Dodgers on the Web: Scouts dinner to honor several Dodgers

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The Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation is hosting its annual ‘Spirit of the Game’ fundraising dinner and auction at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on Saturday. Ticket information: 818-224-3906.

Several scouts and former players will be saluted, and here are a few stories written about the honorees in connection to the event:

-- The Times’ Bill Shaikin has a nice overview of the reasons behind the dinner and the effect advanced baseball statistics have had on scouts.

-- Times columnist Bill Dwyre checks in with another honoree, Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, probably the greatest catcher ever.

-- Bob Nightengale of USA Today has an excellent piece on veteran Dodgers scout Carl Loewnstine, who is battling bone cancer but still at work.

-- Daily News columnist Tom Hoffarth has a story featuring ground-breaking orthopedic surgeon Frank Jobe, who pioneered the Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery and remains a special advisor to Frank McCourt.

-- Dodgers.com’s Ken Gurnick looks at Tim Wallach’s family, which also will receive an award.

-- Here’s another general overview of the dinner at MLB.com, which is worth a look just to see the picture from last year’s event that shows Commissioner Bud Selig with his arm around McCourt and foundation founder Dennis Gilbert, one of those who now wants to purchase the Dodgers.

Also on the Web:

-- Shaikin writes that Selig could be haunted by the way he has allowed McCourt to sell the Dodgers. -- Shaikin, ever busy on this, also has two more billionaires who are interested in purchasing the team: Beverly Hills developer Alan Casden and Tom Barrack, who heads $34-billion investment firm Colony Capital in Santa Monica.

Warned you to keep your would-be owners scorecard in pencil.

-- Hall of Fame sports writer Ross Newhan thinks that, as a final annoyance to MLB, McCourt should sign Prince Fielder.

-- Fox Sports’ Mike Martinez looks at Dodgers minor league pitcher of the year Shawn Tolleson, who hopes to join his former Texas traveling squad teammate Clayton Kershaw on the Dodgers.

-- Eric Stephen of True Blue LA takes a detailed look at Clayton Kershaw’s chances in arbitration. He guesses Kershaw could earn $8.5 million.

-- Casey Blake tells Rockies.com’s Thomas Harding that he is confident he’s healthy and can give Colorado a productive season.

-- Kershaw has been named the LA Sports Council’s Sportsman of the Year. He is the first Dodger to earn the award in its eight-year history.

-- The Red Sox are apparently thinking about signing reliever Vicente Padilla.

-- Steve Dilbeck