THe New York Times
By THAYER EVANS
Published: December 10, 2006
DEER PARK, Tex., Dec. 9 — After the veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte and
the Houston Astros reached the World Series in 2005, he figured he would
pitch only one more year because he did not expect his arm to hold up.
When Pettitte, 34, became a free agent after going 14-13 in 2006, he
anticipated that his wife and children would tell him to retire from
baseball. They did not do so. But he was concerned about the health of his
father, Tom, and considered ending his career.
It was only after tossing a football with his children and starting his
off-season throwing that he became convinced he had at least one more season
left.
That is why he agreed to a one-year, $16 million contract to return to the
Yankees on Friday, Pettitte said Saturday. It includes a $16 million player
option for a second year. “My elbow feels pretty good,” Pettitte said. “My
wife and kids have no desire for me to retire right now. They don’t want me
to be at the house. I thought they would.”
In his first public appearance since reaching a deal with the Yankees,
Pettitte spoke to reporters for about 20 minutes Saturday as he and his
agent, Randy Hendricks, discussed the agreement at the Battleground at Deer
Park, a public golf course here in Pettitte’s hometown, 20 miles east of
Houston.
“I’m excited to be going back to New York,” said Pettitte, who pitched for
the Yankees from 1995 to 2003 and won four World Series titles. “It’s where
I need to be. “Was it tough to make that decision? Yeah, especially after
being in Houston in this laid-back lifestyle. I know New York is where God
wants me and where he’s put me for this year. I’m just looking forward to
helping them win another World Series. That’s the goal.”
The Astros had offered Pettitte a one-year, $12 million deal, but they
rejected Hendricks’s counteroffer of $14 million with an option.
“I’m sure people are going to have their opinions that this was obviously
about the money and this and that,” Pettitte said.
Referring to the Astros, he added: “But it did shock me that they would not
continue to go up when the Yankees continued to push and push and pursue and
they really didn’t do much.
“I know people will think it’s about the money. That really wasn’t I’d
say the key thing in all of this.”
Pettitte said one team had also approached him with money in the same range
as pitcher Jason Schmidt received Friday from the Los Angeles Dodgers: $47
million over three years. Another team, Pettitte said, was interested in a
four-year contract.
Wearing a long-sleeve gray T-shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes, an unshaven
Pettitte said he expected to report to New York for a physical and a news
conference upon his return from a weeklong deer-hunting trip in South Texas
that starts Sunday.
Pettitte said the Yankees had strongly pursued him recently about returning
to play for the team. That was a topic of discussion last month during the
Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation’s dinner, which honored the Yankees’ 1996
World Series championship team, Pettitte said. He said he had also spoken
extensively with Torre, the Yankees’ manager, in the days before his
agreement.
Pettitte also had conversations with Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.
“He was like, ‘Come back, dude,’贞” Pettitte said. “贞 ‘Why don’t you
come back and try to win another championship?’ Really, that was the speech.
”
Since the season ended, Pettitte said that he had seen Roger Clemens, his
close friend and Yankees and Astros teammate, only three times and that they
had not talked about his negotiations with the Yankees. Pettitte said he did
not know whether Clemens would pitch next season and, if he did, for which
team.
“If you have a chance to have the greatest pitcher to ever play the game on
your team, would you not like to have him?” Pettitte said of Clemens. “Of
course. It’d be unbelievable. Of course, I’ll be talking to Roger now, I’m
sure, but I won’t persuade him to come back and play.” Hendricks, who is
also Clemens’s agent, said he had strongly recommended to Clemens that he
pitch a shortened season in 2007. This year, he pitched on a prorated $22
million contract starting in late June.
Hendricks said that Clemens would consider playing for three teams: Boston,
Houston and the Yankees.
“Right now, I don’t have a clue what Roger will do, and we have hardly
talked about it,” Hendricks said. “We will talk about it.”
Last year, Hendricks said, discussions with Clemens began after Christmas.
“He wants to win and plays for October,” Hendricks said. “Andy plays for
October. They want to win.”
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