And just for the record, scouts are salaried employees. There are also 'bird dogs' who operate on a fee basis. They're usually working for a scout and they work a particular area of the country (or another country). They aren't on salary, but they get paid for finding players who the scout feels are worth paying for.

Right, yes. I'd love to have a job like that, though I'm sure that kind of job has tremendous pressures.

Between innings, my friend and I tried to strike up a conversation with one of the scouts, but he basically wouldn't talk to us.