Lenny Dykstra To Auction Off World Series Ring

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Sep 13th 2009 at 7:01PM

The Lenny Dykstra sales continues with the news that some of Dykstra's most treasured trophies will be up for auction at Heritage Auctions October sports memorabilia sale. The former baseball player known as "Nails" has had a rough year and is unloading just about every asset he has to satisfy some major debt. The sale will feature several of what have to be some hard-to-let-go-of items including his diamond and gold 1986 World Series championship ring, his replica World Championship trophy, his home run ball that won game three of the National League Championship Series in 1986 and his 1990, 1994 and 1995 All-Star Game rings.

The NY Daily News reports that the former baseball legend began shopping the items around about a month after he filed for bankruptcy, presumably when he was still in control of his own finances. Now a court-ordered trustee is handling his affairs and the NY Daily News says that Dykstra was recently banned from the Lake Sherwood community in Southern California where he still owns a mansion he bought from Wayne Gretzky. Another home he owns nearby is already on the market. He has had the former Gretzky mansion on the market for as much as $24.95 million but it is currently not for sale pending some ongoing legal action filed by Dykstra about work done to the home. The listing pics are shown in the gallery below.

Dykstra, who just a few short years ago was held up as an example of how to be smart with your money after retiring from professional sports, is now said to be worth less than $50,000. The sudden shift in Dykstra's fortunes is due to a variety of factors including a divorce, the struggling economy and the failure of his "The Players Club" magazine, a magazine meant to offer sound advice to professional athletes. In March 2008, the New Yorker wrote a glowing piece on Dykstra titled "Nails Never Fails" about the former Mets player's magazine and his investing strategies. By December of last year, former employees of the magazine were telling stories of unpaid bills and missed payrolls and the magazine had ceased publication.

Gallery: Lenny Dykstra in Thousand Oaks

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Steve-a-rino Sep 14th 2009 2:40PM

I loved Lenny as a player but, seriously, I can't feel bad for people who can afford a $24 million home. Same for the people Madoff ripped off. You people were already filthy rich and you just had to have more - that's greed at its worst. If you're now worth "just $50,000," well, tough luck - and join the club. The rest of us will never make the money you earned and squandered in just one year, so go cry on someone else's shoulder.

Brice Dudley Sep 14th 2009 4:12PM

I hear ya brother. I just don't have much sympathy for anyone who has made millions upon millions in their careers, and now have nothing. I can't understand how that happens. I am far from the brightest crayon in the box but I could guarantee that I could make a million dollars last a lifetime......and these guys had multi-millions????

Linda Sep 14th 2009 8:11PM

Steve-O: Please understand that not all of Mr. Madoff's investors were aware of being a "Madoff Investor". More than a few elderly widows knew only that their husbands handled the family finances and that he or, upon his death, the estate administrator continued to make investments with the same shadow investment firms of many many years. Generally, these investors were far from the six-figure income level that fill the headlines. Far from it. It was only after Mr. Madoff's mea culpa that the true extent of his fraud became known to these individuals at the very far end of the financial food chain. As for Mr. Dykstra's financial issues, I am sorry to hear of his difficulties but I'm more concerned with the sanity of the potential purchaser of his home. That must be one heck of a ego to carry around at $24 million. Just an opinion.

Lisa Sep 14th 2009 2:21PM

I wish I had the money to buy his World Series ring, so I could buy it and send it to Bill Buckner. The Red Sox deserved to win that year!!

lordmbuk Sep 14th 2009 3:07PM

Hes a Putz and deserves to be destitute. He Ripped of all his friends and investers. While going on Hbo bragging about his cars houses and other toys. As for the phillies giving him money, Why? he didnt win the big show. Nothing special about him. Toss him in with Madoff once his true business dealings are public. Hes a Scumbag that lives of other peoples money. Hes done, nothin to see here

red white & YOU Sep 14th 2009 2:35PM

This was a man that played the game hard, very hard. But the bottom line, he was just a good ole' country boy trying to wheel and deal. He is not much for brains. He let a few good opportunities go to his head and then thought who he was, not where he came from and what he was...Poor advice from people around him, cashing in on him. Not to smart, got greedy, didnt know he was falling apart. Oh wait. Lenny is a white athlete...

David Sep 14th 2009 2:36PM

I agree. Five years ago I was worth a million dollars and blew it trying to get more in the market. MY FAULT. I learned to live with it. Now Lenny get's to as well. Sorry Lenny. Tough Noogies

Ron Sep 14th 2009 6:07PM

Greed is a sin!

rlgrump Sep 18th 2009 2:46PM

Why should anyone come to his rescue? I can live just fine in an $80,000 home. He squandered millions buying homes that can only be lived in just like mine. I am sorry that he has even 50 thousand dollars left. Get a job and eat a GRILLED CHEESE sandwich, just like me.

nyyscorpio11791 Sep 14th 2009 2:42PM

Lenny dosent deserve to lose his possessions. He wasnt like the big head ball players there are today. If anything he should keep his World Series ring some players never had the chance to play in the Series nevermind get a ring. As A-Rod says he would trade in all 3 of his MVP's just so he could win the World Series. But Lenny won that ring fair and square in '86. If hes gonna save himself he should go do some coaching with the Mets or Phils to save himself.

Robert Urie Sep 14th 2009 2:44PM

The ring would be nice but I don't need two of them. Best of luck Lenny!

Russ Sep 14th 2009 2:44PM

ill bet he BET with bernie madoff and bernie mad off with the money these guys NEVER have enough MONEY because their wives or girlfriends or both spend it faster than he can earn it every husband ought to KNOW THAT////

Russ Sep 14th 2009 2:54PM

half the time you wont print them = but dykstra is getting his just rewards 10 to 1 women got all his money dont these guys ever learn//

Santa Sep 14th 2009 2:53PM

I remember seeing a show on him..I think it was HBO between the lines and they spent one segmate on what a good finacier he was...I hope people didnt invest because of that story....

johnwestrick Sep 14th 2009 2:56PM

Well said Steve. I can't feel sorry for rich people who feel they have to invest it foolishly to get even more rich. Madoff is a slime-ball who was able to con rich people out of their money because they were greedy. And the media wants the working man who watches the 6 o'clock news to feel sorry for them. Poor and middle class people get conned too, but most times you don't even hear about it. Madoff didn't kill, rape, or physically hurt anyone. He got 150 years because he cheated rich people. If he cheated poor people it doesn't even make the news. Dykstra had a good thing going, but if you blow all that money, I'm not feeling sorry for you.

joyceafrancis Sep 14th 2009 3:05PM

Just another athlete with no brains. Anyone making the kind of money he made should have simply invested it in CD's and Bonds and a retirement fund and not bought houses and risky investments. What does one expect from a ball player anyway -- even those who go to college, i.e., Vick, can't get a job off the playing field.

GT Sep 14th 2009 6:35PM

I met the guy at a spring training game and in about 10 seconds knew I would not associate with him for any reason. He was a good ball player, that is all. Like most of the rich athletes, lottery winners etc.. He should have gotten a lawyer and an accountant and had them put him on an allowance. Very few Fran Tarkenton, Michael Jordon, or Tiger Woods types are good at sports and business.

divorce_lawyer Sep 14th 2009 3:23PM

Lenny I TOLD you I would save you if you hired me to be your divorce lawyer. That woman took you over the coals like most the women do. Someday, the men of the world will get the fair end of the divorce. No woman deserves ANYTHING if she can not keep her man satisfied!

Howard Sep 14th 2009 3:36PM

maybe he invested with Madoff----greed and extravagance takes its toll on many.

gnet116 Sep 14th 2009 3:38PM

Hey big blue here is something the yankees can hang on their shelf of trophies, remember 2004 when the new york junkies were up 3-0 in the alcs series. The red sox came back to sweep them 4-0 to win it. The yankees have the worst come back loss in any sport history! Plus most of the world series came all the way back before you were even just a little tadpole. On the dykstra issue, he is another person who was careless with money and he is paying for it now!

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