Fast Break
Baseball
Affeldt signs with Giants
Reliever Jeremy Affeldt, from Medical Lake, became the first of 171 free agents to agree to a contract, striking a two-year deal Monday with the San Francisco Giants.
One of Giants general manager Brian Sabean’s offseason priorities was to bolster his club’s inconsistent bullpen, so adding the left-hander helps in that process. The Giants, who haven’t reached the playoffs since 2003, often had problems in the middle innings between their starter and getting to closer Brian Wilson.
The 29-year-old Affeldt, a left-hander who attended Northwest Christian High School in Spokane, pitched for the Cincinnati Reds last season, going 1-1 with a 3.33 ERA in a team-leading 74 appearances. He struck out 80 and walked 25 in 78 1/3 innings. The 6-foot-4 Affeldt, originally drafted by Kansas City in the third round in 1997, recorded a 2.23 ERA in his final 34 outings of 2008.
Affeldt was part of the Colorado Rockies team that won the N.L. pennant in 2007 and reached the World Series.
College basketball
Vandals, Zags square off tonight
The University of Idaho, led by new head coach Don Verlin, visits Gonzaga tonight at 6 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Verlin was an assistant coach under 1974 Gonzaga graduate Stew Morrill for the past 15 seasons, 11 at Utah State and four at Colorado State.
The Vandals are 1-1 after losing to then-No. 6 Michigan State 100-62 on Sunday. Mac Hopson, a transfer from Washington State and son of ex-UI great Phil Hopson, is averaging 16 points and 4.5 assists. He’s joined in the Vandal backcourt by Kashif Watson (12.5 ppg) and Trevor Morris (10.0 ppg).
Gonzaga, which opened with an 83-52 win over Montana State Billings, moved up one spot to No. 9 in the Associated Press poll. This will be the Bulldogs’ last home appearance until facing Texas Southern on Dec. 18.
College basketball
Cougars in Legends Classic
The Washington State Cougars open the Legends Classic tournament tonight in Beasley Coliseum by hosting Fairleigh Dickinson of the Northeast Conference at 7.
The Cougars will move on to the Legend Classic semifinal in Newark, N.J. over Thanksgiving weekend no matter the outcome of tonight’s game. They are coming off a season-opening 76-25 thrashing of Mississippi Valley State last Saturday, extending their non-conference winning streak to 17 games.
The Knights, from Teaneck, N.J., are 0-1 after losing their opener 86-63 at sixth-ranked Pittsburgh last Friday. Guard Eric Moore led the Knights with 17 points. Fairleigh Dickinson was 8-20 last season.