Bell out, may miss Phillies' opener

Baseball

Phillies third baseman David Bell is out indefinitely with back spasms and might miss the start of the season. The 33-year-old infielder hasn't played in a Grapefruit League game this spring. He called off plans to play in a minor league exhibition game yesterday after going 2 for 4 in four innings of a minor league exhibition game Thursday. The setback makes it unlikely Bell could get enough at-bats in time to be ready to play in the April 3 opener against St. Louis. Before the latest setback, manager Charlie Manuel said Bell would need to play extensively and prove he was sharp enough to reclaim his starting job from Abraham Nunez or Alex Gonzalez . . . Ryan Mulhern, Cleveland's minor league player of the year in 2005, was reassigned to the Indians' minor league camp. In 15 spring training games, Mulhern batted .250 (6 for 24) with four homers and seven RBIs. He is expected to begin the season with Double-A Akron.

Winter sports

Olympic champion Cindy Klassen bettered her own world record in the 3,000 meters at the International Speedskating Union world allround championships in Calgary, Alberta. The Canadian, who won five medals at the Turin Olympics, finished in 3 minutes 53.34 seconds. She trimmed more than two seconds off her mark of 3:55.75 from November, also set on the fast ice at the Calgary Olympic Oval. Germany's Claudia Pechstein was second in 3:37.35 and Canada's Kristina Groves was third in 3:59.46 . . . Ole Einar Bjorndalen of Norway won the pursuit for his record 60th career biathlon victory, and Anna Carin Olofsson of Sweden took the women's pursuit at a World Cup meet in Kontiolahti, Finland. Bjorndalen outkicked Raphael Poiree of France on the final straightaway to win the 12.5-kilometer cross-country race in 36 minutes 18 seconds to win his sixth race of the season. He missed three targets. Olofsson, winner of six events this season, covered the women's 10K in 33:53.6.

Janica Kostelic of Croatia won the women's World Cup giant slalom finale in Are, Sweden, and broke the record of Sweden's Pernilla Wiberg for points in a season. Kostelic, who clinched the World Cup overall title Thursday, ended the season with 1,970 points after the last of 36 races. Wiberg had 1,960 points in the 1996-97 season . . . Markus Larsson of Sweden posted his first World Cup win in the final slalom of the season, and the United States finished with three men in the top 10 of the overall standings for the first time. Larsson, second after the opening run, went down the Gastrappet course in windy and rainy conditions in a two-run combined time of 1:41.35. In the final standings, Bode Miller was third with 928 points with Daron Rahlves fourth (903), and Ted Ligety ninth (636) . . . Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Heil of Canada won her third straight overall World Cup moguls title after finishing second to Nikola Sudova of the Czech Republic in Penticton, British Columbia. Dale Begg-Smith, a Canadian who competes for Australia, won the men's event as well as the overall title.

Miscellany

Jay Heaps scored off an indirect free kick in the penalty area in the 70th minute as the New England Revolution tied Alajuelense's reserve team, 1-1, in a preseason game in Alajuela, Costa Rica. Alajuelense scored in the first half on a penalty kick. The game was halted by the referee after 85 minutes. The Revolution are 3-1-2 in the preseason . . . Thailand's Somsak Sithchatchawal twice knocked down France's Mahyar Monshipour and stopped him in the 10th round in Paris to capture Monshipour's World Boxing Association super bantamweight title. The Iranian-born Monshipour, who will turn 31 Tuesday, retired after the bout. He finished his career with a 28-3-2 record. Somsak dropped a weary Monshipour in the 10th with a series of left uppercuts, and the referee stopped the bout. The Thai improved to 46-1-1 with 37 knockouts . . . Johny Hendricks set off Oklahoma State's celebration of its fourth straight national title when he scored a takedown with four seconds left to beat Michigan's Ryan Churella, 9-8, in the 165-pound finals in Oklahoma City. Jake Rosholt became the 15th OSU wrestler to win three national titles and the Cowboys had 122 1/2 points for their 34th overall title. Minnesota was second with 84 points and Oklahoma was third with 80 1/2.