FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS DODGERS’ SALE OF TV RIGHTS

Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has suffered a new blow in his effort to sell the team’s TV rights to the highest bidder prior to the expiration of the Dodgers’ deal with Fox TV. A U.S. District Court judge has in effect overruled a decision by the bankruptcy court judge overseeing McCourt’s sale of the team’s assets. The ruling by the federal court, to be detailed on Tuesday, will lower the value of the club, making it more difficult for McCourt to pay off its debts (and reach a divorce settlement with his ex-wife). He has agreed to sell the Dodgers by April 1.