Why I believe Andy Pettitte is coming back

I haven't chimed in all that much on the Andy Pettitte saga, as there's only so much speculating one can do about a man's decision to continue to play baseball or stay home with his family, but the story in today's Daily News compelled me to comment.

I'm not a father yet, and so I can't relate to what Andy is going through at this moment in time. However, while he may have missed out on some cherished family time during his 16-year baseball career, on the flip side he has made more money than the Pettittes ever could have dreamed (more than $125 million over his career, according to B-Ref) and has set his family up for generations, with the opportunity to make even more. While some might counter with, "well that sounds like plenty of money, why would he need any more of it," I say to that "who leaves what would likely be somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 million on the table, especially when they have shown that they can still compete at an elite level?" Sure, $100 million-plus is more cash than any of us will ever see, but you can't honestly tell me Andy Pettitte couldn't use another $15 million. Could you walk away from a job that offered you $15 million a year for about nine months of work? Heck no.

And as far as Andy's kids go, your dad has been one of the best starting pitchers in the history of the New York Yankees! Except, you all already know that, per the reports that circulated last year that you are all now old enough to appreciate that fact. Would you rather have your old man hanging around the house all the time while you're trying to drink beer, have stealth hook-ups in your bedroom and avoid doing homework, or be able to watch him on TV and/or take regular trips to New York City to watch him be one of the best professional pitchers on the planet? Additionally, how are your children, and your children's children going to feel when the Pettitte family trust fund is wiped out and it turned out that their great-great-grandfather could have grown the family fortune by another 12% but chose not to?

I'm sure someone will make the argument that it's not all about the money with All Day Andy Pettitte, and you know what? It may very well not be. But I have a hard time believing that a fierce bulldog competitor like Andy Pettitte would not only leave that money on the table but also turn his back on the game he loves and that he knows he can still be a dominating force in. So even even when Brian Cashman says meaningless things like "I don't think he's determined if he's officially finished or not. If that ever changes he'll call us. We're not going to hound him or bother him," I won't even think twice about it. Of course, I was wrong about Cliff Lee, so feel free to completely disregard my opinion, but where's the fun in speculating if you aren't willing to stand by your convictions? For all I know Andy could decide within the next hour or tomorrow to announce his official retirement -- rendering this post moot -- but until Pettitte flat-out tells the world he's retiring, I still believe he's coming back.