Tom Hanks And The Black Keys Debuted The New Cleveland Baseball Team Name

The Cleveland Baseball Team has a new name, and it brought out some big names to debut it.

In unveiling ‘Guardians’ as its replacement for ‘Indians,’ Cleveland had Tom Hanks and The Black Keys provide the voiceover and the music in the reveal. For those that are unaware (probably a lot of people) Hanks got his acting career started in Cleveland and The Black Keys are from Akron, roughly a 45-minute drive from Cleveland and home to Cleveland’s Double-A affiliate, the Rubber Ducks. Patrick Carney, the bands’ drummer, also filled in at this year’s home opener when drummer John Adams missed the game due to heart surgery. Adams has been drumming while Cleveland is at bat for every home game dating back to 1973.

The team also unveiled its new logos and wordmarks for the name change. The changes are not drastic with the color scheme staying the same and some slightly more edge on the lettering than previous models. Overall, it’s a pretty simple change from what they previously had.

The Guardians name comes from the ‘Guardians of Traffic’ statues on the Hope Memorial Bridge in downtown Cleveland that were built during the Great Depression. The statues are visible from the stadium and located only a short walk away.