Working for the devil ... one man's tale of working for Lenny Dykstra

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

In GQ .. a New York Post photo editor recounts his 67 days of employment with Lenny Dykstra and is ill-fated TPC magazine.
Jon Stewart fans will particularly enjoy the Jim Cramer mention.
Fascinating story. A bit long, bit well worth reading.


http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_8558

 

[Shaggy]

Good story. I feel a lot better.

 

[wireguy]

makes me feel a little better when they didn't call me back after the interview. I went in early October to their offices and while the interview went decently, I found it weird that I was meeting with the office manager as opposed to the editor.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Wow.

****ing great, truly scary piece.

 

[silvercharm]

Wonder if Real Sports will do a follow up on this scumbag.

 

[Cubman71]

****.

I applied with this place. didn't know it was Nails behind it, but whoever I spoke with on the phone was impressed with my ideas for a couple of features (one was going to be about Chris Paul), and I'm pretty sure it wasn't Dykstra on the other end.

Never heard back from them, and I'm glad I didn't.

I've been pretty burned by my last two telecommute gigs with paychecks and such.

 

[buckweaver]

If I get laid off, I was thinking I could go work for the car wash with Nails' name on it that was a mile from my old place. Guess not anymore.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Dykstra sounds like a mini-Madoff.

 

[Wonderlic]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20090316_GQ_paints_unflattering_portrait_of_Dykstra.html

Dykstra disputed the GQ article's claim that his magazine project is nearly defunct.

"We're not out of business," he said. "We're kicking ass. We're on our 11th issue."

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Wouldn't the lawsuits be public record?
I would think a quick check would clear up any discrepancies.


FWIW: I don't believe Dykstra... but why didn't GQ try to get comment from Dysktra for the story?

 

[slappy4428]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20090316_GQ_paints_unflattering_portrait_of_Dykstra.html

Dykstra disputed the GQ article's claim that his magazine project is nearly defunct.

"We're not out of business," he said. "We're kicking ass. We're on our 11th issue."

If by kicking ass, he means get attention cause he can't pay bills, he's doing a great job! Nails!

 

[BYH]

How in the **** could anyone ever think it was a good idea to work and/or invest with Lenny Dykstra, who didn't even have the attention span to complete an interview during his playing days?

 

[Whitey Whitney]

"Grab some pine - the $1,500 dessert wine is on its way."

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

It's been my experience that the people who brag about how much their **** costs are the ones who don't have as much as they would like you to believe.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Some other pubs have been all over the Dykstra-as-deadbeat angle months ago:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12172008/business/dykstra_drops_the_ball_144522.htm

http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/12/23/whoops-dykstra-whiffs-on-new-editor-claim

But you have to give the little ****er some credit for going after good editors. Neil Amdur, former NYT SE. Loren Feldman, former Philadelphia Magazine editor and former exec editor of George mag (JFK Jr.'s mag). Even though neither took the editor's job, they admit interviewing for it.

 

[HorseWhipped]

Surprised that Nails acts like that ... but not surprised at all.

I have to say, if my boss calls me up on the fly and tells me he needs me to put thousands of dollars on my credit card for him right now, I find a way to say no pretty quick.

Especially knowing how it would go if things were reversed:

Me: "Hey, Boss, I'm in a pinch this weekend and need $10,000 like right now. Got a great deal going on, and I'll give you $15,000 on Tuesday."

Boss: "Are you crazy? Get the **** outta here."

Great story to read. And I agree with what BYM said.

 

[BYH]

Surprised that Nails acts like that ... but not surprised at all.

I have to say, if my boss calls me up on the fly and tells me he needs me to put thousands of dollars on my credit card for him right now, I find a way to say no pretty quick.

That's what blew my mind. Especially in the first month. I'm not loaning anybody **** in this economy, never mind a fast-talking boss with "a lot of money." If that refusal to loan the boss money is getting me fired, so be it.

 

[HorseWhipped]

Exactly.
You got a boss asks you for money?
Pack up your desk that day and move on fast.

 

[Fredrick]

Great thread and posts. Especially about the borrowing of money.
I guess the moral of the story again is, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.
Wasn't the National a can't miss proposition? How long did that last? All those great writers and an editor with a clue?

 

[BYH]

At least The National was founded by a guy who was a Hall of Famer in his field. Dykstra is dumb as dirt. Who, seriously, would take financial advice from a guy whose vocab consisted of various versions of "dude" and who thought he had the upper hand in car vs. tree?