Report: Dykstra fails to get bankruptcy case dismissed

Former outfielder Lenny Dykstra struck out in his recent bid to have his bankruptcy case dismissed, according to a lawyer involved in the case, The Wall Street Journal's Bankruptcy Beat blog reported Wednesday.

Judge Geraldine Mund of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles rejected Dykstra's bid for voluntary dismissal of his case following a hearing Tuesday, according to Robert Huttenhoff, an attorney for bankruptcy trustee Arturo Cisneros.

Dykstra, known as "Nails" in his playing days for the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, has had a bad year. He's lost his wife, his home, his Gulfstream jet.

He even lost control of his bankruptcy case when Mund ruled he could no longer administer his own finances. Cisneros was appointed to steer the proceedings back on course and generate cash for creditors by selling off Dykstra's personal belongings and real estate piece by piece.

Dykstra, who's representing himself in his bankruptcy case, had sought to convince Mund that getting out of bankruptcy was "without a doubt" in the best interests of his creditors, who have filed more than $43 million in claims against the former big leaguer.

The trouble with bankruptcy court, according to Dykstra, is it impinges on his "natural tendency" to succeed against all odds. He's a "singularly motivated kind of individual," and that, Dykstra says, is how he made millions on the ball field, in the car wash business and on Wall Street.

But in bankruptcy court, Dykstra said, his will to succeed -- "a natural tendency" that he's "unable to suppress" -- is a hindrance, not a benefit. Worse, Dykstra said, Cisneros "does not share his unique perspective" and continues to sell off his assets.

Dykstra is due back in bankruptcy court next week for a hearing on his ongoing fight with insurer Fireman Fund over a canceled policy and property damage at his California mansion.