Lee Elia

Lee Constantine Elia (born July 16, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a former professional baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball. He previously was a manager of the Chicago Cubs (1982 - 1983) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1987 - 1988). Additionally, he has served as a coach for the Phillies, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Baltimore Orioles. He is currently on the coaching staff of the Seattle Mariners as an "on-field consultant." He is of Albanian heritage.

Elia was a shortstop for the Chicago White Sox in 1966 and a pinch hitter for the Cubs in 1968.

His most remembered moment occurred on April 29 1983, during his tenure as the Cubs' manager, when he lashed out in a profanity-laced tirade directed at the fans at Wrigley Field. After the Cubs suffered a one-run home loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Elia made post-game remarks to the press at which he blasted Cubs fans in the stands for booing and heckling the team. Most memorably, he opined:

Eighty-five percent of the fuckin' world is working. The other fifteen come out here. A fuckin' playground for the cocksuckers.[1]

At the time, games at Wrigley Field were only held during the afternoon, which normally are work hours. The team was 5-14 at that point, but Elia felt that they were a better team than they were getting credit for being (which may or may not have been proven by the Cubs winning the division next year with largely the same team). His comments have reached near legendary status with Cubs and White Sox fans.

See also

• Chicago White Sox all-time roster

External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - managing record and playing statistics
• ESPN.com article: Elia's tirade becomes part of Cubs' lore
• 'Lee Elia Tirade - Chicago Cubs - 4/29/83' - Lee Elia Tirade

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