Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2015 April 3

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April 3

Catcher's Mitt

I have a catcher's mitt that I simply cannot determine the origin of. It has a tag that reads "Made in Japan" and "Kingsbury Base Ball equipment" (sic on baseball being 2 words). It also says "Ray Doyle autograph". All I've found on the internet is an auction of another glove with an "Art Rizzo" autograph. Neither Art Rizzo nor Ray Doyle ever seem to have played in MLB. (I'm aware there is a Ray Doyle who played 3rd base in the minors). Anyone know about the glove or the company? Or the autographers? Thedoorhinge (talk) 10:18, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

I can confirm, from Retrosheet,[1] that there has never been a Ray Doyle or Art Rizzo in the majors. Do you know how old that mitt is? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:50, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

It's not ancient. Roughly 1960.Thedoorhinge (talk) 07:58, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

I would suggest that "Ray Doyle" is the person who designed the glove. That might possibly be the minor league player, too. It's not uncommon for the designer of a product to autograph it. They might think that adds to the value of the item, if potential customers assume "Ray Doyle" must be somebody famous. StuRat (talk) 19:27, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Nice try, but I'm not trading my Joe Shlabotnik personally autographed bat for no Doyle mitt. Clarityfiend (talk) 20:58, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Or it could be that they made up both names, figuring that customers would assume they were famuos people; that way they wouldn't have to pay any real players. I'm vaguely reminded of the way that American† companies have souvenir T-shirts and other memorabilia produced commemorating both teams in a major championship as the winners, and then have to dispose of the ones commemorating the losing team. Those souvenirs generally end up in third-world countries where not many people would follow American sports enough to care who won.

†Here I say American because that's where I've heard about it happening, but presumably it's done in many other countries as well.

--65.95.176.148 (talk) 00:59, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

TF Cello

Hello everyone. It's been a while that I've been saving for a Cello to buy-my first one-and now that it's the time, the major brand I can find in the shops is the so-called "TF". The fact is I couldn't find it on the internet. I could order it from online shops but the problem is the instrument must be heard and the difficulties for delivering makes the decision-making hard. I've hardly saved 1,500 dollars so far. What's your suggestion? Thanks in advance. Princilll (talk) 18:55, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Do you live near a large city ? If so, it might be worth the trip to check out their offerings. Comparing the cost of the cello to the cost of the drive, I think spending 1% ($15) the cost of the cello to travel further and do more in-person comparisons makes sense. I'd also do phone work, first, though, to ensure that they have cellos you can check out and compare when you arrive, and have maps all set so you can get to as many music stores as possible. Be sure you know their hours, too. You might also ask other cellists near you where they bought theirs.

Oh, and you might want to bring your own bow, in case the bow they provide at each location is different, possibly complicating the comparison of the cellos. Also, if not obvious, you want to try every possible note on each cello, in case you get buzzing at a certain frequency, due to a production defect. And if you try out one, decide to buy it, then they bring out another one from the back, saying the floor model you tested is exactly like it: Don't believe them ! Insist on testing the actual unit you will buy, or walk out. StuRat (talk) 19:22, 3 April 2015 (UTC)