MLB.com: Elder statesman Pettitte up to challenge

While Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes begin vying for the attention of the coaching staff, still trying to make the biggest leaps in their professional careers, Pettitte is saving his bullets for one more tour through the American League East.

Once again, Pettitte will try to juggle the responsibilities of being a father figure, both in the Yankees' clubhouse and at his Texas home. It has been a difficult balancing act, but Pettitte believes that the game will eventually tell him when it's time to stop.

"I don't want to go home and miss it, and [have] it killing me," Pettitte said. "When I do it, I want to be done with it. I don't think it'd be fair to my family to say, 'I'm done,' and then pull the rug from right out underneath them. The biggest thing is that I want to make sure I fully have exhausted myself of this."