Lenny Dykstra: “They Destroyed My Marriage”

After losing his home and his wife, former Phillies All-Star says his dark days are done.

Lenny Dykstra blames "greedy banks" for wrecking his life.

"They destroyed a 23-year marriage," he told NBC Philadelphia's John Clark in a long, profanity- and insult-laced interview during his latest trip to Philadelphia.

"We didn't just get divorced all of a sudden. Look at the timing of it. When you're paying $182,000 a month, every 30 days, $182,000, I don't care who you are," Dykstra said.

The former Phillies All-Star claims he was set up to fail after defaulting on his payments for the $18.5-million estate he bought from hockey great Wayne Gretzky in 2007.

"They put me in a loan they knew I couldn’t afford. They tricked me," Dykstra said. "It’s called equity stripping, predatory lending at its finest."

Dykstra's home sold at auction last November for an undisclosed amount, according to the Los Angeles Times. The starting bid was $767,000.

"They wiped two years of my life out," Dykstra said. The mortgage holder, JP Morgan, doesn't have any comment on Dykstra's rant.

To watch his interview clips, you might think Dykstra was batting 1.000 in the whacky department. There's his "take their money and f*** their women" philosophy on baseball, his reasoning on why Charlie Sheen has the most normal household he's been in, and Lenny comparing himself to "that dude named, uh, that Indian dude, uh, uh, Gandhi?"

But Lenny says the dark days are over. He says he's living in a $10-million home that once belonged to Macy Gray and he is trying to help other people who are losing their homes through a website called StopTheGreedyBanks.

"I can save people's homes. I didn't get stupid overnight," Dykstra said. "I am on this planet to give people hope."

And if that doesn't work, maybe a reality show with Sheen and Gary Busey. Winning!

Related Interview Clips:


Fan, follow and download: Get the latest from NBCPhiladelphia.com anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and NBC Philadelphia. Sign up for our sports newsletter. And, get breaking news delivered right to your mobile phone -- just text PHIBREAKING to 639710 to sign up. (Message and data rates may apply.)

Contact Us