⚾ 1. 1986 Mets: Chaos Champions

• Dykstra was a key part of the 1986 New York Mets, one of the most talented and rowdy teams ever.
  
  

• He famously hit a walk-off home run in Game 3 of the NLCS, one of the defining moments of the Mets' title run.
  
  

• That team partied hard, fought harder, and somehow won it all.
  
  
  Dykstra once said: “We played hard and we partied harder. That’s just how it was.”
  
  
  

🥃 2. Beer and Dip for Breakfast

• Dykstra was known for his insane pregame routine:
  
  

  • Chewed massive wads of tobacco.
    
    

  • Wasn’t shy about having a beer before batting practice.
    
    

• He told reporters he’d pop “greenies” (amphetamines) before games.
  
  
  “If you weren’t taking greenies back then, you were at a disadvantage.”
  
  
  

💰 3. Post-Baseball Rise and Fall

After retiring:

• Dykstra became a Wall Street investor, launching a luxury magazine called The Players Club aimed at pro athletes.
  
  

• Claimed to make $50 million in the stock market.
  
  

• Bought Wayne Gretzky’s mansion for $17.5M.
  
  

• It all crashed—fast. He filed bankruptcy, owed over $30 million, and was charged with fraud.
  
  

🚓 4. Arrested Multiple Times

• In 2011 and 2012, Dykstra was arrested for:
  
  

  • Grand theft auto
    
    

  • Bankruptcy fraud
    
    

  • Drug possession
    
    

  • Indecent exposure
    
    

• He served time in federal prison and later said it “was the best thing that ever happened” to him.
  
  

📚 5. Memoir: House of Nails (2016)

• His book became a New York Times bestseller.
  
  

• In it, Dykstra claims:
  
  

  • He hired private investigators to dig up dirt on umpires.
    
    

  • He manipulated pitchers by analyzing body language.
    
    

  • He did HGH to stay competitive in his later years.
    
    

• Critics called it “disturbing, fascinating, and totally unfiltered.”
  
  

😮 6. Toothless Taxi Driver?

• In recent years, Dykstra was photographed missing several teeth, claiming he couldn’t afford dental care.
  
  

• He was briefly a rideshare driver and once got into a physical altercation over Uber pricing.
  
  

🎙️ 7. Still Unfiltered

• Dykstra remains active on social media, doing wild interviews, and even launching a podcast.
  
  

• He still calls out MLB, other players, and the Hall of Fame voters, often with zero filter.
  
  

❤️ Baseball Legacy

Despite the madness:

• He was an elite leadoff hitter and MVP candidate in 1993.
  
  

• Known for clutch playoff performances with both the Mets and Phillies.
  
  

• One of the most beloved players by Philly and New York fans—warts and all.