Maxx Wolfson senior sports writer

Since the end of the men's basketball season, I have been keeping a low profile at the Wildcat.

It's not because I have had nothing to write, but really wanted to see if a new brand of writers could step up and fill the pages I had worried about for almost four years.

Today, coincidentally my birthday (I'll be at Dirtbag's tonight), my time as a reporter at the Wildcat will come to an end, and it will be tough to say goodbye.

Not too many people can say they have traveled all over the country to cover the UA football team and basketball team and actually get paid for it. But I did, and because of that, I will always cherish my time as a collegiate journalist.

To the dismay of my many journalism teachers, my journalism career is about to take a sudden halt. Law school is in my future; I'm just not digging the thought of working for some small-town newspaper in Idaho if I kept writing.

But before I run, or actually drive, back home to Los Angeles, I wanted to say goodbye.

The Wildcat may seem like a lot of words wrapped around a crossword puzzle, but this publication has been the most influential educational tool in my four years in Tucson.

I guarantee I spent twice as much time in the newsroom as I did going to class. Still, I feel as if I got a good education, maybe even better than if I actually went to class.

Most of the sports writers before me in their farewell columns have talked about what they missed and what they are going to miss. Since I have pretty much learned everything I know from the guys before me, like Dan Rosen, Chris Martin, Ryan Finley, Connor Doyle and many others, why shouldn't I follow suit and do the same?

So, here I go:

I learned to never bet on a sure thing, and actually betting in general is just bad; unfortunately it took four years of college to learn that.

Like many others, I thought I was going to be spending the first week of April in New Orleans. I also thought I would get to go to at least one football bowl game in my four years here. It's just my luck that the football team had its best season the year before I got here. Still, though, nothing beats the trip to Madison, Wis.

I learned that many of the student-athletes are just normal people and not the big-time celebrities I thought they were when watching them on television growing up.

People like Jason Johnson, Jason Gardner, Bobby Wade, Monica Bisordi, Rick Anderson, Shelley Duncan and Brandon Nash were some of the nicest people I met in my time in college, even though each of them could have tried to big-league me because other UA athletes sure did. All of them, plus many more, made it enjoyable to write, even at times when there was nothing more I wanted to do than quit writing about a bunch of kids getting a free pass for everything.

I learned that television has the final say in everything to do with college sports. Ever wonder why UA football games aren't televised? It's television.

I learned what it's like to be a real sports fan. Fans of college sports have the most dedication of fans in any professional sport, and that is coming from a Green Bay Packer fan. Don't believe me? Just look at the Bear Down Bandit.

I learned that being the boss of people my age or older is not fun. It's never a good situation when you have to fire a friend, as I had to a couple times as sports editor.

Here are some last thoughts: Give the Zona Zoo Pass time to work. What many people have missed is that if you buy football tickets, the pass is free and you get a T-shirt that I helped design. Newly elected spirit chair Peter Wand knows what he's doing.

Lay off the greek system. It does much more good than bad. I would have never met many of my closest friends without it. Don't let it end.

Los betos' five nights a week is never a good thing, however, Dirtbag's is. Did I mention I will be there tonight for my birthday? Sand Pile tickets for Rockies spring training games are the best deal in Tucson with Thirsty Thursdays at Sidewinders games coming in a close second. Club Ludwig will be off the hook in 2004. Mackovic has one more season, Livengood probably less. One will leave under his own merit and the other won't.

Watch "Endy" Ebi while you can; he won't be here long. Three years in school from top recruits will now be considered a long time in college. Lund, Penso and Stevenson: We made a damn good senior class. And to the sports writers still at the Wildcat, enjoy your time, because it goes as fast as a Jennie Finch fastball.

The Maxx Factor is going, going, gone.