The walls are closing in on Frank McCourt

It looks like it's only a matter of time before Frank McCourt's tenure as owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers is over. Despite agreeing to the framework of a divorce settlement with his estranged wife, Jamie, last week, Frank isn't nearly out of the woods yet.

Right now, his hope is resting on MLB's approval of his proposed $3 billion television deal with Fox. Despite conflicting reports on Monday morning over whether that deal had already been rejected, the consensus is that Bud Selig is not going to allow the deal to happen. For the long form (and very well done) explanation of what that means for Frank McCourt and the franchise as a whole, check out Josh Fisher's column from ESPNLosAngeles.com.

The short version is that with no Fox deal, the divorce settlement is invalid. It also means there's no realistic chance that Frank McCourt can cover the team payroll on June 30th and Major League Baseball will likely seize the team. A lawsuit from McCourt against baseball is almost guaranteed to follow.

While Dodger fans have been left hanging in the balance, they are not sitting quietly. Much has been made of the poor attendance numbers at Dodger Stadium - spurred mostly by a fan revolt. But it's gone even further. The Save the Dodgers movement is once again soliciting donations to help buy a billboard to better publicize their goals.

Even the L.A. City Council has gotten into the act, passing a resolution in support of a plan that would allow fans to purchase a stake in the team. The chances of something like that actually happening are pretty remote, but it speaks to local frustration about McCourt's ownership and the fan's desire for this all to be over. If Frank's deal with Fox is rejected, however, this could still have a ways to go.