The Funniest Man in Baseball: The Max Patkin Story by Audrey Vernick (review)

Max Patkin's dream was to be a major league pitcher, and while he served in the Navy during World War II, he had the opportunity to pitch against pros such as Joe DiMaggio who had enlisted. It was there that he took an eccentric turn and developed the shtick that would reshape his baseball aspirations—clowning on the field to the delight of fans. Injuries put an end to his pitching, but his on-field antics were so much in demand that he built a baseball clown career with the Cleveland Indians and a host of minor league teams, and with over 4,000 games under his belt by retirement, "his streak for consecutive appearances was more impressive than Cal Ripken's." He's a jolly subject, and Vernick's lively text gives him full due. Though it occasionally lacks contrast, Bower's cartoonish artwork, with exaggerated shapes and plenty of energetic lines, conveys the goofiness of Patkin's routines. An author's note adds information about Patkin's life, a works cited list suggests further reading, and a pair of photographs verify Patkin's own claim—quoted in Vernick's text—"I looked like a nose on the end of a lollipop stick." EB