MAX PATKIN: Rik Gern Remembers

Photos and story courtesy of Rik "Bonzo Crunch" Gern

Hey Patric,

Here's some souvenirs of the time I almost got to see Max Patkin perform.









In August of '94 Max Patkin's autobiography had just come out, and Chad Miller and I were having a blast learning about our latest hero.

The Red Unit was in Omaha and we learned that "The Clown Prince of Baseball" was going to make an appearance at a minor league game, so Chad, Mike Simpson and I stayed on after the show left town in order to catch Max in action.





Unfortunately, the game was rained out, and Max never got to do his stuff on the field, but he still did plenty of mugging and goofing from the sidelines.

After the game was rained out, Max was very generous with the fans, signing copies of his book and posing for pictures.

Chad, Mike and I probably wore him out with questions, but he was really patient with us. We ended up signing Mike's Ringling hat and giving it to him.


I talked to him on the phone a few months later, and I guess he died not too long later. What a great life, though; he carved out a unique niche for himself, got to ply his trade just about until the end, and even got to ride one last wave of fame with the publication of his autobiography! We should all have it so good!