Frank and Jamie McCourt have reached a divorce settlement, finally ending their 20-month long battle. Their long fight over ownership of the Dodgers has appeared to reach an end, though with a twist. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported that the settlement is contingent upon Major League Baseball approving the Dodgers' pending television contract extension with Fox.
However, approval of the TV deal doesn't seem likely, at least anytime soon. The Dodgers are currently under investigation by MLB, which is overseeing the day-to-day operations of the club. Commissioner Bud Selig has said that until the investigation is over, he will not approve any TV deal, which Frank McCourt needs as a cash infusion, as up to $300 million of the deal, reported to be between $1.6 and $3 billion depending on the value of partial ownership of Prime Ticket, will be paid to the Dodgers right away.
However, it's the robbing tomorrow to pay today mentality that has the Dodgers in their current financial mess anyway, and one that Selig will not bend over backwards to allow to continue. The Dodgers will reportedly not have enough funds to meet their June 30 payroll, at which point MLB would step in and completely seize the team. It is unlikely that MLB will approve the TV deal before then, or perhaps even before August 4, when the Dodgers will be determined sole or community property by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge.
Now, we wait, for either the Dodgers to miss a payroll, or McCourt to sue MLB for not approving an agreed-upon TV deal, or perhaps both.
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