Monday morning cyber-fishwrap: MLB's Mike Bauman says Red Sox fans gave Clemens a "fitting farewell"; Art Davidson said the ovation was "classy and prolonged"; Jim Donaldson got goose bumps; Steve Buckley (in a Herald pay column): "Red Sox fans finally made their peace with Roger Clemens"; Ron Chimelis says the wounds have healed.

From New York -- Harvey Araton: "There is apparently hope for these long-suffering Red Sox fans ... they do not wholly exist on negative energy [or] simmering bitterness"; Mark Herrmann: "Say what you will about Red Sox fans, but if you say they weren't classy yesterday, you're dead wrong"; Bob Klapisch: "The ovation was polite, at least at first, but the taboo of cheering a Yankee was no match for the realization that a 20-year career finally is ending"; Lawrence Rocca: "And just like that, all those bitter feelings of betrayal were forgotten, all those gallons of bile were gone. Staring at a crushing loss delivered by the very hand that had abandoned them, Red Sox fans, so often crude to the core, nonetheless stood in respectful admiration, bathing Clemens in claps and swallowing him in cheers."

Jackie MacMullan in the Globe: "He fervently had hoped he would have an opportunity to publicly thank the Red Sox fans who had so passionately supported him for more than a decade." Clemens could have thanked Red Sox fans at any time in the last 7 years -- starting with his press conference when he signed with Toronto. He made a conscious decision year after year after year not to do so.

George "Pitchers Can Be MVPs if Their Names Are Not Pedro" King of the NY Post: "Yesterday, the final day of August, marked the unofficial end of two things New Englanders worship: summer and the Red Sox's chances of winning the AL East." Three beat writers agree.

Has Kim lost his job as closer? Gordon Edes: "Little indicated he may adopt a committee approach -- selecting his closer based on matchups -- for the time being." ?!?! A Committee?!? Oh, do you mean a situation like the front office has been suggesting all *&%#@ year? 136 games into the season -- and Gump is just now getting a clue? Unbelievable. (Or totally believable.)

Pedro spoke to Steven Krasner of the Providence Journal yesterday. He said he still had no energy, but his arm is fine. He offered no excuses for his poor performance on Saturday. ... And Manny was apparently seen with Yankees coach Willie Randolph at the bar of the Ritz Carlton Saturday night between 9:00 and 9:30. A Ritz employee emphasized that Ramirez wasn't drinking alcohol. Now Manny lives at the hotel, so he wasn't bar-hopping, but in light of the fact that he did not play the following afternoon and recently said that playing for the Yankees "remains one of my biggest dreams right now," it wasn't a very bright idea.