The Yankees became the Yankees because the British originally called the Colonists Yanks, referring to the Revolutionary War time. The Original name of the now World Famous New York Yankees was the...
The Yankees played their first two years (1901-1902) in Baltimore as the Orioles. The team moved to New York in 1903 and were known as the Highlanders and changed their name to Yankees in 1913.
Baseball history wise, of course, but. One wonders what might have transpired had they retained their original name of Highlanders- which is not at all off-base- or off- skyscraper. Quite possibly...