RIP Pat Caputo

[Jake from State Farm]

Longtime Oakland Press Tigers writer and columnist who transitioned to radio. **** cancer. I believe he was slappy4428 on this board.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/...v113630d--48--b--48--&gca-ft=172&gca-ds=sophi

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

I had no idea he was Slappy. Oh man. I loved when I could catch his radio show. Came off as such a curmudgeon yet had such a knowledge of rap music.

RIP

 

[Here me roar]

RIP

 

[MileHigh]

Ah jeeze. Had not been on the board since April 2025. RIP.

 

[MileHigh]

Moving this to the higher-profile Sports and News board if this indeed is longtime member slappy4428.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

RIP Pat. There's no non-awkward way to segue here, but I am pretty sure slappy4428 is not Pat. There's a Happy Birthday slappy4428 thread here and the date is the same birthday as the slappy4428 I was thinking of and whom I am friends with on FB.

 

[I Should Coco]

I also don't think its slappy4428, although I haven't interacted with him much in recent years.

Either way, sad to see another person pass way too soon due to cancer. RIP.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

I pissed off Slappy once so I hope it wasn’t him.

 

[wicked]

Pretty sure slappy’s real name isn’t Pat, but I could see why you’d make that connection.

I could see Hank Scorpio, who hasn’t posted here in eons, being Caputo.

And **** cancer.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Caputo’s favorite word was slappy so if I got that wrong I apologize

 

[Jake from State Farm]

My favorite Caputo story
The old Tiger Stadium press box had a fire in the late 80s so they had to move the condiment dispensers into the press box. They were the old time dispensers — a big plastic bottle with a thing up top you pressed down. Pat got a hot dog one time and went for the mustard dispenser. He pushed down and nothing happened. He pushed a little harder and nothing happened. He then took the heel of his hand and slammed it. Mustard all over his face and his shirt. The whole press box was laughing and he kept saying: “That’s not funny. That’s not funny.” The next day he went to his seat in the press box and his desk was covered with mustard packets. “That’s not funny. That’s not funny.” Pat was a good man and he will be missed.

 

[Bubbler]

Almost certain it’s not slappy, but RIP to Pat Caputo anyhow.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

My favorite Caputo story
The old Tiger Stadium press box had a fire in the late 80s so they had to move the condiment dispensers into the press box. They were the old time dispensers — a big plastic bottle with a thing up top you pressed down. Pat got a hot dog one time and went for the mustard dispenser. He pushed down and nothing happened. He pushed a little harder and nothing happened. He then took the heel of his hand and slammed it. Mustard all over his face and his shirt. The whole press box was laughing and he kept saying: “That’s not funny. That’s not funny.” The next day he went to his seat in the press box and his desk was covered with mustard packets. “That’s not funny. That’s not funny.” Pat was a good man and he will be missed.

 

[Ookpik]

RIP.

 

[Cosmo]

It's not Hank. RIP Pat.

 

[WolvEagle]

It's not Slappy or Hank - I worked with and am Facebook friends with both.

RIP, Pat. He will be missed.

 

[UPChip]

Apropos of nothing, I find it downright bizarre when I saw that Phillip Caputo, a Pulitzer-winning journalist, died of cancer on the same day.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/books/philip-caputo-dead.html?smid=bsky-nytimes&smtyp=cur

 

[dixiehack]

I worked for slappy. He ain’t him.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Another great Caputo story
Back in the days when the Tigers were on PASS they put out promotional hats. Pat wanted one and he was rather loud about it. The next day everyone — from the writers to the cafeteria workers to the elevator operator — wore PASS hats, Pat was no buffoon though. He came by his nickname The Book honestly, especially about the Tigers. I worked at the OP for about six months before I went back to the News and I never had a problem with Pat’s copy