Black Keys’ baseball shirts are a hit

By Malcolm X Abram

Akron Beacon Journal

AKRON

It’s the Instagram photo seen around the world, suddenly thrusting one Akron boys baseball team into the global spotlight and making their jerseys a hot commodity, and not because they went undefeated in their league.

The Orioles of the West Akron Baseball League are a team of 6- to 8-year-old boys sponsored by Akron’s reigning rock stars, the Black Keys. Drummer Patrick Carney posted an Instagram photo of the team’s jersey, featuring the band’s name in the font used on their Grammy-winning 2011 album “El Camino” emblazoned on the back, and now the team is a trending topic on Yahoo, and their photos have appeared on TMZ, Huffington Post, MTV and other global websites.

“It’s a good thing for the Black Keys and for the league. It’s definitely positive exposure for the both of us,” Orioles coach Kevin Floyd said.

While only a few of the kids — mostly those with older siblings or contemporary rock-loving parents — previously had heard of the band, “they all know them now,” he said, chuckling.

The idea to reach out to the band came from Orioles assistant coach and WABL official Steve Milkovich, whose younger brother Nick, a major in the Army Special Forces, grew up with Carney in West Akron. The two school chums remain good friends.

“I discovered that the Black Keys have sponsored a youth basketball team the last few years,” Milkovich said. “When I caught wind of that, I thought, wait a minute, because honestly, I always remembered Pat with an Indians hat on, playing catch with my kid brother, and that’s when the light bulb went off.”

Milkovich called Carney, who consulted with bandmate Dan Auerbach, and a few days later, the band cut the team a check for the $300 sponsorship, requesting only that the team use the band logo on the back.

“My friend’s older brother, Steve Milkovich, asked me if we would be interested in sponsoring his son’s team, and we were 1,000 percent down, having both played Little League for WABL,” Carney said by email.

“Playing Little League was the highlight of my summer ... until I discovered that I sucked and would rather stay in my dad’s basement and try and play the guitar,” he said.