To finally reach it really means a lot,” he said.

Curtis, who underwent surgery for testicular cancer during his freshman year of high school, played three years of college baseball at Arizona State University before being drafted by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 2006 draft. He then began working his way up the minor league ladder.

He got the call from the New York Yankees June 20, and he was on a plane to Arizona the next morning. He made his first major league appearance as a pinch hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks just hours after landing.

“It was kind of a rush, packing stuff, then getting on a plane the next morning and then playing in a game that night,” Curtis said. “I just packed my bags and went.”

Although he failed to get a hit in his first at bat, he returned the following night as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning and smashed a two-run double for his first major league hit, helping the Yankees win 9-3 over the Diamondbacks.

After his hit, the umpire halted play, gave Curtis the ball and told him he only had 2,999 more to go, referring to the 3,000-hit milestone baseball players try to achieve.

Curtis is now staying in Manhattan, and he has played in games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics.

His first game against the Mariners was at Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees came to Seattle for a series from July 8-11.

Curtis started July 9 and 10 in right field, and went 1-4 July 9 with a double and 0-4 July 10. In the 12 games he has appeared in, he has racked up 25 at bats, one run, 4 RBIs and five hits. He is hitting .200, and three of his five hits were doubles.

“Coming back here and playing in Seattle where I grew up is an absolute thrill,” Curtis said before the game July 8. He had flown in with the team from Oakland the night before, and he took teammate Kevin Russo — who was also recently called up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — out to lunch that day and showed him around the city, since Russo had never been to Seattle.

Curtis’ friends and family were on hand for the entire series. However, his father Jed, mother Janet and older brother Conor may be his three biggest fans, as they traveled to Arizona on short notice to watch the entire series. They then followed the team to Los Angeles.

Colin Curtis blows bubbles with gum while watching the game from the visitors’ dugout at Safeco Field.

“It was exciting for us,” Jed Curtis said. “It’s been a long time in coming, from Little League to high school to Arizona State and the minors.”

He said seeing his son on the field reminded him of Little League games from long ago.

“It brought back a lot of memories from those games at Tibbetts Field,” Jed Curtis said.

Issaquah High baseball coach Rob Reese also flew to Los Angeles to see Colin Curtis play. Reese, who coaches the Lakeside Recovery Senior American Legion team in the summer, was in San Diego for a tournament when Curtis and the Yankees came to L.A. Curtis is the first Issaquah player for Reese to reach the majors.

“It’s incredible when one of your old players plays in the big leagues,” Reese said, adding he watched on TV as Curtis got his first hit, and got to meet and congratulate him after the game in L.A.

Issaquah High assistant coach Steve Sanelli, who coached Curtis in high school and on a Little League all-star team, said he has been watching and listening to Curtis’ games on TV and the radio as if Curtis were his own son.

“It’s a thrill for me just watching him play,” he said. “It’s a huge thrill just knowing him. Hopefully, his success will continue and he’ll keep playing.”

He said Curtis never changed his style from Little League onward — he chases down balls, swings his bat and smiles the same way he did when he was young.

At a recent tournament, Sanelli spoke with baseball scouts who said they thought Curtis would have been called up to the majors two years ago had he not been with an organization as dominating as the Yankees.

“It’s hard to break in when they have multimillion-dollar guys in the outfield,” Sanelli said.

Curtis said playing for the Yankees has been quite a ride, and he has enjoyed traveling with the team.

“It’s exciting to see all the different cities and playing in different environments.”

He said one of the toughest pitchers he has faced so far was Seattle’s Felix Hernandez, who he faced off against in New York on June 30. However, he said all pitchers in the league present a significant challenge.

“Everyone you face is going to have good stuff out there,” Curtis said. “That’s why they’re in the big leagues.”

He comes back to Issaquah during the holidays, and he stayed in town for the all-star break, July 12-15.

He said his favorite baseball players of all time are Ken Griffey Jr., Kirby Puckett and Roger Maris.

Could Curtis ever play for the Seattle Mariners? Who knows. However, he said he’s happy where he is.

“I’m in such a great situation right now,” he said. “I love playing for the Yankees, and it’s such a great organization.”

To all of the young players, he says to always keep playing and chasing their dreams.

“I’d say never give up on your goals,” Curtis said. “Even when you’re in a rough patch, just keep playing hard. If you love it, eventually things will work out. Just keep going after it.”

COLIN COMES BACK HOME TO TROW OUT THE FIRST PITCH AT THE POUGH.Fifteen years ago, had Colin Curtis known he would someday become a major league outfielder, he would have said, “perfect, my plan is going to work.” At least that is what Curtis, now 25, said with a laugh when asked what his reaction would have been.

There is no room for not being ready for the playoffs

Mike the ball is in your hand.Some days you don’t hit and some days you can’t pitch or catch, but you can always hustle and play hard. I learned to compete and win at everything I did because of my revulsion of losing. When you start getting used to the thought of losing in any facet of your life, it doesn’t take prolonged periods of time for that losing manner to contaminate every vicinity of your life. Do you recall when I wrote this just a few weeks prior? I speculate we have diminutive recollections after today’s game. The kids may have learned you do not take anyone for granted. Today a team that had more desire than us defeated us. The Issaquah boys motioned that just showing up would cause a victory, but sadly it ended in a tragic loss. The road just got rougher and there is no room for lack of preparation. We all need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves “how bad do you want to get to state?” I know my answer and I hope yours are identical. See you on the field

My story begins on Friday with a victory over Newport and Spencer Rogers throwing a no hitter, Saturday watching Mario’s team split a pair with Wenatchee and on Sunday I finished with the Lakeside Knights having a good game but falling short. All in all, a good weekend of Baseball.

It amazes me after this spring when I went to spring training and watched the Mariners and watched Jose Lopez move from second to third quick like a cat. I have watched my son do the same thing and he is does it well. The reason without a doubt is Bruce Johnson, our infield coach. All he does is make kids better and I mean when I say that this man is the best in the state. Trust me, he is good and Mario is proof. If you want to be the best infielder in the state or your son to be the best infielder in the state, then take them to Coach Bruce Johnson.

This week we play Redmond with first place on the line and to top it off, Fox Sports will be recording our game which will be aired on the Comcast network. It will also be the last game our seniors will play on the home field. Whatever the result is tomorrow, Playoffs start on Saturday at Woodinville High School. That’s right, it is playoff time so come on out, have fun and watch some great games.

And on a side note,  watching the Mariner’s all weekend drove me nuts! That team cannot score a run to save their life. Maybe they should follow some simple rules that Issaquah likes to follow and it could actually help them drive in some runs.

1. Watch the base-runner ahead of you while attempting to advance to the next base.

2. Look at base coaches when a batted ball is hit behind the runner.

3. Look for help from the third-base coach when the batted ball is in front of the runner.

4. Do not go from second to third on a ball hit to the right side of the runner.

5. After hitting a ball, do not watch it while running to first base.

6 When tagging from third base, make eye contact with the third base coach, do not look for the ball, and watch the coach tell you to tag up.

7. When leading from third base, do it in foul territory, and after the pitch has been thrown, come back to third in fair territory.

8. When on second base, advance to third on a ground ball hit to the right side of the infield. Also on a fly ball hit to the outfield on the right side of second base.

9. Remember to take a secondary lead off the base after the pitcher has committed to go to the plate.

10 When running out an infield ground ball, run through the base, do not lunge. After you touch the base, look over your right shoulder to see if the ball has gotten away from the first basemen.

11. Remember to run on a 3-2 count when the situation calls for it.

12 Make sure that the on-deck batter is on the first-base side of home plate to clean away the bat and mask and also to tell the base runner whether to slide or stay up while attempting to score.

13. Batter’s ability to sacrifice bunt.

14. Hitter running hard to first and making a good turn on singles to the outfield, then finding out where the ball is.

15. Not hitting the first pitch following a base on balls.

16. Batters not guessing with the pitcher–especially with two outs

17. The ability to hit the ball to the right side with runners on first, or second, or first and second, with no outs.

18. Not swinging for the fence, especially when just a fly ball may win the game.

19. When bases are loaded, be looking for a first pitch fast ball so that the pitcher does not fall behind in the count.

20. If it is a close game and you set up to bat in the last inning, take a called strike.

21 When bunting, get the bat out in front of the plate, keep the barrel head up and let the ball meet the bat, do not wave the bat at the ball.

22. Remember 70% of all ground balls will get you on base, 80% of line drives are hits and 90% of all fly balls result in an out.

As a stood and watch my grandson run around the yard and play with his bat and ball it got me thinking of the Senior class on this baseball team . I remember most of the players when they where in little league and to watch this team mature and this group grow up From little boy to young men MY O MY .

To win. Nothing else matters, and nothing else will do.” But I always come back to what my Dad always told me “To be good you’ve got to have a lot of little boy in you. When you see Willie Mays and Ken Griffey jumping and hopping around the bases after hitting a home run, and the kissing and hugging that goes on at home plate, you realize they have to be little boys.” To all you Dads who have little boys or big boys playing. enjoy each day you have with your kids. A good win today as we beat Skyline but a bigger task ahead Friday vs Newport 4PM GOOD NIGHT 

   SEE YOU ON THE FIELD        

Watch any game from youth through the professional level and you’ll see plays not being made because the player was more afraid of failure than anything else. In my opinion, fear of failure is a more important in a player and not being able to perform during a critical situation. Sure, it’s true that a player may be over matched in a given situation, but even then, the fear of failure will often take the small opportunity for success and reduce it even further.

 The catcher in baseball is one of the most important players. He is the leader of the team and he needs to react quickly to any situation that may occur. Therefore, he must have excellent physique that allows him to stay sharp and alert throughout the entire game. The catcher has the entire field in front of him and he must be able to read the game and see what is going to happen next. Catchers are responsible for getting the most out of their pitchers and teammates because baseball is a fast game. The catcher has to have enough practice that he can act without thinking. He must be able to anticipate players running speed, playing situation and the surface of the playing field, just to name a few of the things.

I always believed the quote “There are three things in my life which I really love:  God, my family, and baseball.  The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit” (Al Gallagher, 1971). Lately my day starts at the deli and then on to baseball; Monday, fast forward, it’s already Sunday and we have had baseball all week.  Between coaching, I am watching the mariners and trying to keep track of my kid in collage playing baseball .This weekend watching the mariners made me ill, pitchers you love them one minute hate them the next. Now I know why I hate losing a baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings. It all comes down to bugs bunny. When I was a kid, Bugs Bunny was my idol because I saw a cartoon of him playing ball - the one where he plays every position himself with nobody else on the field but him.  Now that I think of it, Bugs is still my idol.  You have to love a ballplayer like that. This is all I could think about Sunday was Bugs…maybe I am watching to much baseball.

In addition, something that really bugs me is Sushi at a ballpark…THAT IS NOT BALLPARK FOOD! All entrees should touch either flame or heat, even if it is only from the armpit of the vendor. I am so tired of fans that go to a game just to eat, watch the damn game and cheer anyway as the day goes! This week had me thinking as I watch my son Mario play a double header at Columbia Basin; the first thing I realized was that my expectations were different from those of my son. I did not remember what it was like to be a young kid playing baseball, not that I could not remember, I just didn’t think that far back. I started to think back what it was like to be a high school and college player; how baseball instilled in me a number of values that I believe helped me in school, in life and in athletics: Dedication, hard work, perseverance are just a few things that I learned while playing. These are just a few life skills I hope my kids will learn as they grow and I believe sports would provide a great opportunity to learn them (the key word is will). I played baseball for the pure joy of it. I didn’t work on anything, I just played and improved because I played a lot and had a good time. I watched my son Saturday and saw that he had grown a lot this year and it had nothing to do with his swing or his throwing mechanics; He played hard and was mainly concerned about his team about having a good time doing it. Baseball was exactly what he was supposed to be for a 19 year old.

Mario did not start the second game and as I looked into the dugout there he was giving his teammates encouragement with high fives as they came off the field, he never gave it a thought he had grown up so much. As I thought about that, it made me think of how we used to play ball in the backyard. I also realized he had not asked me to play in awhile and this was due to my inability to take off my coaching hat and just have fun. It had affected more than just me trying to coach him; it also affected our ability to just have fun together and enjoy watching him play. Mario came into the game in the 7th inning and got a hit.  His team won both games and he had a good day, 2-5, a couple of walks and scored three runs.

Sometimes as a parent, you think that your child could be the next Chas Utley or Derek Jeter but you must keep in mind that the odds are against you. Only 1 in every 100,000 kids that start playing baseball will make the major leagues. Every one of those kids will want and should have a good relationship with their parents. Make sure that sports are something that binds you together and does not split you apart.

In closing, you can see as a coach and a parent I see all sides and just hope I can keep an open mind about baseball and what it means to me as well as my kids.  MY KIDS ARE THE TEAM

We have a very big week, Monday was Eastlake and we won 11-1. Wednesday we got Skyline and Friday is Newport, what a week!