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	Wednesday, August 30
	Clemens wakes up after season's low point By Bob Klapisch Special to ESPN.com
	By the time the Yankees' lead had come and gone -- finally reclaimed by Tino Martinez's RBI single in the ninth inning, giving the Bombers a 10-9 victory over Texas -- Roger Clemens had been pushed outside the sphere of most Bombers' thoughts. After all, there are mini-crises flaring everywhere in the Bronx these days. Who can ignore the bullpen's sudden vulnerability, which was underscored by a heated exchange between Joe Torre and Jeff Nelson on Sunday? Or Chuck Knoblauch's elbow injury, which is keeping him on the DL and mystifying doctors, and most tragically, news of Darryl Strawberry's declining health in his battle with colon cancer. Roger Clemens is 6-0 with five no-decisions over his last 11 starts. The Yankees at least take comfort knowing first place in the AL East is theirs, even if they haven't been able to break way from the Red Sox. And Clemens, for all his first-half troubles, has finally become the pitcher George Steinbrenner envisioned when he traded cult hero David Wells in 1999 to get him. In fact, Clemens lately has been so impressive the Boss finalized the handshake deal he'd made with the Rocket upon his arrival in New York -- signing him to a three-year, $30 million contract extension. The terms were almost incomprehensibly favorable to Clemens, who gets a $5 million signing bonus -- $2.5 million payable next year and $2.5 million in 2002 -- plus yearly salaries of $7.8 million in 2001, $7.8 million in 2002 and $10.3 million in 2003. The right-hander has the luxury of opting out of the third year, in which case he would become eligible for free agency. But even if Clemens chooses to opt out, he would still be paid the $10.3 million. In other words, Clemens will be taking Steinbrenner's cash in 2003, whether he's a Yankee or not. That's how much the Yankees are gambling on the Rocket's effectiveness, not to mention their belief he wants to finish his career in New York. The Rocket does love the Big Apple. As he said the other day, "there's no other place in baseball like New York when you're winning." He's done plenty of that in the last two months, riding an unbeaten streak that began following a June 9 flogging from the Mets. On a second-half roll The breakdown of Roger Clemens' numbers from the first three months of the season to the last two:   G IP W-L ERA April-June 14 81.1 4-6 4.78 July-Aug. 11 77 6-0 2.81 That was the Rocket's low point, allowing the Yankees' archrivals eight earned runs in five innings, including Mike Piazza's grand slam. That dropped Clemens' record to a dismal 4-6 and soon after, Clemens was placed on the DL with hamstring problems. While rehabbing in Tampa, he came face to face with Steinbrenner. According to Yankee people, The Boss did indeed get in Clemens' face, challenging him to wake up and remember Wells had been out-pitching him in Toronto. One member of the organization said Clemens returned from Tampa, "pretty (ticked) off" at the Boss, but apparently, motivated, too. "I think Roger needed to have that fire lit in him, " Torre said. "Ever since then, he's been a more aggressive pitcher. He's actually calmer, too. I know it sounds crazy, but Roger is calm and aggressive at the same time." Yankee pitching guru Billy Connors, who has breathed life into the careers of both Dwight Gooden and David Cone, said he emphasized to Clemens, "the importance of pitching inside" -- which may or may not have contributed to the beaning of Piazza at Yankee Stadium on July 8. New Yorkers are predictably split on whether the Rocket deliberately threw at the Mets catcher, fracturing a bone in his face, but there's no disputing that Clemens has been reborn since the incident. He was 5-0 with a 1.91 ERA in July, and has a 2.70 ERA overall since the All-Star break. "The big thing has been throwing strikes with my breaking pitches, getting better counts for my fastball," Clemens said. "I really don't think I'm throwing any harder or better now, but the difference is being 0-2 on a lot of hitters, where before I was 2-0 and 3-1. That makes it tougher to pitch." Even on nights when Clemens doesn't have his most devastating fastball -- as was the case against Texas on Wednesday -- he perseveres. The right-hander allowed four runs in the first three innings, including two solo home runs to Rusty Greer. Yet, Clemens proceeded to shut Texas down for his final three innings, while the Yankees entrusted a 7-4 lead to Mike Stanton and Jeff Nelson, neither of whom was effective. It was the third sizeable lead the Yankees' pen squandered in a week. Still, Clemens' work prompted Torre to say, "Roger battled his tail off. He came out with a lead that we should have been able to hold onto, but we weren't able to. Roger had to battle through pitching with less than what he's normally pitched with and still wound up with a three-run lead." It was a minor setback for Clemens, an annoyance for Torre, and an on-going problem in the bullpen. Still, the Bombers may have found their ace, finally. Or at least an answer to a organization-wide question: Has the Rocket really returned? Better question: Where did he go in the first place? Bob Klapisch of the Bergen (N.J.) Record writes his Baseball in the Big Apple column throughout the season.		ALSO SEE Yankees offense rates 10 as rally defeats Rangers