NBA Commissioner David Stern yesterday appeared on N.Y.-based WFAN-AM and said of the NBA lockout, “If we don't make (a deal) on Tuesday, my gut is – this is not in my official capacity of canceling games – that we won’t be playing on Christmas Day.” Stern: “Deal Tuesday or we potentially spiral into a situation where the worsening offers on both sides make it even harder for the parties to make the deal.”

Stern said the NBA “welcomed in” the intervention of federal mediator George Cohen, and the meeting with him next week “is a really big deal.” Stern: “If we don't make a deal by the time my owners … come in Wednesday and Thursday after we met with the mediator on Monday and then met with each other on Tuesday, then I despair, because we will have lost two weeks for sure on our way to losing more games. Offers will get worse.” Following the interview, radio host Mike Francesa said, “I thought he was going to be more militant than he is. I think it’s pretty obvious he wants to make a deal” (“Francesa,” WFAN-AM, 10/13).

Meanwhile, NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter will be in L.A. today for a "membership meeting that will include the union's executive committee" (NEWSDAY, 10/14).

Rogers Communications today will announce a plan to make Maple Leafs games available online to its digital cable subscribers via the Rogers On Demand platform. Regular-season Leafs games that Rogers airs on its Sportsnet channel "will be streamed live online." Rogers "had to negotiate" with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment for "extra digital rights, and is now attempting to do the same with competing networks, such as TSN, which have the rights to the remaining Leafs games" and other sports content (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/14).

NFL and NFLPA reps, including league Commissioner Roger Goodell, will meet with the U.S. House Oversight & Government Reform committee today to "discuss the holdup" in starting a blood testing program for HGH. Also expected in DC are NFL Exec VP/Labor & General Counsel Jeff Pash and NFL Senior VP/Law & Labor Policy Adolpho Birch, who oversees the league's drug testing, as well as USADA officials. NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith is not expected because he is "traveling overseas." The union will be represented by Ravens CB Domonique Foxworth, among others (NYTIMES.com, 10/13).

The NFL and Time Warner Cable ended their negotiations last week without an NFL Network or NFL RedZone deal, and several sources familiar with the negotiations say it is unlikely the two will reach an agreement this year. The companies' execs held a contentious meeting in TWC’s N.Y. offices last Friday, where senior execs from both sides were unable to bridge several differences. The two sides left the meeting with no plans to meet again. Several sources said TWC and NFL Network had made considerable progress this year to resolve differences that started soon after the channel launched in '03.

Ironically, the two found agreement on most of the big issues that had been separating them, according to sources close to the negotiations. The two sides essentially were close on price.

See today's issue of THE DAILY for more.

The Raiders have announced a sellout for Sunday's game against the Browns, the team's third consecutive sellout and "the first time they've had three consecutive games televised since 2008." The game will feature a pregame tribute to late Raiders Owner Al Davis, who died on Saturday, and a "halftime ceremony as well as video tributes throughout the game." Raiders CEO Amy Trask: "We encourage our fans to enter the stadium earlier than they might otherwise to join us in a moment of silence preceding the national anthem" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/14).

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers' game against the Saints on Sunday did not sell out before yesterday's 4:00pm ET deadline and "therefore will be blacked out locally." About 55,000 tickets for the game had been sold by the deadline (TAMPABAY.com, 10/13).

Michael Shank Racing announced that it is "expanding its race operations from the Rolex Grand Am Series to the Izod IndyCar Series" and that NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger will be part of the ownership group. Allmendinger "won't drive the IndyCar entry" despite having some open-wheel experience. A driver for the new IndyCar team has not been announced (AL.com, 10/13).

Meanwhile, IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon reportedly "will be Danica Patrick's replacement in the Go Daddy ride for Andretti Autosport" when she makes the jump to NASCAR full-time for the '12 season. Team owner Michael Andretti said, "It's not done yet but we're getting close" (SPEEDTV.com, 10/13). Wheldon is taking part in the $5M Go Daddy IndyCar Challenge this weekend at the IndyCar World Championships in Las Vegas (THE DAILY).

Kei Nishikori will surpass No. 46 in the ATP Tour rankings when they come out Monday, ensuring he becomes the highest-ranked Japanese player ever. That will trigger bonus provisions in all of his contracts, which could make him one of the top paid tennis players this year. “It is a very significant economic gain,” his agent, Olivier Van Lindonk, wrote in an e-mail. “All his contracts have `reaching 45’ bonuses in there.”’ His deals include adidas, Wilson, Sony, EA Sports, Wowow, and Uniqlo. With the bonuses he is likely to earn high seven figures this year, if not more.

What his ranking will be on Monday is not yet set because he is still playing in the Shanghai Rolex Masters, the event that put him over the top with two wins earlier this week. He had been ranked 47th in the rankings before the tournament, one shy of the Japanese record of 46 set by Shuzo Matsuoka in July ‘92. The win that formally put him over the top was his victory against Santiago Giraldo of Colombia. Perhaps no third-round ATP match ever had so much riding on it financially. 

Mission Athletecare today announced a new partnership with Knicks F Carmelo Anthony and unveiled the launch of Power Grip, a signature product from Anthony that improves the grip of athletes through the use of "liquid chalk technology." Anthony joins Bucks G Brandon Jennings, who the company yesterday announced had joined its roster of athlete partners that includes Heat G Dwyane Wade and Suns G Steve Nash (THE DAILY).

Tulsa AD Lawrence "Bubba" Cunningham is "expected to succeed Dick Baddour" after the Univ. of North Carolina Board of Trustees holds a conference call this morning to discuss Cunningham's contract. A press conference is scheduled for 11:00am ET at the Smith Center "after the contract is approved" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/14).

Officials from the CFL and Saskatchewan Roughriders have announced that Mosaic Stadium will host the 101th Grey Cup on Nov. 24, 2013. Regina has "played host to Grey Cup games in 1995 and 2003" (REGINA LEADER-POST, 10/14).

Sounders FC has surpassed 60,000 in ticket sales for Saturday's regular-season finale against the Earthquakes at CenturyLink Field. The crowd will "mark the highest-attended MLS game since 2007, and tickets are still available" (SEATTLE TIMES, 10/14).

"One of my great dreams in life is to do an interview with Feherty. He's one of the funniest men alive. They ought to give him a late-night show" – Former President Bill Clinton, saying he would like to be a guest on Golf Channel analyst David Feherty's new talk show (N.Y. TIMES, 10/14).

"It's a reality that football is driving the ship right now as far as the television dollars associated with it. Frustrated or not, it's what we're living" – Georgetown Univ. men's basketball coach John Thompson III, on a number for schools changing conferences this year (WASHINGTON TIMES, 10/14).

"People are making decisions that are nonsensical. People are making decisions that, a year ago or six months ago, would have made you say, 'That's outrageous.' But now that's commonplace" – UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma, on Syracuse and Pitt leaving the Big East for the ACC (NEWSDAY, 10/14).

"A hard cap is a tough thing, we know it. But at the end of the day it can work and it might have to" – NHL Panthers D Ed Jovanovski, on NBA owners wanting to institute a hard cap in the next CBA (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 10/14).

Former MLB Rangers Managing General Partner & CEO Chuck Greenberg: "Stars look good. Section 312 is a great seat. Hanging with the legendary @tedprice"

EA Sports VP/Brand Marketing Chris Erb: "In Austin for an EA SPORTS strategy offsite. Great planning and bonding time...but food has been the best part. Love this town!"

CBS' Seth Davis: "In honor of Midnight Madness--and to mark what would have been John Wooden's 101st birthday--I present my new avatar. It's go time, America."

Golfer Ian Poulter: "Now off to Dongguan it's an amazing experience to see so many parts of china in so few days. They have treated us so well."

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

Ice Edge Holdings COO and Hedgeye Risk Management Dir of Research Daryl Jones has been tweeting throughout the morning from the Occupy Wall Street rally. He posted this picture and jokingly tweeted, "There is a Rangers fan @occupywallst. Or is that Glenn Anderson?"

Joe Gibbs Racing is hosting a Fall FanFest from 9:00am-2:00pm ET at its team HQs in Huntersville, N.C. 

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “The Oscars.”

“This performer is the only person to win Oscars for acting and also songwriting.”

CBS’ David Letterman: “Have you been down to see the protestors down on Wall Street? It's getting a little unruly. Earlier today, Mayor Bloomberg was down there and the crowd saw him and they went crazy. They chased him. They caught him and they tied him up to a fire hydrant. But he was able to make his escape riding off on a New York City rat. … You know who was in town yesterday visiting with Donald Trump? It was Minnesota Republican presidential hopeful Michele O’Bachmann. I heard that and said, ‘Wait a minute. Is there a clown convention in town?’ … But Trump really worked her over. I mean, he's no fool. He demanded to see her birth certificate. And also her high school diploma. … Tourists in town are running over to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. They're undergoing a multimillion dollar renovation and they're doing some wonderful things. They're switching to automated bells in the bell tower. They are replacing those candles with the gag candles that you can never blow out. … They're also adding bulletproof stain glass windows, and they laid-off a hunchback. … Architectural historians will tell you that the cornerstone was first laid in 1858. Coincidentally, so was Barbara Walters. … Speaking of architectural landmarks, Big Ben in London, you know the big tower and the clock? He's leaning to one side. But they think that it might be able to somehow seismologically correct itself and I thought, ‘Well yeah, look at Mitt Romney. He used to lean to the left. Now he leans to the right.’ … Now the Republicans will be debating in Las Vegas. They're all out there getting ready now. Did you hear what happened this morning? Mitt Romney woke up in a hotel room with Newt Gingrich, a baby, a Bengal tiger and Mike Tyson” (“Late Show,” CBS, 10/13).

NBC’s Jay Leno: “Agents have disrupted a plot by Iran to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador on American soil. President Obama is pretty upset about this. He said he will impose sanctions on them. In fact, he's got a full-proof plan to cripple their economy. He's going to send over Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. … The Saudi government, they're also upset about this plot to assassinate their ambassador. As you know, Saudi Arabia condemns all acts of terrorism, unless, of course, they're sponsoring them. … The Republicans had yet another debate the other night. This is their seventh one. They're apparently going to keep having these debates until Rick Perry can get one right. … Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain is surging in the polls. Many polls have him ahead of Mitt Romney. Now he hasn't said who he would choose as his running mate yet but according to a report, he's had several meetings with Papa John's. … President Obama’s jobs bill got blocked in the Senate the other day. He told the Florida audience that's okay because he's a ‘fourth quarter player.’ He said, ‘It's late in the third quarter, but he doesn't miss his shots in the fourth.’ The only problem, he's down 14 trillion. … According to studies out of Carnegie Mellon University, you can think yourself healthy. It’s otherwise known as the Republican health care plan. … Hey, they finally fixed that Blackberry outage. You know that thing, the whole Blackberry deal? They were down yesterday. All across the country, nobody could use their Blackberries. In a related story, traffic accidents down 85%. … The No. 1 movie in the country, ‘Real Steel,’ is about boxing robots. I don't want to give the plot away, but eventually the boxing robots are swindled out of their money by an evil ATM played by Don King” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 10/13).

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:

Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Things Michele O’Bachmann Said During Her Trip To New York City” (“Late Show,” CBS, 10/13).

10) “A pigeon just nested in my hair.”
9) “Will the Holland Tunnel take me to Holland?”
8) “Where does Batman live?’”
7) “Hold on, I’m getting a text from Anthony Weiner.”
6) “Where are the Jews?”
5) “He has to be the tiniest mayor ever.”
4) “Such an honor to be here in the Windy City.”
3) “If you won’t endorse me, Mr. Trump, would you consider me for ‘Celebrity Apprentice?’”
2) “They got more hookers here than a Congressional Christmas party.”
1) “There goes Letterman. … Get him!”

“Who is Barbra Streisand?”