The San Jose Giants minor league baseball season ends on Labor Day, and we go into the playoffs the end of the week. Then the season really does end. Virtually everyone who plays has some immediate plans for the end of the season. Some players take a vacation so they can relax. Others who have girlfriends living in another city have plans to go see them. Others are going home to be with their families and just relax.

Cruises are popular vacations at the end of the season. Many players have saved a little money throughout the season so they can afford their trip. If not a cruise , then sometimes it is a simple fishing spot they have been going to since they were ten. Others will go somewhere such as Hawaii so they can get away from everything and just lounge round on the beach.

It is often times very hard for a player to have a girlfriend while playing. Obviously the player is in a different city and has no time off throughout the summer. So the only way for the player to see his girlfriend is for her to come and visit him. That means once the season is over, the player returns the favor and goes to see her. Assuming the girlfreind works, it is difficult for her to get a lot of time off to come and see him. So once he has a chance to visit, he goes where she lives, wherever that may be.

Some players just go home to be with their family for a little rest and relaxation. Depending on where they played that year and their parents’ schedule, it might have been quite a while since they were able to see each other. After such a long season which began in spring training during March, all everyone wants to do is relax and enjoy some time off.
Your baseball pro, Steve Holm

P.S. Some baseball players are married so the wives have a dilemma of where to reside during the season–many opt to stay in their offseason residence, rather than trying to live in a strange city. Host mom, Jean

During the season it can be difficult to stay fit, strong and lean. The rigors of an entire season are tough on the human body. It is a day in and day out grind just to do the baseball side. The next morning after a game when you have to wake up and go to the gym is the toughest time for players. Your body is already tired from the night before and yet you have to go work out just so you can play a game that night.

Lifting weights is something that is relatively new to the game of baseball. Its gains can be seen by looking into the record books. The increased offense in the last decade or two is all the proof you need. So there is no question that players want to improve but finding the energy to do it is tough.

It is late in the season that the players who have been working out get to shine. All of the players who have been skipping out on their running or not going to the gym start to get tired come August. Those who have been working hard all year are still fit, strong and lean. This is when they are able to translate their work into results, because they are performing against someone who has not worked hard.
Your baseball pro, Steve Holm

P.S. Steve is very disciplined, even when he gets in at 3 a.m. from a road trip. Host mom, Jean

Apple computers have become very popular within the baseball world. Many players have laptop computers that they take with them throughout the summer as they travel. As Apple has inched its way into society, baseball players have followed suit and switched to Apple computers as well.

Like everyone, we get very frustrated when our computer gets a virus, and minor league players don’t have technical support to help us out. This is probably the number one reason so many of us have switched to an Apple. The complications with a Wndows program are too much to deal with. So when it came time for me to buy a new computer, it was no question I wanted to switch to an Apple. Just as the commercial states, they do not freeze, get slow, or get viruses. That right there was the number one selling point for me. So here is what I bought: Apple MacBook MA255LL/A 13.3 Screen Notebook PC in White

Another device that many players would not be without is their iPOD, another Apple product. An iPod, for example, this Apple 60 GB iPod with Video Playback Black is in virtually everyone’s travel kit, and we do spend half the season on the road. iPods are used anywhere from the bus to the locker room to the gym. The lower prices since since they first came out has allowed many of us to obtain them.

Lastly , just as society has taken notice to the advantages of an Apple so have baseball players. On our team alone there are about 6 different Apple laptops. I believe the actual market share that Apple has is only 3 percent but judging by their popularity within our team, that statistic could change!

Your baseball pro, Steve Holm

P.S. Now that the new Apple laptops are built on an Intel processor, I’m considering buying one–they certainly have more style than my Windows machines! Host mom, Jean