Back to the Chicago Cubs Newsfeed

Today in Cubs history: The time Leo Durocher ripped a phone off the Astrodome dugout wall

Leo Durocher was an old-school manager.

He was already 60 when he took over the reins of the Cubs for the 1966 season, and one of the things he disliked most was the newfangled Astrodome, which had opened the previous year.

The first series the Cubs played in the Astrodome that year was from May 3-5. The Cubs got swept and were outscored 18-5 in the three games. Leo fumed. Not only did he hate losing, he wasn’t a fan of the then half-Astroturfed field. He called the artificial surface “nylon,” termed the Astrodome “a $45 million stadium with a 10-cent infield” and the team a “bush organization.