num_pages: 340
description: 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 baseballs 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 5000-word profile under the headline: baseballs 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 hes 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.
language: English
title: House of Nails: A Memoir of Life on the Edge
publisher: William Morrow