Wright has rocky start for Yankees

Jaret Wright's outing against the Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., yesterday was frustrating for the righthander, who is hoping to be part of the Yankees rotation. Wright allowed eight runs and 11 hits in three innings during New York's 9-8 loss to Pittsburgh's split squad. ''It was a real tough day," Wright said. ''Physically, I feel fine. It's just like a dead day. I didn't have anything. It seemed like everything I threw was hitting speed. I got beat up pretty good." Wright has a 12.91 ERA in three starts this spring. He was 5-5 with a 6.08 ERA in 13 starts for the Yankees last year after signing a $21 million, three-year contract . . . Kevin Millwood, who is slated to start Opening Day against the Red Sox, faced opposing hitters for the first time this spring, allowing one run in four innings at Surprise, Ariz., for the Texas Rangers in a ''B" game against Seattle. Millwood threw 58 pitches, 39 for strikes, in a 6-4 Rangers victory. He allowed three hits and struck out four, facing mostly minor league and nonroster players. He previously pitched in two simulated games . . . The Rangers, meanwhile, sent righthander Josh Rupe back to Arlington, Texas, to be checked out after he felt soreness in his pitching elbow after working 3 1/3 innings Sunday against the Mariners. He is expected to have an MRI today.

A majority of baseball fans want Barry Bonds's batting records erased if the sport's officials conclude he took steroids, a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found. Fifty-two percent of the fans surveyed said Bonds's records, including his mark for a season of 73 home runs, should be erased if baseball officials find that he used performance-enhancing drugs. Forty-four percent think the Giants' slugger should keep his records, and four percent had no opinion . . . The Cubs acquired lefthander Clint Brannon, completing a deal that sent righthander Jon Leicester to the Rangers in November.

Kristine Lilly scored three minutes into the game, and the United States went on to beat France, 4-1, at Faro, Portugal, and will play for the Algarve Cup title tomorrow against women's World Cup soccer champion Germany. Aly Wagner, Lindsay Tarplay, and Natasha Kai also scored for the US, which clinched first place in Group B . . . The US men will play exhibition games against Morocco, May 23 at Nashville; Venezuela, May 26 at Cleveland; and Latvia, May 28 at East Hartford before leaving for the World Cup in Germany . . . Four soccer players were approached in Germany's latest game-fixing scandal, raising the possibility that authorities could broaden their investigation. Investigators this week will question four men in jail on suspicion of trying to bribe players . . . Jimmy Johnstone, the Scottish soccer star who played for Celtic when in 1967 it became the first British team to win the European Cup, died at home in Lanarkshire. He had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2001. He was 61.

Allen Iverson's injured right foot will keep him out of the 76ers' lineup for at least one game and possibly three more. An MRI revealed the foot was bruised and sprained. He won't play against the Toronto Raptors tonight and is doubtful for the Sixers' upcoming three-game road trip. Iverson was hurt near the end of the first half of Philadelphia's victory at Memphis Sunday. He was carried to the locker room and left the arena wearing a walking boot . . . Knicks coach Larry Brown responded to a vow by Stephon Marbury to be more offensive-minded, saying he never restricted his point guard's ability to score in the first place. Brown also questioned the timing of Marbury's remarks, which came before the Knicks lost at Charlotte Saturday night to give them the worst record in the league. ''I've never given a guard more freedom than Stephon Marbury in my life; he has the ball all the time," Brown said. Marbury said he sacrificed his game for the sake of the team, but it didn't work out. ''I went into this year trying to do something, to put myself in a situation where we can win, OK?" Marbury was quoted as saying. ''To help the team win games. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. So, what do I do now, as far as the way I play? I go back to playing like Stephon Marbury, a.k.a. Starbury. I haven't been Starbury this year. I've been some other dude this year."

San Jose Sharks forward Scott Parker was suspended two games for attempting to climb a glass barrier to fight Nashville's Brendan Witt. Parker had elbowed Nashville's Jordin Tootoo late in the second period of his team's 3-2 win Saturday and, after leaving the ice, tried to get at Witt, who had words with Parker . . . Justine Henin-Hardenne, playing her first tennis event since quitting in the Australian Open final because of a stomach problem, rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Aiko Nakamura in a third-round match in the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, Calif. On the men's side, Andy Roddick took a methodical 6-3, 6-4 victory over Fernando Verdasco and Tommy Haas defeated Andre Agassi, 7-5, 6-2 . . . Although banned by the state of New Jersey from doing business with Atlantic City casinos, boxing promoter Don King was honored by the city, which named a plaza after him. Atlantic City officials unveiled a ''Don King Plaza" sign to recognize King's charitable activities . . . Former world champion cyclist Zinaida Stahurskaya of Belarus was banned two years for doping after testing positive at three European races last year . . . Jeff King's team trotted into Koyuk with a two-hour lead over four-time Iditarod Sled Dog Race winner Doug Swingley with 170 miles remaining in the 1,100-mile race . . . Jim Nelson, athletic director and former men's basketball coach at Suffolk University, will receive the Outstanding Service Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches in Indianapolis next month.