Dominican League Documentary

Thought some of you might be interested . . . I interviewed a person who is behind the team responsible fo the documentary Pelotero, which should be coming out this fall in the Festival circuits after a re-edit.  These guys were given some publicity last year via Sports Illustrated.  A good deal of their focus is Miguel Angel Sano Jean from a publicity standpoint.  Anyway, he provided some interesting comments in this interview.

The interview contains a rough cut of an 8 minute segment of the film.  Also, if you can, they are accepting tax deductible donations to finish the project.

http://camdendepot.blogspot.com/2010/02/pelotero-interview-with-one-of-films.html

Quick clarification—the term ‘buscon’ has become something of a derogatory term implying corruption, lying and cheating. The majority of trainers in the Dominican Republic prefer the term 'entrenador' or trainer.
There is no barrier to entry to become a trainer in the Dominican Republic. The are thousands of trainers across the country ranging in seriousness and experience. Some begin grooming their sons or nephews in the streets and will hand that player off when they begin to show some promise, while others have neatly manicured complexes with state of the art facilities. Many of the thriving programs are run by ex-players who know how to teach kids, and who surround themselves with talented specialized coaches. Trainers will begin scouting players as young as 12, and enrolling them in their program. Trainers find players in two main ways. First, they maintain a close network with other coaches of little leagues for younger ages who will alert them to any special talents. Secondly, once a trainer is established within a community family members will bringtheir eligible players to try out. Spots in the better programs are highly desired and often competitive.