1963 Topps #338 - Russ KemmererThe Colts were one of my favorite teams as a kid. I wasn't alive when they were called the Colts, but name changes always fascinated me back then. They still do, actually.
From 1962 until 1964, the Houston team was named after the gun that won the west, as they say. The uniforms featured a smoking gun, with the smoke forming the "C" in Colts.
When the team moved into the newly constructed Astrodome in 1965, the team changed its name to the Astros. Instead of looking to the past, the team was seemingly looking to the future. In today's age of politically correct BS, the team would have been forced to project a more wholesome image by ditching the guns and choosing something that wouldn't potentially scare the bejeezus out of young, impressionable children.
This card featured the logo prominently. Later sixties sets would obscure any reference to the team name, as the fans were still getting used to the Houston team being named after explorers of the cosmos.
This choice has more to do with a combination of the uniform logo showing, an interesting background and the .45s logo on the cap, than the player. Interestingly enough, Kemmerer played for the White Sox the season before. Kemmerer was traded to the Colts in the middle of the 1962 season for Dean Stone. Small world.
Awesome card!
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