High school quarterbacks get reality check

Eight high school quarterbacks, including an undisclosed player from Anaheim, are competing in a new reality show in which they vie to become the nation’s best under-the-radar standout.

The quarterbacks participating in “The Ride” will undergo intense training and instruction, with the winner potentially earning a college scholarship and a roster spot in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Instructors include Tom Martinez, Tom Brady’s mentor since age 12; former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mike Kruczek; and former Cincinnati Bengals coach Sam Wyche.

The show, which will be broadcast on FS West starting this fall, tests the theory that great quarterbacks can be made.

“Our instructors have trained the likes of Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Drew Brees and Matt Ryan, to name a few,” said Rich McGuinness, the show’s creator and president of SportsLink. “And they believe they can make one of these eight kids an All-American, truly giving him a life-changing opportunity.”

That, or they’ll turn them into fodder for the New York Post and Star Magazine.

Trivia time

Which Anaheim Servite quarterback went on to become a Pro Bowl selection?

Dogging it

Advocates for the homeless will be pleased to know that the Dodgers donate leftover food from Dodger Stadium to the needy.

According to team spokesman Josh Rawitch, Dodger Stadium has worked with the Midnight Mission for more than a decade, with a mission representative sorting through leftovers after each game alongside an agent from Levy, the Dodgers’ concessionaire.

The mission picks up food that is packaged, including Dodger Dogs and Panda Express. Rawitch said items that are deemed unhealthy or contain little nutritional value are not used.

It’s good to know that Dodger Dogs are packed with nutrients.

Angelic intentions

The Angels also donate to the homeless. According to Tim Mead, the Angels’ vice president for communications, the team works closely with Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County to provide leftover food from the clubhouse on a daily basis. The team is investigating other possibilities as far as donating stadium food surplus, Mead said.

If Arte Moreno can lower beer prices, donating leftovers seems about as difficult as paying standout shortstop Erick Aybar slightly more than the MLB minimum.

Trivia answer

Steve Beuerlein.

And finally

Sports blogger Paul Oberjuerge, having witnessed Ben Johnson’s world-record performance in the 100 meters at the 1987 track and field world championships that was later vacated because of steroid use, isn’t convinced that Usain Bolt’s record of 9.58 seconds was accomplished without some, well, assistance.

“Right now, track enthusiasts, innocent as babes, many of them, so much want to believe they are watching something both sensational and natural,” Oberjuerge wrote. “ . . . I wouldn’t mind believing Usain Bolt is the greatest sprinter in the history of the planet. I just can’t believe he is.”

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ben.bolch@latimes.com