.c The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Hoping to restore the supremacy of Cuban amateur baseball, officials on the island have scrapped the system of playing two seasons a year, returning to single, longer season.
The Communist Party daily Granma reported the change Wednesday. It comes after several months of soul-searching by Cuban sports officials concerned by recent defeats in international tournaments that had long been dominated by Cuba.
Officials hope the new system will stimulate greater competition domestically and ease conflicts with international tournaments. It will also produce a clear national champion each year.
The new 92-game season begins Nov. 15 and ends March 26. There are two eight-team leagues each divided into two groups of four. Each team plays 52 games within its own league and 40 against teams of the other league.
Eight teams enter the playoffs: the four group champions and the four other teams with the best records.
In recent years, Cuba had two baseball seasons. The National Series of about 65 games ran from November to early March. It was followed by the Revolution Cup of about 30 to 35 games, with fewer teams competing, which ended in May.
In August, Cuba's 10-year string of victories in the Intercontinental Cup ended with an 11-2 defeat to Japan, shocking Cuban fans.
Cuba struggled before winning gold at the 1996 Olympics and its teams have lost several other recent games abroad.
Cuban baseball has been exclusively amateur since the early 1960s and the country has dominated international amateur baseball tournaments, its teams dotted with Major League-caliber players.
But scores of players have left the island over the past five years to turn professional, some with government permission, a few others defecting in hopes of playing in the Major Leagues.
AP-NY-10-29-97 1410EST