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The Sad Passing of Lee Elia:

Always Be Careful About What You Say,Your Words May Come Back to Haunt You!

“What Lee Elia did was stick up for his players. He’ll always stick up for his players.” –Larry Bowa, speaking of his manager, Lee Elia

The baseball world was sadden this month to learn of the passing of baseball lifer Lee Elia, who spent over fifty years (1959-2012) in professional ball as a player, coach, scout, manager, and front office executive. I’ve made the point many times, that any player who makes it to the major leagues is special, be he a star or sub. He’s succeeded in reaching a milestone that only a very few ever attain. That can certainly be said of Lee Elia.

Although his major league playing career was lack-luster, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the Philadelphia native was a standout three-sport athlete in his home town of Philadelphia, starring in football, basketball, and baseball at Philadelphia’s Olney High School. In his senior year, he was offered over 50 college football scholarships; and, upon graduation, chose the University of Delaware. As a halfback in his freshman year, he starred as the team’s leading rusher.  An off-season hip injury effectively ended his football aspirations, and from that point on, Lee settled on baseball as his future.

Without going into too much detail about his playing career – hitting just .203 with three home runs, and 25 RBIs – it’s worth noting that Lee played for the White Sox (1966) and Cubs (1968). Following his playing career, he managed the Cubs (1982–1983) and  Phillies (1987–1988) and served as a coach for the Phillies,  Yankees,  Blue Jays, Rays,  Orioles, and  Mariners. Later, Elia was a scout and a special assistant with the  Dodgers and  Braves.

My point in writing about the career of Lee Elia is to be reminded of a very poignant lesson that can be learned from his life: One bad moment – usually involving a loss of self-control – can stay with us forever. How many of us would like to have the worst moment of our lives serve as our epitaph? Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to Lee Elia.

Lee was hired by general manager Dallas Green as the Cubs manager for the 1981 season. Coming to the Cubs from the Phillies where he managed the Phillies to a World Series championship in 1980, Dallas knew Lee due to his many years of loyal service at various levels of the Phillies organization. The early ’80s were rebuilding years for the Cubs and by 1983, things were not going well. It was not a happy time for Lee as the expression on his face in the featured photo above bears out.

While speaking with reporters on April 29, 1983, the understandably frustrated Cub manager lost his temper and spewed forth a profanity-laced tirade directed at Cub fans in the stands who he thought – with some justification – were booing, heckling, and generally abusing his players. The outburst occurred after the Cubs had lost yet another game at Wrigley Field, this time to the Dodgers. He opened up and, regrettably, let his pent-up, unrestrainted feelings pour out. As the quote above by Larry Bowa attests, in Lee’s mind he was merely protecting his players, as a good manager should. Following the rant, Dallas Green demanded that Elia apologize for his comments, but his relationship with the Chicago fans and the press was irreversibly damaged.

Life is not always fair. This uncontrolled outburst cost Lee his job and sullied his reputation. In many ways, it turned him into a laughingstock, and made him the butt of innumerable cruel jokes and skits. One can only imagine how much Lee would have paid to get this one fleeting moment back. I suspect he knew he was in trouble even before the words were completely out of his mouth. But, as the old saying goes: “You can’t put the genie back into the bottle;” and so the words, once out, could never be taken back.

In spite of his many accomplishments as a star athlete in high school and college, and his many successful years in professional ball, Lee will always be remembered for this unfortunate rant. Below is the text of what Lee said, cleaned up with asterisks:

I’ll tell you one f****n’ thing—I hope we get f****n’ hotter than s**t just to stuff it up them three thousand f****n’ people that show up every f****n’ day. Because if they’re the real Chicago f*****n’ fans, they can kiss my f****n’ a**, right Downtown, and print it! They’re really, really behind you around here. My f****n’ a**! What … what the f**k am I supposed to do? Go out there and let my f****n’ players get destroyed every day, and be quiet about it? For the f****n’ nickel/dime people that show up? The motherf***rs don’t even work! That’s why they’re out at the f****n’ game! They ought to get a f****n’ job and find out what it’s like to go out and earn a f****n’ living. Eighty-five percent of the f****n’ world is working. The other fifteen come out here. A f****n’ playground for the c**ks*****s. Rip them mother*****s! Rip those country c**ks*****s, like the f****n’ players! We’ve got guys bustin’ their f*****n’ a**es and those f****n’ people boo … and that’s the Cubs? My f****n’ a**! They talk about the great f****n’ support that the players get around here, I haven’t seen it this f****n’ year!

As if scripted in advance, waiting for the day in which they could run it, here was the headline in his New York Times obituary at the time of his passing in Odessa, Florida on July 9. If Lee had been alive and been able to read it, I’m sure it would have come as no surprise to him:

“Lee Elia, former major league manager remembered for his profane rant, dies at 87.”

Lee Elia was a devoted husband and father and a gifted athlete who devoted over fifty years of his life to the game he loved. He was a coach for the 1980 World Series champion Phillies and was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He deserves to be remembered for more than one unfortunate moment.

Lee is survived by his wife Priscilla and his daughters Tana and Ashley. 

Gary Livacari 

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