Lenny Dykstra Is a Joy to Work For

An article in the April issue of GQ takes issue with the idea that Dykstra has much business acumen.

Jim Cramer of CNBC took a lot of hits from Jon Stewart last week because of bad calls he made in advance of Bear Sterns' meltdown last year. His backing of former Mets and Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra may have caused less damage but they don't appear to be any less incorrect.

An article in the April issue of GQ takes issue with the idea that Dykstra has much business acumen. Editorial sessions for his floundering Player's Club magazine were fueled by "Coca-Cola and ice cream sundaes" according to Kevin Coughlin, who wrote the article and served as a photo editor for the magazine. The brainstorming mainly focused on watching a laudatory "Real Sports" profile of Dykstra over and over while listening to the boss fart and rub his crotch.

The magazine, positioned as a lifestyle guide for professional athletes, has been a flop with a longer list of creditors than subscribers at the moment. Those creditors include Coughlin, who claims Dykstra told him to "get in line" when he complained about not getting paid. Coughlin also claims that Dykstra used his credit card to pay for private jet flights without his knowledge, which is quite a curious move for someone who touts themselves as financial whiz.

Dykstra comes across as having an insanely inflated sense of entitlement in Coughlin's article, right down to his willingness to use racially and sexually insensitive terms.

On another occasion, I field a call from Lenny about potential cover subjects while I’m at home; Lenny’s on speaker when he proudly states, for both my wife and me, that “nobody can call me a racist—I put three darkies and a bitch on my first four covers.”

The first four Players Club covers featured Derek Jeter, Chris Paul, Tiger Woods, and Danica Patrick.

Dykstra denied everything to the Philadelphia Inquirer, calling Coughlin a disgruntled employee let go for his lack of talent. Every few months, though, Dykstra seems to find himself on the wrong end of lawsuits and complaints. He could be a persecuted genius, but it's more likely that he's just a guy getting what's coming to him.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.

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