Mel Ott hit 511 home runs in his career and was a worthy entrant into the Hall of Fame. By most measures, he falls just a bit short of greats like Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson and Hank Aaron.
But in one way, Ott is quite simply the greatest baseball player who ever lived.
What is this alternative universe? The world of crossword puzzles.
“Ott” has appeared 151 times in the New York Times crossword puzzle since Will Shortz became the editor in 1993, according to the website XWord Info. The clue will generally read “Baseball great Mel,” “Polo Grounds legend” or something similar.