The Bally Sports saga rolls on as the Cleveland Guardians are about to get paid

A federal judge has ordered Diamond Sports to pay the Cleveland Guardians some of that proverbial fat cash. That's right, the Guardians are finally about to get paid!

Last week, Judge Christopher Lopez ordered Diamond to pay 50% percent of what they owe the team for the month of April. The Guardians are also expected to receive 50% of their contractually obligated rate for the month of May as well.

However that could be the last the team sees of any money this year, as a May 31 bankruptcy court date looms, at which point MLB could theoretically take control of the broadcasts. Judge Lopez also ordered Diamond Sports to make similar 50% payments to the Twins, Rangers and Diamondbacks. So in other words, the drama surrounding the Guardians and Bally Sports is far from over.

It's been a long time coming, though, for Diamond and their parent company Sinclair Broadcasting, and it appears the writing is on the wall for them. Hopefully this longstanding nightmare is over for Guardians fans, as many cannot even watch the broadcasts without the use of a VPN or streaming via a shady offshore site.

So as we wait to see what happens in just over a month's time with the bankruptcy court hearings, it's reassuring to know that Diamond Sports doesn't get to just make money off the broadcasts without payment to the clubs. And the trial is sure to be monitored by not only the clubs involved, because this could very well be a seismic shift for the RSN model moving forward.