We knew it all along. Granted, we were off by a few weeks, but we called it. (Pat on back for us.) Michael Brown, a perennial long-shot in the mayoral contest, is dropping out today, reports the Post.

This morning we received a cryptic announcement from his communications director, stating that Brown would “make a major announcement regarding the future of his campaign” today at 2 p.m. Then again, we received pretty much the same announcement two weeks ago, and assumed then that Brown — short on both money and support — was dropping out. He wasn’t. But this time he really is. And he’s endorsing Linda Cropp.

What? For real? At his last big press conference, Brown promised that if he were elected, he would dump the new stadium altogether and instead put money into refurbishing RFK. So then, we ask, why is he jumping onto the bandwagon of the very woman who as council chair played an undeniable role in making the new stadium a reality? The most the Post could get was, “because I think Cropp will make a better mayor [than Fenty].”

So be it. We’ll miss Brown, though. He may never have gotten much support, but he was a consistently positive force on the campaign trail. His move does beg the question — are other candidates going to drop out also and throw their support behind Cropp? Might Fenty be in for a bit of a rude awakening? Vincent Orange and Marie Johns — any hints?