Another Astro color thread

[oldschoolvikings]

I'm just hoping someone will say something insulting and start another giant fight, but...

Can anyone tell me what color the Astro's road uniform from the mid 80s was? I seem to remember them wearing a uni with the rainbow down the sleeves, and I could barely tell the difference between home and road. I don't know if such a pic exists but it'd be nice to see the two jerseys together, side by side. Doesn't MLB have some sort of rules as to what constitutes a legitimate road color? You know the NFL would.

[Lee.]

Home was white, road was cream.

Not much of a distinction, but there it is. This is assuming, of course, you mean the uniforms immediately after the elimination of the rainbow, and the switch to navy with orange rather than the other way around.

I've been a 'Stros fan longer than a Cubs fan. I know these things.

[TruColor]

Got it right 'chere:

[cheo25]

The road cream uniform "rainbow sleeves" debuted in the middle of the 1980 season, which is also when they brought back the navy blue cap on the road. They had a white version of the "rainbow sleeves" they wore at home on Sundays (with the navy blue cap) from 1982 until the "rainbow guts" was retired after the 1986 season. The navy blue cap came back full-time during the 1984 season (I think, definitely '85 at the latest). Buttons and belts were added in 1989 to both the home white and road cream versions.

[KrazyHorse]

Courtesy of baseballhalloffame.org, these are the 1987 uniforms...

[BBM]

So basically the Stros road unis were the same color as the Giants' home uniforms are now?

[swisherHOU]

Pretty much. I call it urine stain yellow.

[TruColor]

So basically the Stros road unis were the same color as the Giants' home uniforms are now?

Very close...a 50% tint of PANTONE 468 C for the Astros, and PANTONE (Pastel) 9061 C for the Giants (and Diamondbacks as well).

[oldschoolvikings]

OK... then that brings up another question. Was there ever a road version of the rainbow bellies? Okkonen has a light gray one from 75 to 80, but I sure don't remember it. Is it possible they just wore the same uni, home and road? Has that EVER hapened?

[cheo25]

No, there was no "road version" of the rainbow guts. The color of the pants were the same and the top portion of the rainbow guts was the same, too. Any video of the Astros on the road or home from that era shows no difference in home and road uniforms.

1979 Astros recap -- roughly 2 1/2 minutes (best to save as download)

Without going way back, just in the '70s alone, the A's had beaten the Astros to the punch on having uniforms that were worn home and away. When the A's switched to colored pullovers in the early 70s, they wore white pants with them for the most part (although there is the footage of Vida Blue wearing an all-yellow outfit with the pullover tops in the '75 All-Star Game), even on the road.

[TruColor]

According to official documents, they used a very light Gray:

[Gothamite]

No, there was no "road version" of the rainbow guts. The color of the pants were the same and the top portion of the rainbow guts was the same, too. Any video of the Astros on the road or home from that era shows no difference in home and road uniforms.

1979 Astros recap -- roughly 2 1/2 minutes (best to save as download)

Without going way back, just in the '70s alone, the A's had beaten the Astros to the punch on having uniforms that were worn home and away. When the A's switched to colored pullovers in the early 70s, they wore white pants with them for the most part (although there is the footage of Vida Blue wearing an all-yellow outfit with the pullover tops in the '75 All-Star Game), even on the road.

Thanks for the link to that video - very cool!

One quibble with it, though.

"Native son Nolan Ryan, who would look very good indeed in the Astros colors"

Nobody looked good in those colors.

[BBM]

WHAA??

How could you NOT look good in this:

Oh the 70s, how I weep for thee...

[TruColor]

Oh the 70s, how I weep for thee...

No kidding.

As someone who grew up in the '70s, I'm still at a loss why so many of the fashion trends of that trainwreck of an era are suddenly now "kewl". Especially the hairstyles and the flair/bell-bottom jeans.

I thought we were trying to forget that it ever happened.

[Bouj]

Actually, all due respect to PANTONE, but I believe the correct description of the 80's Astros road jerseys was "dingy". Not quite "sweatstain", but close.

Good memories of those unis, but not sad to see them go.

[Lee.]

WHAA??

How could you NOT look good in this:

Oh the 70s, how I weep for thee...

K, Now I'm at a loss.

Didn't they also have a standard navy block-number style?

I confuse easily, help me out here, Panny...

[leopard88]

WHAA??

How could you NOT look good in this:

Oh the 70s, how I weep for thee...

Does anyone else think that the sort of old-fashioned number font looks completely out of place on these jerseys?

And, I must admit that 7-year-old me thought those uniforms were awesome when they were introduced. Now, not so much. Then, again, I also loved the Braves early '70s uniforms with the feather on the sleeve. Now, not so much.

[DG_YouKnowWhatThatMeans]

And, I must admit that 7-year-old me thought those uniforms were awesome when they were introduced. Now, not so much. Then, again, I also loved the Braves early '70s uniforms with the feather on the sleeve. Now, not so much.

Is it a bad thing that, as a 24-year-old, I still think they look pretty good? Both these and the successor, toned-down uniforms are the best looks the Astros ever had.

Of course, I'm not a fan of the current set and the "radical" mid-90s set wasn't anything spectaular to me either.

[leopard88]

And, I must admit that 7-year-old me thought those uniforms were awesome when they were introduced.  Now, not so much.  Then, again, I also loved the Braves early '70s uniforms with the feather on the sleeve.  Now, not so much.

Is it a bad thing that, as a 24-year-old, I still think they look pretty good? Both these and the successor, toned-down uniforms are the best looks the Astros ever had.

Of course, I'm not a fan of the current set and the "radical" mid-90s set wasn't anything spectaular to me either.

Not at all. Tastes vary.

The current set doesn't say "Astros" to me. Take the star off the hat and/or sleeve, put "Houston" on the front and keep the colors and you might as well call them the Colt .45s again since they look so western.

The blue and gold also didn't work for me. Primarily, I just really disliked the wordmark.

These might be best because they're so distinctive, though the set we've been arguing about (in the other thread) is pretty nice in its simplicity. I always liked the shooting star jersey.

[marlinfan]

No, there was no "road version" of the rainbow guts. The color of the pants were the same and the top portion of the rainbow guts was the same, too. Any video of the Astros on the road or home from that era shows no difference in home and road uniforms.

1979 Astros recap -- roughly 2 1/2 minutes (best to save as download)

Without going way back, just in the '70s alone, the A's had beaten the Astros to the punch on having uniforms that were worn home and away. When the A's switched to colored pullovers in the early 70s, they wore white pants with them for the most part (although there is the footage of Vida Blue wearing an all-yellow outfit with the pullover tops in the '75 All-Star Game), even on the road.

Another thing I'm glad that was left in the 70s and 80s, extra tight uniforms.