A Windy Sunday in Philly

Lee Elia had his introduction to major league baseball as a middle infielder, a .200 hitter, who warmed the benches of the Chicago Cubs and White Sox in the early 1960s.

But the years that followed baseball saved him a seat on the bench. He went on to manage the Cubs and the Phillies but made his mark as a bench coach, where he sat beside and counselled managers with the Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays, Devil Rays, Orioles, and Mariners.

The Phillies would go on to win the World Series in 1980 so Elia had fond memories, of Bowa, Schmidt, and Rose.

But for all of his memories from those days riding the pine in ’80, one of his favorites came on a Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.

Elia:  As a bench coach you sit next to the manager and occasionally if asked give him your thoughts on a situation, how the game might play out that kind of thing.

When I was with Dallas Green, I bench coached when the Phils were in the field. When we were at bat, I coached third base.  Now, the third base coach’s box was really close to the first row of seats there along third base line.

And every Sunday, only on Sundays, there was this big wind bag that sat right there on the rail, and for the entire game he just gave me shit.

He had a big bellowing voice and he never quit on me. If I held a runner at third, it was, “Hey, Elia, why don’t you grow some balls and run someone?” If I waved a guy home, he’d be right there screaming, “Hey, Elia, almost cost us a run on that one!”

This went on for the entire season every Sunday, and frankly I think the crowd around him was getting fed up with his crap.

So, one Sunday, I just loaded up on the spread, you know the buffet they had in the locker room for the team. It was all Italian and I had about three helpings of Lasagna. 

Now about the sixth inning he’s into his act. Hey, Elia, why don’t you do this? Why don’t you do that? And the timing on this was perfect. Big Sunday crowd and all of a sudden it just got quiet. So, I turned around, aimed by big butt right at him and cut lose a fart that would have---had it hit it---put another crack in the liberty bell.   

And then I just walked right toward him and shouted, “Hey, Fatso, that one was for you!”

Big ovation from the Phillies crowd around him. A standing O!