Head-butt costs Tour de France rider
BOURG-LES-VALENCE, France -- In the frenzied and dangerous mass sprints at the Tour de France, competitors often need to keep their heads. Mark Renshaw decided to use his.
The Australian lead-out man for sprint specialist Mark Cavendish was kicked out of the race after head-butting a rival Thursday, which cleared a path for his British teammate to win his third stage at this year's Tour.
"This is cycling. It's not wrestling," said course director Jean-Francois Pescheux, who called Renshaw's aggressive tactics "flagrant" and the punishment necessary.
Andy Schleck of Luxembourg retained the yellow jersey, and rode conservatively during the 114.6-mile ride from Sisteron to Bourg-les-Valence so that he could save his energy for tough climbs in the Pyrenees during the final week.
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The 25-year-old race leader cruised into the finish in the main pack after riding part of the stage discussing a vacation with his main rival, defending champion Alberto Contador. Schleck earned the yellow jersey for a third straight day, while Contador remained 41 seconds back. His fellow Spaniard, Samuel Sanchez, is 2:45 behind in third.
Seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong, who has already ruled himself out of contention for the title, lost time for the second straight day. He finished in 114th place, 29 seconds behind the pack, and is 17:51 behind Schleck in 32nd place overall.
The stage today is a bit more bumpy, with five midgrade climbs during the 130.8-mile stage from Bourg-de-Peage to Mende in rural southeastern France.
Wild sign Koivu to 7-year extension
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Wild have signed center Mikko Koivu to a seven-year contract extension, which would keep the franchise center in Minnesota through the 2017-18 season. Koivu was selected as the Wild's first permanent captain in October and is considered the cornerstone of a franchise that has very little depth behind him at center.
Terms of the deal were not immediately available.
Koivu had 22 goals and 49 assists last year for the Wild. General manager Chuck Fletcher called it "a milestone day in the history of the Minnesota Wild."
-- The Wild re-signed backup goaltender Anton Khudobin to a one-year, two-way contract. Khudobin is behind Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding on the organizational depth chart, but the native of Kazakhstan has shown promise with Houston in the AHL and during a brief appearance with the Wild last season.
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The 24-year-old Khudobin's two-way contract means he will make less money when he's in the minors than his NHL salary. Khudobin was the Wild's seventh-round pick in 2004.
Warriors sold for record $450 million
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cohan reached an agreement Thursday to sell the NBA franchise for a record $450 million to Boston Celtics minority partner Joe Lacob and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber.
The bid from Lacob and Guber broke the record for the largest sale in league history, topping the $401 million Robert Sarver paid to buy the Phoenix Suns in 2004.
The deal still needs to be approved by three-quarters of the NBA Board of Governors. Lacob also must sell his interest in the Celtics.
