Roger Clemens closed out his dog and pony show in spectacular, duplicitous fashion Wednesday, displaying a familiar level of class that has gone unmentioned for far too long.

The surefire Hall of Famer was kind enough to return to baseball Wednesday after being awarded a $22 million deal by the Houston Astros, the team he has spoken so glowingly about over the years that he had us all thinking he’d play for free.

Clemens and his representatives made sure everyone knows that the $22 million is prorated. They want you to know that he has agreed to a minor-league contract first, presumably to ensure we all know how much he cares about the integrity of the game.

But it doesn’t appear that Clemens cares about much of anything, at least not with regard to the game’s integrity. And he certainly does not care as much about that as he cares about the money, the publicity, and, more important than anything else, his insatiable need to feel wanted, no matter how phony he looks in the process.

Someday soon, none of this will matter, of course. Clemens’ willingness to manipulate not one, not two, not three, but four franchises will amount to barely a footnote when he strolls into Cooperstown. On that day, one of the greatest pitchers of all time will be remembered for a career that stands at 341-172 with a 3.12 earned-run average and 4,502 strikeouts, and that includes 11 appearances in the All-Star Game and seven Cy Young Awards.

It will be appropriate then.

But not now.

To put Clemens and his insidious ways into perspective, stomach this for a second: The man wears number 22. So, not only did he need to get $22 million, $22 was added to complete the $22,000,022 contract he signed.

The same man who is second to the great Nolan Ryan in strikeouts, who will go down as arguably the greatest righthanded pitcher of all time, is the same individual still striking out himself – and still taking, too, after all these years.

He swears he wants to be in Houston, but he lets Tom Hicks, owner of the Texas Rangers, woo him on private jets and trips to their games. Evidently, Clemens has family members in New York and Boston, as well, since he allowed the Yankees and Red Sox to believe they had a chance at his services.

Never did Clemens just come out and say, “If I come back, it will be to play for the Houston Astros.” And never, ever, has a big deal been made of the fact that Clemens contractually is allowed to stay at home while the Astros are on the road on days he is not pitching.

In other words, he not only is allowed to play part-time, but also is allowed to be a part-time teammate.

Hey, Philadelphia! How should we feel about players who miss fan appreciation day when this kind of nonsense is allowed?

For years, you could argue that Clemens has given more to the game than he’ll ever take away from it, and, for the most part, you would probably be right. But that was before he decided he wanted to act like the next contestant on “American Idol,” soaking up all the publicity he could get.

It was Clemens who once tipped his cap to Florida Marlins fans who gave him a standing ovation in the World Series, displaying their gratitude for all he had done. It was Clemens who told the Yankees he was saying goodbye, then swore up and down that he was returning to the game only because Andy Pettitte, his friend and former teammate in New York, was on the Astros, and that Houston was home for his wife and kids.

Yet here he is, playing with the integrity of the game with a smile on his face in ways that Cal Ripken Jr., Hank Aaron, and so many others never even thought about.

Ryan might have had the same contractual stipulations, but that doesn’t make it right, regardless of how desperate the Astros may appear.

The Astros, after all, refused to offer Clemens arbitration in December, forcing him to wait until May 1 to re-sign with them. But it’s June and Clemens still isn’t ready.

He’s taking his time. He’s making the Astros pay. And a legitimate argument can be made that he’s compromising his team and his sport.

Take away a couple of championships Clemens bought with the Yankees and he sounds a lot like Terrell Owens.