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.

Former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent calls Mark Cuban, George Steinbrenner "a real problem"

Mark Cuban has been trying to work his way into Major League Baseball for some time now, failing in his bids to buy the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. Now that he has an NBA title under his belt while the Los Angeles Dodgers are undergoing turmoil, there's talk that he should be the leading candidate to take over for Frank McCourt.

Good thing for him that Fay Vincent is no longer in charge.

The former commissioner told ESPN Radio that Cuban's past run-ins with NBA commissioner David Stern should be enough to make other baseball owners wary about letting him into their fraternity.

"The rules are the rules. I think this enormous criticism -- the screaming about officials, the kinds of things that got him fined by David -- those are not actions of a sensible, responsible owner," Vincent said. "I mean winning is not everything, and I'm afraid for some of these owners they get so carried away with winning they believe that's the objective."

Wait...what? Winning isn't the objective? Then what is? That's a quaint notion that Vincent is expressing. Yes, it's nice to sit in the sun and enjoy a beer and a ballgame during the summer. But not everyone can be a Cubs fan. Winning ain't just a tired Charlie Sheen catchphrase. It bring fans to the ballpark. It brings free agents to franchises. Vincent's logic makes him fit to be a little league commissioner where everyone can get a trophy at the end.

But Vincent wasn't finished. He went on to compare Cuban to former Yankees owner, the late George Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner was to Vincent as Cuban is to Stern. Vincent banned Steinbrenner from baseball for life after an investigation revealed the Yankees owner paid a gambler to dig up unflattering information on Dave Winfield. Steinbrenner was reinstated after Vincent left office, but according to the commish, the game would have been better off without him.

"I think it's more important for owners to be gentlemen, play by the rules, respect the authorities, do what's good for the sport, than it is to manage his franchise into total success," he said. "The subtleties make the difference. George Steinbrenner was a real problem in baseball, and I think Mark Cuban is a real problem in basketball."

Steinbrenner was such a problem for baseball that his Yankees have been and continue to be the sport's biggest draw - both on television and at the box office. It certainly would be nice for all team owners to be wonderful, philanthropic stewards of their local communities and the game at-large. But at the same time, people don't buy sports teams to not win. Except for Donald Sterling, of course.

Sadly, this kind of logic still seems prevalent among MLB owners and is probably the biggest reason Mark Cuban will never be allowed to own a team. Steinbrenner rankled people all throughout baseball, with his brash personality, bombastic statements and overheated emotions. Cuban would do the same. But they have also been people that you had to pay attention to. With the NFL squabbling over labor negotiations and the NBA soon to follow, this was baseball's big chance to grab a bigger portion of the spotlight by breaking out of its traditionally stale thinking. Instead the powers-that-be seem content to plod along on the status quo.

Dodgers have "no chance" to make June 30 payroll

Frank McCourt has been playing a dangerous game when it comes to the Dodgers' payroll lately - staving off one potential disaster by getting an advance on some of the team's sponsorship deals to cover the June 1 payroll.

Now the L.A. Times is reporting that while McCourt is expected to be able to cut checks for the upcoming June 15 payroll, don't expect it to happen at the end of the month.

The Dodgers owe about $10 million in payroll Wednesday, according to one of the people, but that figure roughly triples for the June 30 payment as several deferred salaries come due, including more than $8 million to Manny Ramirez. 

The Dodgers appear to have "no chance" to meet the June 30 payroll without a cash infusion from a new television contract, according to a person familiar with McCourt's finances but not authorized to discuss them. If McCourt misses payroll, Selig could make the payments for him, seize the team and put it up for sale.

We posted about the Manny Ramirez payment and how it could affect McCourt's ability to hold on to the team earlier on Monday. To add to McCourt's struggle, his attorneys spent nine hours on Monday attempting to negotiate a divorce settlement with attorneys for his estranged wife, Jamie. Likely any settlement would be contingent upon a June 22 hearing in which McCourt will ask a judge to allow the team to sign a $285 million television contract extension with Fox.

Major League Baseball has been overseeing the team with the constant threat looming that McCourt could be forced to sell. If ownership does fail to make payroll at the end of the month, it could force Bud Selig's hand. Dodger fans are hoping that Mark Cuban's current good mood will make him amenable to making an offer on the team. Either way, it looks like McCourt's running out of outs.

Mark Cuban takes notice of "Save The Dodgers" movement

As we wrote about last week, a determined Dodger fan has started a campaign to convince Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban to buy the team from embattled owner Frank McCourt.

(For more about the site, check out my interview with Roger Arrieta.)

Turns out, there's been a little movement for the movement.

"I actually heard back from Mark Cuban," Arrieta said in a tweet. "He said he has seen the pics, didnt deny saying he wasnt interested, right now it's Mavs time."

It's easy to understand that Cuban's mind would be on other things right about now. But it's encouraging that he's taken notice of what's going on. Whether it's enough to pique his interest remains to be seen. Regardless, Arrieta has stepped up efforts by seeking donations for a billboard to advertise the website.

At this point, it may benefit Dodger fans to start wearing Maverick blue for the next couple of weeks. Perhaps the rush of winning a championship will convince Cuban to move on to new challenges...namely Major League Baseball. Plus, Laker fans can say they lost to the team that eventually won the title. Either way, it takes their minds off of watching the Dodgers for a few days.

Dodger Fans Court Mark Cuban As Their Savior

Fan frustration is reaching an all-time high in Los Angeles. Owner Frank McCourt is continuing his legal fight to keep control of the team. The franchise is offering deep discounts to try and lure angry fans back into the park. Meanwhile on the field, the team is struggling and losing ground daily in the NL West standings. So the fans of Los Angeles have turned their eyes east, looking for a savior.

LetsGoNico posted a pic of this sticker that was being handed out around Dodger Stadium before Tuesday night's game against the Brewers.

Mark Cuban's name was immediately mentioned as a candidate to buy the team in the aftermath of Major League Baseball taking over operations. He was in town recently while the Mavericks were busy dusting off the Lakers in the NBA Playoffs, but declined to make a statement one way or other about acquiring the team. Certainly he has shown interest previously in trying to purchase a baseball team with failed efforts to acquire the Cubs and Rangers under his belt.

More than anything, this is another show of disgust from an embarrassed fan base toward an embattled owner. The trust between the two sides is so broken that McCourt's double talk, broken promises and continued poor stewardship of one of L.A.'s most beloved institutions is going to make for a nearly untenable summer at Chavez Ravine.

(H/T to TrueBlueLA)