I knew last night was coming. I knew five years ago. Still, I teared up.

Jay Leno had been a part of my night for over a decade. It was time to sleep after I had watched Jay Leno. Most of the jokes I told at the water cooler were jokes I heard on Tonight Show.

Now he has handed over the coveted “Tonight Show”’s 11.30 pm spot to Conan O’Brien. As I watched him do that last night, little tears dropped. Tears dropped even though I would catch up with Leno in September on his new NBC prime time show.

In the past, I have expressed my reservations about the choice of Conan O’Brien as Jay Leno’s replacement. But I will watch Conan on Monday. And on Tuesday. And if his act was the same act he had as the host of “Late Night” at 12:35am, I will move over to “Late Show with David Letterman” by Wednesday.

Because of Jay Leno, I had missed all of Letterman’s monologues. I have also missed most of his Top Ten lists. I used to swear at CBS and NBC for going to commercial break at the same time. It frustrated my effort to catch a little bit of Letterman when Leno was on commercial break.

Now Conan may make that channel flipping unnecessary.

To be fair, I know that people who grew up watching Johnny Carson think Jay Leno did not top him. As for me, I grow up watching Leno and I can tell you right now that Conan O’Brien will never top Leno. That is the way it is. The good old days is always better than today, as if the cassette tape (remember it?) is better than ipod?

For his final show, Leno paraded 68 kids that were born to people who met while working at the Tonight Show. He called it his legacy.

For me, I think his actual legacy is the number of babies that were not conceived because those who should have been busy making babies were sitting up on the bed watching Leno.

Now that is a number I want to see.

Goodbye, Jay and welcome, Conan.