SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The most important delivery to the Giants clubhouse each day has nothing to do with baseball. Hot off the printer, like clockwork, a clubhouse attendant places the latest USA Today crossword puzzle in a container hanging on the wall outside the showers every morning.
One by one, Brandon Crawford and Nick Vincent grab a sheet. Then Evan Longoria. Jeff Samardzija, too. For these Giants — and a number of others — it represents an essential daily routine that breaks up the monotony of the baseball season and keeps their minds fresh.
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“Just 30 minutes of thinking about stuff that’s not baseball,” Vincent said.