Happy Trails Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte has announced his retirement from baseball.

Actually, he'll officially announce his plan to spend the rest of his life being a retired millionaire family man Friday morning at a Yankee Stadium press conference.

Pettitte had been letting on since the end of last season that he was planning on calling it quits. After becoming a free agent, he didn't even attempt to negotiate a contract, so it became pretty clear he wasn't going to play in 2011.

The 38-year-old lefty will hang up his glove with a career 240-138 record and 3.88 ERA over 16 big league seasons. Not bad, but his postseason numbers are what he's most proud of, where he posted a 19-10 record and 3.83 ERA to go nicely with his five World Series rings.

Although Pettitte spent 13 seasons with the New York Yankees, he took a hiatus from 2004-06 to pitch for his hometown Houston Astros. He was 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 21 starts with New York last season, limited by a strained groin that landed him on the disabled list for a couple months toward the end of the year.

But let's be honest here. Pettitte's early retirement isn't going to be all fishing tackle and golf balls. He's expected to be a witness this summer at the trial of former teammate and known cheaterface Roger Clemens, who has been indicted on charges he lied to a congressional committee, the last people on earth you should fib to, when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs back in February 2008.

Pettitte admitted last year to using human growth hormone in 2002, simultaneously throwing the Rocket under the steroid bus when he told the world that Clemens privately revealed his HGH use to him. Of course, Clemens testified that Pettitte simply misunderstood him.

Anyway, now the question is, what the hell are the Yankees supposed to do about the gaping hole in their rotation? Behind CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett, who else is there?

Well, there's no Cliff Lee, that's for sure.

With once-awesome right-handers Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia each signing minor league deals recently, in addition to Ivan Nota and Sergio Mitre, there still seems to be something lacking in the "powerhouse" that is generally the Bronx Bombers starting five.

[New York Times]