Lenny Dykstra

A passage from Moneyball by Michael Lewis:

“Physically, Lenny didn‘t belong in the same league with him [Billy Beane]. He was half Billy‘s size, and had a fraction of Billy‘s promise-- which is why the Mets hadn‘t drafted him until the thirteenth round. Mentally, Lenny was superior, which was odd considering Lenny wasn’t what you’d call a student of the game. Billy remembers sitting with Lenny in a Mets dugout watching the opposing pitcher warm up. “Lenny says, ‘So who’s that big dumb ass out there on the hill?’ And I say, ‘Lenny, you’re kidding me, right? That’s Steve Carlton. He’s maybe the greatest left-hander in the history of the game.’ Lenny says, “So what’s he got?’ And I say, ‘Lenny, come on. Steve Carlton. He’s got heat and also maybe the nastiest slider ever.’ And Lenny sits there for a while longer as if he’s taking that in. Finally he just says, ‘Shit, I’ll stick him.” pg 45-46

    I wasn’t big on baseball during my early years. I was a ruffled dress, Barbie loving freak who could care less about baseball. No, baseball was my brother’s job. However, the more I learned about the game, I found myself falling in love with it. In particular, the players. And there’s no other player more distinct than a Dirtbag. Yet, the more I research the concept of “Dirtbags,” the more I was convinced of two things:
    One: Defining a Dirtbag is completely subjective
    Two. Dirtbags are a dying breed
    Thus, I arrived face to face with a decade (or two) of the most scrappy players in the MLB- the 1980’s to 1990’s. This was the height of Dirtbags. Going through the players from these decades, it was hard to keep my list to the maximum I was willing to write. I did, nevertheless, come across one play who’s face (a least to me) define a dirtbag. That face is Lenny Dykstra.
    I was taken back the first time I came across a picture of Lenny. He was a scruffy looking ball player, with a curly brown hair, a huge grin, and a wad of chew in his jaw the size of a fist. I didn’t know what to expect of him based on the photo I came across. Yet, the more I researched about Lenny as a ball player, the more I learned about his distinctive character on the field. Similar to the way Billy Beane describes Lenny Dykstra in the Moneyball excerpt above, I found from the sources I came across, Lenny was "perfectly designed, emotionally" to play baseball. He was a fan favorite while playing for both the Mets (1985-1988) and Phillies (1989-1996). Mets fans even dubbed him the nickname “Nails” because of his “tough-as-nails personality and fearless play.” (nytimes.com)
    From the several sources I came across, I noticed numerous qualities that were consistently associated with Lenny.  He was a sparkplug. He had no concept of failure. He was a surge of energy. He was a “red-light player.” (Baseball Digest) He seemed to be every quality a ball player should be. Even though he lacked range compared to his fellow elite outfielders, he made up for it in other ways like a dirtbag does. He would shimp a ball to left field, dive for balls in the outfield, and get pitchers deep in the counts.
    In a beautiful article about Lenny Dykstra in the September 1995 Baseball Digest Issue, Gregg Jefferies describes how it was to play against Lenny. He says, “He’s a little gnat when you’re playing against him. He’s always around doing things that drive you crazy. But when he’s your teammate, you realize he plays the game the way it should be played.” (37-38)  He took situations and turned them into opportunities. He played the game hard. To me, that’s the first characteristic of a dirtbag. A dirtbag should never accentuate his disadvantages. In his eyes he should have none. He sees every situation as an opportunity. He should know every seam of the game and utilize it to his advantage. That’s what Lenny did on the field.
    Another quality about Lenny I most enjoyed, was described in the Baseball Digest. Gerry Fraley, the author of the article, explains how Lenny had appendicitis during what would have been his second All Star appearance. Lenny is quoted saying, “I could have played, but they didn’t want me to. I guess that was the right thing to do.” (37) I couldn’t help but fall in love with Lenny after reading this. While most players would happily take a day off (especially if he was dealing with excruciating pain, like appendicitis) Lenny was the opposite. He refused, under any circumstances, to sit out of a game. That is a dirtbag.
    Additionally, Lenny was remembered on the field for a lot of different “faces.” All of which could clearly categorizes him as a Dirtbag. I strongly recommend reading the 1995 Baseball Digest article, “Lenny Dykstra of the Phils: This ’Dude’ Comes to Play.” Gerry Fraley writes a wonderful article about Lenny as a player on the Phillies in 1995. I’ll also provide links of other sources I came across below.
    Before I conclude this blog on Lenny “Nails” Dykstra, I’ll leave you with a quote from Lenny about his 1989 trade from the Mets to the Phillies: “For me, this isn't that sad. This is the time for me to make a move. I'm 26 and I've been here nearly five years. Maybe it's time to show I can hit those left-handed pitchers.” (nytimes.com)


Sources:
http://www.thelennydykstrareport.com

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/19/sports/mets-get-samuel-for-mcdowell-dykstra.html?pagewanted=print

Baseball Digest Article: http://books.google.com/books?id=ySoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36&dq=lenny+dykstra+baseball+digest+1995&client=firefox-a&cd=1#v=onepage&q=lenny%20dykstra&f=false