http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/n...&content_id=642237&vkey=spt2004news&fext=.jsp KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte have spent the better part of six weeks telling and re-telling tales of their friendship, their years together as New York Yankees and how they came to be Houston Astros. Clemens, as the story goes, was looking forward to retired life that would involve little more than watching his kids play baseball, attending Astros games as a long-time season ticket holder and playing a little golf. Oh, and one other thing -- he planned to make a couple of trips a month to New York to visit his buddy Pettitte, who was sure to re-sign with the Yankees. That all changed when Pettitte decided to stay home and sign with the Astros. Clemens, a fellow native Houstonian, gave it some thought and decided reuniting with his Yankee teammate for one more year was too enticing to pass up. Add to that Clemens' long-standing friendships with Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, both of whom were giving their own recruiting pitches, and the right-hander decided, with the blessing of his four sons, that he could find no reason not to join the Astros. "After surveying everything, there was just more good to do this, to give this a try," Clemens told MLB.com. "It is my hometown. The fans are unbelievable about this. Once Andy signed, the town went crazy. We enjoyed that for a good month or two. Then he had me out on our vacation and he sat me down. We had a nice little talk. It all happened and here I am." Clemens and Pettitte sat down with MLB.com from the Astros' Spring Training facility in Kissimmee, Fla., to discuss the whirlwind that has taken over their lives since signing on with their hometown team, as well as what they hope to accomplish in 2004. They also discussed their close friendship. "I take a lot of pride in what he does," said Clemens. "I lean on him for a lot of things now. Our bond goes beyond friendship. It's been a real nice relationship that we've had." "It's special," said Pettitte. "Just as soon as Rog came over with the Yankees, he kind of took me under his wing. He took care of me. Kind of like a big brother. He treated me great. We became close. He's taught me a lot. "When I'm not going good, he's right there kicking me in the rear end and giving me a push, getting me going in the right direction. We've been through a lot together."
