Patkin was the third "officially" crowned Clown Prince of Baseball, after Al Schacht and Jackie Price, though that nickname has also been applied to St. Louis Browns third baseman Arlie Latham among others.

After an arm injury curtailed his minor league career, Patkin joined the Navy during World War II.

The Clown Prince received a promotion in 1988, when Patkin was named King of Baseball at that year's Winter Meetings in Atlanta, and can be seen appearing (as himself) alongside Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon in the popular baseball movie Bull Durham made the same year.

On July 20, 1969, he played to a crowd of four in Great Falls, Montana as most fans were home watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the moon.

The bluesman Watermelon Slim (William P. Homans) wrote and released the song "Max, The Baseball Clown" on his 2008 CD, No Paid Holidays (NorthernBlues Music Inc, Ottawa ON).