THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Editor's note: These excerpts are not edited for grammar or spelling.
Former baseball star Len Dykstra had been carving a little post-sporting niche for himself as a kind of unlikely financial guru, even writing an investment strategy column for TheStreet.com. Then a funny thing happened on Lenny's way to becoming the new Warren Buffet: he went bankrupt.
Officially bankrupt, as in Chapter 11. A petition filed Tuesday claimed Dykstra has less than $50,000 in assets and between $10 million and $50 million in liabilities. Nope, I don't think any of those shady debt consolidation outfits that advertise on the radio are going to be able to help Lenny. If this were Japan he would probably just fall on his sword. But it's America, so he'll get Chapter 11 protection, then make a bunch more money by writing a book about his ordeal.
Unfortunately, once the bankruptcy matter is hashed out, Lenny will still have 20 other lawsuits to deal with, all brought against him by business associates. What was that about him being a guru?
George King of the New York Post writes that Roy Halladay putting on pinstripes is a highly unlikely scenario. I must agree: The Yankees would have plunk down a king's ransom to get the Blue Jays to trade Halladay within the division. And with the Phillies in desperate need of a pitcher, you can imagine what that will do for the asking price.
As the great Torii Hunter says: "If they're shopping Roy Halladay, everybody and their momma is going to be after him."
One early favorite [in the Halladay sweepstakes] could be the Phillies, who have the wherewithal and need, and also reside in the right league. Plus they possess a decent group of prospects and young players, including outfielders Dominic Brown, Michael Taylor and John Mayberry Jr., pitchers J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco, Antonio Bastardo and Kyle Drabek, catcher Lou Marson and shortstop Jason Donald. While Donald doesn't rank as the best shortstop prospect in the game, the Jays did seek him in a trade last year, dangling pitcher Brian Tallet and slugger Matt Stairs.
Philly is a much more intense place than Toronto, but the acquaintance said he thought that Halladay, who hails from Colorado and lives in quiet Dunedin on the West Coast of Florida, wouldn't shy away from big East Coast markets such as Philly, Boston and New York. "He's shy and reserved and doesn't love the limelight, but he might accept for a chance to win," that person said.
