Before getting a day's work in on the back fields of the Orioles' Ed Smith Stadium complex, pitcher Chris Tillman has a quiet tradition that affords him some of the serenity of the offseason while jump-starting his spring training preparation.
Tillman grabs a fishing pole that's leaned against the clubhouse wall, and sometimes a buddy, then trudges to an old pond just beyond one of the infields on the complex grounds for a morning fishing session.
"It's awesome," Tillman said. "I do it quite a bit. Even if I wasn't here, I'd be doing it.