Former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra is in a tough spot. He’s stuck in jail, awaiting trial on charges of bankruptcy fraud and doesn’t have enough money stashed away to pay his $500,000 bail. Friends have tried to step up and help Nails out of his predicament, but alas, it hasn’t been enough.
But there’s good news. You can help! All you need to do is go to a website called SaveLenny.com, click on the Paypal link at the bottom of the page and donate a few bucks to help raise the $40-50,000 needed for Dykstra to post bond.
Or not.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Dykstra was being presented as the surprising antidote to all the former pro athletes who squandered their money. After all, who ever would have imagined that the tough-nosed, hard-playing outfielder would be a business wizard? From his Southern California chain of car washes to his high-end athlete lifestyle magazine, The Players’ Club, Dykstra was being hailed as a financial genius.
Turns out, that couldn’t be further from the truth. First, one of his former employees at TPC wrote an article for GQ, accusing him of being a deadbeat with racist tendencies who seemed to know or care little about business. Instead Dykstra comes off looking juvenile and a little bit lonely, engaging his staff in long, pointless, unproductive meetings that consisted mainly of Dykstra joking and telling stories.
Not long after, a piece by ESPN.com’s Mike Fish detailed a slew of reneged deals, missed payments and unpaid loans attached to Dykstra – including $23,000 from his mother’s credit card and an alleged $4 million owed to his brother on the sale of car washes. The list goes on, from having his $17 million estate foreclosed on to bouncing checks to porn stars/female escorts. Then last June, a court-appointed federal trustee charged Dykstra with lying under oath during his bankruptcy hearing and improperly hiding and selling assets.
Still, none of that landed him in jail. What got Dykstra locked up was suspicion of grand theft after he was arrested trying to buy a stolen car. Which is where you, dear reader, come into the picture. Dykstra claims to have only $50,000 in assets while carrying anywhere from $10-50 million in liabilities. So he’s hoping that you can find it in your hearts (and wallets) to overlook the multiple and varied nasty allegations, remember the good times and help a playa out.
Good luck with that.
What’s next? A telethon to free Bernard Madoff?
