Yankees concerned about Pettitte's preparation

Andy Pettitte's name appearing in the Mitchell Report has the Yankees worried about his off-season preparation, according to Buster Olney.

Pettitte was recently deposed by Congress and asked out of testifying yesterday.

Olney says that Pettitte usually began throwing in January, sometimes with Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee. Since both Clemens and McNamee were implicated, the Yankees don't know where Pettitte stands in training. As a result, the Yankees will assume that Pettitte is behind the Yankees' other starters in terms of conditioning.

Hopefully this doesn't affect Pettitte during the season. The Yankees will have a very young pitching rotation, and will need the veteran leadership of Pettitte. Also, with the young starters likely having innings caps, Pettitte's 200+ innings will be crucial.