# I have a baseball mitt with Jim Rodger's sig. Who is/was he? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 3, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881 "2008-05-03T13:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/1 "2008-05-03T13:55:20Z")
I have before me the first baseball mitt that was ever bought for me. The brand is Hutch, it was made in Korea. It was bought new in the greater New York City metropolitan area, probably in 1972-1973. It has the signature of someone named Jim Rodgers (spelled with a “d”) on it but I have been unable to find any information on a former MLB player with that name. Even at the time I remember wondering who the heck he was. Can anyone help? (Now that I look closely at the extremely faded signature it could possibly be “Tim Rodgers”. Still can’t find any info). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/2 "2008-05-03T14:16:13Z")
Well, he coached the Boston Celtics for awhile, but I doubt that’s the same guy. Can you photograph it and put it online? ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/3 "2008-05-03T14:23:39Z")
[QUOTE=Mahaloth] Well, he coached the Boston Celtics for awhile, but I doubt that’s the same guy. Can you photograph it and put it online? [/QUOTE] You’ve heard about the guy who doesn’t own a digital camera or cell phone? That last guy in North America without one? That’s me. I thought about the Celtics coach. Would it be possible at that time that someone who was succesful in one sport might try to cross their brand, as it were, over to another sport? Or maybe it was someone who never played MLB? A college star, maybe? Or not a real person, like Betty Crocker? ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/4 "2008-05-03T14:25:50Z")
I just found on eBay a listing for a Hutch Jim Rodgers lefty glove: [http://cgi.ebay.com/HUTCH-Jim-Rodgers-Field-Master-ballglove-lefty-VG\_W0QQitemZ200206261300QQihZ010QQcategoryZ27945QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ\_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247](http://cgi.ebay.com/HUTCH-Jim-Rodgers-Field-Master-ballglove-lefty-VG_W0QQitemZ200206261300QQihZ010QQcategoryZ27945QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247) It looks very similar to mine, but not identical (mine’s a righty FWIW). ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/5 "2008-05-03T16:17:49Z")
Did you try Wikipedia? [Jim Rodgers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Rogers_%2819th_century_baseball_player%29) May not be the guy, but maybe… Joe ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/6 "2008-05-03T16:31:31Z")
Except that he spells his name differently and died 70 years before the mitt was made… 🙂 Since there has never been a Jim Rodgers in major league baseball, I figure it is either just some guy who owned the mitt, or at best a minor leaguer who was never called up. If it was a baseball mitt signed by _Jimmie Rodgers_, that would be cool. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/7 "2008-05-03T17:38:06Z")
Best I could find is a book on [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) by Mel Stottlemyre that mentions a coach named Jim Rodgers. At first I thought that Hutch may have sold gloves with custom signatures, but there are too many on eBay for that. Seems so odd to sell a glove with a no-name signature. I’m hooked. Who the hell is Jim Rodgers? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/8 "2008-05-03T17:49:50Z")
Oh, maybe I misunderstood when I offered my theory… is the name STAMPED on the mitt, as opposed to actually being written in ink? ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/9 "2008-05-03T21:33:16Z")
[QUOTE=cricetus] Except that he spells his name differently and died 70 years before the mitt was made… 🙂 [/QUOTE] Hmmm… I swear that the wikipedia entry WAS spelled with a D in the name… :rolleyes: Joe ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/10 "2008-05-04T18:20:28Z")
I have no answers, but my only guess was that it could have been the designer of that model. In any case, for a more authoritative answer, try at this site: [http://www.vintagebaseballgloveforum.com/phpBB2/](http://www.vintagebaseballgloveforum.com/phpBB2/) If they can’t help you, then I doubt that anyone can. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/11 "2008-05-05T11:13:45Z")
[QUOTE=cricetus] Oh, maybe I misunderstood when I offered my theory… is the name STAMPED on the mitt, as opposed to actually being written in ink? [/QUOTE] Sorry if that wasn’t clear, but yes. I am the first and only owner of the mitt. It came new from the store with the signature already on it. It’s part of the markings the manufacturer stamped on it. **Neptunian Slug** I will try that forum. If I get any kind of an answer I will report back here. [QUOTE=Blank Slate] Seems so odd to sell a glove with a no-name signature. [/QUOTE] I’ve always thought so too! > [@](#): > > I’m hooked.. Good, I’m not alone in my torment. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/12 "2008-05-05T11:53:50Z")
Did the glove look like this? [http://cgi.ebay.com/HUTCH-Jim-Rodgers-Field-Master-ballglove-lefty-VG\_W0QQitemZ200206261300QQihZ010QQcategoryZ27945QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ\_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247](http://cgi.ebay.com/HUTCH-Jim-Rodgers-Field-Master-ballglove-lefty-VG_W0QQitemZ200206261300QQihZ010QQcategoryZ27945QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247) I’m stumped, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-baseball-mitt-with-jim-rodgers-sig-who-is-was-he/447881/13 "2008-05-05T13:44:58Z")
[QUOTE=astorian] Did the glove look like this? > **[Pardon Our Interruption...](https://www.ebay.com/splashui/challenge?ap=1&appName=orch&ru=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FHUTCH-Jim-Rodgers-Field-Master-ballglove-lefty-VG_W0QQitemZ200206261300QQihZ010QQcategoryZ27945QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247&iid=30b965b7-05c1-4750-849e-d216adefbe75&iim=rMTg0LjM&iia=ICEwNS45jB&iiz=FXLOS4xMDA*ziE)** I’m stumped, myself. [/QUOTE] Yes, that is the same eBay listing I linked to in my third post in this thread. It’s essentially identical except for being a lefty glove, mine is a righty. Also mine is in worse shape, all the lettering on mine is much more faded. There might be slight differences between that one and mine in the design of the webbing, I don’t have mine here with me right now to check. You can see the “Jim Rodgers” signature quite clearly if you click on the large picture, it is the same as the signature in my glove.