Former Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies manager Lee Elia died Wednesday, the Phillies announced. He was 87 years old.
Elia managed each of his two teams for two seasons, the Cubs from 1982 to 1983 and the Phillies from 1987 to 1988. He accrued a career record of 238-300 with no playoff appearances, but he did serve as third-base coach on the Phillies’ 1980 World Series champion team.
A Philadelphia native, Elia spent much of his 12-season playing career at Triple-A, with two stints in the majors. He made his MLB debut in 1966 with the Chicago White Sox, then returned with the Cubs in 1968, playing 95 career games in the big leagues.
He spent much more time in the game as a coach. From 1980 to 2008, Elia filled a variety of roles for six different organizations. Publicly, he is most remembered for a profanity-laced rant while overseeing the Cubs in 1983, in response to boos from the Wrigley Field crowd. Over the course of more than three minutes, Elia dropped 23 f-bombs while ripping Cubs fans (sample text: “They ought to get a f***in’ job and find out what it’s like to go out and earn a f***in’ living).
The rant took on a life of its own, with Les Grobstein, one of the reporters present, telling the Seattle Times in 2008, “I can guarantee you it was on every continent on the planet within a week.” Elia reportedly “just barely” kept his job in the aftermath, but was let go months later once the Cubs slipped out of contention.
Years later, Elia told the Times he accepted the rant was part of his legacy:
“I know it will never change,” he said. “I know I’ll always be one of those guys remembered for the tirade. But I hope it’s a little softened now. I hope there’s some warmness over it now. I hope they understand.”
The people near Elia, meanwhile, remember a kind man. Mariners manager Dan Wilson, who played for the Mariners during two of Elia’s coaching stints there, praised him in a message to USA Todays Bob Nightengale:
‘Lee was special. Baseball has lost a giant. A great baseball man and an even better human. He was like a father to me and taught me how to be a big leaguer.’’
Elia is survived by his wife Priscilla and two daughters.
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