Time Warner Cable’s 25-year, $7B deal with the Dodgers will become official this morning and will lead to the creation of a sixth RSN for the L.A. market. The Dodgers will launch SportsNet L.A. in '14 through American Media Productions, a fully owned subsidiary that the team quietly launched just last month. TWC will not have an ownership stake in the RSN. Rather, it will handle all ad sales and affiliate sales for the channel. TWC has assumed most of the risk around the channel and promised to cover affiliate fees from distributors who refuse to carry it.

It is too early to determine how much TWC will charge for the channel, but it is certain to be one of the country's highest-priced RSNs. TWC Exec VP and Chief Video & Content Officer Melinda Witmer said that the deal makes sense for TWC because it builds cost certainty into their business. "Being able to secure the content for a very, very long time without the risk of third-party decision making around the rate of increases on the product is very helpful," she said. "We have an opportunity to secure content we want for a long time to come and to have control over our economic destiny."

TWC already has agreed to carry the service in southern California and Hawaii. TWC will provide non-game production and technical services to the network. The Dodgers will spend one more season on the Fox Sports-owned Prime Ticket before launching SportsNet L.A.

The Dodgers' first offseason Fan Fest on Saturday afternoon "seemed to be a rousing success" with an estimated crowd of more than 21,000 at the free event. The team rolled out its "A Whole New Blue" slogan and opened sales of single-game tickets for '13. The size of the crowd created "as much as a two-hour wait for some fans looking for autographs" (OCREGISTER.com, 1/26). Dodgers President & CEO Stan Kasten late last week said that season-ticket sales are "on a record pace," with 26,000 already sold. The team last year on Opening Day had sold 17,000 (OCREGISTER.com, 1/25).

Elsewhere around MLB, a crowd of about 1,000 "filled an expansive concourse" for a Reds Caravan stop Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio (MLB.com, 1/26). The A's sold out of tickets for Sunday's FanFest at Oracle Arena (Mult., 1/27).

In a recent poll of NFL players conducted by USA Today Sports, 61% said that they "disapprove" of the job Commissioner Roger Goodell has done overall, "with most focusing on the increased fines of players for dangerous hits on defenseless receivers and quarterbacks and the perception of the commissioner's investigation into the bounty matter." The poll of 300 players was conducted Dec. 19-Jan. 12, "with a margin of error of plus-minus 5%." Players were granted anonymity if requested (USA TODAY, 1/28).

The '13 Australian Open drew a total attendance of 684,457, "just short of the 2012 record of 686,006." Tennis Australia officials are "negotiating with the state government in an attempt to avoid the annual disruption to play caused by the Australia Day fireworks display." The extended break this year came during the women's final; it will be during the men's final next year. Tournament Dir Craig Tiley said that talks had begun in an effort to "find a solution acceptable to both parties ahead of the 2014 event" (Melbourne AGE, 1/29).

ESPN's Winter X Games drew a record attendance of 114,500, with Saturday's crowd of 47,200 "breaking the single-day high mark for spectators at the Buttermilk Mountain venue." This marks the "third-straight year that X Games total crowd numbers have broken six figures." The second-highest total ever was 114,200 in '11. This year's event drew 31,500 fans on Sunday, 22,300 on Friday and 13,500 on Thursday (ASPEN DAILY NEWS, 1/28).

A young male spectator was evaluated by on-site medical staff and released back to his father last night "after a runaway snowmobile crashed into a group of fans." The snowmobile was being piloted by Jackson Strong during the best trick competition. The fan "hit his knee on a parked truck" getting out of the way of the snowmobile (USA TODAY, 1/28).

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said that his conference is "actively exploring" an alliance with the ACC "and two other unspecified leagues" and that the issue would be discussed starting today in a two-day gathering of Big 12 ADs in Grapevine, Texas. The alliance would be "for the purposes of scheduling, marketing and possibly even television partnerships, an arrangement that might prevent further expansion." The partnership "would include football and basketball, but it could expand to other sports" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 1/26).

The PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open begins this week at TPC Scottsdale, and among the new features at this year's event is free wi-fi service throughout the course via Cox Communications, "making it the most technology-friendly event on the tour. The tourney’s free mobile app has added numerous features. Also, 22 skyboxes "have been added at the popular and raucous 16th hole, bringing its total to 177." In addition to free admission, retired military also will receive free food and beverages at a hospitality area near the 18th tee (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/26).

Meanwhile, the weather-delayed PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open finishes today on Golf Channel and CBS with the final 11 holes at Torrey Pines. Golf Channel's coverage begins at 2:10pm ET (THE DAILY).

The USGA today announced Winged Foot Golf Club will host the ’20 U.S. Open. It will mark the sixth time the course has hosted the event, the last being in '06 (USGA).

The Blues wore the name and No. 6 of late Baseball HOFer Stan Musial yesterday during warmups (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/27).

Attendance for the eight-day U.S. Figure Skating Championships at CenturyLink Center in Omaha was 90,760. That total is “down from 102,619” for last year’s event in San Jose (Omaha WORLD-HERALD, 1/28).

Saturday's at Matthew Knight Arena for the Washington State-Oregon men’s basketball game “drew a sold-out crowd of 12,364 – the first sellout in nearly two years at the new arena” (Portland OREGONIAN, 1/27).

"Hey Commish, we're playing hard!" – Texans DE J.J. Watt, displaying a bloody finger during a Pro Bowl sideline interview. Commissioner Goodell had publicly discussed the option of canceling future Pro Bowls due to the level of play ("Pro Bowl," NBC, 1/28).

"This is another sneaky way for them to get on the front page while we are getting ready to go to New Orleans for the Super Bowl" – ESPN’s Tom Jackson, on whether the Jets will trade CB Darrelle Revis (“Sunday NFL Countdown,” ESPN, 1/27).

"Roger obviously won't be greeted with flowers at the airport or with warm (and) fuzzy hugs (and) handshakes. And I'm sure if he's spotted around town he'll have some obscenities thrown his way. But I imagine he's used to all that by now” – Browns LB Scott Fujita, on the reception Goodell will receive in New Orleans on the heels of the Saints' bounty scandal (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/27).

N.Y. Times’ Harvey Araton: “I'll say this: remember the days when baseball's higher octane was attributed to technology, juiced balls? Sounded right to a lot of people.”

Golf World Exec Editor Ron Sirak: “Anyone know when the Pro Bowl game is played?”

Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph: “What an amazing week in Hawaii! Thank you so much to everyone involved with the#ProBowl! This game needs to continue!”

Cincinnati Enquirer’s Joe Reedy: “Since NFL beat writers, including me, love our Marriott points, 55 percent in a Courtyard survey picked the Niners to win Super Bowl XLVII.”

Sports & entertainment attorney Scott A. Andresen: “SI should give Travis Tygart it's 'Sportsman of the Year' award. He had the guts to risk@usantidoping's future on a risky LA investigation!”

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

The Heat will visit the White House and meet with President Obama to commemorate their '12 NBA championship. Obama also will recognize the franchise's support of military personnel.

Fox Int'l Channels will launch Fox Sports on TV, broadband, mobile and online in various countries in Asia beginning today. FIC Asia will manage all new Fox Sports networks along with the current STAR Sports, Fox Football Channel, STAR Cricket and STAR Cricket HD networks in the region.

MediaForward.tv co-Founder Terry Lyons will "Be the Boss" this morning at 10:00am ET on SiriusXM's E-Street Radio, serving as a guest DJ.

See a full list of events in THE DAILY’s week ahead.

Friday’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Musical Theater.”

“Before this show hit Broadway in 1964, one of its working titles was ‘The Luckiest People.’”

Friday’s edition of “Jeopardy” featured the category “That’s A Clown Question, Bro.” The questions were about famous clowns, but the title is derived from a reply by Nationals CF Bryce Harper to a reporter.

For $400: “Turns out Luke Perry is a ‘worthless half-brother’ of this clown on ‘The Simpsons.’”
For $800: “This mascot of a restaurant made his official debut in 1963 and is still around today.”
For $1200: “The 1904-06 Rose Period of this painter included the use of masked clown characters popular in Commedia dell'Arte.”
For $1600: “'Send In The Clowns' is from 1973's ‘A Little Night Music’ by this legendary Broadway songwriter.”
For $2000: “Charlie Chaplin inspired this man born in Strasbourg in 1923 to create his own brand of silent clowning.”

“What is ‘Funny Girl?’”

Correct responses to the “That’s A Clown Question, Bro” category:

For $400: “Who is Krusty the Clown?”
For $800: “Who is Ronald McDonald?”
For $1200: “Who was Pablo Picasso?”
For $1600: “Who is Stephen Sondheim?”
For $2000: “Who was Marcel Marceau?”