Coach pitches physics.

Like every varsity baseball player at his high school, in Mattituck, N.Y., Joe Finora was required to take a class in physics. And he did learn a thing or two that helped him on the bait field. For example, air resistance coupled with gravity makes a downward pitch break more sharply than a sideways one. In non-geek speak: It will be harder to hit. Choosing his pitches with that in mind has helped make Finora a star pitcher with an earned run average of 1.60. His physics teacher, Steve DeCaro, must have been pleased with Finora's performance, since DeCaro also happens to be the baseball coach. Until DeCaro arrived at Mattituck High School. four years ago, he had long dreamed of bringing his dual passion for physics and baseball to the same group of students. "Realistically, I think everybody should take physics," says DeCaro. "But if I'm the baseball, coach and you're on my team, I can make you take it." DeCaro has raised physics enrollment at Mattituck High from 17 to 70--in a school. with just 150 seniors. His teams have gone 43-16 in the last three seasons. One player, Keith Connell, rode the bench until AP physics taught him that his hitting problems had to do with transfer of momentum. Now, having adjusted his stance and swing, Connell is a starter-and he's hitting .337.