It’s just the way the calendar works, and something you get used to eventually.

But when looking back on past championships, it sometimes can be confusing because the Super Bowl and college football national championships are settled in a different calendar year than their regular seasons.

A similar fluke makes April the greatest sports month of the year, despite March being the one most associated with college basketball. That’s because March Madness spills over and culminates the first week of the following month with its Final Four, including the national championship game.

Many fans say the first week of the NCAA basketball tournament is the best in all of sports. It brings us great new stories every year, like that of Saint Peter’s. The 15th-seeded Peacocks won their first two games and then became the first 15 seed to advance beyond the Sweet Sixteen by knocking off Purdue before finally losing to North Carolina in the Elite Eight on March 27.

Don’t expect them back soon, though. In the old days, a multi-year run by a Cinderella team was much more likely. Now, things … and players and coaches … move much faster. On Tuesday, junior guards Doug Edert, Daryl Banks III and Matthew Lee all entered the transfer portal. This is in the wake of coach Shaheen Holloway being plucked away by Seton Hall last week.

Edert was the breakout star of the tournament, earning himself a name, image and likeness deal with Buffalo Wild Wings.

This is all good for the individuals, but not so much for the immediate future of the Saint Peter’s program. It’s going to be hard to build on the momentum won on the court in March without Holloway and the backcourt trio returning.

Those wishing for a storybook finish for a much more well-known name, Duke’s Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, also suffered an April Hangover from the March Madness, when rival North Carolina knocked the Blue Devils out in a Final Four game on Saturday — April 2.

After Kansas’ comeback win over the Tar Heels for the championship Monday, this first week of April gets even bigger with the start of Major League Baseball and the Masters, both of which start Thursday.

The biggest storyline from Augusta is Tiger Woods’ attempt to return from last year’s car accident that seriously injured his legs, leading all to wonder if he’d play competitive golf again.

Although somewhat overshadowed by Woods, Hideki Matsuyama is another big story at the Masters, as the first Japanese player to win the green jacket tries to repeat (Matsuyama was last seen by most local fans making that an incredible 3-wood shot that earned him the Sony Open in Hawaii championship at Waialae Country Club in January.)

Another big star from Japan will try to repeat last year’s unprecedented achievement in baseball. On the diamond, it’s the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani.

He makes his first career Opening Day start Thursday for the Angels against the Houston Astros.

Ohtani last year established himself as baseball’s greatest batting-pitching combo talent since Babe Ruth. He won the American League MVP award unanimously after going 9-2 as a pitcher and hitting 46 home runs.

You know you’re good when they change the rules because of you, and amid all the changes it made because of the compressed season due to labor negotiations, MLB did not forget to address Ohtani.

The new rule helps him and the Angels, as it will allow him to remain in games that he starts on the mound but is relieved because he can also be listed as the designated hitter.

It’s a special rule for a special situation, and I suppose it somehow ties in with another rule change involving the DH — both leagues will now have it. But is it fair to the rest of the teams that don’t have a Shohei Ohtani?

It also reminds me of something I’ve thought about for a long time. That would be abolishing the DH altogether.

Relax … I’m not advocating that all pitchers should have to bat, like before. My thought is that once the genie was let out of the bottle in 1973 by letting someone hit for the pitcher, why not allow it for any or all positions on the field?

I get it that pitching is a much more specialized skill than the other eight players and the pitcher’s role is the most important part of keeping the opponent from scoring.

But the mound can be a slippery slope. Why shouldn’t there be an option for managers to replace light-hitting catchers in the batting lineup — or any other position where a better offensive threat would be on the bench?

Is it really that crazy?

Maybe not — it seems to work for football.

And, if the goal is to let the best do what they do best at the highest level — as indicated by the new Shohei Ohtani Rule — it would make perfect sense.