By John Delcos
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

NEW ORLEANS - Stung three days ago when Andy Pettitte signed with the Houston Astros, the New York Yankees applied the salve late Saturday night when they finalized their deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Kevin Brown.

The Yankees believe Brown, who'll be 39 in March and was a disabled-list visitor seven times in five seasons with the Dodgers, will provide the 200 innings and big-game demeanor they lost with the defection of Pettitte and possible short-lived retirement of Roger Clemens, who is considering joining his close friend in the Astros rotation.

"I don't know, I thought I was supposed to replace Andy Pettitte," Brown said on a conference call when asked about replacing Clemens. "Both those guys are great pitchers. I hope people will look at me as someone who gives it all he has when he's on the mound. There are no guarantees. I've learned that in this game. Injuries are something you can never foresee. I just hope I'm ready and able to fulfill my contract."

The Yankees moved quickly to make the deal, giving up 27-year-old starter Jeff Weaver, minor league pitcher Yhency Brazoban and a player to be named later last Thursday at about the same time Pettitte was addressing the Houston media.

After a sluggish few days going through the Dodgers to Brown's agent, Scott Boras, to finalize the perks in the player's contract - which included private jet service for his family from Georgia, eight season tickets and a private hotel suite on the road - things picked up Saturday when the commissioner's office granted permission for them to deal directly with the agent.

Finalizing the deal included giving the Dodgers $2.6 million in cash considerations.

"The biggest issue was defining what some of the language meant," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "We wanted no confusion on the obligations of the Yankees. We wanted to make sure there are no misunderstandings or issues that could disrupt a healthy marriage."

With Brown, Cashman says the Yankees' rotation is complete with Mike Mussina, Javier Vazquez, Jose Contreras and Jon Lieber. Cashman also said that while a deal hasn't been completed, David Wells would be signed to a minor league contract.

Cashman said the deal for Vazquez would be finalized once Nick Johnson, who is vacationing in Spain, returns and completes his physical. Cashman also said the Yankees are continuing work on several other deals, including the free-agent signings of outfielders Gary Sheffield and Kenny Lofton.

Cashman also said there would be no hard feelings if Clemens pitches next season for Houston.

"Roger told me he was retired," Cashman said. "But, I also understand he's a human being and entitled to change his mind. He's a free agent and that means free choice."

Clemens, speaking at the New Orleans Hilton, said he's considering pitching next year.

"Things change," Clemens said. "Andy pitching (in Houston, Clemens' hometown) is pretty neat. Let's leave it at that."

Let's not.

Clemens said he's happy with his retirement decision, but couldn't project what his feelings would be closer to spring training.

"There's a lot of things to take into consideration," Clemens said. "There are so many factors to think about and I don't want to rush into anything."

Clemens' agent, Randy Hendricks, said his client was "99.99 percent retired" after the World Series, but Pettitte's signing cut it to 99 percent.

Pettitte made his pitch and Jeff Bagwell will do his recruiting when he plays golf with Clemens next week. Clemens, a six-time Cy Young Award winner with 310 career victories, said that's just part of the full-court press.

"I've heard from all my close friends, all my college buddies at home, and this has all been in the last 24 hours," Clemens said. "It's flattering. It's awesome, but I don't think it is pressure. It has a lot to do with things you don't foresee. That's why you leave that percent open."

Rumor mill...

• The two most likely destinations for Greg Maddux are San Diego and Los Angeles. Don't be surprised if the Dodgers trade Odalis Perez for a hitter and then sign Maddux to replace him.

• Eddie Guardado's decision to become a set-up man in Seattle stung the Twins. Their priority is replacing him, with Ugueth Urbina at the top of their list.

• Montreal, San Diego and Atlanta are among the teams lining up to try to sign reliever Braden Looper, who does not fit in the Marlins' budget after re-signing Chad Fox.

• After trading Javier Vazquez and declining arbitration on Vladimir Guerrero, the Expos have their payroll in decent shape. But they would send Jose Vidro to the Yankees if they could get Alfonso Soriano in return. That's a deal with possibilities.

• If catcher Jason Kendall goes anywhere, it is going to be to San Diego. There's talk of a deal sending Ramon Hernandez and Terrence Long, who were acquired from Oakland for Mark Kotsay, from San Diego to Pittsburgh for Kendall. The Pirates, of course, would pay part of the freight for Kotsay.

- Enquirer wire services