New York Times article

February 27, 1999

Buckingham Palace guards should take their work as seriously as Roger Clemens does. Even as he threw batting practice for the first time Friday, the Yankees' new pitcher focused deeply on the glove of catcher Jorge Posada, staring ahead. Clemens did not notice all the reporters circled round the batting cage, all the photographers, or what caused the coach Don Zimmer to bend over in laughter.

Clemens reached into a crate of baseballs planted on the side of the mound, preparing to face the second batter of his session, and when he looked up, second baseman Chuck Knoblauch was standing at the plate, ready to hit, wearing a full set of catcher's gear. Mask, chest protector, shinguards, bat in hands.

Derek Jeter, standing next to the cage, wore the same suit of armor as Knoblauch; it was their own special way of honoring Clemems for the many time he had hit them with fastballs before he became a Yankee.

Clemens did a double take, before his face split into a grin that might have spanned Tampa Bay. Then he did what any self-respecting intimidator would do: he threw a fastball over Knoblauch's head, and did the same to Jeter.

All the participants thoroughly enjoyed this rite of passage.

"I knew something like that would happen eventually," said Clemens, aware of Jeter's promise that he and others would exact revenge on the hard-throwing pitcher. "For those two to step in with full gear like that did break the ice a little bit."

There had been speculation that Clemens would have old scores to settle before being accepted. Clemens, after all, had thrown at Jeter so often that Jeter had wondered why, and Clemens had drilled Knoblauch and Scott Brosius and once stared down Jor Girardi. Heck, he probably had some sort of angry history with just about every position player in pinstripes.

But all is forgiven now that Clemens is with the Yankees. He will knock down opposing hitters in the months to come, no doubt, and his teammates will come to understand Clemens and understand why he does this; when an opposing pitcher drills a Yankee with a fastball, Clemens might hit two batters in response and the Yankees will be glad to have him. "You like him," Yankees manager Joe Torre said, "once he's on your side."

He is fitting in quickly, advising Hideki Irabu, teasing David Cone about his aversion to running, working with catchers Posada and Joe Girardi. Clemens likes to encourage his catchers, "pump them up," Posada said today, and he's very precise in what he does. "He's going to be a lot of fun to watch."

And fun to make fun of: Friday's prank, Jeter said, was only the first payback for the many times Clemens had aimed at him and Knoblauch. Jeter took full credit for the idea of putting on the catcher's garb -- "I thought of that one," he said smiling broadly -- and shared it with Knoblauch earlier this week. Jeter borrowed shinguards, a chest protector and face mask from Posada, and turned around his own helmet; Knoblauch raided the locker of catcher Mike Figga for most of his equipment -- the first time Knoblauch had worn catcher's equipment since he was in Little League -- and he had the honor of stepping in first against Clemens.

"I'll try to make you comfortable," Clemens yelled to Knoblauch, between chuckles, and then he threw a fastball a foot over Knoblauch's head, and then Jeter's. "I thought he might hit me," Jeter said later.

After the pseudo beanballs, Clemens said with mock bravado, "They swung like they always do against me." That is to say: poorly. Defensive swings, weak swings, mostly little fly balls to right field.

Clemens finished batting practice and completed his workout on a back field, where he had his first post-trade encounter with George Steinbrenner, the Yankees' principal owner, who had wandered out of his Legend's Field office. Clemens noticed that the pitchers' running seemed to get a little more tense with Steinbrenner around.

"Great to see you in uniform," Steinbrenner said.

"Great to be here," said Clemens, surviving another rite of passage, before moving on to another field.