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OK. Its never a bad idea to begin by quoting Einstein:

Coincidence is Gods way of remaining anonymous, the white-haired one once said.

So there. Einstein said so.

And hes right. Theres no such thing as a coincidence. And sometimes the great guiding spirit, otherwise known as The Universe, has a delicious sense of humor.

Its no coincidence that, a few weeks after some suits and other blatherers pondered cutting sports in Groton or at least making them pay-to-play that sports and the kids who play them have given the town its most uplifting story in a while.

Bravo, Universe.

Fitch High is one of but three schools in Connecticut (and the only non-school of choice) to have placed its baseball and softball teams in the state semifinals, joining St. Joseph and Holy Cross. Pretty neat story. And the halls of Fitch ought to be buzzing early this week in anticipation of both games.

Once again: Sports are the great uniter.

The softball team, Connecticuts defending Class L champ and No. 1 ranked team, plays Joel Barlow at 4 p.m. Tuesday in West Haven. You would enjoy watching them play. Not because they win all the time (although that helps), but because of their joie de vivre.

I stood behind the bench for the entirety of last Fridays win at Masuk and laughed my way through the game. Everybody had something funny to say at some point. Even the kids who didnt play led the cheers (sophomore Casey Flax is hilarious, by the way). Arielle Cooper, the coach, goes on mid-game streams of consciousness that ought to be recorded.

And so even in this knockout game, there was a sense of amusement emanating from all of them. This is sports. Competition wrapped in fun. The way it should be. Id wager that even the most ardent alarmist in Groton would have enjoyed watching what sports are teaching the kids in town.

Then theres baseball. What a story. Theyre 13-13 and two wins away from the schools fifth state title. Theyll play at the new Dunkin Donuts Park in Hartford against North Haven on Tuesday at 7.

Jeff Joyce, Fitchs wordsmith/coach, spent much of the regular season outside of his normal realm (English) instead opting for math. He was counting wins. Lets see if we beat them and them we might be able to get to eight wins and get into the state tournament.

Now the Falcons are in the semis, taking a most arduous route. Youve heard of the road not taken? Theyve taken them all. First round: Meriden, 128 miles round trip. Second round: New Canaan, 180 miles. Third round: New Fairfield, 218 miles. Thats 526 miles. Its virtually the same distance as if the Falcons took a road trip to play in Ottawa. Thats Canada.

So much for fatigue.

Its worth noting Joyce and Cooper are both Fitch alums. They were educated in Groton schools, played sports (for free) there and now impart their wisdom to their own players. Theyre not all that much older than their players, either. Have you any idea, all you non-sports people, the power and influence coaches have on their kids?

Anna Quindlen wrote this once: It's not the prom picture. Adolescence is that tenuous time between parental protection and personal responsibility.

I cant think of any group of adolescents in better hands than the boys and girls at Fitch, whose participation in sports has led them to Cooper and Joyce, who teach all the right things with equal parts earnestness and gentle humor.

This is what sports engenders.

Maybe by this time next week, two new banners go up in the Fitch gym. Two sources of pride not just for the school, but for town seeking an identity, forever trying to meld the vagaries of Groton Town, Groton City, Noank, Groton Long Point, Mystic, the military and everyone else.

Funny how sports are always there to unite. The village green.

Think about that next time someone advocates cutting them.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro

See the article here:
Fitch teams are bringing pride to Groton when it's needed the most - theday.com (subscription)