It could have been a night remembered for Roger Clemens' surreal return to Fenway Park, one that found the former pitcher watching Friday night's game between the Dodgers and Red Sox from the first row of the Monster Seats.

Or perhaps it would have been identified as the evening in which the Carolina Panthers' No. 1 draft pick, quarterback Jimmy Clausen, also chose to check out the game from the left field wall. Even pegging it as the instance pop singer Rihanna chose to sit dugout-side to watcher her Dodger boyfriend, outfielder Matt Kemp, was a viable option.

But none of those themes defined Friday. Instead, the night was about Manny Ramirez' return to Fenway Park for the first time since driving out of the stadium's bowels on the night of July 31, 2008.

The moment -- which was accompanied by a 10-6 Red Sox win over the Dodgers -- was thick with drama. Ramirez was booed, then cheered, then booed, then cheered … you get the point. If the crowd reaction wasn't a split decision as Manny stepped to the plate for the first time, then it was close. Undeniably, the slugger once again elicited plenty of noise and passion.

And to think, the moment -- and the moments -- very well could have been made non-existent. That is because, back after the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, they came tantalizingly close to shipping Ramirez to the New York Mets and, in the process, wiping out the subsequent 3 1/2 seasons that fed a city's welcome back.

According to sources, the talks with the Mets that offseason represented the closest the Sox came to dealing Ramirez since the well-publicized drama of trying to secure the services of Alex Rodriguez following the 2003 season.

And if that deal had happened, well, Ramirez' final moment in a Red Sox uniform would have been his acceptance of a World Series MVP trophy. He would have soaked in his reunion with the Red Sox back on June 27, 2006 -- along with Pedro Martinez -- as a member of the visiting Mets. It would have been hard to believe that wouldn't have gone swimmingly. Leaving town after having guided an organization to its first world championship in 86 years is about as powerful a last impression as anybody can muster.

The talks with the Mets were short, yet intense. 

As hard as it was to fathom that the Red Sox would ship out the World Series MVP -- one who had led the American League with 43 home runs while hitting .308 with a league-best 1.009 OPS in 2004 -- the team had a plan. The idea was to use the money saved with the departure of Ramirez (who was guaranteed to make $77 million over the next four seasons) and go after free agents J.D. Drew and Adrian Beltre.

(Even without dealing Ramirez the Red Sox made a two-year, $28 million offer to Drew.)

While there were different permutations of the deal with the Mets, the teams were in agreement regarding the key New York players who would be made available to the Red Sox. Minor league outfielder Lastings Milledge was a constant, as was Cliff Floyd (who would go on to have the best year of his big league career in '05). 

At various times, other potential pieces of the puzzle included current San Diego Padres All-Star closer Heath Bell as well as minor league first baseman Ian Bladergroen, who would eventually be dealt to the Red Sox in exchange for Doug Mientkiewicz prior to the '05 season.

Players were one thing, but money was another, and the deal fell apart based on how much money would have to flow between the two teams to make the exchange palatable to both sides. The Mets wanted some salary relief given that Ramirez -- at a time when the free agent market had dampened -- was significantly overpriced, while the Sox wanted to get money back in the deal to pursue the available free agents.

The deal fell apart, and Manny would be staying … until the '08 trade deadline came along.

What would have happened if New York relented? Perhaps Milledge would have become the replacement for Johnny Damon in center field following the '05 season. (The 25-year-old is currently serving as the Pirates' everyday left fielder, hitting .266 without any homers and four stolen bases.)

And maybe, just maybe, Ramirez would be identified simply as one of the Red Sox' best hitters over a four-year span, having hit 154 homers to go with a .321 batting average and, of course, the World Series title. (With a few mystery hamstring injuries thrown in.)

Then Friday night would have been nothing more than a hot summer night, with a few notable celebrities mixed in. It certainly wouldn't have included the WEEI sponsored 'K cards' spouting the saying, "Who needs Manny?" Perhaps Ramirez would have joined Martinez in the media interview room to engage the Boston media about his return, rather than what actually happened, when a simple statement to reporters such as "No, thank you" set the Twitter universe on fire.

But Ramirez was here. There were transgressions, to go with 120 more homers, a batting average of .301 over another 515 games, and one more World Series championship.

This re-introduction was unlike anything the Red Sox have seen in recent years. There were no verbal bouquets thrown by Sox manager Terry Francona in the days leading up to Ramirez' return, and no image of the Red Sox players applauding their former teammate from the top step of the dugout. Ramirez simply went to the plate just after 7:30 p.m., was showered with noise, saw one pitch from Sox starter Felix Doubront, lined it to center and went back into the Dodgers' dugout.

By game's end he had gone 1-for-5 with a run, ending the game by whiffing on a Daniel Bard slider. Around 11 p.m., Ramirez walked out of the visitors' clubhouse, high-fiving various Fenway employees on the way to the team bus, all the while ignoring the trailing mass of media.

No, not your ordinary day for anything but an ordinary player. And to think, it almost never happened.

What would we have ever done?