THE WORLD of Major League Baseball lost one of its beloved mavericks as Lee Elia passed away on Wednesday.
The colorful ex-MLB coach was just a week away from turning 88.
Elia had a career in baseball spanning half a centuryHis death was announced by his longtime team the Philadelphia Phillies on X.
Their statement read: “The Phillies mourn the loss of Lee Elia, who managed the club from 1987-88.
“The Phillies extend their condolences to Lee’s widow Priscilla and the entire Elia family at this difficult time.”
A Philadelphia native, Elia played as an infielder primarily in the Minor Leagues, but had stints with the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs in the majors.
Elia began coaching with his hometown Phillies in 1980, where he would help guide the club to the 1980 World Series Championship.
He coached and managed in Major League Baseball for almost 30 years across seven teams.
In that time, Elia is perhaps best known for his impassioned and explicit tirade regarding the fans of the Chicago Cubs, where he was managing at the time.
The rant, captured by a single microphone in the room, included comments such as:
APHis outburst as Cubs boss made him an American baseball cult-hero[/caption]“I hope we get f***in’ hotter than s**t just to stuff it up them three thousand f***in’ people that show up every f***in’ day.
“The mother***ers don’t even work! That’s why they’re out at the f***in’ game! They ought to get a f***in’ job and find out what it’s like to go out and earn a f***in’ living.
“We’ve got guys bustin’ their f***in’ asses and those f***in’ people boo… and that’s the Cubs? My f***in’ a**.
“They talk about the great f***in’ support that the players get around here, I haven’t seen it this f***in’ year.”
Elia was let go from the organisation, but the rant went down in MLB folklore and is still talked about today.
Tributes for Elia have poured in on X – sports reporter Michele Steele called his iconic outburst “the greatest baseball rant of all time.”
Baseball columnist Bob Nightingale also referred to Elia as “one of the game’s great characters.”
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