My favorite Dodger game I remember attending in recent years was an August 17 contest in 2008 against the Milwaukee Brewers, when Mannywood was actually a place located in Elysian Park. Andre Ethier hit a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to give L.A. a 7-5 victory and moving it into a first-place tie with Arizona in the N.L. West. With a 64-60 record at the time, the Dodgers ended up winning the division, before eventually falling three wins shy of the World Series. At the time, at least on that Sunday afternoon, all seemed well, the future looked bright.

L.A. had a star in Manny Ramirez. Budding young outfielders in Ethier and Matt Kemp. One of the game's most successful managers in Joe Torre. A pristine ballpark.

My friends and I left that game with grins across our faces. Granted, if we weren't sitting in the right field pavilion, I'm sure the game would remain largely insignificant, and probably still is. In large part, that day should remain a distant memory, but at the time, the feeling was, well, things are pretty darn good. It seemed so, really.

But fast forward a year: things changed. They changed dramatically. And they changed quickly. Despite another playoff run in October of 2009, the team's chief executive, Jamie McCourt, filed for divorce from owner Frank McCourt following a 30-year marriage.

And since then, things have slowly spiraled out of control, culminating Monday with the Dodgers filing for bankruptcy protection in a Delaware court. It's not an untruly surprising move following reports that McCourt would be unable to meet payroll come June 30. If that were to be case, Commissioner Bud Selig, as empowered by Major League Baseball's constitution, would be able to seize control of the franchise. (note: Selig and MLB already took over day-to-day operations in April).

If there was ever rock bottom, this might be it – figuratively at least.

Trouble has been brewing for McCourt for some time, particularly since the divorce proceedings began over a year ago, but it's taken a turn for the worse in 2011. After reaching a settlement with his estranged wife, Jamie, Frank needed Selig to approve a potential television rights deal with Fox, estimated to be worth $3 billion over 17 years, to finalize his divorce settlement. If approved, a large portion of the $385 million to be received up front would have gone into that settlement. Selig, accordingly, did not want money from a media rights deal to be used to settle an owner's debts. Granted, Selig's decision does make sense.

But that still leaves us with two lingering questions:

1.) Is this the final stand for Frank McCourt?

It feels like it. If there was ever a Hail Mary for McCourt, this is it. He is holding onto the Dodgers, ever so desperately, simply to meet payroll and maintain control of the team, at least for now. Earlier this week, in filing for bankruptcy, he received short-term financing, worth $150 million, from Highbridge Capital Management, an investment firm owned by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. And on Tuesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross granted McCourt permission to access $60 million of that interim financing to repay creditors and cover various other bills.

It does not, however, seem at all practical, even for McCourt. As a result, the Dodgers' debt load is reportedly set to climb upwards of about $775 million next month, while they would also be required to pay 10-percent interest on that financing as well. Oh, and for good measure, McCourt must pay a $4.5 million fee off the top.

His hope is that the bankruptcy court can supersede Selig and approve the TV deal with Fox, although Gross already put off the sale of the broadcasting rights during Tuesday’s court session. But even if the Fox deal can't or won't work, McCourt could still try to leverage the team's broadcasting rights, as it is largely the most significant remaining source of untapped cash. But can a deal be approved? And soon enough for McCourt?

If that deal doesn't work out, which seems like a strong possibility, it's hard to gage where the money to cover the Dodgers debt would come from. Money doesn't grow on trees – at least that's how the saying goes.

2.) Considering McCourt's shaky finances, how did his ownership ever get approved to begin with?

That's the million dollar question. It's what makes Selig's sudden crusade against McCourt all the more puzzling. Because this should never have happened. McCourt should have never been in this position to begin with.

In 2004, McCourt purchased the Dodgers from News Corp. for $430 million, but paid just $9 million up front. He borrowed $150 from Bank of America, $75 million from MLB and $196 million from Fox, adding up to $421 million of debt. Yet, MLB owners, along with Selig, unanimously approved of the sale to McCourt, a real estate developer from Boston whose primary investment was parking lots. Yes, parking lots. New England parking lots.

In recent weeks, Selig has referred to the Dodgers as one of the game's premier franchises, steeped in tradition and nationally relevant. After all, this is the same organization that broke the color barrier, has had Vin Scully behind the mic for 62 years and has won six World Series titles as well. But with that said, why did Selig hand the keys to one of his Ferraris to someone so reckless, so inattentive?

Who knows?

But Frank McCourt, along with Jamie, turned the Dodgers into their own personal checkbook, purchasing elaborate homes across the Southland, as well as cars and clothes among other amenities. Eventually, the debt kept mounting, even more so when both subsequently spent millions on divorce attorneys.

The situation almost sounds like it came straight out of Arrested Development. Eh, Pop-Pop?

Unless McCourt can straighten out his debts and reach a settlement with his ex-wife, both are largely contingent upon finding a way to sell the broadcasting rights for the 2013 season and beyond. It appears as if he is in a tough spot, and it would come as a surprise to most if MLB does not eventually seize the franchise. The only difference now, thanks to the filing of bankruptcy, is that the MLB's decision to take control might happen in August or September as opposed to late June.

But as the team's debt continues to mount, does any new owner even want to take over should McCourt eventually lose control?

Conventional wisdom would suggest as much, based on the team’s historical significance and location in the nation's second largest market, but it does not appear, at least thus far, if bidders are lining up out the door

Even Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, often speculated to be one of the team's more prominent potential bidders should the Dodgers hit the open market, appeared lukewarm about the possibility.

"I have an interest in Major League Baseball for the right deal," Cuban told TMZ.com earlier this month. "But it's just such a mess, right? I can't imagine that it's not going to be such a mess that it's [not] going to make it hard to turn around.”

Well, the Dodgers are certainly in a bit of a mess.

"You want to buy cheap and turn it into something that's worth a whole lot more," he added. "I get that, right? But if it's just so screwed up, that the pieces are so messed up, that it takes 20 years to fix... I mean, there's literally franchises out there that are just in such disarray and such a mess, in multiple leagues, that no one can fix them."

Cuban purchased the Mavericks, who were mess in 2000, but on the cheap. The Dodgers, though, would likely require a fair amount of cash.

According to Forbes, a purchase of the Dodgers would cost well over $750 million, along with the costs associated with an organization currently swimming through bankruptcy – hence Cuban's skepticism.

From an outsider's perspective, things do not look pretty. Across baseball, 29 teams have combined for a 200,000-fan increase in attendance this year, while the Dodgers are down 375,000. Apathy has largely overtaken Chavez Ravine, and outside of a 10-inch Dodger Dog, there aren’t a lot of ways to persuade the average fan from making the trek to the stadium.

McCourt has deeply damaged the franchise. They're in a hole, and it's a deep one. But this is Los Angeles. And this is the Dodgers. You don't need gimmicks. You don't need extensive advertising campaigns. You don't need discounts.

You simply need to put a winning product on the field. It's easier said than done, but it's a simple objective, at least. The damage done by the current situation isn't irreparable. Provided McCourt's days are, in fact, numbered and a new ownership can come in and spend money on players as opposed to divorce attorneys, the Dodgers can be fixed.

There’s a glimmer of hope, still. And sometimes, that's all we need.

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Joey is the sports editor for the Daily Trojan. You can follow Joey on Twitter, or contact him by email.