Off the wire

TOUR DE FRANCE Sagan grabs 3rd stage

Peter Sagan, shaking off an equipment glitch, bagged his eighth career Tour de France stage victory on Monday with an impressive display of power and quick-thinking on a short, sharp final uphill dash to the finish line in Longwy, France. Geraint Thomas of Team Sky retained the yellow jersey he’s held since the opening stage in Germany, as the race swung into France, to the former steel town of Longwy. Team Sky teammates Thomas and threetime champion Chris Froome got through Stage 3 unscathed. Australian rider Richie Porte, a contender for overall victory, powered away from the pack in the first stages of the climb. But Sagan was watching closely behind him and never let Porte get too far ahead. Sagan seemed to be cruising to victory until his right foot slipped out of his pedal in the last few hundred feet. “I said to myself, ‘What’s happening?’ ” the Slovak star of the German Bora-Hansgrohe team said. But he clipped his foot back into place and held off Michael Matthews, an Australian with Sunweb, and Dan Martin, an Irishman with Quickstep. Porte finished the stage in the same group as Froome and Thomas — two seconds behind Sagan and other riders who went all out for the stage victory.

TELEVISION

Fox sports exec fired

Jamie Horowitz, who oversaw programming and digital news operations for Fox Sports, was abruptly fired Monday after two years on the job. Fox Sports President Eric Shanks, in an email to employees announcing Horowitz’s exit, alluded to a question of conduct. Fox Sports is an arm of media magnate Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox. Patricia L. Gaser, an attorney for Horowitz, said the accusations were false. Horowitz, who joined Fox Sports National Networks in May 2015 and served as president, reoriented much of the programming to talk personalities, including Skip Bayless, and away from newsgathering. Before moving to Fox, Horowitz had a brief tenure with NBC’s Today. He was with ESPN from 2006 to 2014 and with NBC Sports from 2000 to 2006. In his email, Shanks said he will take on Horowitz’s responsibilities, including programming, marketing and scheduling for channels FS1 and FS2, until a replacement is hired.

SOCCER

Terry goes to Aston Villa

Former Chelsea captain John Terry signed a one-year deal with second-division club Aston Villa on Monday, three days after ending a 22-year association with the London club. Terry, 36, made more than 700 appearances for Chelsea — most of them as captain. He said his affinity for the club made him turn down offers from other Premier League teams, so he wouldn’t have to play against his former club.

HOCKEY Stars sign Radulov

Alexander Radulov on Monday became the richest player in a restrained NHL free-agent market by signing a $31.25 million, five-year deal with the Dallas Stars. Radulov, a 30-year-old winger, left the Canadiens for a contract that’s worth almost $5 million more than Kevin Shattenkirk’s with the New York Rangers and ties Karl Alzner’s with Montreal for the longest signed by an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Radulov and Ales Hemsky, 33, traded places on Day 3 of free agency. Hemsky signed a $1 million, one-year deal with Montreal. The Canadiens made a lastditch attempt to match the Stars’ offer to Radulov, who decided not to renege on his verbal agreement. Hemsky could be a bargain move for the Canadiens as they attempt to replace Radulov’s production of 18 goals and 36 assists. Hemsky missed a majority of last season after injuring his hip at the World Cup of Hockey and undergoing surgery, something that contributed to the Stars missing the playoffs.

FOOTBALL

Ex-NFL punter Runager dies

Max Runager, the former NFL punter who helped the San Francisco 49ers win the Super Bowl following the 1984 season, has died. He was 61. The 49ers announced Runager’s death Sunday, and The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reported he was found dead Friday in his car in a parking lot in South Carolina. No foul play is suspected. Runager played 11 seasons in the NFL after being drafted out of South Carolina by Philadelphia in the eighth round in 1979. He spent his first five years with the Eagles, losing the Super Bowl after the 1980 season before joining San Francisco in 1984. Runager finished his career with 661 career punts and a 40.2 yards-per-punt average.

NBA

Monk signs with Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets have signed first-round draft pick Malik Monk (Bentonville, Lepanto), the 11th choice in the NBA draft. Contract terms were not immediately available Monday. Monk, the SEC’s player of the year, averaged 19.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a freshman at Kentucky. Monk is not participating in the Hornets’ summer league games because of an ankle injury. He was hurt during workouts before the NBA draft.

Lakers ink Ball, 2 others

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed first-round draft picks Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart. Ball is expected to make $33.4 million over four years in his contract slot as the second overall pick. Ball led the nation in assists during his only season at UCLA. Kuzma is a power forward chosen with the 27th overall selection. The Lakers acquired the pick in a draftnight trade with Brooklyn. Hart was selected by the Jazz with the 30th overall pick and traded to Los Angeles. He was the Big East’s player of the year at Villanova last season.

Barbosa’s option declined

The Phoenix Suns declined a team option on guard Leandro Barbosa on Monday, saving the team $3.5 million in salary cap space. Barbosa, 34, had a $4 million contract for next season, with $500,000 guaranteed. Barbosa’s entire contract would have been picked up if he was on the roster past Monday. Barbosa averaged 6.3 points and shot 43 percent, including 35.7 percent from three-point range, in 67 games last season during his second stint with Phoenix. Barbosa has averaged 10.6 points in 14 NBA seasons that included stops in Toronto, Indiana and Golden State.

Billups says no to Cavs

Chauncey Billups withdrew his name from consideration to be the next general manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The former All-Star guard had been in discussions with Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert about joining the Eastern Conference champions, but Billups said the “timing just isn’t right.” The Cavs have been looking for a general manager since David Griffin parted with the club just before the draft. Griffin helped guide Cleveland to three consecutive Finals appearances but could not resolve issues with Gilbert, who has yet to give a contract extension to any of the four GMs who have worked for him since 2005. Billups, 40, does not have any front-office experience, but his solid reputation attracted him to Gilbert, who has known him since he played for the Pistons. It is believed Gilbert asked Billups to be the president of basketball operations. Billups released a statement to ESPN on his decision. He’s an analyst for the network.

Sagan