IBL to shorten season, launch winter league in latest shakeup

Israel's beleaguered professional baseball league has unveiled a new plan for survival. The Israel Baseball League says it is scaling back its upcoming season to a brief exhibition series next month, but then plans to launch a winter league and return at full strength next summer. The shakeup is the latest twist in the league's short but tumultuous history. Just last month, the league said it was coming back for a second season after an inaugural campaign that left it on the brink of collapse. At the time, it said four teams would compete, down from six last year, and the season would be cut in half to 20 games. But league official David Solomont says management decided a "festival-style" tournament pitting Israeli and international players would be the best way to generate fan interest.