SI Photographers' Shots of the Decade

Brad Mangin, 2005

"Spring training is my favorite time of the year, and every February I head down to Arizona to photograph ballplayers getting ready for the regular season. This picture was shot in late February before the games started as the Oakland Athletics were training at their gorgeous training facility, Papago Park, in Phoenix. They have wonderful clouds in Arizona after a rainstorm, and when young pitcher Rich Harden threw a bullpen session, everything lined up for me early one morning."