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I don't see any reason for the Red Sox to make 21 a number that can't be issued anymore. They aren't seriously considering retiring that number anymore, are they?!
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Unfortunately, I think they still plan to retire the number. The Red Sox don't want to give Clemens' legacy away to the Yankees - they would rather have people remember him as a Red Sox player. The man, is after all, one of the best pitchers in the history of the game. He's also tied with Cy Young for the all-time lead in franchise wins.
Clemens loves media attention and I'm sure that he'll say all the right things when asked about Boston. He'd probably even be willing to sign one of those lame one-day contracts so that he officially retires as a Red Sox player. That way he can have his cake (spit at Boston by playing for New York) and eat it too (still get his number retired in right field.) The fans will then be dumb enough to shower him with adulation on "Roger Clemens Day," when he gives a 2 minute speech and participates in the unveiling of his number.
If the Red Sox had no intentions of retiring #21, they would have issued it to another player 10 years ago when he first left the team.
Personally, I don't want Clemens' number retired. I no longer identify him as a Red Sox player. I was willing to forgive him for going to Toronto because of the way Dan Duquette disrespected him. I was even willing to forgive him for his first stint in New York (he was traded there - he technically didn't choose the Yankees.) I also had no problem with him wanting to pitch for his hometown Astros. But this is different. ESPN is reporting that the Red Sox offered him a pro-rated $18 million for the final three months of the season. That's a very generous offer. Yet he used that number as leverage to grab an extra $10 million from the Yankees. I can't forgive him for that. Not this time.
This is a really tough day for me because he was my favorite player. I loved him in Boston. I loved him in Houston. I even rooted for him in Toronto and New York (when he wasn't pitching against us.) Other than winning another World Series Championship, there was nothing that I wanted more than to see him finish his career in Boston. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.