Lee Elia, former Cubs manager with iconic rant, dead at 87

CHICAGO (WGN) — Lee Elia, a former manager of the Chicago Cubs who also played for both the Cubs and the White Sox, died Wednesday just short of his 88th birthday, according to a press release from the Philadelphia Phillies.

Best known for being the third base coach on the Phillies 1980 World Series Championship squad, Elia also spent four years as a MLB manager, spending parts of two seasons as the skipper for the Cubs (1982-83), and later, Philadelphia (1987-88).

Elia’s most memorable Chicago moment came after a late April game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1983.

Simply known by Cubs faithful as the Elia tirade or the Elia rant, a moment that became iconic came courtesy of the Cubs’ manager after his team blew a 3-1 lead and ended up losing 4-3 on April 29 that season. It dropped the North Siders to 5-14 in what was hoped to be a competitive year for the Cubs.

As Elia’s players trudged off the field following a disheartening loss, some of the parse crowd at Wrigley Field stuck around to heckle them as they made their way to the clubhouse. Elia took notice, and let loose a 3-minute heater in the postgame presser.

Here’s a link to the entire tirade on YouTube, caught on tape recorder by the late, great Les Grobstein. Be warned, it’s not safe for work. Make sure to plug in some earbuds.

Before unleashing a litany of f-bombs and painting profanity across the walls of the (not so) Friendly Confines that day, Elia also spent some time in the big leagues.

Specifically speaking, he played two years in Major League Baseball, with one season apiece between the North and South Sides of Chicago.

He played 80 games during his rookie season with the White Sox in 1966. Elia batted .205/.265/.297 with three home runs and 22 RBI in 216 plate appearances, primarily appearing in the field at shortstop.

After being traded the Cubs in 1967, Elia played his final 15 MLB games with the North Siders in 1968, when he batted .176 in 18 plate appearances.

Elia was best known for his glove as a player. He posted a .955 fielding percentage across 566.2 career innings played.