New Orleans

Ravens fans had waited 12 years for another Super Bowl victory, and they packed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, dwarfing 49ers rooters in both numbers and volume. They about blew the roof off the stadium when Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco flicked his first touchdown pass as the team began its march to a commanding halftime lead. Then Baltimore - the team and its fans - held on for dear life. Down by 22 points early in the second half, the 49ers staged a furious comeback that fell just short as the Ravens held on to win, 34-31.

In New Orleans, there's good weather for a championship. Fans making their way to the Superdome this afternoon in New Orleans to watch the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49ers for an NFL title won't have weather to slow them down - or rain on their tailgate parties. According to the National Weather Service, New Orleans, La., is experiencing partly cloudy skies and temperatures capping out in the low 60s. Winds are fairly mild, at about 10 mph. The stadium is a dome, of course, but there are plenty of festivities being conducted outside to ramp up to the Super Bowl action.

Week 1 (Sept. 9) at Lambeau Field: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 22 The 49ers quickly quelled any doubt their success in the 2011 season was a fluke, defeating the Packers on the road. San Francisco took an early 23-7 lead on two touchdown passes from quarterback Alex Smith and three field goals from David Akers. Smith completed 20 of 26 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Frank Gore shouldered the rest of the offensive load with 112 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

NEW YORK -- The conversation took place during his freshman year at Maryland. Greivis Vasquez, still learning a new language and getting adjusted to playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, sat down in his coach's office one day to talk about his dreams. "He told me that he wanted to play in the NBA," Gary Williams recalled recently. "I told him, 'You've got the size, you see the court really well, you can shoot fairly well. It's just a matter of getting better every year.' He just took that to heart and went with it. Greivis got better every year.

NEW ORLEANS - Ravens strong safety Bernard Pollard looks the part of an enforcer who loves inflicting punishment. He's barrel-chested and powerfully constructed at 6-foot-1, 228 pounds. And Pollard has built a reputation as one of the most intimidating hitters in the game, violently uncoiling his body to deliver brutal tackles tackles that separate oppoennts from their senses as well as the football. Just ask New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley, whom Pollard hit in the AFC championship with a ferocious force that knocked him out of the game with a concussion.

Ravens fans in New Orleans clearly out numbers fans from San Francisco. The 49ers fans have come on in the last day or so, but the numbers are still in the Ravens' favor. While walking on the boardwalk last night, where several bands played throughout the evening, there were many Ray Lewis and Joe Flacco jerseys. City officials here apparently have spent a lot of money on security as police helicopters and boat patrols circled the river throughout the night. It's hard to get any place in New Orleans without bumping into Ravens fans.

Unlike during the Ravens' path to Super Bowl XLVII, the weather won't be a factor for the team in the big game Sunday. Partly, that's because of the Superdome's fixed roof, of course. But even outside the stadium, it will be perfect weather for tourists and fans eager to celebrate a Ravens win on Bourbon Street. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast for New Orleans through the weekend, with highs in the mid-60s and lows in the 40s to around 50. No rain is in the forecast until early next week.

NEW ORLEANS - A day before the 49ers and Baltimore Ravens square off in the Super Bowl, two of the franchise's most influential figures will be up for another highly sought after honor. Former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. and the late Art Modell, who moved his franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore, are among the finalists for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The voting process, coupled with Sunday's big game, has left one retired San Jose resident with mixed emotions.

If you gotta go, you gotta go. To Super Bowl XLVII, that is. And Ravens fans have got to go to New Orleans, getting there any which way they can. Direct flights from Baltimore to the Big Easy have long since sold out, leaving fans to come up with creative travel plans. Some are going for fly-and-drive combinations, like flying into Panama City Beach, Fla., - and making the roughly four-hour drive to New Orleans. Others are taking flights to Jackson, Miss., a relatively short drive of less than three hours.