New York Mets: The "Lovable Losers" of the 60s

One of the funniest nicknames that the New York Mets may have earned is "Lovable Losers". The New York Mets got this moniker in the early to mid 60s when their winning percentage in 1962 became one of the worst in professional baseball history. The New York Mets played their first season, which was in 1962, as a team that was struggling to overcome their losing ways. This losing streak and ineptitude continued for a few more years, and despite the lack of any progress, the fans of the New York Mets grew to love the team even more, hence the "Lovable Losers" tag.

The New York Mets finally went on to prove that they were not going to be losers for very long, and they showed such determination to get beyond such a tag by finally winning their first ever East Division title in the year 1969. That same year saw the team winning the American League pennant as well, and finally bringing home the World Series Championship title. This win gave them a new name, "the Miracle Mets" and helped them move past their rather lovable yet sad losing history. This win came just in time since despite the "Lovable Losers" title, the fans' novelty of seeing their team trying so valiantly to win and failing miserably at every try was beginning to fade by the time 1968 came around.

Since their first World Series title in 1969, the New York Mets have gone on to greater heights of success. The achievements that followed included four more East Division Championship titles, three more American League pennant wins, and another World Series title which they won in 1986. These victories show that the New York Mets have indeed overcome their past failures, and they have established themselves a team to be reckoned with in Major League baseball.