Lee Elia tirade
On April 29, 1983, Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia exploded after a home game in which he felt the hometown fans were unjustly ripping his players. Elia's tirade was prompted by more than just the booing of a crowd of 9,391 during and after a one-run loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The real frustration came from a feeling that fans could not see beyond the Cubs' 5-14 record to recognize that progress was being made.
This was a team that had Ryne Sandberg in his first season at second base. It had relative newcomers Jody Davis, Leon Durham and Mel Hall in the lineup and a 25-year-old Lee Smith becoming the automatic option in the ninth inning.
Censored version of tirade:
"We got guys bustin' their (expletive) ass, and them (expletive) people boo. And that's the Cubs? That's what my players get around here? ... Everybody associated with this organization have been winners their whole (expletive) life. Everybody. And the credit is not given in that respect.
All right (it) don't show because 5 and 14, and unfortunately that's the criteria of them dumb 15 (expletive) percent that come out to day baseball. The other 85 percent are earning a living. I tell you, it's take more than a 5 and 12 or 5 and 14 to destroy the makeup of this club. I guarantee you that. There's some (expletive) pros out there that wanna win. But you're stuck in a (expletive) stigma of the (expletive) Dodgers and the Phillies and the Cardinals and all that cheap (expletive). It's unbelievable. It really is. It's a disheartening (expletive) situation that we're in right now.
Anybody who was associated with the Cub organization four or five years ago that came back and sees the multitude of progress that's been made will understand that if they're baseball people, that 5 and 14 doesn't negate all that work. We got 143 (expletive) games left!
I hope we get (expletive) hotter than (expletive), just to stuff it up them 3,000 (expletive) people that show up every (expletive) day. Because if they're the real Chicago (expletive) fans, they can kiss my (expletive) ass right downtown. And print it!
The (expletive) don't even work! That's why they're out at the (expletive) game. They oughta go and get a (expletive) job and find out what it's like to go out and earn a (expletive) living. Eight-five percent of the (expletive) world is working. The other 15 percent come out here. A (expletive) playground for the (expletive)."
Like the grounder through Durham's legs and the Mets' red-hot September in 1969 -- remembered by most as the Cubs' collapse -- the Elia tirade is a significant part of Cubs lore.
Elia was fired in August of that year. The next year, the Cubs added pitchers Rick Sutcliffe and Dennis Eckersley, outfielder Gary Matthews and manager Jim Frey. They went on to win 96 games in 1984 and earn the divisional championship.
The uncensored verion of the tirade can be found here
