buscon

n. (in the Dominican Republic) a facilitator for legal or bureaucratic matters, such as a job recruiter for organizations in the United States or a baseball scout. Also buscone. Subjects: Spanish, Dominican Republic, United States, Baseball, Sports & Recreation

Editorial Note: The form buscone is an Anglophone back-formation from the Spanish plural buscones. The bracketed items in the 1996 citation are found in the original text. Etymological Note: From the Spanish buscón ‘rogue,’ ‘cheat,’ ‘pettifogger,’ with the etymological connection to buscar ‘to search’ probably also coming into play.

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Citations: 1991 Gregory Katz @ Bon Repos Repatriation Center, Haiti Dallas Morning News (Oct. 25) “Haitians feel oppression from Dominican bias” p. 1A: The new system calls for Dominican and Haitian buscones, or recruiters, to go to Haiti and promise workers easy money, good housing and soft jobs. 1996 Bill Chastain Tampa Tribune (Florida) (Jan. 28) “Dominican connections benefit Rays”: “Whenever you sign one of their players you have to pay {the buscone} $500 or $1,000. Either that or they will take it off {the prospect’s} bonus.” 1998 Gordon Edes @ San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic Boston Globe (Mar. 27) “Red Sox Are Digging Deeply Into One Of The Richest Troves Of Talent Anywhere” p. F3: “But now if you don’t sign a player on the day he tries out, the buscon will take him to another team,” Norman said. “And now, some buscones are going to agents instead.” 2002 Jim Salisbury Philadelphia Inquirer (Penn.) (July 23) “Search for Dominican talent no longer a hit-or-miss affair”: Throw a scout, an agent, a coach and an entrepreneur into a blender, then mix, and you have a buscone (boo-SCONE-ay). 2003 Efe News Services (Sept. 18) “La Ligas Mayores quieren poner control sobre agentes dominicanos” (in Washington, D.C.): La proliferacion de “buscones,” refleja el crecimiento de la actividad de los cazatalentos en la Republica Dominicana, de donde salen al menos una cuarta parte de los peloteros que juegan bajo contrato en equipos de las Grandes Ligas. 2004 Ed Price Baseball America ESPN (May 8) “Rosario Signing Raises Red Flag”: They paid $100,000 to Ivan Noboa—a “buscone,” or independent developer of talent in the Dominican—and gave Rosario a $400,000 bonus. 2004 German Marte Hoy (Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep.) (July 17) “Denuncian anomalías obtener documentos”: Obtener una acta de nacimiento en la Oficialía Civil de la Segunda Circunscripción del Distrito Nacional es una verdadera odisea para cualquiera, “a menos que usted se cantee con RD$350 y le pague a un buscón,” denunciaron ayer varias personas. 2004 Matt Lockhart Charleston Daily Mail (West Va.) (July 21) “Some Alley Cats still learning to talk the talk”: Signing is also a major issue currently in the Dominican Republic. Talent hunters, buscones as they call them, journey the streets and fields for ambitious ball players. Buscones promise a chance at professional baseball, but it comes at a price. While agents in the United States charge around five percent of a client’s signing bonus and salary, buscones have been known to demand more than 35 percent. *2004 US State Dept. US Embassy, Dom. Rep. (Aug. 4) “Cuidado con los Buscones”: Estamos seguros de que no tiene dinero para desperdiciar, y nosotros en la Sección Consular no queremos que usted se convierta en víctima de los buscones y tigueres que hacen promesas que no pueden cumplir.

Posted 10 Aug 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

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This is the baddest baseball player that I have met yet!, and you know who I am! JANICE, Your Love!

by Janice Brice 06 Sep 06, 0909 GMT