Lee Elia, the Man Behind One of Baseball's Most Famous Rants, Has Died at Age 87

There are times when even the most dedicated baseball fan can admit that a game can drag on for a bit too long. Thankfully, games have become shorter and shorter, a trend which started in 2021. According to Major League Baseball, "The average time of a nine-inning game decreased by 34 minutes over the same period, going from 3 hours and 10 minutes in 2021, to 2 hours and 36 minutes in ’24." That's basically a movie, unless you're James Cameron.

While the games themselves can be both exciting and a bit tedious, a lot of the action happens during the post-game coverage. An interview with a player, coach, or member of management can really go off the rails. Perhaps one of the most famous rants in all of baseball happened in April 1983. The man responsible, Lee Elia, has died at the age of 87. Here's what we know about his cause of death and that expletive-filled diatribe.

News of Lee's death was shared by the Philadelphia Phillies Facebook page. After a lukewarm career in baseball, Lee was hired as the team's bench coach for a few seasons in the 1980s and went on to manage them from 1987–88. The post did not reveal a cause of death but did say Lee died July 9, just before his 88th birthday. Beneath the announcement, several people included stories about a time they met Lee.

Lee was a Philadelphia native whose professional career began in 1958 when he was signed with his beloved Phillies. He would return in various forms multiple times throughout his career. The middle infielder also spent nearly two seasons with the Chicago White Sox and the Cubs. He was later hired as a scout and hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners. Lee also held coaching positions with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. Then there was the infamous rant.

Lee's managerial record was impressive, but what fans remember the most about him is an obscene rant he dropped following a Cubs game where they lost against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2016, Lee spoke with The New York Times about what happened on April 29, 1983, at Wrigley Field.

His ire was directed toward the fans, not the players, calling them a "nickel-dime people," who "ought to get a [expletive] job and find out what it’s like to go out and earn a [expletive] living." He continued, "They talk about the great [expletive] support that the players get around here. I haven’t seen it this [expletive] years." It went on for three minutes in his office and was recorded by Les Grobstein, a reporter for WLS-AM radio.

In Lee's defense, he admitted that the rant was a result of his immaturity as a manager, as it was his second year. He also provided context around what set him off. While they were walking off the field, several fans were shouting at players, which resulted in a couple of physical fights. That's when Lee challenged Cubs fans to a fight. He lived with that decision for years.