The Los Angeles Dodgers filed for bankruptcy court protection early Monday, less than a week after Major League Baseball blocked the team from signing a new television deal to provide it with the cash it needed to meet the team's payroll.

The bankruptcy filing also comes in the wake of a bitter divorce battle between owners Frank and Jamie McCourt, who finally reached a settlement earlier this month.

But Frank McCourt still needed approval of a new $3 billion television deal with Fox Sports, and Commissioner Bud Selig blocked the deal with the News Corp. unit last week, who said he couldn't approve a deal which he said was "structured to facilitate the further diversion of Dodgers assets for the personal needs of Mr. McCourt."

Selig had already appointed a monitor to oversee the club's business operations. McCourt had vowed to fight any effort to force him to sell the team, but that effort may now be nearing an end with Monday's filing.

From ESPN.com:

NEW YORK -- George Steinbrenner, who rebuilt the New York Yankees into a sports empire with a mix of bluster and big bucks that polarized fans all across America, died Tuesday. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday July 4.

Steinbrenner had a heart attack, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Fla., and died at about 6:30 a.m. ET, according to multiple reports.

"It is with profound sadness that the family of George M. Steinbrenner III announces his passing. He passed away this morning in Tampa, Fla., at age 80," the Steinbrenner family said in a statement.