The Dodgers are bankrupt, and their situation isn’t getting any better. From a report posted last night on CBS Sports’ Eye on Baseball:

The Los Angeles Dodgers — who recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection — issued payroll checks to some “game day staff members” that bounced, according to TMZ.com. The website actually obtained a check for $497.54 that shows it was returned to the employee by the bank and was stamped with “refer to maker,” which means there were insufficient funds in the Dodgers’ account. The check was signed by Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and issued on June 24. TMZ notes the Dodgers said that some checks did bounce but have since been reissued.

In the meantime, Dodgers employees better not spend their money until their paycheck definitely clears.

And that brings us to today’s Dugout, which covers the bouncing checks and finds out exactly what Frank McCourt has been doing with his giant pile of burning money. It follows.

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I promise that I want to get something up on the site today that isn’t a weekend recap or a picture of Osama Bin Laden with OBAMA’D in big white letters at the bottom, but today is officially Did You Hear About Osama Day in America. Maybe if I was blogging from Kenya I could report futbol news and a funny video of a busty lady tripping and falling down while crossing the veldt, but no, baseball happened and then we killed a guy.

This week’s Baseball is Boring takes a xenophobic approach to the national pastime, wherein I resort to a combination of CTRL+X and CTRL+V for my USA chants and question the authenticity of Jose Bautista’s birth certificate. I’m sorry, his steroids certificate.

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It's Tribe Time Now (in 1989)

After missing two consecutive Mondays due to an extended hospital stay, I’ve returned to cover the only thing more boring than potassium pills and intestinal blockage: Major League Baseball! Things happen over the weekend, and I’m here to bundle up the important stories and sort of pool the one-to-zero comments we’d get per baseball article into one mega gallery with six-to-zero comments.

The Indians are Still in First Place

They’ve lost three straight and had a game postponed, but we’re 21 games into the season and the Cleveland Indians are still sitting atop the AL Central. I refuse to believe this is an April streak anomaly, and will continue to explain how this is simply the coming-together of young, blossoming talent and healed up veterans looking to recapture the spotlight. It’s about guts, people, and I’m positive the 141 or so more games in the season will prove me right. Who cares if our most marketable star is named “Jeanmar?” Who cares if Fausto Carmona finishes the season 1-22? The Indians are winning the World Series, and I don’t care if me and manager Lou Brown are the only ones who believe it.

The Tribe heads back home on Tuesday to start a three game series against Upstart Nobody Flukes the Kansas City Royals. Monster ace and carnival showman Jeanmar Gomez gets his next start on Saturday against something called the “Detroit Tigers.”

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Hey gang! I’d like to take this opportunity to thank With Leather for allowing me to contribute to the Dugout again. It is truly one of the best things that I have had the honor of being a part of, and writing today’s strip brought back a lot of fond memories. It was a lot of fun reading B’s Dugouts and seeing Jon’s return recently, but I really missed being a part of it.

The Dodgers are about to transform into a pile of mealy horse vomit. The messy divorce of two boring white people has spilled onto the diamond. The players, fans, and employees of the Los Angeles Dodgers will all be affected, if not ground into a fine powder and made into blue glue. Maybe Selig will sell the team to Donald Trump and by presidential decree the Dodgers will make it to the NLCS and actually put up a fight. Please do enjoy this very magical chat room.

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Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier is such a foodie that he keeps a blog on mlb.com called Dining with ‘Dre. It’s got all sorts of restaurants reviews with fun insights like:

This isn’t your typical pizzeria…the apps are to die for and don’t disappoint. But first up was the fried squash blossom stuffed with ricotta…one word – UNBELIEVABLE! [...] Next up was Mussel al forno with Calabrian sauce and if you’re a mussel lover like me, then come for these.

Certainly nothing wrong with that.  Who doesn’t love a big mussel with Calabrian sauce, am I right fellas?  No, what troubles me is this quote from the Wall Street Journal: (via Ben Maller):

Mr. Ethier knows where to find the best throat-meat tacos in Los Angeles, the juiciest Salvadoran papusas and the city’s tastiest Romanian chicken stew.

I understand that I’m not a gourmet, but I’m willing to bet a “throat-meat taco” isn’t some kind of culinary delicacy.  I think I know a disgusting Mexican sex act from Urban Dictionary when I see one.

By the way… where CAN I find the best throat-meat taco in Los Angeles?

Saint Andrew's Net is With Leather's daily link dump. Consuming all these blogs is just helping us stay regular.   

• Awful Announcing shows a brutal nutshot during the Austria-Poland EURO 2008 match yesterday. That's pretty close to the antithesis of looking at Veronica Zemanova pictures.
• The Sports Hernia marvels at how Michelle Tafoya's head is taking over the NBA Finals. It must play for the Celtics.
• Steady Burn spots the Obama throwback basketball jerseys on sale online. That's kitsch you can believe in.
• Holy Taco profiles the eight places where you most likely lost your virginity. Is one of them my imagination? It was so sweet there. Oh dear God I'm lonely!
• The 700 Level catches up with former Eagles receiver Freddie Mitchell in Vegas. Did you know that this one time he helped convert a 4th and 26? Well, wanna hear about it again? This time tinged with the knowledge of what followed. 

Send your tips and submissions for Saint Andrew's Net to withleather@gmail.com. Submitting a link to every post you write gets you on the express train to the Ufford filter.