Screen Shot 2013-08-29 at 9.26.42 AMA couple of weeks ago, Lenny Dykstra was back on the East Coast for autograph signings (one with our sponsor, Sports Vault). Per the terms of his probation, he’s not allowed to leave the state of California unless he’s earning a paycheck, so Dykstra used the opportunity to see his son, Cutter, play in Wilmington. And he also sat down with Mike Jerrick of FOX Philly for what has to be the first normal interview Dykstra’s given in years, if not ever.

He seemed to be more sane (and sober) than the last time he talked to the Philly media, when he sat down with John Clark for this absolutely batshit crazy interview in 2011, but there were still some topics that made him squirm. When Jerrick pushed Dykstra on how his behavior affected his family, Dykstra, who believes he and his ex-wife, Terri, still have a chance (he said the same thing in 2011 and Terri vehemently denied it), asked that the question be cut and threatened to end the interview. But his demeanor quickly changed when the topic turned to Cutter and to Dykstra’s future.

He wants to be a broadcaster:

How about a TV career?

“Baseball broadcasting or some sort of analyst type show with baseball. It’s my business. It’s what I know best. It’s what I can do. So, you know. I’m just freshly out of prison, though. Which is kind of scary to say.”

But you’ve seen a lot of people get second and third chances.

“That’s what this country is built on. So it’s up to me now. I think that’s an area I want to get in, though. That’s the business I know. Baseball is what I do best.”

Have you thought about coaching?

“I’ve though about getting back in baseball, but I think it might take the first step doing some analyst type stuff or baseball type stuff. You know, with a FOX Sports or ESPN, something like that.”

Maybe the Phillies should give him an opportunity to close out the 2013 season. It’d be better than listening to T-Mac and Wheels gargle faux sunshine for the next month.

Dykstra was also bothered by the fact that he couldn’t attend the 20th anniversary of the 1993 team during Alumni Weekend:

Why couldn’t you be at the 20th anniversary of the 1993 Phillies?

“Man, I wish I could have been there. I really wanted to be there for the fans and to see my teammates. But you know, just getting out, I couldn’t get it cleared with my probation officer. But I really wanted to come. I wanted to be a part of that. The fans in Philadelphia, and the city of Philadelphia, really hold a special place in my heart. Awesome city.”

Do you still hear from Phillies fans?

“Yeah. If I went back there today, I bet they’d love me. I’m going to come back and see them. I love Philadelphia. And not only Philadelphia, the people who run that organization are great people. From Bill Giles to Dave Montgomery– great people. It’s a first-class organization.”

Sounds a lot different than this guy.

Two videos after the jump– the edited version and the longer raw interview (NOT DOCTORED BY JERRY DANTANA— CHECK THE SHOT CLOCK!!!). At around 9:00 of the raw version, you can see Dykstra get really uncomfortable when asked about his family.

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