>> reporter: he pleaded not guilty to the charges today. and the prosecutor asked he be kept away from his family, pointing out there's a video of lopez showing bruises he allegedly caused. lopez got up in front of the judge tearfully insisting she's not in any danger, as the sheriff himself broke down. >> he did not commit the domestic violence, he did not endanger his child, and he did not try to dissuade his wife from talking to the police or anybody else. >> reporter: now, he will be back in court on monday, that's when they'll set the date for trial. the judge repeatedly said in court today she's not going to treat this case any differently than others, just because it's the sheriff that's involved. reporting live in san francisco. jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. let's turn your attention to developing news out of nevada tonight. a fast moving fire south of reno, has forced thousands of people to evacuate. gusts of up to 82 miles an hour pushing the flames higher. several homes have burned and dozens more are threatens. deputies are going door to door asking people to leave their homes. this is all happening ten miles from reno, the communities of pleasant valley, and st. james village. 230 firefighters are on the ground right now battle that fire. here at home, we hope you know where you put the umbrella. here's what it looks like outside the golden great bridge is one of the places getting the rain. >> the jet stream has finally started to break after four to five weeks. we're starting to see areas slide to the south, this will allowed three different systems in three days. that first area of moisture moving over right now. it's fairly light. few pockets of moderate rainfall, nonetheless, it's bringing up a lot of oil on the roadway after 32 days with no rainfall across the bay area. we're still finding moderate rain here on highway 101, temperatures in the 40s, breezy at times, gusting into the low 20s in the north bay. it's been spotty in nature now. as we head down to the south bay,n again off again showers temperatures in the 40s. the dangerous commute tonight, anyone heading from los gatos to santa cruz on highway 17, that's where it's going to be slick on the windy road. pretty impressive over the last six hours, 24/100 in san rafael. we're going to have more on the stronger storm coming up that could bring us more in one day than we've seen for the entire rainfall season. >> thank you, jeff. we'll see you in a little bit. before you you head out the door, you need to log on and see the weather on your street. you can follow the latest conditions where you are and where you live 24 hours a day, all you need to do is log on to nbc bay area.com. we have a follow-up to a story we first brought you yesterday. a blog that put google under an investigative micro scope has been taken down. the website called targeting cops was made with google's free search tool. they went to google's campus to find out who runs the blog. a well known sheriff from arizona, joe arpaio is upset because the site applauded the deaths of one of his deputies. google would not comment on this specific case, but generally speaking, google will take down sites if they violate the company's policy. sticking with the subject of google, the company's making investors a little nervous tonight. scott budman is here with the earnings, and the academic beat as well. >> let's start with your money. a lot of it tonight is a vortex. the mountain view search giant reporting quarterly numbers a bit below investor speculations. it could be a rough morning for google shareholders tomorrow. a smoother night if you own inning tell stocks. the largest chipmaker in the world -- intel shares up a bit in after hours trading. apple trying to shake things up at school. new software to replace your kids heavy textbooks with virtual books. for the students at santan tone yo elementary school. especially in lupe cruz's class, learning is a touch or a swipe away. it's also going to get easier to reach, now that apple has rolled out i books 2. a free app that will support digital textbooks, the kind these young people will be downloading and reading on their ipad at a cost much less than a typical hard cover. >> for my students, the lack of money -- we don't have money to buy all the books we really want. for them to be able to download a book, so we can all be on the same page, that would be perfect. >> reporter: apple introduced the new software, along with another free tool that helps educators make digital textbooks. if it touches on, your kids backpacks will soon get a lot lighter. >> these are beautiful books. interactive, gorgeous, fun, engaging. kids are going to really love to learn with textbooks and i books. >> reporter: they're already used to playing with some learning on mobile devices, soon tablets will likely replace these books at the school's library. >> the fact that we don't have that many books at our school, they will be able to access the books on their ipad, i mean, it's incredible. >> reporter: the future of school books a touch away. >> apple also showed another app, they call it itunes-u. a way for subscribers to build a silly bus for students. i know there's a lot of academics here, but a lighter backpack is huge. city leaders got alarmed. in a memo from the police chief to the city council, a false alarm fee of $450 is needed for the department to break even. whether or not they send dispatch officers to the location or not. the current fine is $125 for the second false call. the first false call is free. administrative fees could bring the total to $600 per false call in the near future. last year, police responded to 12,000 alarm calls, 98% of them were false alarms. the niners haven't been in this position in almost 14 years. there's one player that suffered the longest. brian jennings 12 long seasons with the 49ers, but his time is now. we bring in jamie sires. i believe this is a guy that does yoga to stay in shape, right? >> reporter: yeah, he's a well rounded player. he does yoga. he's very consistent. that's what the 49ers like about him. he flies under the radar, and that suits him just fine. he was drafted in the year 2000, he's the only remaining link from the 2002 playoff team. >> it's been a great journey. it's an honor to be a 49er for this amount of time. it's my goal every week to snap the ball to my best ability. playoffs, everyone's working as hard as they can, to do the best job they can do. and we're winning a lot of games. >> play on the field is second to none. i can always count on him to snap the ball where i want it, where i need it. i never have to worry about anything he's doing. that makes my job easier. and making my job easier, of course, i'm going to love him. he's a great, great guy. >> reporter: i also asked jennings who his backup is if he got hurt or couldn't go. he simply responded with, he's his own backup. i did do a little bit of research i found out that larry grant would be the one to take his place. in 12 nfl seasons that's never been the case. >> let's hope it doesn't happen this time. thank you very much. sports betters in vegas say it's a tossup. one t-shirt maker has the gears in motion to make money from a 49ers victory. the sneak peak at the t-shirts the niners will be wearing in the locker room. >> this is the one the players will be wearing. it's the one the fans want. >> this is the first look at the nfc championship apparel. these are samples right now. >> the secondary shirt that sold in all the retail outlets. >> if the niners pull off another spectacular win on sunday. they will be right back here on sunday night at graphics sportswear in san francisco printing these official nfl t-shirts. 23,000 of them. >> it's great. usually january is our slowest month, and this is a big boost in business. most of us here are also 49ers fans. that makes it more exciting. >> the boxes are filled with unmarked t-shirts ready to get some red and gold on them. graphic sportswear printed officials t-shirt for the niners super bowl they hope to make it six. the items will make it here where the niners gear is flying off the rack. >> how much did you lay down here? >> a couple hundred. >> not bad. >> i'm here buying my little baby girl a shirt, man. very to have her ready for sunday's game. >> do you mind paying a couple bills? >> no, i love it. we love it. i love it because he pays for it. >> the buying frenzy is unexpected this year, just like the niners' winning season. >> come get your stuff right now. >> one more win and they'll be back at it at graphics sportswear. trusting to get the new shirts to the racks by monday morning many in san francisco, damion trujillo, nbc bay area news. >> can you imagine monday morning if the 49ers win? it's wild now. you can be a part of our 49ers super bowl run. send us your best memories right from your iphone. if you have that photo gram insi insti gram, it will come right to us. coming up tonight, he's there for all those unbelieve bible moments. >> alex got it. >> the voice of the 49ers as he relives some of his best memories at candlestick. his favorite it turns out doesn't even involve the team. >> it's a mystery unfolding in the hollywood hills, the discoveries that have led to one of the biggest police searches in recent history. and the wait is over in the sierras. live report, yes, there's snow. right after the break. i'm jeff ranieri, after record setting temperatures last week, now we're below average today. the clouds rling in, and the much welcomed rain, 50s in san jose and sfraensz. we're tracking these three storms. s a a san francisco muny driver will face charges for a fatal accident last year. he should have seen the woman in the crosswalks when he made the turn and struck her last april. he will face charges of misdemeanor manslaughter. he didn't realize he hit someone until he heard a bystander scream. a 25% hike for trash service. both residents and businesses in burlingame will face higher charges on february 1st. the move is a result of a revenue shortage, and because people are using smaller bins much a common size 32 gallon trash bin will jump in cost from $19 to $24 a month. it sounds like a hollywood thriller. l.a. cops combing an area near the hollywood hills looking for body parts, only it's real. and one of the lapd's biggest search searches of a man who was likely killed somewhere else and then dumped in the area. >> reporter: it's not for lack of resources that the macabre mystery remains unsolved. more than 100 officers, crimi l criminalists and specialists. the focus, seven acres of bronson canyon park where the severed head of a middle aged man was found tuesday off the hiking trail. >> without identifying the victim and why this person was killed, the people he's associated with it could be anything. >> reporter: one of the dogs offleash returned with a grocery bag with the severed head inside. commander smith would not reveal if the remains were buried, but did say -- >> they may have been disturbed by animals at some point. we believe everything was hidden off the trail where whoever put it there, did not want it to be found. >> reporter: by early afternoon, authorities concluded major portions of the remains, the torso, arms and legs are not to be found here. reaching out, investigators contacted authorities in tucson, about human remains found there two weeks ago, there does not appear to be a connection. the victim appeared to be of armenian heritage, but they've backed off from that, and roule out only one thing. >> there's no indication this was a serial case, there's no indication there's more than one victim here. >> that was patrick healy reporting from los angeles. the dry spell is over for the bay area and sierra. everyone from snow plow operators to skiers to tahoe business owners are celebrating a long dry stretch. donna is live in soda springs tonight. we can finally say welcome to winter, right? >> reporter: oh, my gosh, no kidding. we have been waiting for this snow forever. and it's finally here, and finally here big time. when we first got here, can you see the blacktop of this parking lot, look at this, there is snow everywhere, you know people are going to be doing a lappy dance. >> it's snowing, yeah! >> reporter: fred is so excited, snowfalling this afternoon. >> how badly did you need this snow? >> very bad. >> last year it was way up to there, and now it's coming. >> reporter: and not a moment too soon. some ski resorts have been completely shut down. the sign at sugar bowl has people praying for snow. >> we've done more snow making this season than any other year. >> reporter: it's not just the ski industry that's been affected. you would think a construction crew would be thrilled not to have to work out in the elements. but apparently the lack of snow has been bad for business. why would you have more work if it snows? >> damaged roofs, decks and all that kind of stuff. >> reporter: it's tough to tell how much snow is falling, but the dark part is the snow bank, this part here is the new stuff. with any luck we'll be getting more. >> i've been doing the dances, the burnings, every trick in the book, it looks like it's working. >> we lost donna there. she was all smiles. >> fired up about the snow. >> and so many people are, especially those skiers. >> lots of people packing up their bags. is it going to be okay to drive up this weekend? >> it's going to be pretty dangerous, because we're going to have this on and off periods of activity throughout the sierras. some wind that is impacting that live shot out there, we are seeing winds anywhere in 15 to 40 miles an hour at times, as we head throughout tomorrow night, we could see anywhere from 6 to 10 inches of snowfall across lake tahoe. if you're headed that way, definitely check up on things, chain requirements are starting to go into effect. the rain has already started today with cooler numbers, in the upper 40s to near 50s. all i can say is, we have a ton of exclamation marks here in morgan hill and gilroy about the rainfall coming her way. 16 days of rainfall, that's it so far this season. teed we have broken the dry spell, we're starting to see the showers once again. temperatures in the 40s, winds right now into the low 20s at the coastline, tracking a few showers back toward the east bay. and that goes for the south bay, including san jose right on down to santa cruz. it's not heavy now, but we're going to see things pick up by tomorrow with a much stronger system. >> thank you, jeff. >> he's been talking for a living since the 1970s, and what he talks about are some of the bay area's most memorable moments like last week at candlestick. from the a's to the giants and now the 49ers, ted robinson is the radio voice for the team. today we caught up with him at his home on the peninsula. >> only a four-man rush. >> among the chorus of voices in candlestick park, one cuts through the rest. ted robinson is the voice of 49ers radio, the job he's been training for since breaking his leg playing high school football. >> i decided, if i can't play, being at the game and talking about it seems like a cool alternative. >> reporter: his path to the broadcasters booth has been windy. he's done wimbledon, olympic diving and college football. his most memorable kick was at candlestick park. >> doing play by play of pope john paul's mass at candlestick. >> reporter: robinson is the narrator of the team's unlikely comeback. >> to see the bay area reenergized and the 49ers recapture northern cal chal the faithful that have drifted away in recent years is gratifying. >> his call sunday has become a youtube mainstay. >> and he's got it. touchdown! touchdown 49ers! >> jim harbaugh had preached to his players all week, don't overcook, which is a great analogy. not getting too amped for the moment. his players thankfully followed it. i didn't. >> alex smith -- >> robinson is studying the new york giants for this weekend's nfc championship. ready to take the mike for the 49ers historic run. if he happens to get a little excited in the booth, that's just part of the job. >> ultimately that's my job, to reflect the moment, reflect the emotion. this was extraordinary. >> joe ris otto, jr. >> nice to have him doing this for three years now with the 49ers. >> he gives a perfect audio cue. a different way to invest in education. a plan that would allow ut students to put tuition costs on hold. >> and the changes that could be on the way for the cruise ship industry following that atipstinshg wreck in italy. supports in times of need. same with aladdin. the biggest in bail. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better. [ man ] it's big. supports in times of need. same with aladdin. the biggest in bail. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better. outrage over high tuition costs has prompted students to you offer an idea of their own. their plan calls for suspending payments while they're in school. once employed they would pay 20% of their salary for ten years. one lawmaker wants top administrators to share the budget. one bill would block pay raises during bad budget years. the bill also seeks to cap the salaries of newly hired administrators at 105 the percent of their predecessor's pay. a debate is brewing about the amount of homework. more and more districts are considering limiting homework. it can lead to migraines, ulcers, trouble sleeping at night. with more research out of stanford, how much do students learn from homework in the first place? >> what we know at the elementary school level is that there's really not a correlation between homework and academic achievements. at the middle school level there's a slight correlation that falls off about an hour, at the high school level there is a correlation, we'll see the results fall off after two hours. a lot of these kids are doing more than what we show is effective. >> is doing homework helpful? we're going to discuss that this sunday on class action. still ahead at 6:00 the roller coaster ride continues, another series of twists and turns for the republicans, the infidelity bombshell and the blow for the front-runner ahead. he was two blocks into the subway. and then how an out of control driver snarled traffic for hours in the city. still to come, passing the torch, one legendary 49er lending his support to the i want a baby. a baby? but we were gonna see the northern lights in alaska. and go spelunking with the guys. yeah, i said it-- spelunking. [ whirring ] and i still haven't built one of those fighting robots. come on. it's pretty awesome. okay. just a few things we need to do first. [ laughs ] [ announcer ] before you make your leap, make a list. then get going in the completely redesigned cr-v. all new, from honda. tonight only four are left standing. the latest gop debate going on right now in south carolina. it's been a day of high drama in what's been an unpredictable gop race. claims that newt gingrich wanted an open marriage. rick perry quit the race in another blow to mitt romney, iowa officials say it looks like they didn't win thereafter all. >> reporter: thanks and good evening. what a day. the recount of a caucus, the revenge of a wife, and the resurgence of a candidate in gingrich. this is columbia, south carolina, the state capital building. when rick perry quit the race today in this state it was not good news for mitt romney. he would rather have conservatives in this state flip their votes. now he's concerned the votes will coalesce around perry. >> i'm suspending my campaign and endorsing newt gingrich for president of the united states. i believe newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our country. >> ten points behind mitt romney in today's nbc news poll. ron paul at 16. rick santorum at 14. in polling since monday's debate. gingrich trails romney by five. >> the only effective conservative vote on saturday is for newt gingrich. >> romney praised perry. >> terrific guy, terrific conservative. great governor, great in the race. >> he slammed gingrich. >> the speaker was talking about all the jobs he helped create in the reagan years. he had been in congress two years when reagan came to office. >> reporter: romney got more bad news from iowa, where he claimed his first 2012 win. a new count would second santorum ahead. and there's more potentially damaging news about romney. aids deny romney used the secretive banks there to dodge u.s. taxes. gingrich got news in this religious state. a reminder of his three marriages and infidelity -- >> he was asking to have an open marriage and i refused. no, no, that is not a marriage. >> campaigning with his current wife, calista, he said bringing up 10-year-old family matters is wrong. >> the four remaining candidates are debates again in south carolina tonight. it's shaping up as a gingrich and romney slugfest. from columbia, south carolina, i'm steve handlesman, nbc bay area news. >> steve, thank you. an unexpected tactic now, the floor of the state legislature, it happened after a state senator tried to override a veto from governor brown. it would have been the first veto override in 30 years. sam blakley wanted to override brown's veto of a law that would have allowed cities or counties to temporarily take over operations of state parks closed zhu to budget cuts. some of the senators didn't want to use this tactic on an issue. blakley got his vote but it was promptly defeated. he wants to try again in a few weeks. the bay area has the fastest rising apartment rental prices in the nation. over the past four years, rents fwl the san francisco oakland market increased by 10.4%. that's with the average rent of just over $1700 a month. the san francisco city limits, the rents are significantly over $2000 a month. san jose prices are climbing even faster by 12.2% with an average rent of nearly $1800 a month. the housing slump is pushing more homeowners back into the rental market. a mess in a muny tunnel. the tunnel is for trains, but a car came through instead. scott mitchell was likely drunk when he drove his car the wrong way through the tunnel. it happened just before the morning commute, he drove for a half mile inside the tunnel before yashing. service was halted for nearly two hours as crews moved the suv off the tracks. the incident, mitchell was drive willing out of control. >> doing like 40 miles an hour. chasing down, he did stop. we look again, we don't see him any more. we look in to see where he went he was two blocks into the subway. and he was pretty stuck, jammed into the wall. >> even now it's still a bit of a mess. trains will move more slowly through the evening area until more extensive repairs are made later this evening. last wednesday a maintenance crew was called to andrew hill high when the lights on the soccer field wouldn't turn off. the thiefs broke into the lock box and ripped off the copper wiring. replacing the theft and fixing the damage will cost about tee grand. they tried the same thing at another high school but left empty-handed. this comes amid news that a softball league could be disrupted. the team is rushing to raise thousands of dollars to replace the lights. until then they have no place to practice or play their game. the season starts in a few weeks. in a letter to the coast guard, barbara boxer has suggested cruise ship passengers should receive emergency evacuation training before heading out to sea. the suggestion comes as the search for victims on board the costa concordia continues. rescuers make their way through the ship. in response to the incident carnival cruises has temporarily suspended advertising for its cruise line. it will begin a comprehensive review of the company's safety and emergency procedures. 20 people are still missing. next at 6:00 the search is over. the bay area company being dubbed the happiest place in the country to work. >> good evening. we're tracking our major changes for tonight. that does include some rainfall across most of the state. as we continue through tonight. the cloud cover and showers stay with us. we'll have more on what you can expect with these three systems a f settlement reached. a retailer has agreed to pay $350,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging the company sold children's products containing harmful chemicals. the lawsuit brought by the district attorney offices of alameda and santa clara companies, claims the company sold products that exceeded the legal limit of lead and synthetic chemicals without warning consumers. the products were sold in 2008 and 2009. the proceeds from the penalties will be used to enforce consumer protection laws. the 18,000 people who work for google have found happiness. the mountain view based company is the best place to work in the united states signing the great cafeteria, the bocci ball courts. after sunnyvale, another mountain view company, intuit ranks 19. i'm not being negative or anything. but we don't get free food and i'm often forced to break into the cracker cabinet to get some skrakers. >> but we do have a ping-pong table. >> we have access to cameras. >> only because we steal them. did i say that? >> yes. >> we'll talk more about the showers tonight, and our other two storms in the next two days in a few minutes. nfl players dream about winning the super bowl. if you're caught sleeping in the playoffs, most likely you'll never win the lombardi trophy. are the 49ers ready for the hungry new york giants? just three days from the championship game. we'll have a live report from 49ers headquarters n meet micro-beads. any last wishes? new selsun blue deep cleansing micro-bead scrub goes to the source wiping out flakes before they flake. new selsun blue deep cleansing. [ traffic passing ] ] ♪ [ music box: lullaby ] [ man on tv, indistinct ] ♪ [ lullaby continues ] [ baby coos ] [ man announcing ] millions are still exposed to the dangers... of secondhand smoke... and some of them can't do anything about it. ♪ [ continues ] [ gasping ] if they win on sunday, it's off to the super bowl. and the last time the 49ers had a super bowl season, 1994. ace of base had the number one song and mark zuckerberg was ten. also, we got introduced to the dirty side of ice skating when tonya harding had her boyfriend take out nancy kerrigan. and nelson mandela was elected as south africa's first black president. and nbc debuted a show about 20-somethings living in new york and they called it "friends". it's a big family and many 49ers legends still live here in the bay area. they are passing the torch now. the past meets the present heading into sunday's championship game opinion. >> niners mania has permeated the workday culture. and the director of business development for pitco knows this best. >> i've never been in the stadium that was so loud last week. my whole career, i don't remember it being that loud. >> reporter: now, roger craig has formed a unique bond with fellow running back frank gore. and the two are sharing their experiences with each other as a legacy continues. >> i'm really happy for frank. he said, you were right about the playoffs, it doesn't fit the level of play, it's higher, and more intense. >> roger called me -- he called me three times after the game. and, you know, basically telling me what to do after the game, take care of my body. you know, how to visualize. it's day 40 and i appreciate it. he really cares about me. >> i have goose bumps right now, talking for him, he has an opportunity to see what it feels like to be in thighs kind of games. >> with three super bowl rings of his own. he's thrilled to see the current niners enjoying a taste of his success that he and his teammate s are experiencing right now. >> it's all about the dream. they got the right ingredients right now. the right coach to take the team to the next level. >> with the niners before the nfc championship, i'm laurence scott. >> roger looks good. doesn't he? >> he does. it's exciting. let's turn things over to jeff. weather, sunday. >> we're looking at some rainfall, i know. bearer of bad news, as you heard mindy talk earlier, they had a little bit of time to practice on the muddy turf at candlestick. what we're expecting for all the tailgaters. by 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00, we'll look at periods of rainfall. doesn't look like it will be heavy, it looks like we'll have something falling in time for game time. the forecast has been a little tricky, if anything, we may see the storm's timing push a little more out, further toward monday which would bode better for the game. that's going to be one we're going to finetune here as we head through the next 24 hours. let's take a look at the other thing many of you have wanted. the rainfall across the bay area, 32 days without rain. and we have finally broken the dry spell. we're starting to see the showers continuing here in throughout the north bay. roadways slick here. winds sustained at 18 miles per hour, throughout a good portion of the north bay. we're going to see this a lot for the next two hours here, the spotty showers. not anything happening here, livermore or freemont, a few areas of showers from danville to heyward. san jose with light to moderate rainfall, temperatures in the 40s and also, winds anywhere from 10 to 15 miles per hour. clearing up on our last check, we'll still find pockets of rainfall continuing here as well. 51 in napa, 49 in concord, 47 in gilroy. for tomorrow morning, we'll be under a break here, some isolated showers lingering, overall that next stronger storm looks to arrive as we head throughout friday evening. this storm is going to quickly exit as we head throughout tonight and tomorrow morning. a stronger storm system starting to wind up and tap into another plume of moisture. that will mean some higher rainfall totals for us tomorrow, the storm system really starts getting geared up. the center of the storm will be centered off to the north. we could see those winds anywhere from 13 to 30 miles per hour. we'll find a chance of isolated thunderstorms. for tomorrow specifically, maybe a few breaks in sunshine. the next estimate starts to roll in by 5:00 p.m. look at this, it starts to blow up here, about 7:00 p.m., we could see intensity to this to produce some pretty heavy downpours, throughout tomorrow, we'll look at one inch rainfall possible, anywhere from a quarter to a half inch for the east bay and south bay, from livermore down to san jose. three systems here, we have the first one tonight. throughout friday, that secondary stronger storm system, and by sunday evening, as the 49ers are at candlestick, we'll see this third system rolfing on through. for tonight, a lot better than next week. tomorrow, numbers staying similar to today, with plenty of mid-50s. morning time at nbcbayarea.com. you'll see the stronger storm for tomorrow, a chance much thunderstorms on saturday, another mini-break if you can call it that, and possibly rainfall there as we head throughout sunday night for the 49ers. a lot of action, but i'm happy in the weather center with that going on. >> the niners are playing this sunday? >> yes. >> you know what, indoors. most of them are going to be indoors watching anyway. >> let's get to sports. we're having fun with all of this coverage. let's bring in henry wofford from our comcast sportsnet newsroom. what's happening with the team this afternoon? >> a lot going on. four nfl teams with the same goal, win super bowl xlvi patriots, ravens, giants and the local guys. count on candlestick to be packed and loud sunday afternoon. that's when the stars are expected to shine. especially the quarterback. alex smith and eli manning, in fact, it's the first time since 1998 two first overall draft picks have played against each other in a championship game. to get the latest on the team, it's difficult to find a sports reporter working harder than mindy back. she spent the day at niners headquarters and joins us with indepth coverage -- how are the niners doing, mindy? >> they're doing great. all this weather that jeff is talking about earlier, it's certainly welcome when the rain began here. jim harbaugh as you know, pays attention to detail, and likes to be extremely prepared. the rain was one detail he did not want to overlook. jim harbaugh is giddy about the dark excise lingering over the 49ers practice field. >> if he's going to fight in the north atlantic, you have to prepare in the north atlantic. they're anticipating some rain on sunday. we won't know until sunday morning. >> the 49ers near perfect season has been accompanied by near perfect weather. they only played on a slick field once leading up to arizona. even those field conditions were rather mild. the forecast for the nfc championship game has worked its way into the game plan. >> you have bad weather. you picture the field all mudded up, and you start going through contingencies in your mind. >> it will just be what i see out there as far as what the effects of the field actually are. >> however wet that field may be, there are clear advantages to both sides of the ball. >> the receivers have an advantage because they know where they're going. >> when it gets wet, you need the longer cleats and a lot of the players don't like that, they feel it slows them down a little bit. >> it comes down to which team plays better. >> it doesn't matter. you run the ball, play action. it's not going to change who they are and what they do, at this time in the season. >> the rain started falling halfway through 49ers practice, so no need for special cleats today. out there with his team for the second day in a row, delaney walker, the tight end, he was still limited in practice, but today reporters got to talk to him for the first time to see if they'll be ready for sunday. >> i was actually in good shape. i got the runaround, do a little bit. i wasn't fatigued, my body feels good today. we have some good strength coach. coaches kept me in shape running around lifting weights. preparing me for the time when i do get to come back. i feel confident in myself, and the doctors feel confident in me to let me go out there and do a little brit. i'm confident i can do whatever i can. >> good to see delaney back out there, a little bit of a surprise, henry patrick willis not at practice today. he was limited, and he came out later, limited because of his knee. and that's somewhat of a surprise. because he was a full participant in practice wednesday, it's not anything that seems to be too serious. still, this time of the season, everything is going to be scrutinized. >> great job, mindy. thank you very much. raider fans, don't beat me up for showing this video, i have to do it. today is the tenth anniversary of the afc divisional playoffs, woodson with the hit on brady. initially it was ruled a itfumb, but it was overturned. patriots won in overtime, 16-13. went on to win. excuse me. >> are those tears? >> sorry about that. i just get choked up. >> is there crying in football? there's no crying in baseball. >> there's no crying in either sport. >> i just can't handle it, i apologize. maybe i'll be back at 11:00 tonight. i'm not so sure. >> thank you. for a full half hour of coverage of all the 49ers coverage now, you can watch sports net central on comcast sportsnet bay wo d.fforae th henry wofford. e that's going to do it for us, good night.