By Kyle Tait

Now a senior advisor to player development for the Atlanta Braves, former Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies manager Lee Elia holds an unenviable distinction in his career: the man behind one of the most recognizable tirades in sports history.

Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia stares at plate umpire Terry Tatta who explains why he ejected a Cub from the dugout while Cub’s Ferguson Jenkins was pitching during game in Philadelphia, July 31, 1982. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)

Following a tough 4–3 loss to the Dodgers on April 29, 1983, Elia’s Cubs were off to a 5–14 start. But there’s more to the story than just the slow start and the ensuing rant. It was the culmination of a wild afternoon that saw Keith Moreland and Larry Bowa get into fist fights with fans after the game, and a hidden tape recorder that Elia didn’t know about.

I won’t link the tirade here for NSFW language purposes — you can YouTube it easily enough — but I caught up with Elia in Jacksonville on Monday afternoon, just days after the 33rd anniversary, to talk about the real story behind the rant and how it changed his life and career in baseball.

[archiveorg LeeElia width=640 height=30 frameborder=0 webkitallowfullscreen=true mozallowfullscreen=true]

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Kyle Tait is in his sixth season as the radio voice of the Mississippi Braves, double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter: @HearKyleTait, and take a listen at HearKyleTait.com