By Mike Vaccaro

PORT ST. LUCIE – Well, it’s about time. It really is. The Mets and the Phillies have been neighbors in the same league since 1962, the same division since 1969. According to Mapquest, it is exactly 107.98 miles from Flushing, N.Y., to Philadelphia, Pa. Such familiarity, and such close quarters, are [ital] supposed [ital] to breed contempt.

Only, for 45 consecutive seasons, the Mets and the Phillies have generated less buzz than Mitt Romney. They have been mostly cordial to each other. They’ve almost never inspired hard feelings, or mutual loathing, or anything resembling unforgettable baseball. Amazingly, in those 45 seasons, only twice have the Mets and the Phillies finished 1-2 in the standings..

In 1986, the Mets finished 21 ½ games ahead of the Phillies.

In 2006, the Mets finished 12 games ahead of the Phillies.

That’s it. That’s all. So good for Jimmy Rollins, trying to stir things up, stating a few weeks ago that the Phillies were the team to beat in the N.L. East, then repeating those sentiments for the Post on Wednesday. Good for Willie Randolph, who says, “It [ital] is [ital] over,” referring to the Mets’ ’06 dominance, all but endorsing Rollins’ oath, and for Billy Wagner, who said “Good for him,” when told of Rollins’ confident proclamation, and for Paul Lo Duca, who said, “I’d rather him think his team’s going to finish first than last.”

Good for Tom Glavine, who knows the role of front-runner better than almost any man alive, having taken part in 11 of the Braves’ 14 straight division titles, who said, “When you’re the reigning champion, then you’re the team to beat until you’re not the reigning champion anymore,” and for Carlos Beltran, who asked “What did they win last year?” before adding, “We’ll see whose chasing who,” and for David Wright, who smiled and said, “Ah, it’s just talk.”

Good for everyone who’s waited patiently for this natural rivalry to devlop into something more passionate than a Wednesday afternoon mahjongg game, everyone who’s waited 45 years for the Mets to develop a genuine, lasting rival. Oh, over the years the Mets have had temporary flare-ups with the Cubs, and with the Cardinals, and with the Braves, but that was exclusive to the standings. There is a Mets-Yankees dynamic, for sure, but since in their own history they’ve only played five truly meaningful games against one another, that hardly stands up next to Yankees-Red Sox, or Giants-Dodgers, or even Cubs-Cardinals.

No, the world, the National League, and the neighboring states of New York and Pennsylvania have patiently waited for these two teams to finally develop something in the way of bad blood. For far too many years, it’s been far too easy for Mets fans to drive down the Turnpike and buy walk-up tickets in Philly. For far too long, Shea Stadium has treated a visit from the Phillies as a yawn-inducing exhibition.

The Mets are the defending division champs. The Phillies have made a giant leap north in talent and expectation. They should be the two best teams in the East, among the two best in the league. They have 18 games against each other this year. If we’re lucky, there’ll be a few more in October. And then finally – finally – we’ll have a rivalry worth simmering over for the Mets and for the Phillies. Good for them.

Better for us.