Sure. Logically, it makes no sense. Logically, in baseball, the American League and the National League stopped being bitter enemies decades ago, stopped using different umpires years ago, and stopped playing under different rules this year when the designated hitter became a universal element. 

Logically, in football, the AFC and the NFC have never really been rivals at all, since from the start of the merger there were three teams from the old NFL (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland) that joined the old AFL teams to strike a balanced league. Since everyone has played under one shield, since 1970, there have never been any notable decrees of conference pride. 

So yes, every once in a while, when the idea is floated that MLB and the NFL should radically realign, there are few rational explanations to offer up why that shouldn’t happen. The NBA and NHL have merrily divided their two conferences strictly along geographic lines, with the Mississippi River unofficially providing the dividing line. 

And, with apologies to Sam Cooke, geography has its place. 

But since when are sports devoted to the practice of logic? Sports inspires grown men (and women) to paint their faces in team colors. Sports require that during a rally, you stay seated in your chair no matter how fiercely nature calls. Sports keeps you up until crazy hours of the morning on a work night because your team is playing on the coast. 

Sports parted ways with logic years ago. 

Advocates of realignment scoff at the folly of keeping alive an artificial separation. It drives them completely batty when the answer to the question, “Why should we keep old league alliances intact?” is inevitably this: “Because it’s always been that way.” 

Again, in life, in business, “It’s always been that way” is a losing attitude. 

In sports, it’s almost comforting. 

And sure, in New York, and in the other markets that have more than one team, it is a unique issue. On one level: Would it be interesting to have the Mets and Yankees share the NL (or AL) East, or the Jets and the Giants to share the NFC (or AFC) East? I suppose. 

But it’s also worth noting that the Knicks and Nets have shared the NBA’s Atlantic Division since 1976, and though they’ve met a few times in the Eastern Conference playoffs, there really never has been a signature Nets-Knicks moment. And the Rangers have had some epic and unforgettable playoff battles with the Islanders and the Devils going back to J.P. Parise. But as great as those series were, they were never going to be in the Stanley Cup Finals. 

We can still get Mets-Yankees in the World Series. We’ve seen it. 

We can still get Jets-Giants in the Super Bowl. We haven’t seen that (though you can read about it in Dan Jenkins’ forever classic “Semi-Tough.”) 

We can still get Rams-Chargers for the Super Bowl, and White Sox-Cubs for the World Series. 

Now, is that enough to provide a sound counterargument to realignment? 

Probably not, no. Momentum seems to be gathering for it. And look, National League fans have adapted to the DH. Pro football has survived without the blood feud that was the AFL/NFL wars. Sometimes change is inevitable, even if things seem to be working better than ever. 

Still … 

I’ll leave you with these. And tell me these don’t just look weird (baseball based on expansion to 32 teams and eight-team divisions): 

NL/AL East: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Orioles, Nationals, Phillies, Blue Jays, Braves 

NFC/AFC East: Jets, Giants, Bills, Patriots 

Goodbye Eagles and Cowboys. Hello … weirdness. If it ain’t broke …

Vac’s Whacks

It really is uncanny how Aaron Boone seems to save his very best work every year for the Yankees’ annual IL splurge. 

Two very different baseball books should be in your bullpen for the summer. There’s “Swing and a Hit,” Paul O’Neill’s engaging memoir with Jack Curry, chock full of great stories and anecdotes. And our pal Charley Rosen has another terrific sports novel in “The .300 Hitter,” which is absolutely worth your while. 

Terry Collins will be at Citi Field on Tuesday night to honor Johan Santana on the 10th anniversary of his 134-pitch no-hitter, and it’s worth remembering perhaps the most honest postgame observation ever from a manager: “I told him he was my hero. I told him I knew there was wasn’t any way he would give up the ball. I also said for the first time in my career as a manager, I was rooting for the other team to get a hit.” 

Heat over the Celtics on Sunday. It’s just hard to imagine Jimmy Butler will allow this to end any other way. 

Whack Back at Vac

Joe Rem: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the Benny Hill reference. Who of our generation did not love Benny Hill? And his theme music? Throw in Monty Python and the Avengers (Emma Peel!), and the British ruled our teenage world. You and I can only imagine the percentage of your readers that thought, “huh?” 

Vac: I knew that those who got the reference would enjoy the reference. 

Gary Kestenbaum: I have a feeling that Josh Donaldson has questionable judgment, but if he really wanted to make a meaningful statement, he’d make a donation to the Jackie Robinson Foundation and voluntarily attend a sensitivity training course. 

Vac: Doing the former is never a bad idea for any of us. Check out the JRF at jackierobinson.org. 

@dickkearns: When the Mets call up Connor Grey from Syracuse, we’ll get a great column from @MikeVacc on his fellow St. Bonaventure alum! 

@MikeVacc: Consider this a fair warning. 

Kevin Clowe: I agree that hockey players are the toughest amongst team sports. Boxers are on a whole different level. 

Vac: You sure won’t get an argument out of me. Certainly not to a boxer.