Jim Danley surpasses 700 high school baseball wins

For Jim Danley, win No. 700 was just like 458 or, say, 683. It was just a number.

For any other observer, the April 16th benchmark win for the longtime Eaton (Colo.) coach bordered on ridiculous. The 64-year-old, who first joined Eaton as an assistant in 1969, became the first Colorado coach to reach the plateau after improving to 700-151-2 with an 18-1 victory over Platte Valley. He's light years ahead of the next-closest coach on the list – only Cherry Creek's Marc Johnson has more than 600.

"I honestly don't pay attention to that stuff, and the focus is the next game and the game at hand," Danley said. "Those things accumulate over time and in themselves don't really say much. It's a number that says more about the 250, 300 kids who won those games and three dozen coaches who work in our youth program."

Danley, who also credited longtime assistants Bob Ervin, Randy Sparkman and Dale Hughes, is being modest. His Reds have won nine Class 3A titles since 1994, have advanced to 18 consecutive Final Fours and recently became one of 12 teams nationally to win 60 straight (2008-10).

The Reds lost to twice to Holy Family in last season's double-elimination state tournament – including a loss in the title contest – to halt the streak, but haven't lost a regular-season game since April 2008 against Roosevelt.

"He's had quite the run," said Platte Valley coach Jim Jorgensen, who learned T-Ball under Danley's tutelage. "He's one of those guys that when you play him, you hate him, but you have to respect him because he gets the job done year after year after year."

While his focus continues to march onward with details excruciatingly focused on each passing task, Danley understands he might eventually look back at his myriad milestones with a different take if he eventually decides to hang up the red pinstripes.

"That's probably right; I may feel differently about it with the perspective of time," Danley said. "I'm kind of in the season now and I'm interested in winning tomorrow's ballgame. I'm sure with time it will soak in. I know it's a lot of games.

"When Bob Ervin and I started in 1969, I remember playing at Valley High School in LaSalle, and we were watching the men landing and walking on the moon in between games of a double-header. We were at the concessions stand and watching on a little black-and-white TV."

Keeping in mind the Reds were 1-23 in Danley's first year at the helm, the winning percentage has become more outrageous as the years pass. Talented players such as Seth Jackson, who threw a no-hitter despite giving up a run in the 700th, seem to dot the Eaton roster each season even though the Reds aren't a city team that regularly receive transfers. The school is located 7 miles north of Greeley and a good hour north of the Denver metro area.

"They're a team that just never kills themselves with mistakes," Bennett pitcher/shortstop Jesse Stemo said. "You have to play the perfect game to beat them."

The talent continues to cultivate itself because kids begin wearing the Eaton uniform as adolescents in hopes of one day playing for the big squad.

Recently graduated Reds who are making their mark at a higher level – and there are many – include Shane Dyer, who has a 3.86 ERA for the Montgomery Biscuits, the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays; Kyle Ottoson, a junior lefthander at Arizona State who is 2-0 this season; and catcher Bennett Pickar, a sophomore at Oral Roberts who was unanimously voted the best defensive catcher in the Summit League.

"The 700 really has a lot more to do with a couple hundred people more than it does with any one person," Danley said. "I mean, it's nice and I'm appreciative of the honor of being the first one in Colorado, but I don't go home thinking it has anything exclusive to do with my efforts."

Paul Willis is a regular sports freelancer for The Denver Post and covered high school, college and pro sports for the Rocky Mountain News from 2000-09. You can reach him at gdpdub@aol.com.