Jeez, really?  I have a hard time comparing psycho parents to a psycho government.  The psycho government angle is a little more obtrusive, no?  A little more controlling?  Maybe it’s my general suspicion of government, any government, but “bureaucratic scouts” sound more dangerous than “wacked out parents”...not that I agree with packaging one’s 10-year old to be part of a traveling circus - I don’t.  Perhaps it’s the scope of potential damage - a few kids vs. a nation of kids - that makes the difference for me.

Maybe I’m really twisted, but I don’t see it as unnatural.  If you find (or have) a kid with a gift, no matter what gift is is, wouldn’t you do everything you could to help that child reach their uppermost potential?

And given the combination of incredible riches to be earned (though not as much IN Cuba) and the unspeakable poverty, the pressure to develop those talents has got to be severe.

Whacked out parents are those whose kids DON’T have the rarest of abilities, but THINK they do.  Those are the crazy ones, yelling at their kids to do things they just aren’t capable of doing.  Or those who try to push kids who don’t have the interest or desire to do what the parents THINK they should do.

Jason,

    Wouldn’t you agree that even if a kid had that rare ability, and the parents were still obsessed with “nurturing” that gift to the point that the kid misses out on everything else life has to offer, those parents would be whacked out too?  We’re talking about not only the kid’s future, but his present life as well.  Would you prefer a talented kid “grow-up” and be as well adjusted as ARod?  Of course not.  There should be balance.

    Let’s also not forget that many, many kids have rare ability with respect to playing baseball.  That still doesn’t mean they should 1) have to sacrifice the rest of their lives to cultivate baseball skills, or 2) that intense “nurturing” will lead to a major league roster spot.

I don’t know how I’d deal with it because I have seen my kids catch and it’s not a worry of mine!

I’ve been to Cuba and the Cubans are dirt poor.  I wonder if the government should allocate the resources they devote to producing elite baseball players on something else. 

We see it across all nations but I don’t have pride in my country tied up in our sports accomplishments.  I think it’s lame.