Ken Griffey Jr's Totally Fake Doctor's Appointment

"You've got Werewolf Syndrome." In the early 90s, a fake doctor named Pete Reppucci, with the help of the actual Mariners' athletic trainer, would examine and diagnose players with ridiculous, made-up medical problems. No one was safe, not even the team's superstars. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Trickeration, a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome
back to the Trickeration podcast, the number one podcast about
deception in sports, and you're one stop shop for honest
conversations about dishonest acts. I'm your host, Matt Waxman. In
each week, I'm bringing you stories from people in sports

(00:23):
who played by their own sets of rules. Today, we've
got a double doozy as I'm joined by a longtime
Seattle Mariners insider as well as his clubhouse co conspirator,
a fake Boston doctor who would pull pranks on the
Seattle players every time they came to Fenway. No one
was safe, not even the team superstars. Onto the show.

(00:48):
We had a really fun bunch of guys back there
with Bonner and Griffy and a lot of guys were
playing tricks on people, and I think back then there
was a little bit more that than there is now.
It is more of a calmaradoything. I think it helped
bring the guys together. They kind of bonded, help get
closer together, and it was fun. The early nineties Seattle
Mariners were studded with some big names and big personalities.

(01:11):
Ken Griffey Jr. Was the star of the show, around
which guys like Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, and j Junior orbited,
and while the results on the field were mostly underwhelming,
behind the scenes the Shenanigans were top notch. Longtime Mariners
trainer Rick Griffin and his buddy Pete Rappucci share a
couple never before told stories from Off the Diamond. I'm

(01:32):
gonna go backwards just a little bit. There was a
guy in Boston. His name is Pete Rappucci. He's now
sell his real estate down in Florida. And he could
impersonate anybody or anything. He can say he was a doctor,
he could say he was a lawyer, he could say neurosurgeon, whatever.
And so sometimes he would come in and he would
pull pranks on the players. He did some great things. So,

(01:55):
like in the beginning, back then it was like a
free for all. Rick could get to the ballpark and
he'd say, Pete, when you come up, just mediate the
ballpark and I'll have your name at the gate. You know,
I would be coming from work, so I'd be dressed up.
You know, I had glasses at the time, and uh,

(02:17):
you know, I just looked like very business type and
could have been a doctor for all they know. And
then occasionally, you know, where there was a rookie involved,
then they would unleash me on him after life. The
first year we started to get more sophisticated with it.
They'd have the whole routine plan and I would just

(02:38):
you know, they give me the script. Basically, it would
be this is what we need you to do. This
is the ailment, and we need you to take this
and just run with it, and that's what would happen. Okay.
So the first guy I remember really getting, believe it
or not, was Junior Ken Griffi Jr. Was a rookie

(02:59):
and they all of the video all the time. When
he ran into the wall in Boston, he banged his
head against the wall and he got a concussion, and
the team doctor for the Red Stock came in and
evaluated him and told him that they probably missed um
three or four days, but we haven't be in town
for a four day series, and and he really didn't

(03:19):
seem to be that bad, and he didn't seem to
have a lot of the signs of a bad concussion.
So the next day Dr Putcha says up and and
Rick had an all the plan that you know, I was,
I guess the neurologist is that. I guess that's the
doctor that you know does like head shacks and all
that kind of stuff. So, uh, they hadn't all set up,

(03:41):
and they said, okay, so he really wants to play tonight,
but we told him you've got to clear him for
before he can play, right, So they already knew, you know,
they checked them the concussion protocol and all that. So
so I said, okay, no problem. So I go up
to him and I started asking him questions, what personal
questions like do you do you love your father and

(04:04):
dislike your mother and you know, things like that, and
he's he's doing his best to answer these questions. I mean,
this guy, he was class all the way. And my
friend Peter Puci said, well, you seem like you're pretty good.
You're seemed pretty normal, and he said, I need to
measure your head. So he asked me if if I
had a tape measure, So I took it and I said, okay,

(04:26):
well there's a certain distance between his eyeballs that I
have to check because it is swelling in the brain,
it will show up there, right, and so letting me
measure his eyeball right, and then I go, well, we
need to measure the head for swelling. So he let
me put it around his head and it was funny

(04:48):
seeing a you know guy get his head measured with
the tape measure. And he asked me if he listened
to any music, and Griff, he goes, yeah, I listen
to music all the time. And he's he goes to
what kind of music? Because when I listened to music,
and he says, well, I need you to sing me
a couple of lyrics. I want to make sure that
you're neurologically sound, that the words come out smooth, and

(05:08):
you're able to hold a thought, So go ahead and
sing me a couple of lines on the song. So
Junior saying some rap song. I don't remember what it was,
but he's saying some wrap song, three or four minutes
worth of the rap and he goes, oh, you, you're
obviously doing pretty good. He said you might be able
to play before four days. So then I'm like, okay, well,
I need you to stand up and stand on one

(05:29):
leg and hold it. And I made him like hold
it for like the longest time, and then I made
him do the other leg I made him do all
these like crazy, crazy things, and he's doing his best
because he wants to play, you know. So the next
day we took Junior in and he got evaluated. He
did really well. I had ree ident on to this
doctor who put you, so when he examined him, he

(05:51):
just kind of concurred with the doctor and he measured
his head again and told him that the swelling had
gone down in his head and he looked like he
would be close to playing. And so at the end said, okay, Rick,
we gods to Junior playing tonight. I need to uh,
I need to talk to you about it in private.
So they released them and we're like, well, what are
I gotta tell him? Are you gonna tell him? This

(06:12):
was like a joke, right, And I was getting all nervous,
and so I left it to Rick And so he
goes out and Junior is at his locker and he
tells him and he goes, well you can play. He
goes and all that stupid ship you just did that
was like all put on. You were like. It was
like everyone in the clubhouse is just cracking up laughing.

(06:34):
He handled it very well. He he was good natured,
about it. He was okay with it. He was like, okay,
you guys just thank me. You know, it's okay. And
he was even an instigator a few times with Dr
Rappucci if I remember correctly. I don't know if you remember.
The fits are Rich Solucia. Rich DeLucia had a he
had a really really hairy back and and he was

(06:58):
like twenty five or six years old doing get in
the shower, and the guys were always making front of
him and telling him he had a sweater. Dude, this
chro magnum man. And then there's Rich Solucia. I've never
seen a harrier guy in my life. Oh my god.
It's like, dude, take your jacket off. That's not my jacket.
I walked in and I'm like, dude, that guy's like wow,

(07:21):
he's really harry on his back. He goes, yeah, yeah,
he goes, we gotta get him. We gotta get him
really good. So I said, okay, well what do you
want to do. He goes, he's coming in to get
tacked up. He says, as soon as he comes in,
I want you to I'm gonna introduce you as Dr Rafucci.
And then you just stopped staring at him like there's
like something really wrong with him. I'm like, okay, got it,

(07:43):
and so I morphed into Dr Raffucci. So he comes in.
I'm just sitting there talking to Rick and talking about nonsense,
and so he gets Deluccia wash, then gets on the
training table you know, ankles hanging offso Rick and taking them,
and I stopped staring at him, and Rick goes, oh, hey, Rich,

(08:03):
this is Dr Rappucci. He's a good buddy of mine.
We were in medical training together and he went and
became a doctor and I became a trainer. And he's
an unbelievable dermatologist. So he was like, oh, nice to
meet you, doctor, that's great, you know. So I'm just
staring at him, and I said, do you mind if
I examine you're back. He's like now what what? What? Why?

(08:28):
And I'm like, I just you don't mind, right, It's
just I'm not really liking what i'm seeing on your back.
So I'm looking at it and I'm touching it and
I'm you know, rubbing it. I said, you know, have
you ever been formally examined for this? You have a
skin condition which encourages a lot of hair growth. But

(08:51):
this can advance, and what it can do is there
are cases where they've started to grow hair on the
palms of their hands. So I told him he had
what was called where wolf syndrome. And that's when he
really got dejected and he's looking at me like, dude,

(09:12):
are you screwing with me? Like this could happen to me.
I'm like, you're an advanced case. I would say yes,
at some point during your lifespan here you are going
to have massive amounts of hair on your hands, and
ricks like, are you sure, he said, Rick, I'm absolutely sure.

(09:33):
What he needs to do is when you get back
to Seattle, if you have a team's dermatologist, he needs
to go for serious testing. There is a way to
nabe resource it, but it's you know, through surgery, right,
no pun intended, but it could get very hairy. And
so Pete told him that he could take one inch
by one square of hair from his back, take it

(09:54):
back to his lap, and then see if he could
determine different chemicals are different ways they could go ahead
and stop the else than possibly eliminated. And so DeLucia
was all on board for having this one inch by
one inch patch taking off of his back, and they
we're going to do it the next day. He's going
to bring in his surgical instruments and take it off
after the game the next day. He's been an off
day the following day, and he told him that it

(10:16):
wouldn't affect you pitching. So he's like flipping out. He's
like getting all kinds of concerned and and he's like
getting really downcast. And so he's like, am I okay
to pitch tonight? Ricks, like I looked at me, and
he goes is he And I said, yeah, of course
he is. I said, uh yeah, he'll be able to

(10:37):
pitch tonight, no problem. I mean, this isn't gonna be
He's not gonna go on the mound and have here
all over its poms. So he gets all done, he
goes out to his locker, and you know, they're like, dude,
this guy's pitching tonight. We can't have him like not
in his right frame of mind. So Rick's I let
him let him do just a little longer and then
I'll let him know. Right. So, you know, I don't

(11:01):
exactly know what happened, but I know Rick told him
and he was like he was streamy believe and it
was crazy and I'm like, dude, we don't have to
do that anymore. That was like really intense. Rick Griffin
served as Mariners athletic trainer from I asked him if
he thought these kinds of pranks could happen today, and

(11:22):
if not, why not? You know, that's a that's a
really good question. I mean, I can't give you an
answer other than my own observation. It just appears that, um,
maybe the managers and the coaches, I don't know, if
they feel like they're under more pressure. They don't have
the same relaxed atmosphere in the clubhouse that they used to.

(11:43):
And I think the players sometimes I don't think that
they should do anything except exactly what they're supposed to do.
And I think, you know, the fun times just the
aren't around as much as they used to be. All Right,
A special thank you to Rick Griffin. And if you're

(12:04):
looking for real estate in Naples, or a podiatrist or
a Cairo practor or really any kind of doctor, you
won't find anyone better than Pete Rappucci. He's the absolute best.
If you're liking the episodes, please dig into the archives
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(12:24):
And finally, as we do every week, we check in
with the legend Chris mad Doug Russo. Chris, how'd we
do this week? Maddie, good job, keep up to good
work now, Thanks Chris, See everyone next week. Trickeration is
a production of my heart Radio. For more podcasts from
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

(12:45):
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.