This assistance comes in the form of financial grants raised through year-round donations and the foundation’s annual “In the Spirit of the Game” dinner and sports memorabilia auction. The foundation’s board of directors, the members of which include baseball executives, scouts, and sports writers, allocates this money based on a monthly review of grant applications.

Members consider factors such as the scout’s current income, how well it meets basic living expenses, and special circumstances like health problems that may limit or altogether eliminate his ability to work.

Only job of its kind

“The problem is that being a scout is like being king; it trains you for nothing else,” says Gilbert, who worked as a baseball agent representing players like George Brett and Barry Bonds before joining the White Sox in 2000. “Many of these guys are in their 50s and 60s living paycheck to paycheck at $35,000 a year, so they’re hit hard if they lose their jobs or can’t work.”

Case in point

 This is a painful reality for scouts like Tom Romenesko, whose wife suffered a major stroke just before spring training in 2006. Save for some independent work last season with the Philadelphia Phillies, assisting in her recovery has been his full-time job. With no income and expenses mounting beyond the mortgage value of their house, Romenesko turned to the Scouts Foundation for help.

“Several members of the baseball community knew that we were in a bind, and they encouraged me to submit an application,” says Romenesko, whose career includes 10 years with the San Diego Padres and acquisitions such as Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and All-Star second baseman Roberto Alomar. “The Scouts Foundation really stepped in and rescued us, especially with the cost of the medical insurance.”

Deserving recognition

Romenesko’s story is one of many. Every year, the foundation delivers as much as $200,000 in aid to scouts in danger of losing everything from their health care to their homes. But it gives them something else that even the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in its 69-year existence, hasn’t—recognition.

“Scouts are incredibly important to baseball, and helping those who need support is our way of singing their praises,” says Roland Hemond, an executive with the Arizona Diamondbacks and a member of the foundation’s board of directors. “A team’s success emanates from the players it signs, which ultimately leads back to the scouts’ ability to evaluate players and project their capabilities.”

What makes a good scout

The 57-year baseball veteran’s words paint a portrait of scouting that extends beyond the statistics of batting and earned run averages. It requires an intuition for the subtleties of character and psychology that are just as important to a player’s success as his physical ability on the field.

Scouts look for enthusiasm and commitment in pre-game warm-ups. They meet with players and their families to see if they have the temperament and emotional stability needed to withstand the rigors of long seasons in 50,000-seat ballparks. They’re exploring a human element that numbers can’t produce.

“That’s what scouts do,” Hemond says. “They make your organization look really good.” And for scouts like Romenesko, the foundation is a tribute to that contribution and a testament to the small community that many call the big leagues.

“We’ve been known to misinform each other about specific players, but off the field we look after one another,” he says. “When you’re hurting, there are just a whole lot of wonderful people who come together to help.”

Indeed, the members of baseball are looking out for the birddogs who spent a lifetime looking out for them.