TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – Newlywed Yao Ming said he’s enjoying his “new life” but must intensify training to play for the national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The Chinese NBA star made a rare revelation Saturday about his marriage to Ye Li – a player on the Chinese women’s basketball team – during a visit to Taiwan as part of sports exchanges between the political rivals.

“You’re married and that comes with a bigger responsibility,” Yao told reporters. “I felt something that I never felt before. I have a new life.”

The couple has no immediate plans for a baby because Ye went back to school following their marriage last month, Yao said.

“I have to focus my energy on the Olympics,” he said.

Later Saturday, Yao played a friendly game in Hsinchu in northern Taiwan. The 7-foot-6 center teamed up with two Taiwanese boys in a game against several Chinese players.

Most of the time, a smiling Yao passed the ball to the boys, who only reach his waist, and let them score.

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SAPPORO, Japan (AP) – Trey Hillman, the manager of the Japan Series champion Nippon Ham Fighters, said Saturday he will step down at the end of this season.

“I will not be returning after this season,” the 44-year-old said. “This is strictly for personal reasons. The dynamics have changed here, the needs of my family have changed in the past five years.”

Hillman made the announcement following Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Seibu Lions at Sapporo Dome.

After leading the Fighters to their first Japan Series title in 44 years last season, Hillman interviewed with the Texas Rangers, Oakland A’s and San Diego Padres in the offseason, but ended up back in Japan for another year with Nippon Ham.

After a successful career as a minor league manager in the Yankees organization, Hillman is in his fifth season with the Fighters.

The Fighters are currently in first place in the Pacific League standings with a 67-51-4 record, two games ahead of the Softbank Hawks.

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PARIS (AP) – Losing the opening game of the Rugby World Cup to Argentina was bad enough. Then the French team had to handle the wrath of its critical media.

“Aie, aie, aie!”, (Ouch, ouch, ouch!) read the front page of Le Parisien newspaper, with a photo of French flanker Remy Martin squashed up against four Argentina players during France’s 17-12 loss that put in danger of first-round elimination.

France failed to produce any of its customary attacking rugby and made countless errors to let an aggressive Pumas side win for the fifth time in six meetings against Les Tricolores and take command of Group D.

“For the Blues, the party turns into a nightmare,” Le Parisien in its main story alongside a photo of coach Bernard Laporte. “Scenario Catastrophique”, (A catastrophic scenario) said French sports daily L’Equipe, with its front page showing a stern-faced Serge Betsen staring glumly into the distance, and No. 8 Imanol Harinordoquy with his hands on the top of his head as if surrendering.

L’Equipe’s rugby supplement called it a “total failure” and spoke in unforgiving terms of the French having “no game, no leadership, no collective intelligence”, alongside a photo of Martin being upended by a rugged tackle from Pumas center and kicker Felipe Contepomi.

“La Claque” (A slap in the face), was Le Figaro’s blunt assessment.

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HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) – The New York Jets will honor Curtis Martin, fourth on the NFL’s career rushing list, with a halftime ceremony during the team’s game against Pittsburgh on Nov. 18.

Martin, one of the most popular players in franchise history, retired on July 26 after missing last season with a knee injury. He finished his career with 14,101 yards rushing, ranking behind only Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269).

His 3,518 carries are third on the NFL’s career list, and his 90 rushing touchdowns are tied for 12th with Eric Dickerson. Martin was also a versatile offensive weapon throughout his career, catching 484 passes for 3,329 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“Curtis Martin is one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game and his impact on the New York Jets and the National Football League will never be forgotten,” Jets Chairman and CEO Woody Johnson said.

Martin spent eight seasons with the Jets after being selected in the third round of the 1995 draft by the New England Patriots. His best year was his last healthy season in 2004, when he led the league with 1,697 yards rushing and tied Sanders’ record with 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons to start a career.

Martin was also extremely active in charity work during his career, and announced at his retirement that he partnered with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to start an initiative to decrease homelessness in the city by two-thirds by 2009.

“While millions of people witnessed his amazing accomplishments on the field, few knew the depths of his philanthropy off the field,” Johnson said. “As a player, Curtis approached philanthropy the same way he approached the game: with humility and grace.”

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MORRISTOWN, N.J. (AP) – More than 200 items from the Montclair mansion once owned by New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan and his wife will be auctioned off next week.

Items from the 2.3-acre property will be auctioned on Sept. 14 at the Morristown Armory, with previews on Sept. 13 and 14. They include Victorian-era carved oak and walnut furniture, 18th- and 19th-century European and American paintings and antique Persian carpets.

Strahan and his wife, Jean, went through a bitter public divorce that included allegations of physical abuse. Jean Strahan said in May that she was putting the Georgian Revival mansion, valued at $3.6 million in 2006, on the market.

In January, a judge awarded Jean Strahan $15.3 million and set child support for their twin daughters at $18,000 a month. Michael Strahan has paid more than half of the money, but an appellate court has allowed him not to pay the remaining $6.5 million while it considers his argument that the award was excessive.

Strahan, 35, the NFL’s active sack leader with 1321/2, returned to the Giants on Monday after missing training camp and the preseason while contemplating retirement.

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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) – Jay Cutler was one of the four team captains selected by the Denver Broncos.

The second-year quarterback and veteran center Tom Nalen were chosen as offensive captains. Free safety John Lynch and cornerback Champ Bailey were selected as defensive captains.

While Cutler will be making only his sixth career start in the season opener at Buffalo on Sunday, his selection came as little surprise coach Mike Shanahan.

“It gives you an idea what the team thinks of him,” Shanahan said. “They see Cutler as a leader.”

“This is totally a team selection,” Shanahan said. “The coaches have nothing to do with it and it is strictly between the players.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Australians Greg Bennett and Emma Snowsill will defend their championships Sunday in the 2007 Los Angeles Triathlon.

Nearly 3,000 recreational, amateur and professional triathletes will be competing in the fourth of five events in the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series that finishes Oct. 14 in Dallas with the U.S. Open Triathlon Championships.

The point-to-point Olympic distance course begins with a swim of nine-tenths of a mile in the Pacific Ocean off Venice Beach, transitions to a 24.8-mile bike ride from the beach through Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles, and finishes with a 6.2-mile run to the finish line at Staples Center.

Bennett leads the men and Snowsill the women in the series standings. Bennett is 3-for-3, having won in Minneapolis, New York and Chicago. If he wins this event and the series finale, he will earn $208,000 for the five events plus a bonus of $300,000 for winning all five races in the series.

Snowsill is 2-for-3, and will be flying into Los Angeles from last Sunday’s ITU World Championships in Germany, where she finished second.