The full AP story on the Israel Baseball League's announcement that it plans to stage a four-team, three-week, 20-game "season" this summer

"'The goal of having a
three-week season this summer
is to keep the momentum going'..."

"League officials said they were already
in the process of paying the bills..."

"An official at Channel 5 TV,
which broadcast the games last year,
said the station still had not been paid
its sizable debt owed by the league
and has not been contacted
by the new management..."

"The league said its long-term goal is
to sell its teams to individual owners..."

"The league... has added... Gary Woolf,
a Boston businessman who formerly
headed the sports management agency
founded by his late father, superagent Bob Woolf..."

"Baras, the league founder, is not expected
to be involved in day to day operations..."

Israel baseball league
says it will return
after tumultuous
first season

By JOSEF FEDERMAN (Associated Press Writer)

JERUSALEM - Israel's professional baseball league on Thursday announced that it is coming back for a second season after a tumultuous inaugural campaign that left it on the brink of collapse.

The Israel Baseball League said it would begin play on July 27, about a month behind its original schedule and in abbreviated form. The league will consist of four teams, down from six last year, and the length of the season is being cut in half to 20 games.

Still, simply returning to the ball field is an accomplishment for the fledgling league, which suffered from low attendance, financial difficulties and a mass defection of executive board members last year.

"While it is important to acknowledge, correct and learn from the mistakes that happened in year one, at the same time, we cannot lose sight of the incredible accomplishments that were attained in a short period of time," said Dan Rootenberg, a former player who is the league's new president.

"The goal of having a three-week season this summer is to keep the momentum going, build on the fan base that was created last summer ... and bring back the high level of talent," he said. "We hope that all of this will lay the groundwork for a 45-game-season in 2009 and beyond."

In a statement, the league said it has received financial backing from a group of Boston businessman to pay off its remaining debts, including some unpaid player salaries, and provide funds for future play.

The league was founded by Larry Baras, a Boston bagel maker with a love for baseball and Israel.

His dream was to introduce the great American pastime to the Holy Land, attract youngsters to the sport and eventually develop a stable of high-level local players. He gathered a high-powered lineup of U.S. businessmen, baseball executives and Jewish former major leaguers to help.

The biggest challenge to the league was generating fan interest. With its slow pace and complicated rules, baseball is little more than a curiosity to most Israelis, who prefer soccer and basketball.

After its Opening Day game attracted several thousand fans, attendance quickly dropped. Most fans were American expatriates, and despite a family-friendly atmosphere modeled on U.S. minor league baseball, turnout at some games was only a few dozen people.

The league ran up a six-figure deficit, a manager quit during the season, players nearly went on strike when they weren't paid on time and a TV deal collapsed due to financial difficulties. After the season, a string of board members, including the commissioner, resigned amid questions about league finances. The troubles fueled persistent rumors that the league would fold.

But the league also enjoyed many successes on the field. The quality of play was high, thanks to the large number of U.S. and Latin American players with college and minor-league experience. There was a loyal fan base, and 14 athletes went on to sign professional contracts, several with affiliates of big league clubs.

Almost all of the 120 players were foreigners who lived in dormitory-style accommodations. About a dozen players were Israeli.

Dan Duquette, the former Red Sox general manager who is the league's director of player development, said the 2008 rosters would include many players from last year and others picked up from tryout camps held in the U.S. during the off season.

He said the league plans to work "on a grass roots level, which if properly cultivated should help us become a viable international professional league."

Duquette has said he hoped to help Israel field a team for the 2009 World Baseball Classic. In an e-mail interview, he said the classic remains a goal, though Israel may not be ready for next year's tournament.

While the league has lost many key executives, it also has added some new faces. They include Gary Woolf, a Boston businessman who formerly headed the sports management agency founded by his late father, superagent Bob Woolf.

Woolf, who now runs a consulting firm, said he hoped to help the league grow by attracting sponsors, seeking media partners, and strengthening ties with U.S. Major League Baseball and local Israeli officials.

"We have to figure out how to go beyond the initial seed, how to bring attention from around the world to this league," he said.

League officials said they were already in the process of paying the bills.

An official at Channel 5 TV, which broadcast the games last year, said the station still had not been paid its sizable debt owed by the league and has not been contacted by the new management. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he expects negotiations to begin soon, said he hoped to settle the debt and be involved with Israeli baseball again.

The league said its long-term goal is to sell its teams to individual owners. Baras, the league founder, is not expected to be involved in day to day operations.