The Linz just realized that The Great One lasted longer than "Seinfeld"; longer than "Everyone loves Raymond."

Probably too long.

Those class acts bombed after ten seasons or so. The Linz bombed through 17 seasons.

Of course, The Linz was much funnier, and he did it without a Kramer or a George.

Although Ralph "Fudge" Chavez and Aaron O-Camp-Out-At-The-Buffet did come in handy. As did Albuquerque High.

Still, it is a sad day for The Linz, and he can barely see his computer screen because of the tears streaming down his handsome face.

No, not because The Great One is writing his final Lindsey Line ever.

The Linz just found out that the New Mexico Lobos will be playing in the New Mexico Bowl again.

Another Lobos football game always brings tears to The Linz's baby-blue eyes. The only thing worse would be if the Lobos played the AHS Bulldogs.

But not such a bad idea for UNM. Then maybe Rocky 3rd-And-Long might win a bowl game. Unless it ended in a scoreless tie.

Still, it's not easy for The Great One to say goodbye to all the teams and coaches The Great One has picked on for 17 years.

Teams and coaches The Linz has great respect for.

The Linz thinks there is only one way to properly bow out of this gig. The Linz went through 17 years of Lindsey Lines and picked out a few of his favorite jokes and things and stuff.

The book will come out later, but for now, here is:

The best of the Linz

Best compliment given to The Linz: Former La Cueva coach Ron Warren saying "one of the things on my things-to-do list on Thursday is picking up The Linz's column."

Worst thing ever told to The Linz: "You have to cover the Albuquerque High/West Mesa game this week."

Second worst thing: Former Sandia coach Jim Ottmann saying, "I don't think The Linz knows that much about football."

Best coaches: Bill Gentry, Ray Giannini, Jim Ottmann, David Williams, Ralph "Fudge" Chavez, Dave Tomlinson, Rocky 3rd-And-Long.

Best accomplishments:

1. Running former KOAT-TV sports anchor Terry McDermott out of town. (Unfortunately, McDermott returned later that day.)

2. Going undefeated one season in playoff picks for all classes.

3. Never finding a joke The Great One couldn't recycle 10 times.

4. Never making it to Milne Stadium.

Best nicknames: Rocky 3rd-And-Long, Ralph "Fudge" Chavez, "RudeDog" Davalos, Aaron O-Camp-Out-At-The-Buffet, Marty "Stumpy" Chavez.

Best nickname that never made it: Rocky 4th-And-Wrong.

Best Mexican restaurants: Charlie's Front Door and Padillas.

Best Clovis joke: The Linz was going to attend the Clovis game this week, but The Great One knew he would be too easily recognized. The Linz would be the only one in the stands with his front teeth, the only one not on parole and the only one not dating his cousin.

Best Mayfield joke: The Linz hears NMSU is trying to cancel all Mayfield games. The Aggies are afraid if Las Cruces folks go to a Trojan game and find out what real football is like, they'll never go back to an Aggie game.

Best Hobbs joke:The Linz hears the air in Hobbs is worth a touchdown. It seems Eagles' opponents pass out in the fourth quarter from the oil stench in the air and six plays later the Eagles score a touchdown.

Best Milne concession stand joke:The Linz finally figured out how to eat a Milne Dog. You cook the Milne Dogs and a couple of rocks in boiling water for two days. Then, you throw out the Milne Dogs and eat the rocks.

Best Wilson concession stand joke: The Linz heard when the Hurricane Katrina victims ate a burger at Wilson, they got back on a plane to New Orleans.

Best Milne Stadium joke: The Linz thinks the new sky suites at Milne are genius and well worth the price. The seats face I-25 instead of the playing field.

Best La Cueva joke: The Linz finally has figured out why the Maller fans don't sit on cushions. Who needs cushions when your wallet is the size of a suitcase?

Española joke: Sorry, it was killed by The Linz's cowardly editors. It had something to do about the most confusing holiday in Española.

Best Laramie joke: The Linz hears that life is so boring in Laramie that the beef cattle voluntarily line up outside the slaughter houses.

Best Santa Fe joke: If the Demons had any brain, instead of burning Zozobra in the fall they'd burn the Santa Fe playbook.

Best Aggie basketball joke: The Linz hears a full-ride to NMSU includes: 1. books, 2. tuition, 3. room and board, 4. one get-out-of-jail-free pass, 5. one anger-management seminar.

Best Menaul joke: The Linz heard the Panthers held a fund-raising seminar called, "Scheduling the Marshmallow" and only one coach attended — some slick dude named Steve Alford (updated by The Linz).

Best Ralph "Fudge" Chavez joke: The Linz finally figures why Chavez takes two buses on a road trip. One bus to carry the team. One bus to carry Chavez's lunch bucket.

Best O-Camp-Out-At-The-Buffet joke: The Linz remembers when Manzano coach Aaron O-Camp-Out-At-The-Buffet was only 20 pounds overweight - the day he was born.

Best Jim Ottmann joke: The Linz thinks he knows what's wrong with the Sandia offense. The Linz was in coach Ottmann's office the other day and saw his playbook. It was titled, "Offensive schemes of the 1950s and why they still work today."

Second-best Santa Fe joke: The only thing that goes up in smoke faster than the Demons' offense is Zozobra's rear end.

Best Academy joke: The Chargers actually have never won a football game in the history of the school. The Chargers just get on a bus, drive around Northern New Mexico for five hours and come back to claim a 45-0 win.

Best bumper-sticker joke: Seen on a pickup in Clovis: "There are three kinds of folks in Clovis. Those who can count and those who can't."

Best West Mesa joke: The Linz isn't sure what's uglier, the Mustangs' offense or the Mustangs' uniforms.

Best Gallup joke: The Linz hears that the Gallupian football team has a plan to escape Gallup. They plan to climb to the top of Milne Stadium tonight and yell, "Sanctuary. Sanctuary."

Best Del Norte joke: When The Linz goes to a La Cueva game, The Great One tries to throw himself on the bandwagon. When The Linz goes to a Del Norte game, The Linz tries to throw himself under the bus.

Best Lobo football joke: If the Lobos defense had been guarding Pearl Harbor 61 years ago, today The Linz would be dressed in a kimono, eating sushi and be called "Linz-San."

Best Valley joke:The last time the Vikings were undefeated in district, The Linz's vocabulary was "goo, goo, ga, ga," and RudeDog Davalos had hair.

Best Rio Grande joke: The Linz always takes four things to a Ravens game - a pillow, a blanket, a blindfold and a body guard.

Best mercy-clock rule: The Linz thinks the best use for the mercy clock at a AHS game would be to start the clock when the Bulldogs get on the bus to go to the game.

Best Dan Dudd joke: The Linz finally has figured out the UNM offensive coordinator's playbook. 1. Off-tackle left. 2. Off-tackle right. 3. Incomplete screen pass. 4. Punt.

Best Aggie joke: The last time The Linz dated an Aggie girl there was a big fight over spending too much money on makeup and booze. "I buy all that makeup so you'll think I look good," said the Aggie girl. Said The Linz: "That's what the booze is for."

OK, that's it. Unless Steve Alford buys The Tribune with all that taxpayer money we are throwing his way, The Linz jokes are over.

The Linz will go quietly.

Well, except for these final picks:

Mayfield by 3 over CIBOLA - 7 p.m., tonight, Milne: Wouldn't you know it. The last APS football game The Linz will be credentialed to go to and it's at Milne Stadium. Can anybody give The Great One directions? And can somebody guard The Linz's car during the game?

Other games

• LAS CRUCES by 14 over Clovis

• Artesia by 20 over KIRTLAND CENTRAL

• AZTEC by 6 over Goddard

• Academy by 8 over ST. MICHAEL'S

• RATON by 5 over Robertson

• Santa Rosa by 7 over TEXICO