Harem Scarem Live

[Josette Werst]

In1962, four summers after the Oklahoma City Indians of the Class AA Texas League left town, a triple-A franchise set up business at spanking new All Sports Stadium. Since the players were furnished by a major league expansion team, Houston, the initial 89ers were predictably pitiful, finishing 66-81.

But in 1963, Houston named a new 89er manager: Grady Hatton, who had played a dozen seasons for the Reds, Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals and Orioles. Hatton gave 89er fans good times that haven't been equaled since: Pacific Coast League pennants in 1963 and '65 and a second-place finish in '64.

Hatton wasn't always happy with the talent furnished by Houston but got the most out of it. "Sometimes I thought the kids needed another year in double-A but they (the Astros) wanted to push them so we pushed them," said Hatton, who is an advance scouts for the San Francisco Giants. "And those kids always worked hard."

"My favorite team was that bunch we threw together in 1963," Hatton said. "It was kind of a harem scarem group. We ended up with the old left-hander from Stillwater, Tom Borland, and that crazy left-hander who won 18 games, George Brunet, and Jerry Nelson, who pitched a no-hitter.

Other oldtimers in the cast were Al Heist, Dave Roberts, Jim McDaniel, Jim Mahoney, Carroll Hardy, Ben Johnson, Connie Grob, Joe Grzenda and Russ Kemmerer. The young prospects included Dave Giusti, Glen Vaughan, George Williams and Joe Wooten.

Hatton said, "The best talent we had was in 1964, when we had Sonny Jackson, Rusty Staub and that bunch (Jimmy Wynn, John Bateman, Jim Beauchamp, Ernie Fazio and Giusti). It was a really young ballclub."

The 1965 outfit was awesome for its club all-time best record, 91-54, and spirit. Catcher John Bateman dubbed them "The a--kicking 89ers." Among the kickers were Jerry Grote, who moved from catcher to third base; Jackson, Fazio, Roberts, Chuck Harrison, Chris Zachary, Darrell Brandon, Jim Campbell, Mike White, Giusti, Heist, Mahoney and Weekly.

Hatton was set to return to the 89ers in 1966. But Paul Richards got fired as Astro general manager and Hatton was made both field and front office manager. "That's something I wasn't ready for," he said.

Hatton turned down some other major league managing offers. He likes what he's doing, but. . .Now 64, he said, "I was going to quit after last season but Mr. Lurie (Bob, San Francisco owner) won't let me. He keeps giving me raises."BIOG:NAME:

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Talking with a friend about a project management meeting he chaired recently, the overriding concern expressed by those involved was about overlapping deadlines, and one project ending and another beginning immediately.

To me there are different types of silence and all of them involve some form of noise. It is impossible to have pure silence; there is always a breeze; a buzzing bee; the wings of a bird; or a flitting thought that makes pure silence impossible. Even the act of mindfulness involves focusing on the here and now; the wind in the trees, the smell of cut grass, the heat of the sun to enable calm. If like me, you have a tiny squeak of tinnitus in an ear there will never be true silence.

But if we think of silence as a feeling rather than a sound it takes on an altogether different quality. In this sense it evokes calm, a quieter space to just be. This sort of silence is a free and yet increasingly scarce commodity in our harem scarem world. But when we harness silence there can be no doubt about its value to us mentally and physically.

We must create pockets of silence at work where we can calm our minds at the end of one project and refresh our creativity and focus for when the next project begins. The length of this silence should be significant; enough time to allow us to break from the pressure of endless video calls, email tennis, paper drafting, and deadline meeting. It will vary depending on the individual and the circumstance, but we need it as a good friend that visits regularly.

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