Fast Break

Baseball

Affeldt, Reds finalize deal

Jeremy Affeldt wanted another chance to start, and he knew the Cincinnati Reds had holes in their rotation.

“My heart skipped a beat when they offered that deal,” Affeldt said Wednesday after he and the Reds finalized a one-year, $3 million contract. “It was a great opportunity for me. The deals that were on the table, my heart wasn’t really in it.”

Affeldt, who has experience starting and relieving, can make another $1 million in performance bonuses based on starts and innings.

Affeldt, a Northwest Christian High School graduate, relieved for the N.L. champion Rockies last season and pitched in all four games as Colorado was swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The 28-year-old left-hander was with the Kansas City Royals from 2002-06, making 42 starts.

Although spring training is less than a month away, Affeldt said he hadn’t worried about getting a deal.

“I wasn’t too concerned because I know what I can do,” he said. “I have every intention of winning a spot.”

Football

Long’s condition said stable

Former Washington State University and Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Rien Long has improved to stable condition after he crashed his sports car into a rock wall while driving onto an interstate in Nashville, Tenn.

Nashville Police said the 26-year-old Long was driving too fast down an on-ramp to Interstate 40 near downtown just before midnight Monday.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center officials say Long’s condition has steadily improved over the last 24 hours.