Dimensions
163 x 236 x 34mm
In one of the wildest and most entertaining sports memoirs that will ever be published, legendary center fielder Lenny Dykstra offers a no-holds-barred account of his larger-than-life journey, a Shakespearian tale of highs and lows spanning his years with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, through his headline-filled post-baseball career. Nicknamed "Nails" for his toughness and grit, Lenny Dykstra approached the game of baseball (and his after-hours activities) with mythic intensity. In his decade in the majors (1985-1996), he was named to three All-Star teams and played in two of the most memorable World Series of the modern era: winning the championship with the iconic 1986 New York Mets, and playing a starring role in the 1993 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies, a Fall Classic that inspired Roger Angell to write, "This series will linger in mind not just for its immoderate events but for its panoply of featured players and character actors . . . a double touring company seemingly assembled by Hogarth or Fellini." Known for his clutch hits, high on-base percentage, and aggressive defense, Lenny was later identified as the prototypical "Moneyball" player by his former minor league roommate Billy Beane. Tobacco-stained, steroid-powered, and booze-and-drug-fueled, Nails also defined '80s and early '90s baseball's culture of excess. Then came a second act no novelist could plausibly conjure. He threw his energies into several lucrative businesses, was touted as an investment guru by Jim Cramer, and launched a magazine for professional athletes. The New Yorker ran a 5,000-word profile under the headline: "baseball's most improbable post-career success story." But when the real estate bubble burst, Lenny lost everything, eventually serving two and a half years in prison for bankruptcy fraud. Now, he's ready to tell all. An epic tale of winning big and losing it all, Lennyball is the eagerly anticipated first-hand account of a most remarkable American life. "Tough, straight, upsetting, and strangely beautiful. One of the best sports autobiographies I've ever read. It comes from the heart." -Stephen King "Tough, straight, upsetting, and strangely beautiful. One of the best sports autobiographies I've ever read. It comes from the heart." -Stephen KingEclipsing the traditional sports memoir, House of Nails, by former world champion, multimillionaire entrepreneur, and imprisoned felon Lenny Dykstra, spins a tragicomic tale of Shakespearean proportions - a relentlessly entertaining American epic that careens between the heights and the abyss.Nicknamed "Nails" for his hustle and grit, Lenny approached the game of baseball - and life - with mythic intensity. During his decade in the majors as a center fielder for the legendary 1980s Mets and the 1990s Phillies, he was named to three All-Star teams and played in two of the most memorable World Series of the modern era. An overachiever known for his clutch hits, high on-base percentage, and aggressive defense, Lenny was later identified by his former minor-league roommate Billy Beane as the prototypical "Moneyball" player in Michael Lewis's bestseller. Tobacco-stained, steroid-powered, and booze-and-drug-fueled, Nails also defined a notorious era of excess in baseball.Then came a second act no novelist could plausibly conjure: After retiring, Dykstra became a celebrated business mogul and investment guru. Touted as "one of the great ones" by CNBC's Jim Cramer, he became "baseball's most improbable post-career success story" (The New Yorker), purchasing a $17.5-million mansion and traveling the world by private jet. But when the economy imploded in 2008, Lenny lost everything. Then the feds moved in: convicted of bankruptcy fraud (unjustly, he contends), Lenny served two and a half harrowing years in prison, where he was the victim of a savage beating by prison guards that knocked out his front teeth.The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, channeling the bewildered fascination of many observers, declared that Lenny's outrageous rise and spectactular fall was "the greatest story that I have ever seen in my lifetime."Now, for the first time, Lenny tells all about his tumultuous career, from battling through crippling pain to steroid use and drug addiction, to a life of indulgence and excess, then, an epic plunge and the long road back to redemption. Was Lenny's hard-charging, risk-it-all nature responsible for his success in baseball and business and his precipitous fall from grace What lessons, if any, has he learned now that he has had time to think and reflectHilarious, unflinchingly honest, and irresistibly readable, House of Nails makes no apologies and leaves nothing left unsaid. Eclipsing the traditional sports memoir, House of Nails is a tale of Shakespearian proportions-a relentlessly entertaining ride that careens from the heights to the abyss.Lenny Dykstra, nicknamed “Nails” for his hustle and grit, approached the game of baseball-and life-with mythic intensity. During his decade in the majors as a legendary member of the 1980s Mets and 1990s Phillies, he was named to three All-Star teams and played in two of the most memorable World Series of the modern era. Then came a second act no novelist could plausibly conjure: After retiring, Dykstra became “baseball's most improbable post-career success story” (The New Yorker). But when the real estate bubble burst in 2008, Lenny lost everything. Then the feds moved in: convicted of bankruptcy fraud (unjustly, he contends), Lenny served two and a half harrowing years in prison.Now, for the first time, Dykstra tells all about his tumultuous career on and off the field. House of Nails asks no apologies and leaves nothing left unsaid.
