"The Clown Prince of Baseball" is a title that has been used to describe many performers over the years but there were only two diamond comedians who the honor really belonged to - Al Schacht and Max Patkin.
The first comedy king was Schacht, who did most of his tricks in major league parks. Schacht was also a pro ballplayer and pitched for Washington from 1919-21 and never had a losing season.
He appeared at the Auburn Yankees' first Hot Stove dinner in 1958 at the Auburn Inn; he was the guest of Auburn businessman John Bisgrove and attracted a capacity crowd.
Patkin, who followed Schacht in the comedy routine, was often referred to as the Clown Prince of Baseball. He performed in major and minor league parks for 58 years and appeared at more than 4,000 games. He died unexpectedly of an aneurysm in 1999.
Max played Falcon Park three times during the 1980s and was always a crowd-pleaser. The 6-foot-3 double-jointed body and rubber face entertained millions with his side-splitting antics.
Max, a serious minor league hurler, started his career during World War II when he was pitching to Joe DiMaggio who promptly belted Max's Sunday pitch off the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Max threw his glove to the ground, twisted his cap sideways and followed DiMaggio around the bases as thousands of fan roared. He never landed in a boxscore but Max made it to the majors as a clown. Patkin also starred as himself in the minor league classic movie "Bull Durham.".
Jackie Price became Max's partner in 1946. Price was a trickster and a comic. His favorite trick was batting upside-down, catching flyballs while riding in a Jeep. He also performed at Falcon Park.
A new documentary film on Patkin is expected to be released before the 2005 season opens. Filmmaker Greg DeHart, who played minor league ball for several seasons, made his debut with Newark of the New York-Penn League in 1979.
DeHart was pitching for the Burlington Iowa Bees of the Midwest League when he first encountered Patkin. Scott said, "Max interrupted my rhythm by clowning around the mound. I was not a Patkin fan at that time. However, when I decided to do a film on minor league baseball, Max popped into my head. and I've grown to truly appreciate his talent."
DeHart was in this area a few months ago and interviewed popular baseball comedian Billy Mills, who now resides in Whitesboro. Mills recently teamed with sportswriter Scott Fiesthumel of Life & Times of Utica to publish a baseball book "Diamond Dynasty."
Mills and Fiesthumel were interviewed at Doubleday Field n Cooperstown by DeHart last August. Mills, who put on his act in Auburn on several occasions, performed here first at the Auburn Phillies Hot Stove banquet on Feb. 4, 1974.
Bill just turned 80 and still is active in the Utica area. He told me on the phone this past week that he has done over 4,000 shows. I remember his favorite act on the field was mimicking Babe Ruth. His father Art Mills pitched in the majors and was coach of the Detroit Tigers when they won the 1945 World Series.
He appeared at the Auburn Yankees' first Hot Stove dinner in 1958 at the Auburn Inn; he was the guest of Auburn businessman John Bisgrove and attracted a capacity crowd.
Patkin, who followed Schacht in the comedy routine, was often referred to as the Clown Prince of Baseball. He performed in major and minor league parks for 58 years and appeared at more than 4,000 games. He died unexpectedly of an aneurysm in 1999.
Max played Falcon Park three times during the 1980s and was always a crowd-pleaser. The 6-foot-3 double-jointed body and rubber face entertained millions with his side-splitting antics.
Max, a serious minor league hurler, started his career during World War II when he was pitching to Joe DiMaggio who promptly belted Max's Sunday pitch off the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Max threw his glove to the ground, twisted his cap sideways and followed DiMaggio around the bases as thousands of fan roared. He never landed in a boxscore but Max made it to the majors as a clown. Patkin also starred as himself in the minor league classic movie "Bull Durham.".
Jackie Price became Max's partner in 1946. Price was a trickster and a comic. His favorite trick was batting upside-down, catching flyballs while riding in a Jeep. He also performed at Falcon Park.
A new documentary film on Patkin is expected to be released before the 2005 season opens. Filmmaker Greg DeHart, who played minor league ball for several seasons, made his debut with Newark of the New York-Penn League in 1979.
DeHart was pitching for the Burlington Iowa Bees of the Midwest League when he first encountered Patkin. Scott said, "Max interrupted my rhythm by clowning around the mound. I was not a Patkin fan at that time. However, when I decided to do a film on minor league baseball, Max popped into my head. and I've grown to truly appreciate his talent."
DeHart was in this area a few months ago and interviewed popular baseball comedian Billy Mills, who now resides in Whitesboro. Mills recently teamed with sportswriter Scott Fiesthumel of Life & Times of Utica to publish a baseball book "Diamond Dynasty."
Mills and Fiesthumel were interviewed at Doubleday Field n Cooperstown by DeHart last August. Mills, who put on his act in Auburn on several occasions, performed here first at the Auburn Phillies Hot Stove banquet on Feb. 4, 1974.
Bill just turned 80 and still is active in the Utica area. He told me on the phone this past week that he has done over 4,000 shows. I remember his favorite act on the field was mimicking Babe Ruth. His father Art Mills pitched in the majors and was coach of the Detroit Tigers when they won the 1945 World Series.
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