Every Friday, 7IS Contributor Ryan Henning will take a look at what’s happening in the life of a former, possibly forgotten player. You may not think it’s important, but it must be important to someone.
Anyone who followed baseball in the 80s and 90s knows exactly who Lenny Dykstra is. He was a patient, thoughtful hitter who managed to find his way on base all the time for either the Mets or Phillies from the top of the order. The gritty yet patient hitter at the top of oh so many lineups in the NL East would never have been thought of as an elite player in today’s era of intense statistical scrutiny, but he certainly made his mark 20 years ago.
He took that gritty, patient attitude to the business world as well, becoming a successful investor and financier. He owned a chain of car washes, before starting his private jet company and magazine dedicated to finance among professional athletes. Clearly someone as successful and determined on and off the field as Lenny “Nails” Dykstra would have no problems in life. Right?
Er…. Maybe not. Pilots claim he owes them money for jet fuel, his MOTHER says he owes money for jet fuel. He apparently went from a net worth of 58 million to bankrupt in about a 13 month stretch. His brother says he owes him 4 million, but he will have to get in a long line. His house is in foreclosure, and his baseball memorobilia is being auctioned off. In fact, the New York Post, typical of their tact, has named him one of the biggest losers of 2009. The post isn’t the only one.
Before you feel too bad for ol’ Nails, lets remember a few facts about the guy.
- He wrecked is Mercedes drunk driving in 1991, on his way home from John Kruk’s bachelor party. Bad, sure, but worse because he had teammate Darren Daulton in the car as well.
- Probably did steroids
- Accused of sexually harassing a teenager.
- Was lauded by Jim Cramer as a financial genius.
- Defrauded his own mother.
So, while many of these Cold Stahoviaks feature a lot of former players trying to find their way back into the league, you can probably go ahead and not feel as sympathetic on this one.
Here’s hoping 2010 turns out to be a good year for you and yours.
