The Rise and Fall of Lenny
Leonard Dykstra was born to play baseball. He grew up in Santa Ana, California, and attended Garden Grove High School. He was the only freshman to ever play on the varsity baseball team. He signed with the New York Mets in 1981 and was a star in the minor leagues. A teammate described him as a perfectly designed baseball player with no concept of failure. He was brought up to the major leagues in 1985 and played for the New York Mets. The fans nicknamed him “Nails” because he was fearless and never gave up. His friends called him Lenny. He would crash into the stands chasing a fly ball from center field, usually with a mouth full of tobacco.
He helped the Mets win the World Series in 1986. He played in 147 games, stole 31 bases, and averaged .295 at-bat. After four years, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He felt betrayed by the Mets but adapted to his new team. He played seven years with the Phillies and retired from baseball at the age of 33.
After his retirement, he ran a car wash in Simi Valley, managed a stock portfolio, a real estate company, and wrote an investment column. He started a high-end jet charter company and a magazine for professional athletes while running an investment website. Most of all, he had his devoted wife and three kids. His son, Cutter, was drafted in 2008 to the Milwaukee Brewers. Lenny had it all.
Then in 2009, everything came crashing down. Lenny filed for bankruptcy on a net worth of $58 million. The bank foreclosed on his $17 million home in Lake Sherwood, California. He had bought it from Wayne Gretzky, hoping to flip it. Lenny owned two homes in Lake Sherwood that were destroyed on the inside. He tried to sue but was banned from entering the gated community. He owed millions of dollars to creditors and was rumored to be living out of his car.
His bankruptcy was converted from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 to pay off creditors. During the bankruptcy, Lenny sold a World Series ring for $56,000 that he forgot to claim. He was selling lots of sports items online that he wasn’t supposed to own. The bankruptcy trustee denied his request for a discharge. Instead, he was put under house arrest for bankruptcy fraud.
In 2010, Lenny was accused of writing a bad check for $1000 to an escort. The escort posted the bad check on her blog. Lenny was accused of sexual harassment by his housekeeper, who stated she was afraid of losing her job and was coerced into sexual acts. Lenny was then charged with indecent exposure. He was placing Craigslist ads and requesting housekeeping services, exposing himself to prospective maids.
In 2011, he was arrested for identity theft, grand theft auto, and possession of narcotics. (cocaine, ecstasy, and human growth hormones) Lenny was sentenced to three years in prison.
Lenny was released from prison in 2013 after serving 6 1/2 months. He was required to complete 500 hours of community service, pay $200,000 in restitution, and enroll in a drug treatment program.
Life got better when Lenny completed his probation. He released his autobiography titled “House of Nails: A Memoir of Life on the Edge. The book landed at number 11 on the New York Times bestseller list. He signed on with a credit company to help Americans obtain better credit. He promoted his book on the Howard Stern, and Larry King shows. His life looked to be back on track.
Two years later, he was arrested for terrorist threats and possession of narcotics. He was accused of holding a gun to an Uber driver who refused to change directions. Lenny was indicted by a New Jersey grand jury but the charges were dropped. Lenny got lucky again.
Lately, Lenny has been offering sex advice to men on Twitter. Lenny would be a great therapist or a baseball coach. All he has to do is stay sober. Sometimes addiction is chasing a dream that you can never get back. It’s hard to fall from such a high place, but his fans still love him. America loves a comeback, and Lenny has nowhere else to go but up.