On a day when the Democratic Party front-runners were supposed to dominate the headlines and a seven-time Tour de France winner was speaking at Monona Terrace about the ills of smoking, a quarterback on Tuesday commanded top billing.

At bakeries, bars, restaurants and jewelry stores, on sidewalks and in cabs, on radio, television and the Internet, the talk bypassed Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Lance Armstrong.

Instead, it was all about Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers record holder who is now a retiree.

For some it brought sadness and even tears as they recalled his stellar career, which appears to have ended with an interception in the NFC Championship Game.

Others say it was time. They looked forward to this fall and wondered if Favre's backup will be the answer for the Packers to make a fifth Super Bowl appearance.

"I'll bet Aaron Rodgers is pretty happy," said Mark Kampa, 40, owner of the Village Bar. "I think people are going to be surprised (about his retirement) but I don't think it's a complete shock."

The televisions at the West Side bar, located next to Glenway Golf Course, were tuned over the lunch hour to the NFL Network, ESPN and ESPN2. All three cable sports networks were talking Favre retirement.

"It's going to be interesting to see what happens," said Leo Castle, 69, a Packers stockholder who sold the bar to Kampa in 2000, but was working the grill. "He's going to be missed, but you know all of the Bears' fans are going to be happy."

At Dick's Sporting Goods at West Towne Mall, more than 20 televisions inside the store were tuned to stations covering the Favre story.

The Packers' flagship station, WTMJ in Milwaukee, dumped its usual political talk for Favre coverage. Guests included former play-by-ply announcer Jim Irwin and Packers fans from around the country.

At New Orleans Take Out, 1517 Monroe St., owner Ken Kopp recalled the time while working at the restaurant's East Side location, he helped prepare a catered meal for a party at Favre's pilot's house in Waunakee. Autographed pictures of Favre hang in the small restaurant and at times convince first-time customers to try the Cajun cooking.

"He loved the shrimp po boy (sandwich) with hot sauce," said Kopp, 28, who opened his Near West Side restaurant in 2003 just a few blocks from his grandfather 's former grocery store. "He seemed to be having a good time this season but he's had a great career."

Allyce Jung, 21, a UW student from Randolph, said she found out about Favre's retirement on My Space. "Everyone is sad but it's really funny because all of their profile pictures are changed to pictures of Brett Favre," said Jung, who was in kindergarten when Favre joined the Packers.

At the Greenbush Bakery, 1305 Regent St., manager Nels Labansky, 31, had the radio tuned to sports talk station WTSO. Labansky, who grew up in Whitewater, was a sophomore in high school when Favre came in for the injured Don Majkowski in 1992.

"It's not surprising but it's been such a large chunk of my life that he's been playing," Labansky said. "I'm kind of curious what the team will be like without him."

Across the street, at Studio Jewelers, Whitney Robinson was trying to grasp the unfolding news.

"I'm kind of in a funk about it," said Robinson, 30, a goldsmith and designer. "I'll probably think about it but I'll still work. My husband will be on-line all day."

For cab driver Phil Saganski, 52, he remembers when Bart Starr retired after the 1971 season. Favre's announcement is different.

Starr "wasn't playing that great and last year Brett played so well," Saganski said. "With Bart, you felt it was time."