How does one get an umpire on their side? One way is to spend half a million dollars to spy on umpires, learn their personal secrets, and then use them to blackmail the umpire into getting calls to go your way. That's what former Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra said he did to get ahead, anyway.
Dykstra appeared on Fox Sports 1's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" today and made the outrageous statements.
The statements were captured on TMZ Sports:
"Their blood's just as red as ours," Dykstra said … "Some of them like women, some of them like men, some of them gamble … some of them do whatever."
Dykstra says the strategy was effective — with umpires often shrinking the strike zone for him when he was at bat in the early '90s.
"Its wasn't a coincidence that I led the league in walks the next few years, was it?"
Dykstra did in fact lead the league in walks in 1993.
"Fear does a lot to a man."
Blackmail of umpires is probably frowned upon in baseball.
Whether or not Dykstra is serious – or just making things up – of course is a serious infraction. It could also help explain Dykstra's money troubles over the years. $500,000 is somewhat of a drop in the bucket of his earnings; Dykstra once claimed he was worth $58 million. Dykstra then spiraled into bankruptcy and spent time living in his car prior to heading to jail for drug and theft charges.
