Sports columnist Ann Killion — who covered the 49ers, Barry Bonds, Kristi Yamaguchi, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and Steve Young, among others — is leaving the Mercury News after 21 years. Her last column is in today’s edition. Among her memories:

The time I called my copy desk for questions on a pre-NFL draft story — from the delivery room before the birth of my first child.

I was pregnant with my second child during the 49ers’ last Super Bowl run. As the wins mounted and the postgame mobs around Steve Young grew, he would direct the mob to part and let me and my protruding belly to the front of the pack. And on the day he finally won his Super Bowl, my husband and one-month-old waited back at the hotel while I worked into the night. (That baby starts high school next month, a stark reminder of how long it has been since the 49ers’ last championship.)

She also has some nice things to say about her fellow sportwriters:

There is no more entertaining place on earth than a crowded press box. My colleagues are smart, devastatingly funny and downright amazing. They’ve shown me over the years that sportswriters can do anything. Now I’m going to try to prove them right.

Her column gave no hint of what she plans to do next: “It has been an amazing 21-year adventure. It’s time for a new one. Thanks.”