It's been this way for Craig Biggio ever since he announced his pending retirement back in July. And while they've all had meaning, this weekend's goodbye should mean a little more.

Biggio grew up in Kings Park, N.Y., roughly an hour away from Shea Stadium when that notorious New York traffic stays calm. So on Sunday, when he bids the ballpark a final adieu, he'll experience something of a home away from home.

Aside from the customary friends and family, Biggio's college coach from Seton Hall, Mike Sheppard, will be on hand, and possibly even his old high school coach. For Biggio, it's something of a small-town feel smack in the middle of the big city.

"I played a lot of games here," Biggio said. "I never could have envisioned it. There's a lot of memories here."

Astros interim manager Cecil Cooper said he'd be sure to pencil Biggio into Sunday afternoon's lineup, so he can give Shea his regards in the proper style. Normally, Biggio only starts one game per road trip, but this destination marks an exception.

Biggio wasn't a Mets fan growing up -- or a Yankees fan, for that matter. He was a Thurman Munson fan, in his own words, much preferring to play baseball than to watch it.

But that doesn't mean the merits of his hometown team were lost on him entirely.

"When I was a kid growing up, you had the Mets," Biggio said, noting that some of his earliest big league memories were etched into his brain at Shea.

"Sunday's going to be a difficult day."

Odd man out: Cooper wants to see rookie starter Troy Patton take the mound at least a few more times before the season draws to a close, but he also wants to pick his spots.

That means no start at Shea this weekend, and nothing next week against the Cubs, either. Patton will likely start again next Saturday at home against Pittsburgh, while Cooper continues to shuffle a handful of rotation pieces around the two veterans, Roy Oswalt and Woody Williams.

Yet a Saturday start would give Patton a full two weeks between outings, so Cooper said he'd look for an opportunity to pitch his rookie in relief against the Mets. If Patton doesn't make an appearance this weekend, he'll instead throw a full bullpen session on Monday, and Cooper will stash him away until next Saturday's start.

"We're going to be very careful with him," Cooper said. "We have to make sure the situation is right. We don't want to just throw him in there."

Rare chance: Catcher Humberto Quintero started behind the plate on Friday night, as the Astros continue to try and piece together their backstop situation for next season.

Quintero, along with Eric Munson and J.R. Towles, is looking for a starting gig at catcher. Yet he hasn't started a game since May, slugging his way through Triple-A in the interim. In 39 at-bats earlier this year with Houston, Quintero was batting .231.

"We have to find out if Quintero's in our mix for next year," Cooper said. "These are guys that we think have a chance to help us, but we need to definitely put them under the gun a little bit."

Road tripping: By losing two straight in Milwaukee, the Astros entered Friday's play with the worst road record in the Major Leagues at 26-45. The losses pushed them below the Devil Rays, who have won five of their last six road games to stand at 25-43, a half-game better than Houston's pace.

"We've got to get back to playing a little better fundamentals," Cooper said. "Catching the ball and doing all the routine stuff."

Lazu suspended: Minor League pitcher Carlos Lazu has been suspended 50 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Lazu, 21, posted an 8.14 ERA in 13 relief appearances with Greenville, the Astros' Rookie League affiliate. The lefty will begin serving his suspension at the start of the 2008 season.

Minor matters: Class A Salem -- the only Astros affiliate to make the playoffs this year -- lost, 1-0, in the second game of a three-game series with Kinston on Thursday. Avalanche starter Polin Trinidad fired seven scoreless innings, but had to watch from the bench as reliever Raymar Diaz finally ceded a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Salem and Kinston were scheduled to play the deciding game of the first-round Carolina League series on Friday night.

Astros extras: Triple-A manager Jackie Moore and athletic trainer Mike Freer joined the team in New York, and they will remain with the Astros for the remainder of the season. ... Hunter Pence is batting .538 over his last three games ... Pitching coach Dave Wallace celebrated his 60th birthday on Friday.

Coming up: Two 41-year-olds oppose each other on Saturday afternoon at Shea, when Williams takes on lefty Tom Glavine in a 12:10 CT start. Between them, the two starters own 434 career wins.