Dykstra still moves fast, and his stock is soaring

He ignited the team from the leadoff spot with his .295 batting average, 27 doubles, seven triples and 31 stolen bases.

BY ANTHONY RIEBER | Newsday Staff Writer

August 17, 2006

Lenny Dykstra batted .600 last month.

Not in some slow-pitch softball league or even an elite over-40 baseball circuit. The former Mets centerfielder's average came in his stock picks on the Wall Street Web site, thestreet.com, where Dykstra is a featured columnist.

That's right. Lenny Dykstra, who used to crash into outfield walls, now is trying to prevent the next crash of the New York Stock Exchange. Or at least profit from it.

"We are not in this business to buy and hold," Dykstra writes in his Aug. 2 column. "That's not our game plan."

Does it surprise you that Dykstra advocates moving fast? That's all he did as a member of the 1986 Mets. He ignited the team from the leadoff spot with his .295 batting average, 27 doubles, seven triples and 31 stolen bases. Throw in eight home runs, 45 RBIs and a flair for the dramatic that showed itself during that memorable postseason.

Keith Hernandez said Dykstra's leadoff home run in Game 3 of the World Series was the turning point of the postseason because the Mets were trailing 0-2 in the series.

When told that recently, Dykstra nearly blushed over the phone. "Keith said that?" he asked. "Really?"

Really. And that might not have been Dykstra's biggest postseason hit. With the Mets trailing by a run in Game 3 of the NLCS, Dykstra hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning before the term "walk-off home run" was even invented.

Dykstra expected to do things like that. Just as he expected the Mets to win the whole thing after their miraculous comeback in Game 6 of the World Series.

Was he worried when they were down 3-0 in the sixth inning of Game 7? Don't make him laugh. Dykstra, who loved gambling as much as baseball, knew the Mets were a safe bet.

"I don't even remember Game 7, and that's not a joke," he said. "Somebody told me we were losing. After Game 6, the World Series was over. That's how the players felt. When there's two outs in the [10th] inning and you're down two runs and there's nobody on, I don't even know if they would give odds."

GARY CARTER
1986 stats: .255, 24 HRs, 105 RBIs

What he did then: The only Hall of Famer to date among the 1986 Mets, Carter was the clean-up hitter and led the team in RBIs and was second in home runs to Darryl Strawberry (27). Hit two home runs in 6-2 victory in Game 4 of the World Series. Started the 10th-inning rally in Game 6 with a single.

What he does now: Manager for St. Lucie Mets (A).

His best memory: "The fact that when we won the World Series, the greatest thrill was running out into the arms of Jesse Orosco ... whenever you do win and you can go out there and celebrate like that, that to me is the ultimate."

On being an '86 Met: "The greatest thrill. We should've won in '88 as well. Nevertheless, it didn't happen, so all I can say is it was exciting and a thrill. To win one World Series in my career is something I'll savor for the rest of my life."

LEE MAZZILLI

1986 stats: .276, 2 HRs, 7 RBIs

What he did then: Mazzilli rejoined the '86 team on Aug. 7 (after being released by Pittsburgh) and pinch hit in nine of 13 postseason games. He had a hit and a run scored in Game 6 of the World Series and started the Mets' game-tying, sixth-inning rally in Game 7 with a pinch hit single.