Joe Posnanski once wrote about how, roughly ten years ago, the Royals decided not to buy Negro Leagues replica uniforms for their Negro Leagues tribute day -- like every other team that runs such a promotion -- because they didn’t want to pay the $20K or whatever it would cost to do it. Lately that story has been used to illustrate the bad old days in Kansas City, after which a transition to “but now the Royals are running like a quality club” is made.
Old habits apparently die hard, however, because Sam Mellinger reports -- and condemns in sharp prose -- the Royals’ doing it again. No Negro Legaues uniforms on Negro Leagues promotion day. This despite the fact that Kansas City is the home of the Negro Leagues Museum and the Royals have probably the closest relationship with that organization of all baseball teams. Or at least should.
Is there an explanation for this that doesn’t involve parsimony? Mellinger doesn’t think so. And given that this isn’t the first time the Royals have done this, I think the burden of proof is on them to explain why they aren’t going with the Negro League throwbacks.