Funny Press Conference Former Cubs Manager Lee Elia

[DaBears]

This goes out to the Cubs fans, your old manager said it best....I apologize to those that are offended by obscene language....





The Complete April 29, 1983 Lee Elia Press Conference Tirade

"**** those ****in' fans who come out here and say they're Cub fans that are supposed to be behind you rippin' every ****in' thing you do. I'll tell you one ****in' thing, I hope we get ****in' hotter than ****, just to stuff it up them 3,000 ****in' people that show up every ****in' day, because if they're the real Chicago ****in' fans, they can kiss my ****in' ass right downtown and PRINT IT.
"They're really, really behind you around here... my ****in' ass. What the **** am I supposed to do, go out there and let my ****in' players get destroyed every day and be quiet about it? For the ****in' nickel-dime people who turn up? The mother****ers don't even work. That's why they're out at the ****in' game. They oughta go out and get a ****in' job and find out what it's like to go out and earn a ****in' living. Eighty-five percent of the ****in' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A ****in' playground for the ********ers. Rip them mother****ers. Rip them ****in' ********ers like the ****in' players. we got guys bustin' their ****in' ass, and them ****in' people boo. And that's the Cubs? My players get around here. I haven't seen it this ****in' year. Everybody associated with this organization have been winners their whole ****in' life. Everybody. And the credit is not given in that respect.

"Alright, they don't show because we're 5 and 14... and unfortunately, that's the criteria of them dumb 15 mother****in' percent that come out to day baseball. The other 85 percent are earning a living. I tell you, it'll 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 ****in' pros out there that wanna win. But you're stuck in a ****in' stigma of the ****in' Dodgers and the Phillies and the Cardinals and all that cheap ****. It's unbelievable. It really is. It's a disheartening ****in' 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 ****in' games left.

"What I'm tryin' to say is don't rip them ****in' guys out there. Rip me. If you wanna rip somebody, rip my ****in' ass. But don't rip them ****in' guys 'cause they're givin' everything they can give. And right now they're tryin' to do more than God gave 'em, and that's why we make the simple mistakes. That's exactly why."

Editor's note: this classic diatribe prompted the following e-mail response from one of Elia's fans:

"They should set that entire speech in bronze and put it outside of the stadium. School children should be forced to learn it and recite it like the pledge of allegiance. Schoolhouse Rock should write a new song and set the whole thing to music:

"Now Lee Elia was mad uh huh uh huh
And he wanted the public to know
He stood up in front of those press men
and said the F work 100 times in a row"

[DaBears]

Here is the link to the recording....

http://www.speakeasy.org/~bucky/elia.html

[Smokey Burg]

Lee Elia was right. The only people who were showing up for Cub games at that time were unemployed (or marginally employed) losers who didn't mind shelling out 2 bucks for a place to sit in the sun for a couple of hours. Besides, if my memory serves me right the Sox started the '83 season on a tear that they never relinquished. The baseball world in Chicago was concentrated on Comiskey Park. The only people paying attention to another year in a seemingly endless rebuilding project were the 3,000 to 5,000 warped, masochistic whiners that were showing up and ripping on Elia and the rest of the cubbies. The few remaining cub fans were so incensed about the White Sox success that very few paid attention to the end of the season, things turned around and they actually played decent baseball. After a few additions, most of those guys were the core of the teams that won division campionships ('84 & '89).
However, I have to digress to my next point. I have noticed that some cub fans are really, really depressed. I don't mean just sad and unhappy, I mean that some of these guys are almost on the verge of committing criminal assault if they ever again hear the phrase "White Sox World Champs". Has anybody else noticed a severe personality change in their cub fan acquaintances? Or am I just rubbing it in too much to a bunch of losers?

[TheDarkGundam]

Lee Elia, honorary South Sider

[Brian26]

Besides, if my memory serves me right the Sox started the '83 season on a tear that they never relinquished.

Memory serves you wrong. The '83 Sox started out playing terrible ball, including getting swept at Texas in the first series. They were around .500 at the end of May and didn't really catch fire until mid-June. The fact that they ended up with 99 wins is a testament to how good of a second half they had. Their first half was mediocre at best. Lip might have some of the dates as to when they actually finally climbed into first, but it wasn't even close to a wire-to-wire season like this year.

[RadioheadRocks]

Memory serves you wrong. The '83 Sox started out playing terrible ball, including getting swept at Texas in the first series. They were around .500 at the end of May and didn't really catch fire until mid-June. The fact that they ended up with 99 wins is a testament to how good of a second half they had. Their first half was mediocre at best. Lip might have some of the dates as to when they actually finally climbed into first, but it wasn't even close to a wire-to-wire season like this year.

Exactly. I also remember Tom Paciorek not being too pleased during that early rough stretch, going so far as to say "this team isn't exactly the '27 Yankees... I want out!!!"

[SouthSide_HitMen]

http://www.goodhitter.com/images/lee60.jpg




April 29, 1983. The complete unedited transcript.


I'll tell you one ****in’ thing, I hope we get ****ing hotter than ****, just to stuff it up them 3,000 ****ing people that show up every ****in’ day. Because if they're the real Chicago ****in’ fans, they can kiss my ****in’ ass right downtown and PRINT IT.

"They're really, really behind you around here... my ****in' ass. What the what the **** am I supposed to do, go out there and let my ****in' players get destroyed every day and be quiet about it? For the ****in' nickel-dime people to show up? The mother****ers don't even work. That's why they're out at the ****in' game. They oughta go out and get a ****in' job and find out what it's like to go out and earn a ****in' living. Eighty-five percent of the ****in' world is working. The other fifteen come out here. A ****in' playground for the ********ers. Rip them mother****ers. Rip them ****ing ********ers like the ****in' players. We got guys bustin' their ****ing ass, and them ****in' people boo. And that's the Cubs? My ****in' ass. They talk about the great ****in’ support the players get around here. I haven't seen it this ****in' year.


The name of the game is hit the ball catch the ball and get the ****ing job done. Right now we have more losses than we have wins. The ****in’ changes that have happened in the Cubs organization are multifold. Alright, they don't show because we're 5 and 14... and unfortunately, that's the criteria of them dumb 15 mother****in' percent that come out to day baseball. The other 85 percent are earning a living. It'll take more than a 5 and 13 or 5 and 14 to destroy the makeup of this club. I’ll guarantee you that. There's some ****in' pros out there that wanna ****ing play this game. But you're stuck in a ****in' stigma of the ****in' Dodgers and the Phillies and the Cardinals and all that cheap ****. All these mother****ing editorials about Cey and ****ing a the Phillieitis and all that ****. It’s sickening. It's unbelievable. It really is. It's a disheartening ****in' situation we're in right now. 5 and 14 doesn't negate all that work. We got 143 ****in' games left.

"What I'm tryin' to say is don't rip them ****in' guys out there. RIP ME. If you wanna rip somebody, rip my ****in' ass. But don't rip them ****in' guys 'cause they're givin' everything they can give. Once we hit that ****ing groove it will flow and it will flow the talent’s there. I don’t know how to make it any clearer to you. I’m frustrated I’ll guarantee you I’m frustrated. It’d be different if I walked in this room everyday at 8:30 and saw a bunch of guys that didn't give a ****. They give a **** and it’s a tough National League East. It’s a tough National League period.

39 **** bombs or other variations of the word ****.
7 additional cuss words.
1 organization - Chicago Cubs

[michned]

I like this picture better:

http://www.eddieknet.com/elia.jpg