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Team colors: Royals


I traded for this card on the Million Card Giveaway site yesterday. It's a nice card for a Dodger fan to have because Campanis is obviously wearing a Dodger uniform, hastily half-airbrushed away by Topps.

Topps probably figured it didn't have to do much art work because the expansion Royals' uniforms looked a lot like the Dodgers' uniforms. That also explains why I occasionally receive Royals cards in the Dodgers lots that arrive in the mail.

The Royals, as you may know, are the last team to come back from a 3-1 World Series deficit to win the Series. It happened in 1985 against the Cardinals. And I want it to happen again very much.

Using these "team colors" posts as a way to fire up the team that I want to win haven't worked so well, but that's not stopping me. There is no way I'm featuring the Giants when they're bidding for a World Series title. It'll be bad enough that I have to write a happy headline for Tuesday's paper about that jerk-off team if they win tonight.

As you well know, the Royals' team colors are royal blue and white, just like the Dodgers. I'll throw out white in this case because I don't think anyone looks at white as a team color and immediately thinks "Royals." And I'll accept "blue" for royal blue.

So, let's see if Topps was able to dedicate the color blue to the Royals more than any other color. Once again, I only list the years for which Topps used colors based on what team was featured:

1969: pink and black
1971: orange and yellow
1972: red, green and yellow
1974: blue and yellow
1976: light blue and orange
1977: light blue and orange
1978: light blue and yellow
1979: brown, yellow and red
1980: yellow, red, green and blue
1981: orange, blue and yellow
1982: blue and light blue
1983: blue and purple
1984: blue and pink
1985: blue and yellow
1986: blue
1987: yellow
1988: blue and green
1989: light blue, blue and yellow
1991: blue and light blue
1992: blue, light blue and orange
1993: blue, pink and yellow
1994: light blue and orange
1998: blue
2000: blue
2002: blue and gold
2003: gold
2004: blue and gold
2005: blue and gold
2006: blue and gold
2007: blue and gold
2008: blue and gold
2009: blue
2010: blue

Topps used a lot of yellow, and more recently, gold, with the Royals. I assume that is because Kansas City featured those colors in its team insignia (the crown is often that color). But neither yellow nor gold has been displayed in Kansas City's uniform, as far as I know.

It took blue a long time to catch up to yellow, but it did finally. Here is the rundown:

Royals team colors: royal blue and white
What Topps thinks are the Royals' team colors: blue and yellow

Here is a fine example of Topps' color scheme with the Royals:


Hmmm, those are some 1985 Royals aren't they?

Wonder why I picked those?


Come on, Mr. Lee. Do your thing.

(The tally: Blue-23, Yellow-11, Light Blue-8, Gold-7, Orange-6, Pink-3, Red-3, Green-3, Brown-1, Purple-1, Black-1)

Comments

I know card companies air brush jerseys and team logos, but I'm amazed every time I hear/see an air brush story.