Mets were almost named Avengers

The New York Mets were once upon a time nearly named the New York Avengers.

The New York Mets are off to a great start this season with one of the best records in the National League and they sit atop their division. But we could have been calling the Mets by a different name had things gone a little differently back when the team was first being created.

From MLB.com:

"On September 10, 1963, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby teamed up to release the first issue of The Avengers featuring the World’s Mightiest Heroes.But they were nearly beaten to the punch two years earlier, when New York’s new National League expansion team announced that they would be known as the Mets on May 8, 1961. The name was a reference to both the Metropolitans of the 19th century American Association and the team’s corporate name — Metropolitan Baseball Group, Inc. It beat out other contenders, including Burros (for the five boroughs), Rebels, Skyliners and, most importantly, Avengers."

That’s right, the New York Mets were almost the New York Avengers. It is great to think how great of a name that would’ve been with the affiliation between Avengers an the superhero fighting squad we’ve come to known over the years and most recently on film.

But would that name have been as cool if Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were forced to pick another name? Probably not.

Burros, Rebels and Skyliners would’ve all been horrible names as well, so the Mets name was clearly the best choice.

If they had gone with Avengers, what name would the fighting group of superheroes have been named instead? That might be harder than naming the baseball team.

MLB.com also has some great Avengers and Mets mash-up photos that are hilarious, like how the Mets’ ballpark would be different and painting their divisional foes as Ultron.