It was something of a who’s who list when stars and scouts gathered at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel in Century City in Los Angeles. The event was the Pro Baseball Scouts Foundation’s In the Spirit of Game sports extravaganza.

White Sox executive Dennis Gilbert organized the evening and also answered phones. The woes of the economy didn’t seem to permeate the atmosphere as all the tables were full at this fundraising effort designed to help baseball scouts in need.

Attendees enjoyed entertainment, baseball memorabilia and opportunities to purchase sports and entertainment memorabilia at silent and live auctions that we held at the event. Major League Baseball’s 30 organizations help out in any way they can. Hosted by Ron Dibble and renowned actors Brendan Fraser and Don Johnson, the atmosphere was warm, friendly and appreciative of the scouts, who were front and center tonight for their work and love of the game.

During the evening, the foundation honored Goose Gossage, John Harrington, Whitey Herzog, the Alou family and George Brett. “Dennis gave me an award tonight and I told him you don’t have to give me an award because I’m coming back every year because it’s a great event,” Hall of Famer Brett said.

Jerry Reinsdorf believes that the event has become bigger than he ever imagined. The Reinsdorf organization has remained one of the biggest supporters of the foundation. “These people need help more than anyone else.”

Attendees consider Dennis Gilbert’s efforts remarkable. Gilbert works to enlist the support of the entire baseball community for what is a worthwhile cause. “Scouts are a part of baseball history and they’re undercompensated, underappreciated and this helps offset a little bit,” Gilbert said.

With the Hyatt’s excellent cuisine and plenty of atmosphere for all, there was little doubt that attendees enjoyed the event and were likely to return next year. Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was in attendance for the third year in a row. “This is a wonderful testament and honor to the people who give their lives to baseball and are the life blood of baseball.”

Gilbert attributes the success to the support he receives. “We have a lot of support, a lot of momentum,” Gilbert said, “We just have wonderful people around us and a great board of directors. You can’t lose to those people.”

With another successful year of the event under his belt, we suspect that Gilbert will only revel in the success of this year’s event for a moment before he begins planning for next year’s event. Event planners understand that these things don’t just happen. They take effort and initiative and if anyone knows, it’s Gilbert.

As items were auctioned off and donations made, it became clear that the love of baseball is still very much alive and kicking. Stars and talent scouts along with some of the industry movers and shakers made the event a huge success.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *