Done deal: Rocket returns to Astros  —  Clemens set for June 22 return to Houston rotation  —  HOUSTON — Retirement and the Hall of Fame will have to wait a little longer for Roger Clemens, because The Rocket has decided to go on one final mission for Houston.

Milledge Hopes to Show He Has Staying Power  —  Lastings Milledge had an ominous beginning to his first day in the major leagues with the Mets as his flight from Providence, R.I., to LaGuardia Airport was canceled and his second flight was delayed.  Milledge was still languishing at the airport …

Pitching weakness could undermine team's potential  —  The Phillies surveyed their mangled pitching rotation yesterday, spun the organizational wheel, and announced that lefthander Eude Brito would be the latest answer to the musical question "Why Aren't There More Arms to Hold Me?"

Statistical Curiosities  —  A look at a few strange and unusual things in the baseball world that I came across over the past week or so.  —  Can't Buy A Win  —  Last week Jake Peavy struck out 16 batters in a game, but he took the loss as the Braves dropped the Padres 3-1.

Walking Cabrera can be damaging to a pitcher's ERA  —  · Check out how many intentional walks the Giants have issued and you'll get a good sense of what manager Felipe Alou thinks of them.  —  "I don't like intentional walks," Alou said, after putting up four fingers when Miguel Cabrera came …

Sheff may go on DL yet again  —  DETROIT - Just as the Yankees thought Gary Sheffield was getting healthy, they find out he may be heading right back to the disabled list.  —  Sheffield was frustrated and despondent last night as he exited Comerica Park, stopping only briefly to talk with the Daily News and one other reporter.

Pauley to start as Wells goes on DL  —  TORONTO — One day in March, as David Wells pitched in a mock game at the Sox' minor league complex, Double A righthander David Pauley sat behind the backstop charting Wells's pitches as a favor to the coaches.  Tonight, he will be taking Wells's turn in the rotation …

Marlins sink talk of trade  —  DETROIT - There was plenty of speculation yesterday that the Yankees, Phillies and Marlins were working on a three-way deal that would put Pat Burrell in pinstripes, send Dontrelle Willis to Philadelphia and stock the low-budget Marlins with prospects, but the trade talk was quickly shot down.

Jose's 2nd coming  —  As long as he keeps homering every day, Jose Valentin can start at second base for the Mets.  —  Otherwise, no promises.  Not even after Valentin homered for the second straight game last night, continuing to contribute at a position where the Mets have been punchless.

Rivera Buys the Yankees Some Time to Regroup  —  DETROIT, May 30 — An unwritten rule of managing is never use your closer in a tie game on the road.  The theory is easy to understand: if you get a lead, you will need someone to preserve it.  You might as well save the closer.

Kazmir Deal Is a Debt the Mets Still Owe  —  Four out of every five days, the Mets are a resurgent franchise, flush with charismatic leaders and bankable stars, hailed for their progressive thinking and bold strategy.  —  But on the fifth day, when Scott Kazmir takes the mound for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays …

Baseball's Rockies seek revival on two levels  —  DENVER — No copies of Playboy or Penthouse are in the clubhouse of baseball's Colorado Rockies.  There's not even a Maxim.  The only reading materials are daily newspapers, sports and car magazines and the Bible.

Troubling ingredient in Hall vote  —  You know what I hate most about Barry Bonds and his joyless, fraudulent pursuit of the home run gods?  —  My Hall of Fame ballot.  —  And Mark McGwire.  —  The Barry Plague infects Shea Stadium this weekend, which means another tonnage of speculation …

Sabres 2, Hurricanes 1, OT  —  BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — All Sabres center Daniel Briere wanted was to get his shot past the diving Carolina defensemen.  —  Then he saw the red light, heard the crowd cheer and suddenly: Game 7.  —  Briere scored a power-play goal 4:22 into overtime …