BRIEFLY.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Freire edges McEwen in ninth stage of Tour de France 

Oscar Freire won stage nine of the Tour de France by less than a wheel length Tuesday over Robbie McEwen.

The win was Freire's second at this Tour -- the Rabobank sprint specialist also won stage five. The race now heads into the Pyrenees.

Race leader Serhiy Honchar and second-place Floyd Landis did not contest the sprint finish, preferring to stay safely in the trailing pack. Honchar's lead over Landis remained unchanged at exactly 1 minute.

SOCCER: Juergen Klinsmann, who coached Germany to a third-place finish at the World Cup last week, is stepping down, the co-president of the German soccer federation said today.

``I regret his decision, but we have to accept it,'' Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder said.

FOOTBALL: Two-time Olympic skier and Eagles' fifth-round draft pick Jeremy Bloom agreed to terms on a four-year contract with Philadelphia, his agent, Gary Wichard, said Tuesday.

The Arizona Cardinals signed second-round draft pick Deuce Lutui, an offensive lineman from USC, to a four-year contract.

TRACK: Liu Xiang of China set a world record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 12.88 seconds at the Athletissima Grand Prix meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, .03 better than the record he matched in winning gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

HOCKEY: The New York Islanders signed veteran winger Chris Simon to a one-year, $1 million contract.

Peter Forsberg doesn't need surgery on his left ankle and could be ready for the start of the NHL season, more than four months earlier than the Philadelphia Flyers forward was expected to return.

BASKETBALL: The Minnesota Timberwolves and free agent point guard Mike James have reached an agreement on a four-year deal.

Agent Bill Duffy said James, who is coming off a career year for the Toronto Raptors, will get the Timberwolves' full mid-level exception, which is worth about $5 million in 2006-07.

GOLF: Studio City's Ben Fox shot a 1-under 143 to tie for 12th and advance to match play at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash.

The top 64 players made the cut after two rounds of stroke play. Mitch Cohlmia of Tulsa, Okla., shared medalist honors with Justin Metzger of Knoxville, Tenn., at 7-under 137.