This article by Ray Spitzenberger first appeared in Images for East Bernard Express, November 10, 2022.
Some folks may take issue when I say that November is the color of orange, but there are several reasons why I am saying this, — the main one being the Houston Astros. I am so glad that they won the World Series and didn’t lose for good the orange and navy look.
Yes, November is the month they won the World Series, the final game, 4 to 1, on November 5! And even the gray victory shirts they put on that night displayed “Champions” in Astros orange.
There are other reasons, too, why November is the color of orange, but not by official month-color designations. I looked online to see what colors are ascribed to each month. Not all sites agree, one giving orange and yellow for November, another giving yellow and gold. Another site assigned orange to January and also to August. The month color designations are not to be confused with birthstones. There is no orange-colored gemstone for any month.
Not only is orange one of my favorite colors, but also four of my favorite fruits and vegetables are orange-colored, and two of those are often harvested in November. Carrots, my favorite veggies, are harvested 60 days after you plant the seeds (which can be planted from August to November in Texas). You plant them in early September, and they are ready to pull up and eat in November!
The pumpkin harvest generally is over by the end of October in Texas, but in other states it lasts into November. We still have a couple of fresh pumpkins, which I am hoping my wife will make into two of my favorite desserts, — pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread.
That said, let me return to the really exciting “orange” of November, the victorious Astros! The history of the Houston Astros includes the history of their uniforms, though many of us are old enough to have lived through that history ourselves. If you look back at the history of Astros’ uniforms, you will remember we lost the orange for a while, but it came back.
The Astros began as the Colt 45’s, wearing jerseys that displayed a navy-colored Colt pistol and orange smoke coming out of the barrel forming a “C.”
They renamed themselves “Astros” in 1965 and moved into the new Astrodome. For this change, they wore white jerseys with a navy-blue star and three orange motion lines next to it under a white “H.” The word Astros in blue underneath.
In 1971, orange became their primary color and navy was secondary. They wore orange caps, and on their jerseys was a large “Houston” in orange.
Soon the jerseys took on broad red, orange, and yellow stripes which they called their “tequila sunrise” jerseys.
In 1980, they wore orange caps and tequila sunrise stripes on their shoulders for home games.
The 1990’s saw a change to gold and navy uniforms. And then in 2000, another change to railroad brick and black. Finally, in 2013, they returned to using navy blue and orange. I am so glad the good, pure orange came back. The blue jerseys with “Astros” in orange and a tequila sunrise stripe on each side now makes them look like the team we know and love!
Displaying “Champions” and the Astros star both in orange on November 5, our Astros proved November is the color of orange!
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Ray Spitzenberger is a retired Wharton County Junior College teacher, a retired Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod pastor, and author of three books, It Must Be the Noodles, Open Prairies, and Tanka Schoen.