The Front Row: So long, Brett Favre

SUIT UP, AARON RODGERS: Next football season is going to be awfully strange.

For 17 years, Brett Favre has worn the green and yellow every fall. He would saunter onto the hallowed tundra of Lambeau Field, combining the mythical presence of a football star with an unmistakable blend of Eastwood-esque charisma and regular-guy charm.

Whether he threw a game-winning touchdown or a crippling interception, he always did it in style.

Now, after 61,665 passing yards, 442 touchdowns, 288 INTs, three MVP awards and 160 wins — all more than anyone who has ever played the position — Favre is hanging up his cleats, citing mental exhaustion.

Favre took snaps in 275 consecutive contests — a feat so impressive, Cal Ripken should feel obligated to share the “ironman” moniker.

Now, Packer fans will count down the days until Favre’s induction into Canton in 2013 and attempt to adjust to the Aaron Rodgers era.

For me, two moments will stand out above all others in what has been a truly remarkable career.

First, his 400-yard, four-touchdown performance on Monday Night Football the day after his father’s passing will go down as his greatest moment. It’s not often when sports can transcend what happens between the sidelines. This game did.

Second, his hilariously awkward cameo in “There’s Something About Mary,” remains the standard by which all other awkward athlete movie cameos should be measured.

If Favre decides to pursue a movie career during retirement, I fully support that.

Check page B2 for full details on Favre’s news conference yesterday afternoon.

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QUOTABLE: “It’s time for the Birdman to fly.” — Chris Anderson, before his career-defining struggles prior to the 2005 slam dunk contest. Anderson, who was suspended for two years due to drug abuse, was reinstated into the NBA yesterday. The reckless power forward has been a fan-favorite everywhere he’s been in his tumultuous NBA career. Hopefully, the “Birdman” will keep his nose clean and learn to fly, once again.

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