Lenny Dykstra, the center fielder for the 1986 champion New York Mets, recently sold his '86 World Series ring for $56,752 to an unidentified collector. For those of you who don't know, this is not a very good time for Dykstra, who among other things was named in the Mitchell Report in 2007. Dykstra was once a highly-regarded investor who actually bought one of Wayne Gretzky's mansions. But a series of horrible financial decisions, including a few less-than-legal practices of his own, have led him to where he is today. Two months ago, CNBC reported this:

Dykstra is demanding the insurance company make good on its policy to put him up in a temporary residence because he says the house is now unlivable. "I don't mean to be crude," he says, "but where do they expect me to (go to the bathroom)?" He claims he has been "living in his car," though last night he says he stayed in the lobby of a Westwood hotel. Fireman's Fund says it's already providing a temporary residence for the Dykstras, and Mrs. Dykstra is living there. Lenny Dykstra wants his own place, but since they have a joint account, they're only being provided with a joint temporary residence.

Dykstra filed for bankruptcy and currently owes roughly $31 million in debt. The championship ring is not the only piece of memorabilia Lenny is auctioning.

• Dykstra's replica World Championship trophy, a foot-tall "glorious, glittering prize" inscribed with his name.
• Dykstra's home run ball that won game three of the 1986 National League Championship Series.
• His 1990, 1994 and 1995 All-Star Game rings.

So there you have it. It's a sad story, and an ironic one considering he was writing financial articles and giving investment advice just a few years ago. The moral of the story is this: if you make millions of dollars, just shut up and keep it. Don't gamble it away on trying to make a few more bucks; don't blow it on useless crap like Persian tigers or million-dollar coat racks. Just horde it and let it cover you the rest of your life. If you don't, you might wind up like this guy.

(Photo by Andrew Savulich, New York Daily News)