If Bud Selig wants to strip Frank McCourt of his ownership of the Dodgers for violating baseball rules, the commissioner had better be prepared to prove his case. If he cannot, the business of some other clubs might be aired publicly.

That was the essential fine print in Friday's ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross, in which he formally refused the Dodgers permission to obtain documents relating to the other 29 major league teams.