And Brett Favre landed in . . . New York, as quarterback of the woeful Jets. Go figure.

So much for that Tampa Tribune report that the deal with the Buccaneers would happen. So much for the earlier reports that he was prepared to take the field in Green Bay as co-competitor for the Packers job.

This long-running soap opera finally ended with Favre landing on a non-contender – not the outcome Favre desired when he decided to come back. But this development IS interesting, since it makes New York’s No. 2 team a whole lot more relevant.

Long-suffering Jets fans are giddy. Naturally, media types have offered more guarded reaction:

Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com: “Do the Jets really think they are so close to winning that a 38-year-old quarterback, whose last pass with the Green Bay Packers went into the stomach of one of the Jets’ cross-town rival corners with the Giants, will get them to a Super Bowl? With or without Favre, the Jets are not better than the Patriots. With Favre, they might not be better than the Buffalo Bills.”

John Clayton, ESPN.com: “After flexing his muscles and testing the will of the Green Bay Packers’ organization, Favre agreed to a trade with the Jets despite having hoped to stay with the Packers or go to the Vikings or Bucs. Throughout most of his career, Favre lived the life of a player who thought of going to Super Bowls. By going to the Jets, he can think only of wild-card playoff berths.”

Mike Lupica, New York Daily News: “Brett Favre does not put the Jets into the Super Bowl and Favre does not just show up in a different kind of football green and make the Jets better than the Patriots or the Chargers or even the Colts. He does not make Eric Mangini into a real genius or prove that Mike Tannenbaum, the young general manager, has the game to make the Jets a real contender in their conference or in their sport. What Favre does is make the Jets a team to watch again, and that is enough for now.”

Mike Vaccaro, New York Post: “For every Joe Montana, who switched jerseys late in life and wound up leading the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game, there is a Johnny Unitas, looking positively putrid in his powder-blue Chargers jersey, finding how hard it was to be Johnny U when you spend half the game flat on your back. Doesn’t matter. Favre is a Jet now, and Jets fans will deal in possibilities instead of certainties and be glad to do it.”

Bob Glauber, Newsday: “Favre was brilliant for Green Bay last season, throwing for 4,155 yards, 28 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions. But the previous two years, he had a combined 38 TDs and 47 interceptions and looked as if he was near the end. So it’s no lock he could come to New York and come close to duplicating his run to the NFC Championship Game last season. A drastically different city. A new coaching staff. A different conference. Not to mention media pressure he didn’t face in Green Bay. And for those who think Favre offers the Jets the best chance of getting past the Patriots in the AFC East, consider this: When he lines up against a Patriots defense that knows every nuance of the Jets’ scheme, you can just imagine the New England defensive backs sitting on routes, reading Favre’s eyes and swooping in for interceptions.”

So Tipsheet wishes Favre well with his new venture. And we’re happy that an army of ESPN reporters can get on with their selves now that this saga has finally ended.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering if young Chris Perez can hold the bullpen fort for the next several days:

• And what, exactly, does Tony La Russa do with Jason Isringhausen?
• When you think “impact bat” do you really think “Felipe Lopez”?
• With Ryan Ludwick just killing the baseball in the No. 4 slot, can Cards fans finally get over the fact that Jason Bay didn’t end up here?
• We’re happy for Bill Self, but doesn’t that $30 million extension illustrate how crazy college sports have become?
• Isn’t it time to give the kids a bigger piece of the revenue pie?

AMANDA BEARD WON’T WEAR PANDA COATS

Elliott Harris of the Chicago Sun-Times offered this Olympic observation:

“American swimmer Amanda Beard protested Wednesday in Beijing on behalf of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Presumably doing so in China was a better idea than protesting on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of People.”

Yeah, it was much safer. As for her gutsy “protest,” it involved unveiling her new pro-PETA poster – a tasteful pose of her without her swimming suit. (This wasn’t the first time she has bared all for our gratification and it won’t be the last.)

“The Olympics are a great forum to use to get my message out,” Beard told reporters. “It’s a great thing for me to do. I’m saying not to kill innocent animals. There’s nothing negative that goes into that.”

MEGAPHONE

“Selling Wrigley Field is almost like selling the Vatican. To play at Wrigley Field is a wonderful privilege. To put your foot on that ground — you’ve got the vines out there — it’s like being at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. That’s what it’s like to me. It’s such a special place, like biblical or something, the Sistine Chapel. People go there just to walk around and see that ballpark. It’s really like a sacred grounds.”

Ernie Banks, in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.