The Los Angeles Dodgers were rumored to be having trouble making payroll for May, a problem that would affect everyone from Matt Kemp to the licensed nitrate dealer who peddles Dodger Dogs. For this month, though, they're all getting paid. From ESPN the Magazine's Molly Knight:
Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt was able to meet the team's payroll Tuesday with cash advances drawn on the team's corporate sponsorship deals, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Knight suggests that the Dodgers could have made extra concessions with regards to luxury-box availability in exchange for the cash advances, as well as discounts on future sponsorship fees.
Financial control of the Dodgers was taken over by Bud Selig and Major League Baseball earlier this spring, though owner Frank McCourt maintains that if MLB will just approve a really-this-is-good-for-everyone $3 billion TV deal with Fox, all the Dodgers' financial problems will go away.