And so it begins…

We had been crying and whining about new uniforms for years and on Friday night that desire became a reality. Not only did the club provide new uniforms but it had a certain retro twist we all had been craving. The Stros had seen leaks develop throughout the week leading up to the unveiling but in reality those were only minor pieces to the puzzle. Normally, I wouldn’t call the logo a minor item but in this case, all it turned into was an appetizer. The night also included an entertaining re-introduction to Orbit, or something that resembled Orbit. Overall, a nice collection of players, front office personnel, and fans were part of the festivities at Minute Maid Park during the baseball offseason.

Now that a few days have passed, I’ve tried to make an objective observation of what I honestly thought about the new gigs but find myself stuck in the same place. That place is in 1987, the Astros post-rainbow season. I know these new uniforms are only slightly similar but the color scheme and logo are so familiar to me and my childhood. I find it fitting that as the Astros enter the dreaded American League, with its dastardly DH, and begin a new  chapter in their novel, they enter with something so familiar. So, I can’t really be objective in my review of what your hometown nine will be wearing this upcoming season. What I can offer is my view point and why I believe this was the ideal choice for a new vision and, in many ways, direction.

When Drayton McLane purchased the Astros, one of his initial maneuvers was to change the Stros’ logo and uniform. They made a drastic change, eliminating the familiar rainbow design that had been used, in one manner or another, for a few decades. Those uniforms were liked but never really embraced completely, after all while clean, they were boring. Maybe that’s why Drayton decided to create the long lost brother of the Houston Rockets late 90’s/early 2000’s pajama jersey. Okay, maybe not that bad but certainly a distinctive change that would leave fans unsatisfied for over a decade.

So, now that the Stros have made the change and after a few days to consider what was developed, the orange alternates are still my favorites. Coming into this process, I told myself that orange uniforms would be a big no-no and a blue alternative style would be my desired choice. Both occurred and both were very well done. The blue incorporating the past, as expected, and the orange the new/retro style. The home whites are just that, white. While nothing too crazy, it’s a breath a fresh air after the pinstripe madness we’ve seen Monday thru Friday for a long time now. The road greys, much like the home whites, aren’t crazy but very clean and classy. The crown jewels of the change are the orange and blue alternates, both should look great and sell very well for the Stros. Heck, even orbit came back on this evening with a new look that can only be described as a cross between the old orbit and a fat Oscar the Grouch.

It was a very nice evening on Friday and brought back some great memories while creating the kind of buzz the Stros needed, badly. While not everyone will love or even like the new gigs, I  haven’t seen too many people hate the change. Just the kind of change the organization needed and a jump start to the impending move to the, lets say it together, American League.