(Clemens) has made it clear where his priorities will be after this year, and that's something you don't challenge."

Indeed, Clemens intends to spend the next two years watching his son play high school baseball, although he's ready to begin part-time work broadcasting Yankee games, as well.

But choreographing his post-retirement life will wait, at least until there are two more wins in the registry. Clemens admits he's finding it harder and harder to pretend that his 300th win is just like any other, which may account for a subpar performance against the Rangers last Friday.

Knowing that a win against Texas would have set him up for No. 300 at Fenway, Clemens instead evaporated, allowing five earned runs in five innings, fattening his ERA by more than a half-run.

Clemens acknowledged the start-to-start struggle, saying, "I wish there was a bar I could send opposing teams to and get them hammered or something -- I could tell my buddies in New York to leave their places open or something. Playing for the Yankees, guys come at you extremely hard. I have to be ready or I'll be embarrassed.''

Still, fate is giving Clemens a second chance at partnership with the Red Sox, since he pitches against them again on Memorial Day at Yankee Stadium.

That means Clemens could get his wish of winning No. 300 at home, after all.

"Honestly, I got my 200th win here at the Stadium, and I'd love (for the 300th) to be at the Stadium, too" Clemens said last week. "That'd be my first preference."

And even if he won't say so, the Rocket wouldn't mind knowing that somewhere, Duquette will be absorbing the moment.

Still, it's not revenge, according to Clemens, who smiled and said, "I guess it's ironic."

Bob Klapisch of The Record (Bergen County, N.J.) covers baseball for ESPN.com.