With the signing of Andy Pettite, the Astros are the talk of baseball as the winter meeting goes on in New Orleans. General Manager Gerry Hunsicker is talking about what else he has in mind, while local radio DJs Dean and Rog got a car dealer to offer Roger Clemens a burnt orange Hummer to induce him to think about joining Pettite in the Juice Box.

A few random thoughts:

- Much as it pains me as a Yankee fan to see Pettite depart, even I have to laugh at the Post and Daily News front pages which told the tale of his leaving.

- Note to Hunsicker: I'm sure Jason Lane will make a fine player, but 26-year-olds with a recent history of injury are not really prospects. Besides, you're asking him to replace the guy who led your team in OPS last year.

- I swear, if I read about how the Astros "lost $15 million last year" one more time, I'm going to drive downtown and dopeslap the entire Chronicle sports department. You only have Drayton McLane's word for that, so either he's lying through his teeth, or given money he wrung out of Harris County for Enron FieldMinute Maid Park, the world's worst businessman. For crying out loud, people, ask him to prove it or sell out already.

- I didn't realize Clemens was that close to Steve Carlton for the #2 spot in career strikeouts (4137 to 4099). That may be the ticket to getting him to suit up for one more year. Of course, barring a collapse of some kind, I'd expect Randy Johnson to blow past both of them by 2005, but still. Clemens has an ego. Use it to your advantage.