Lenny Dykstra was one of my favorite baseball players of the late 1980s.  He typified the hard-nose ball player who gave it everything he had earning him the nickname “Nailz”.  Known as much for his toughness and sense of humor as for the enormous wad of chewing tobacco, Dykstra led both the 1986 New York Mets and the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies to World Series Championships.

This year has brought a series of legal problems to the already long list of them. Things got worse for Dykstra this past week when he was placed in jail in California on drug and car theft charges.

The charges seemed iffy back in April when Dykstra was accused and charged in connection with bankruptcy fraud and grand theft auto. They don’t seem iffy anymore.

Car Theft, Identity Theft, Drug and DUIs

Dykstra is being charged with trying to lease cars though fake information and a fake business. That has led to grand theft auto charges and identity theft charges. He is also booked on drug charges since cocaine and ecstasy were found in his home. All told, Dykstra was charged with 25 misdemeanors and felonies. He is being held on bail for $500,000 with another hearing set later in the week.

Dykstra was a popular player in Philadelphia, but people have always known he had a shadier side. He wasn't the warmest player, and people remember his past legal issues. The most obvious was a drunken driving accident that took place during the height of his playing career (he rolled his Porsche sending himself and teammate Darrin Dalton to the hospital for extended stays). Dykstra was never the same player after 1993, but fans still loved him.

It was already looking grim for Dykstra after his bankruptcy fraud charge. These latest charges, if true, are likely to make him go to jail even longer. While it is sad to see that happen to such a great ball player, it just shows that we all are human.  None of us is made of “Nailz”, unless you’re Superman!