The 49ers took care of a move today that developed into a formality after the recent run of success in 2011. GM Trent Baalke signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2016 season. Since taking over GM responsibilities in 2010, Trent Baalke has been an important part of getting the 49ers into their current position.

He got things going with the Ted Ginn Jr. trade back before the 2010 draft. In giving up only a fifth round pick for Ginn, they received one of the best return men in the game. He dominated in both kickoff and punt returning, finishing among the league leaders in both categories in 2010 and 2011. Although the 2010 draft has had some ups and downs, the 49ers secured three starters (Davis, Iupati, Bowman) and some intriguing depth in Kyle Williams and Nate Byham.

It was 2011 though, when Baalke really showed what he and his staff could do. The 49ers 2011 draft is off to a great start with Aldon Smith, Kendall Hunter, Chris Culliver, Colin Jones and Bruce Miller all contributing in big ways as rookies. While the team struck out with Braylon Edwards, almost every other free agency pick up hit, with some proving to be arguably the best signing at their position.

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A few days after getting arrested on an outstanding warrant, it appears the Ray McDonald situation is more or less resolved, at least according to some reports. The warrant was issued on August 9 when the court's determined McDonald had not submitted the needed proof that he had attended a mandatory first offender DUI class following his 2010 arrest for suspicion of DUI. The warrant came up when the police pulled over McDonald during a routine traffic stop early Wednesday morning.

Well, it would appear to be a paperwork snafu on the part of the DA and/or police. McDonald spoke with Matt Maiocco and told him that he had fulfilled the necessary requirements after his DUI charge and properly filed the paperwork. After his arrest, this was sorted out at the police station and he was subsequently released.

Barring any new details, that would seem to have resolved what initially appeared to be a sticky situation. After Aldon Smith's arrest, a second arrest had folks scratching their heads. Thankfully, it would appear that all is well for Ray McDonald.

Fooch's Update 10:27am: Cam Inman sent a subsequent tweet out with the same link, but he included a note "failure to prove he completed 1st-offender program." We're waiting for more details, but that could mean he either did not complete the program or simply failed to file necessary paperwork regarding the program. More to come..

The 49ers offseason got a lit bit more tumultuous Wednesday as defensive end Ray McDonald was arrested in Sunnyvale for an outstanding warrant that stemmed from his 2010 arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence. McDonald was apparently pulled over around 2am for a traffic violation and it sounds like upon running his tags the cops discovered this outstanding warrant.

McDonald was initially arrested in San Mateo County on June 12, 2010 for suspicion of driving under the influence. The news sort of frittered out and there hadn't been a clear resolution of the case. Now we know why. An arrest is never a good thing, but this is likely not as simple as Aldon Smith's arrest a couple weeks back. There will be more on this developing situation so we'll keep an eye out for the details. Hopefully there is some kind of reasonable explanation for all this given that we are now over a year and a half removed from the initial arrest.

Later this morning, the 3M Celebrity Challenge will get going down at Pebble Beach. The Pebble Beach National Pro Am is an annual golf tournament often better known for the Wednesday Celebrity Pro Am that takes place. This year, the 49ers and San Francisco Giants took part in a Tuesday charity shootout that saw Jim Harbaugh, Alex Smith join 49ers legends like Jerry Rice and Dwight Clark in taking down Matt Cain, Will Clark, Mike Krukow and Dave Flemming.

What is most intriguing about today's Celebrity Challenge is that Alex Smith will actually be serving as Jim Harbaugh's caddy. Harbaugh will be partnered with professional Ryan Moore in a group that also includes Matt Cain and professional Matt Bettencourt.

After the 49ers-Giants shootout yesterday, Coach Harbaugh told the waiting media that Alex Smith was as high a priority as anybody on the 49ers roster. He made a similar comment at his end of season press conference so this is not some shock. Add in all this Pebble Beach stuff (apparently even car-pooling together down to Pebble Beach) and this is probably what would have happened last year between the two of them if there had not been a lockout. The 49ers control Smith's rights until the new league year gets going so they can have all the conversation they want.

It is entirely possible something goes haywire and Alex Smith ends up somewhere else. Of course, in my opinion that possibility is somewhere between slim and none, but anything is possible I suppose. Is there really any chance Alex Smith is not back with the 49ers in 2012?

Fooch's Note: Bovada sent out updated odds. I've posted them after the jump. The 49ers are at 18/1

Super Bowl XLVI is officially in our rear view mirror, which means we can start to look ahead to next year's Super Bowl. Naturally odds are starting to come out for next year's Super Bowl. The Las Vegas Hilton and other sports books in Las Vegas actually started releasing odds a couple weeks ago even as the playoffs were still happening.

I'll post further updated odds when they come out at some point today, but for now, the 49ers opened at 20-1. They had similar odds as the Giants, Cowboys, Falcons, Jets and Lions. These odds came out shortly after the Packers were defeated by the Giants and they still have the Packers sitting as 5-1 favorites, with the Saints and Patriots right behind them. I'd imagine the Giants will got a bit of a bump following their win last night.

For the 49ers, they were close to the mountaintop, but as Tre put it, they're back down at base camp ready to get started again. A year ago, the 49ers opened as 40/1 to win the Super Bowl. By the time the season started, they had climbed to 60/1 thanks to the lockout. By the time this year's playoffs began, the 49ers were sitting at 11/1.

This year, the 49ers have the benefit of an entire offseason for the coaches and players to work together. Free agents will be brought in months before the season starts and have time to get fully acclimated. Every team will have that benefit, but I'm plenty happy just considering what a full offseason of Jim Harbaugh means for this team. Add in a chance to add some more talent in free agency and the draft and I think we see these odds coming down as the season approaches and gets going. Five weeks until free agency, 2 1/2 months until the draft, less than six months until the start of training camp. Good times!

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Anything involving the 49ers and Super Bowl XLVI is completely woulda/coulda/shoulda, but that's not going to stop me from pointing out that I think the 49ers would've beaten these Patriots. Such is the life of non-Super Bowl teams. It will stick in our craw for a while longer, but the first real step towards moving is now at hand. The close of the Super Bowl means we can look ahead to next season.

The game itself was intriguing at the end. The most exciting moments for me were of course the final few drives, but also seeing Kelly Clarkson come in just under 1:34 on the anthem and seeing a shot of Giselle to hit the over on 1/2 times she'd be seen. Gambling certainly can be good!

The Montana/Brady comparisons can officially take a back seat. Congratulations to Eli Manning on a solid performance and coming through in the clutch again. He did benefit from another great catch, this time from Mario Manningham down the sideline. Of course, Eli dropped that ball in just about perfectly for Manningham to make the catch, so he deserves some credit. While I would have preferred the 49ers be in the game, at least we got some entertainment at the end.

All that matters now is that the road to Super Bowl XLVII begins now. Everybody is 0-0 once again and the 49ers get to start climbing the mountain to Lombardi glory. The loss still stings, but this was the first significant step towards moving forward. It only gets better from here!

In the least surprising news since the sun coming up this morning (I suppose the far north might be an exception of that in the dead of winter), 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year. Harbaugh is the first rookie coach to claim the award since Falcons head coach Mike Smith in 2008. The last 49ers coach to win the award was Bill Walsh all the way back in 1981. There are some reports Dick Nolan won in 1970, but that is a bit hazy.

Coach Harbaugh won in a landslide victory as he took home 45 of the 50 votes. Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy received three votes and Carolina Panthers Denver Broncos coach John Fox received two votes. I figured Harbaugh was an easy choice for Coach of the Year, but five people felt otherwise. Arguments could be made for several coaches doing great jobs, but 13-3 following a lockout and coming off a 6-10 season seems like a no-brainer to me. Of course, I happen to be a 49ers fan, so my opinion might be slanted ever so slightly. If I had to choose a number two in this balloting, I'd be more inclined to go with Marvin Lewis than John Fox or Mike McCarthy.

Coach Harbaugh was not in attendance at the NFL Honors event last night, so Alex Smith actually accepted it on his behalf. He had a few quick comments for his coach:

Just trying to think about what Coach Harbaugh would say if he were here. He probably would say that he doesn't deserve this. It's just the type of guy he is. He'd give all the credit to the players, to the assistant coaches. Just who he is. From someone who's had one or two coaches in my career, I would just like to tell you that this is well-deserved. Congratulations Coach. Thank you.

His line about having one or two coaches drew some laughs from the crowd. I'd imagine it was primarily from the football players in the crowd.

49ers legendary owner Eddie DeBartolo and former linebacker/defensive end Charles Haley both came up short yesterday in their bids for entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. DeBartolo made his first appearance as one of the Final 15, but he did not make it to the first cut to ten. Haley made the cut to ten, but did not make the next cut to five. The 2012 Hall of Fame class includes Jack Butler, Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman Cortez Kennedy, Curtis Martin and Willie Roaf. Jim Trotter has an interesting report on what it was like for the voters in the room yesterday.

As we look ahead to next year, it gets a little more difficult for previous nominees. With both Eddie DeBartolo and Bill Parcells coming up short in the balloting, it seems like they will end up going in one at a time (if at all, of course). The NFL does not enshrine multiple non-player nominees in many years, so these two could have to deal with continued splitting of votes.

Roger Craig did not make his way into the finalists this year and will likely continue to struggle with next year's class. Michael Strahan, Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden are among the leading new candidates and could very well take up three quick spots in their first year of eligibility. Craig lost a little momentum this year and it could be a struggle for the 49ers great to get his spot in Canton.

Oh and a little known 49er named Bryant Young will be in his first year of eligibility. Bryant Young was an absolute beast for the 49ers and will likely be enshrined in the 49ers Hall of Fame in the near future. But will he get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? He has the benefit that the media absolutely loves the guy. Charles Haley has struggled in his candidacy because he was not exactly beloved by the media. It should not come down to that, but sometimes people are petty in that regard.