KISSIMMEE – Andy Pettitte is troubled by Jose Canseco’s literary swing for the fences and distressed that Canseco linked Roger Clemens to steroid use.

Pettitte, Clemens’ teammate, good friend and workout partner, defended the Rocket’s reputation following the Astros’ first workout yesterday. He said it was a shame Canseco aired dirty laundry.

Pettitte said he was reluctant to respond to Canseco’s allegations about Clemens, which he said he hadn’t heard before yesterday.

But he was asked what he would say to fans who heard about Canseco’s insinuation.

“First of all, I’m not one – if someone is gonna take a shot at me or whatever – to sit here and cry wolf and mouth off back or whatever,” Pettitte said. “Jose’s made allegations. It is what it is.

“Roger, everybody knows, I played with him, I know the work he put into it. So for me to sit here and say people need to do this or that, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

“He’s worked hard; he’s one of the greatest pitchers to play no matter what’s said.”

When Pettitte and Clemens teamed with Canseco on the 2000 Yankees, Pettitte said the outfielder was a nice guy and a friend. But he discounted Canseco’s book, “Juiced,” because of the former MVP’s bad reputation.

“You’ve gotta look at the source it’s coming from, too,” he said. “You hate to say that. . . . He’s running a whole lot of stuff out there a whole lot of people say they’re not doing. You just gotta blow it off or whatever.”

Pettitte is recovering from elbow surgery that sidelined him for most of 2004, and he’s hoping to make it back by Opening Day. He threw a bullpen session yesterday, tossing 23 pitches instead of the 60-70 he’s used to on the first workout day, but was able to throw his cutter and curve.

“My arm will dictate when I’m going to be ready,” he said. “Through it all, I felt I’m going to be ready for Opening Day.”