Dice-K was the straw that broke the camel's back. The Red Sox went into Steinbrenner-mode last November and outrageously outbid everybody, including both of New York's billion-dollar baseball franchises, to steal the Pedro Martinez of Japan.

Before that, it was the acquisition of Josh Beckett, when the Red Sox traded the farm to Florida for one superstar pitcher. That had long been a Yankees tradition.

And before that it was Curt Schilling, the man who probably had as much to do with stomping on "The Curse" as anybody. Schilling had floated that he wanted to be a Yankee but was stolen from under their noses during Thanksgiving dinner with Theo Epstein.

The Yankees, you see, were sick of being out-Yankeed by the Red Sox.

So what did they do? They spent way too much money on Roger Clemens - a prorated $28-million deal (probably $18-19 million) plus another $7.4 million in additional luxury tax - to basically save their season.

The "rookie thing" and developing talent was a nice idea, but as we know, Steinbrenner isn't getting any younger. The farm system will have to wait for the next owner.

The Yankees weren't going to chance this one.

Clemens' dilemma was an interesting one, according to Theo Epstein recently. Going back to the Astros for one more go of it was the easy choice. He would not damage his legacy in Boston or New York by rejoining the Astros.

But does a legacy really matter when somebody puts twentysomething million on the table?

Clemens has bucked the trend before. He once said the only place he'd ever play after Boston was somewhere close to his native Texas and never, of course, with the Yankees.

As much as anybody south of Hartford, Conn., likes to admit, the Yankees are wary of what's going on in northern New England.

The Red Sox most recently overpaid for J.D. Drew ($70 million) and Julio Lugo ($32 million).

Not only that, but the Sox appear to be overloaded when it comes to pitching in 2007 and beyond.

What if the Red Sox offered Clemens something crazy, like say, $20 million to replace Julian Tavarez as the No. 5 starter?

It would have been a nice story if Clemens had decided to give the Red Sox one more whirl. The storylines would have been endless, from the current pitchers who claim to idolize him - Schilling, Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon - to leaving the Sox on his own terms.

The problem is, the Sox don't need Clemens. He was more of a luxury, albeit an exciting one. The addition of Dice-K and the probability that Jon Lester will return some time after the All-Star break eliminated a bidding war.

But the Yankees weren't sure. The way the Red Sox have thrown money around to win immediately had to be on their collective minds.

A healthy Clemens immediately makes the Yankees a contender, especially if Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte and Chien-Ming Wang keep away from hamstring pulls.

New York is going to be buzzing. The Yankees have won five of six games, allowing only seven runs in those five victories.

The tabloids are going to eat this up like Roseanne used to eat Twinkies.

It's not as if the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry needed another spark but, as always seems the case, another has arrived.

The Yankees are officially the Yankees again. You have to admit, though, it's nice watching them sweat.

Bill Burt is executive sports editor of Eagle-Tribune Publishing. E-mail him at bburt@eagletribune.com.

Go to Burt's blog to discuss Clemens

What do you think about the Yankees signing Roger Clemens? Do you agree with Eagle-Tribune executive sports editor Bill Burt that the Yankees were desperate to outbid the Red Sox? Go to www.eagletribune.com and click on to Burt's blog, "Burt Talks Sports," to give your opinion on the deal.