At one point Lenny Dykstra was known for being a hard-nosed baseball player with a mouth full of chew; the Lenny Dykstra that will be released from prison this weekend is more renowned for his bankruptcy case and crazy financial advice, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dykstra pleaded no contest to three counts of grand theft auto and one count of filling a false financial report in 2011. The former Mets and Phillies star is being released after serving only 15 months of a three year prison sentence.
"I was surprised they let him out before the three years, to be quite frank with you," Christopher Frankie, author of "Nailed: The Improbable Rise and Spectacular Fall of Lenny Dykstra, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Because he blatantly disobeyed the court, and a lot of the stuff was very brazen. He was doing it in the full view of law enforcement."
Dykstra filed for bankruptcy in 2009 owing creditors over $30 million only to get into more legal trouble when he sold memorabilia on the side and hid it from creditors. Dykstra was also charged with indecent exposure in 2011. Dykstra would place ads on Craigslist seeking a housekeeper. When the perspective housekeeper would show up at his house Dykstra would take off his clothes and expose himself while saying that he needed a massage, according to Reuters.
For a while Dykstra was thought to be a bit of a financial guru, particularly after a segment on HBO's "Real Sports" portrayed him as such. For a while it had appeared as if the former ballplayer had made millions after his career in finance, he even published an athletes-only magazine with financial advice. On closer inspection it was revealed that most of it was smoke and mirrors as Dykstra owed millions, according to Deadspin.
"I hope, for his sake, his family's sake, and the public's sake, that he doesn't return to his criminal past," Frankie said. "I think people in this country really love a comeback story, so he certainly has that opportunity. But I'm not convinced that's the path he's going to take."
