Sources said that the Blues and Peak6 Investments CEO Matthew Hulsizer are "close to signing a purchase agreement," and an announcement could come as soon as today. Sources said recently that a sale price "had not been agreed upon," but it now "appears that one has been reached, or is close." The price is estimated at $190M, which would include the Scottrade Center lease, the AHL Peoria Rivermen and the Peabody Opera House. Hulsizer "would run the Blues," but current owner Dave Checketts "would remain involved, most likely operating the opera house" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/13).

The NBA and NBPA will meet with a federal mediator next week in an effort to help end the lockout. Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service Director George Cohen said in a statement he will meet with both sides on Oct. 18 in N.Y. "For a number of months I have participated in separate, informal, off-the-record discussions with the principals representing the NBA and the NBPA concerning the status of their collective bargaining negotiations,” Cohen said in a statement. He added, "It is evident that the ongoing dispute will result in a serious impact, not only upon the parties directly involved, but also, of major concern, on interstate commerce" (John Lombardo, SportsBusiness Journal).

It is "expected that the FMCS will meet individually with representatives from both sides as early as Monday" in N.Y., and then both parties "will be brought together for a mediation session at Cohen's office" in DC (NEWSDAY, 10/13). The mediation is "nonbinding, and Cohen has no authority to push the sides toward an agreement" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/13).

The Boston Globe's front-page story yesterday on the Red Sox' late-season collapse is drawing harsh criticism, largely for its sources' portrayal of former manager Terry Francona. ESPN’s Curt Schilling on last night’s “Baseball Tonight” called the report a “character assassination piece.” Schilling, who played for the Red Sox from '04-08, said, “It’s the intent of the front office to give Terry a kick as he’s already outside the door.” Schilling called the move a “personal thing.” Schilling said the Red Sox owners have "ruined the 9-10 years of goodwill they’ve built there. … The people that did this embarrassed the franchise because stuff in that article can only come from one of three places: The team trainer, the team doctor or the executives in the front office” (“Baseball Tonight,” ESPN, 10/12).

Current TV's Keith Olbermann addressed the story in the closing segment of yesterday's "Countdown," calling it a "remarkable hatchet job." Olbermann said of the story's anonymous sources: "Whoever doesn't get the blame, they're probably the source. ... The Sox owners are the sources. The Boston Globe in fact comprises part of the Sox owners." The "first thing" John Henry, Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner "need to do is find out which of them, or which of their minions, was so ethically bankrupt as to trash the men who made the team's success possible as those men went out the door." Olbermann: "In short, the wrong executives are leaving Boston" (Current TV, 10/12).

The N.Y. Times’ Tyler Kepner tweeted: "The Globe story on Red Sox' collapse is amazing. Forget who leaked what. They got the info, they got Francona's response, great job." ESPN’s Howard Bryant: “Great work by Bob Hohler in the Boston Globe on Red Sox collapse. A revealing look at human relationships in the public eye.” CBS' Mike Freeman: "Can you imagine the reaction if NFL players did what these Red Sox pitchers did? Nuclear. Freaking. Bomb." PR professional Greg Kamp: “Red Sox have a GM issue, a manager issue, and with today's Boston Globe article, clearly a player issue--all adds up to a PR issue now.”

The Predators are expected to announce a multiyear partnership with Nissan today at Bridgestone Arena. The auto manufacturer will become the exclusive non-luxury import automobile partner of the team. Further details of the deal are not yet known. The team will make the presentation at 2:00pm CT in the lead up to the team’s home opener against the Coyotes tonight. Nissan North America’s headquarters are located in Smyrna, Tennessee, about 10 miles southeast of Nashville.

The Univ. of North Carolina is "in the final stages" of hiring Tulsa AD Lawrence "Bubba" Cunningham as its new AD, "ending a nearly seven-week search to replace Dick Baddour." A source said that Cunningham "arrived in North Carolina and met with school officials, including the search committee, on Wednesday" (SCOUT.com, 10/12). Cunningham was out of his office yesterday "and didn't return a message left on his cell phone on Wednesday" (TULSA WORLD, 10/13).

The Big East is set to hire former UConn AD Jeff Hathaway in a men's basketball role that would "enable him to keep his title" of Division I men's basketball committee Chair for the '11-12 academic year. Hathaway has yet "to be officially hired," but sources confirm that he will be. Hathaway left UConn in August "through a separation agreement that amounted to a $700,000 buyout." But as part of the buyout, whatever salary he collects from a new job "will be subtracted from the buyout total" (HARTFORD COURANT, 10/13).

Meanwhile, the Big East is reportedly "considering raising the exit fee for FBS members to $10 million but keeping the fee for non-FBS members at $5 million" (N.Y. POST, 10/13).

After the collapse of English soccer club West Ham's deal to move into London's Olympic Stadium "threw the stadium legacy into doubt," U.K. Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson said the commitment to keeping the venue's track is "non-negotiable." Robertson said that "anyone renting the stadium would be required to keep the track for the life of a lease that could be at least 50 years long." The comments came as Leyton Orient and Tottenham "prepared to return to court today to try and recover" up to US$1.6M in costs from Olympic organizers and the Newham Council (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 10/13).

The NHRA yesterday announced the launch of a line of vintage NHRA-themed T-shirts. The shirts, which are the product of a partnership with JEM Sportswear, are available at Target stores nationwide and feature logos from the NHRA Winternationals in '72 and the NHRA’s '62 U.S. Nationals. The shirts have a retail price of $9.99 and will be sold in 1,750 stores nationwide (Tripp Mickle, SportsBusiness Journal).

The ACC announced a partnership with USA Football that makes the youth sport governing body the official football development partner of the conference (ACC).

Columbia Sportswear announced the launch of Columbia and SOREL-branded e-commerce sites in Canada and eight European countries (Columbia Sportswear).

Golf Channel this week for the first time in its history is airing all four rounds of tournaments across five pro golf tours: the PGA Tour McGladrey Classic, Champions Tour AT&T Championship, Nationwide Tour Miccosukee Championship, Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia and European Tour Portugal Masters (THE DAILY).

"I think our sponsors are happy to see us grow our Facebook and Twitter, because it definitely helps their cause out as well" – NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, on joining fellow driver Jimmie Johnson and increasing their social media presence this year (USA TODAY, 10/13).

"I'm exhausted trying to find money. I have been fortunate my whole career but I, literally, go to the boardrooms myself these days" – NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace, on the struggles to find sponsors and funding to run a full schedule (THATSRACIN.com, 10/12).

"Looking at Arsenal and Man United, they are getting a lot more income due to their capacity than us without an owner dipping into his own pocket, like Roman has done consistently year after year" – Chelsea D John Terry, on the EPL club looking to relocate from Stamford Bridge and build a bigger stadium (London TELEGRAPH, 10/13).

"It is absolutely scandalous. It is the 'American Dream', this. They are thinking 'How can we get more money'? But you won't get more money by killing the heart and soul of the Premier League and of football in England. ... It would kill off half the Premier League" – EPL club Wigan Athletic Chair Dave Whelan, on Liverpool's proposal to sell int'l TV rights on a club-by-club basis (ESPNSOCCERNET.com, 10/12).

Pacers F Danny Granger: "I say we play all the games Stern canceled for charity."

London Telegraph's Paul Kelso: "Calling all broadcast industry grown ups: Has anyone done the modeling on the value of individual rights deals for Premier League clubs?"

"Late Show" writer Eric Stangel: "Who do you think drank more during the September collapse- the Red Sox fans or the Red Sox players?"

CBS' David Feherty: "Off to Orlando for the start of season two of Feherty. Don't know when it'll start airing yet, but I'm insuring my groin."

London Times' Ashling O'Connor: "#sochi2014 2018 world cup bid win put competitive pressure on russian sponsorship mkt."

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com. 

The MLS Dynamo used their official Twitter feed to release the latest rendering of their planned stadium.

On this day in '67, the Anaheim Amigos lost to the Oakland Oaks 134-129 in the "inaugural game of the American Basketball Association" (HISTORY.com, 10/13).

The Cavaliers' NBA D-League team in Canton will unveil its nickname, logo and court design during an event at Canton Memorial Civic Center.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Art & State Capitals.”

“The Georgia O’Keefe Museum, home to the largest permanent collection of her works, is in this state capital.”

Michael Phelps appeared on NBC’s “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” last night and host Jimmy Fallon said, “I know you probably talked about this a zillion times, but it just boggles my mind. It's like, you have to eat 12,000 calories?” Phelps: “Thank you for still talking about that.” Fallon: “But it's just a fascinating thing.” Phelps said “it’s not real” and added, “I've never eaten that much, ever. It's like impossible to eat that much.” Fallon: “But why did you say this to people?” Phelps: “I didn't say it. Someone else said it.” Fallon asked about swim technology and the swim cap, “They make them like extra oily these days? Does that help you? It's an advantage, right? Does hair come into play?” Phelps: “We always have caps.” Fallon: “Do you shave your chest?” Phelps: “Of course.” Fallon replied, “Here's a good gag. You come out with a crazy moustache, chest hair flying out, medallions, eating a pizza. You go, ‘Hey, I'm ready for London, you guys, let's do this.’” The end of the interview featured Phelps and Fallon playing Phelps’ videogame “Push the Limit” for Xbox 360 (“Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” NBC, 10/12).

Boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko appeared on NBC’s “Last Call With Carson Daly” last night and host Carson Daly said, “The Klitschko brothers, who for the past 15 years, have just had an incredible reign on the world of professional boxing. Combined, they are 99 wins to only five defeats. They were both in L.A. recently talking up their new documentary, appropriately entitled ‘Klitschko.’” Vitali said the documentary is “about two boys nobody believed could be world champions.” Wladimir: “It's pretty cool to have a sibling that is not just a sibling, but is also a partner and teammate because we are in the same business. Our mom is not a big fan of boxing at all, and she's not taking it real easy” (“Last Call With Carson Daly,” NBC, 10/13).

MONOLOGUES:

CBS’ David Letterman: “You visit New York City, you go down to Wall Street, have you seen the protesters down there? I finally figured out what the deal is: They're after rich people. And people with money are scared silly. As a matter of fact, you know Regis Philbin? Regis has all the money, you know. On his program today he was using Kelly as a human shield. And Mayor Bloomberg, guy's got a lot of dough, scared silly. They found him hiding in his briefcase. … Our guest tonight is President Bill Clinton, very popular president here in the United States. And I was thinking about this, President Clinton is maybe something we'll never see again: A two-term Democrat. … The Iranians were going to attack an embassy and kill a bunch of Saudi Arabians, and you know the Iranians, they're always pulling stuff like this. They're always causing trouble. You know what I'm talking about? Remember on ‘Dancing With The Stars’, that Nancy Grace is dancing around and her dress fell apart? Iranians. … Ladies and gentlemen, here's good news for the New York Knicks: The first two (weeks) of the NBA canceled. Players have until midnight to finalize their tattoos. … Earlier tonight, Spike Lee was heckling ‘The Lion King.’ It's crazy. … This is kind of sad. They are saying now that President Obama doesn't have any friends, has no close friends, and he says he's aware of this. But the problem is he can't get Congress to approve one. Next weekend he thinks he's going to try Ted Danson, so that will be good. … How about that Governor Chris Christie from New Jersey, huh? He has endorsed Mitt Romney. It’s interesting, I think the last thing that Christie endorsed was the Hardee’s Monster Thick Burger” (“Late Show,” CBS, 10/12).

NBC’s Jay Leno: “Iran was going to use members of a Mexican drug cartel to kill the Saudi Arabian Ambassador on U.S. soil. They didn't want to use Mexican hit men, but they were willing to work for half the price of the Americans. … This shows you how connected the world is: When Iranian agents talk to a Mexican cartel about assassinating a Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil in a French restaurant in order to undermine an American president whose father was from Kenya and whose mother was from Kansas, you can't get more international than that. … Chris Christie has officially endorsed Mitt Romney for president. In a speech yesterday, Chris Christie said, ‘President Obama is shrinking the American pie,’ and believe me, if there's one thing Chris Christie hates, it's a small pie. He will not stand for a small pie. … The trial of the underwear bomber began this week. Today, he pled guilty. Thank you, because up to this point, he was the alleged underwear bomber. The guy had a bomb in his underpants. Is that really alleged? I mean, when you're putting your shirttail in, you didn't notice that big clump of C-4? … A Massachusetts family called 911 yesterday after getting lost in a corn maze. They were 25-feet from the exit, and they had to call the cops to come get them. Are we becoming a nation of wussies or what? This week, we celebrate Christopher Columbus sailing across the ocean to discover a new world, and we get lost in a corn maze. … According to Reuters, there is a secret panel of senior government officials in Washington, DC, who can order the killing of any American anywhere in the world anytime they want. That's not new. Those are called HMOs. Okay, we've had them for years” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 10/12).

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:

Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Reasons Chris Christie Endorsed Mitt Romney” (“Late Show,” CBS, 10/12).

10) “Romney sounds like pastrami.”
9) “Perry wouldn’t let him fry eggs on the Texas electric chair.”
8) “Two liters of Shop Rite root beer and a king-size Snickers did the trick.”
7) “If elected, Romney said he’d overturn rule requiring enormous people to buy extra airplane seat.”
6) “Needed something to do between lunch and second lunch.”
5) “Acting on direct orders from Colonel Sanders.”
4) “It was a close call between him and Rick Santorum – just kidding.”
3) “Mistook Mitt’s repeated ‘bi-partisan’ references to mean two kinds of cheese.”
2) “Movie star good looks – who could resist?”
1) “Only other options were the nutjob, the crackpot, the pizza dude, and Newt.”

“What is Santa Fe?”