3 UP: Torre, Castro, Zambrano  —  Another quick 3 UP today because I am again hosting the Sirius-XM baseball show this morning from 7-10 a.m. on Sirius 210 or XM 175.  My co-host is Jim Duquette, and our special guest at 8 a.m. is scheduled to be Joe Torre, if you care to listen:

Boras: Don't play chicken with Manny  —  Buzz up!  —  Twenty-four hours after he dismissed a second offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers on behalf of client Manny Ramirez, this one for $25 million for a season, Scott Boras insisted Ramirez's market is healthy and warned the Dodgers about believing otherwise.

Cashman: Yanks are done spending  —  GM states team will not pursue Ramirez, declines comment on Torre's book  —  NEW YORK — Manny Ramirez's potential pinstripes debut and Brian Cashman's first book as an author have one thing in common.  Neither will happen in 2009.

Pieces of his mind  —  Picked-up pieces while still mourning John Updike, the greatest writer of them all and the man who wrote “Picked-Up Pieces” . . .  Sorry, I can't get into a lather about this Michael Phelps bong photograph.  He has apologized appropriately.

Rocket's positive test doesn't prove steroids, HGH  —  Tests that link Roger Clemens' DNA to blood in syringes provided to investigators by Clemens' personal trainer Brian McNamee could bolster prosecutors' claim that Clemens lied about steroid use.  But both legal and medical experts cautioned …

Mariners must make decision on Griffey soon  —  With spring training opening in less than two weeks, the Mariners will very soon have to make the decision that has been looming over the team all offseason.  —  Will they bring back the franchise's most storied player, Ken Griffey Jr.?

Moorad reaches deal to buy Padres  —  Former D-backs CEO has five years to complete purchase  —  Padres majority owner John Moores has signed a contract with Jeff Moorad, a general partner of the Diamondbacks, agreeing to initially sell about a one-third interest in the franchise to his group …

Atkins, Rockies avoid arbitration  —  Sides won't have to attend hearing after agreeing to one-year pact  —  DENVER — The Rockies and Garrett Atkins reached a one-year, $7.05 million agreement Tuesday to avoid an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Friday.

Texas Rangers sign Eddie Guardado  —  Eddie Guardado officially rejoined the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, when he signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.  —  The reunion with the former All-Star closer comes as no surprise, though the 38-year-old had to decide if he wanted to play another season.

Hurdle's new mantra: consistency  —  The Rockies don't like distractions.  They traded Matt Holliday when contract talks failed, overhauled the coaching staff this offseason and avoided arbitration with all of their players.  But manager Clint Hurdle's contract exists as a potential disruption …

Martinez pushes DR past Puerto Rico  —  Outfielder's two-out pinch-hit homer lifts Tigres de Licey  —  MEXICALI, Mexico — Dominican Republic outfielder Fernando Martinez wants to be a star in New York.  Being a hero at the 2009 Caribbean Series in Mexico will suffice for now.

Tampa Bay Rays still don't have deals with Dioner Navarro, Willy Aybar  —  ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays continue to have talks but thus far no deals with catcher Dioner Navarro and infielder Willy Aybar on multiyear contracts that would avoid upcoming arbitration hearings.

The Ten Years War  —  For once, I'm going to attempt to be early to address a topic instead of late.  I am usually pretty reactionary; something will happen, everyone in the world will weigh in on it, and then I come in a month later when no one cares anymore (not that my take on it would …