Poll
Which 49ers offensive player will be the difference-maker vs. the Giants?
Your vote has been counted, thank you for voting.
Reading time, two minutes …
• The 49ers have received the majority of attention from media and sports fans the past few weeks, and rightfully so. Just one victory from the Super Bowl, the 49ers are doing far better than even longtime, loyal fans could have imagined.
Meanwhile, the Kings' once-promising season – it seems like months ago when they beat the Lakers in the opener – has turned sharply toward another lottery pick. Sure, the firing of coach Paul Westphal was big news. But while the 49ers were beating the Saints, the Kings suffered through the "Debacle in Dallas." Other than diehard fans, who really noticed?
• ESPN 1320 has been home to the 49ers in Sacramento all season. Now, with the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game and interest at a fever pitch, 1320 isn't airing Sunday's game. Because the NFL owns the rights to the conference championships and Super Bowl and it sells those rights to a national syndicator, the games will air on KHTK 1140. ESPN 1320 program director Brian Lopez is trying to satisfy 49ers fans' appetites: the station will rebroadcast Saturday's thrilling win over the Saints on Friday at 1 p.m.
• Will the 49ers really benefit if it's raining Sunday and Candlestick Park's field is slick? That's what many folks think, because of the 49ers' success this season running the ball. But while Frank Gore had 89 rushing yards against the Saints, it was the passing game that made the victory so exciting. Rain or shine, here's hoping for another shootout Sunday.
What to watch
NBA, Los Angeles Lakers at Miami, 5 p.m., TNT: Despite some early struggles by both teams, this could be a preview of the NBA Finals.
Today's poll
Which 49ers offensive player will be the difference-maker vs. the Giants?
• Alex Smith
• Vernon Davis
• Frank Gore
• David Akers
• Other
Vote above or leave your comments in the comment field; Or, go to www.sacbee.com/sports
Wednesday's results
Who will win Sunday's AFC Championship Game?
• Patriots: 56%
• Ravens: 44%
Total votes: 319
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
Contact Tom Couzens at tcouzens@sacbee.com or (916) 321-1097.
• Read more articles by Tom Couzens
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
• Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.