He got hearty laughs and he never looked back, and he remained dedicated to his craft through thick and thin.
On July 20, 1969, he performed in front of four fans at a Great Falls, Mont. game. The rest of the town, and the rest of the nation, was watching men walk on the moon.
There just aren't many like him anymore. Sure, the San Diego Chicken barnstorms around the country, but the man performing hides behind a costume. There was no barrier between Patkin and his audience.
In a fitting tribute a few years ago, Patkin played himself in "Bull Durham," the consummate movie on minor league baseball.
With his death, yet another link to baseball's glorious past has been lost.
When Mickey Mantle died, DiMaggio was still around. Ted Williams remains now that DiMaggio has passed on. But Williams, arguably the best hitter ever, is still mortal, and may not be around much longer.
And while Patkin certainly wasn't on the same athletic level as those baseball greats, his comedic genius certainly was top-notch.
The baseball clown has now gone the way of the shine ball, the high mound and the deadball era.
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