Alex and Charlie's Other Friend

This is only tangentially related to 9-11 Troof, but I thought it interesting enough to post anyway. In the rant that resulted in the shutting down of Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen and Alex Jones kept talking about this guy "Nails". Nails, of course, is the former major league baseball player Lenny Dykstra, and they bring him on the show with them during this segment:



Dykstra was a hard-nosed baseball player in the Pete Rose mold, which made him a fan favorite wherever he played (for the NY Mets in 1986-89 and the Philadelphia Phillies from 1989-96). Unfortunately, he did not have Rose's talent, brains or class (and yes, comparing him negatively to Charlie Hustle in those latter two qualities is very much an insult). He finally washed out of baseball and, astonishing everyone who knew him in his playing days, transformed himself into a successful businessman through buying and selling a chain of car washes for millions and becoming something of an investment guru. He ended up owning Wayne Gretzky's old $18.5 million house, was chauffeured around in his $400,000 automobile and was flown around the country in his Gulfstream jet.

Unfortunately, as you can probably guess from the fact that he's a buddy of Charlie Sheen, it was all a house of cards that has come crashing down around him. Here are two terrific articles on "Nails" and his post-playing career:

You Think Your Job Sucks? Try Working for Lenny Dykstra

Dykstra's business: a bed of 'Nails'

Some details from the latter:

Even members of Dykstra's family are lined up on the list of those to whom he owes money. His older brother, Brian, has yet to collect a $12,000 judgment awarded by the California Labor Relations Board. His younger brother, Kevin, alleges Dykstra cheated him out of $4 million on the sale of the family-run car washes, though Kevin hasn't filed suit.

On April 16, Terri, Dykstra's wife of more than 20 years and the mother of their three boys, filed for divorce. Through her attorney, she declined to comment for this story.

The family rift runs so deep that until recently, Dykstra had spoken to his mother only once in the past three years, according to his brothers, and wasn't allowing her any contact with his sons, her grand children.

Last month, though, on March 23, Dykstra picked up the phone and woke up his mother with a call at around 6 in the morning, according to Kevin Dykstra, his younger brother. Lenny was stranded in Cleveland. He wanted to charter a jet so he could get to a business meeting on the West Coast, and his credit cards were maxed out. He needed nearly $23,000 and asked his mother for it, Kevin says.

His mother agreed to let him use her credit card.

Kevin Dykstra says she has yet to be repaid.

And, yeah, he's got Sheen's taste for painted hussies (although Sheen at least pays them):

Porn star Monica Foster, who's accusing Lenny Dykstra of bouncing a $1,000 check to her for escort services, tells RadarOnline.com the baseball player-turned-businessman "is a coward" who "thinks he can just treat people like crap."

And other things:

Kevin Dykstra acknowledges that he briefed investigators for the Mitchell report as well as Major League Baseball security on what he describes as Lenny's use of recreational and performance-enhancing drugs during his playing days. Kevin says he was a source of the drugs for his brother, even after Lenny's baseball career ended.