Honoring The Best

We think we've prepared you for this. Over the past year, as part of our examination of sports in the 20th century, SI has enumerated its favorite dynasties, venues, athletes, photos, teams and games of the past 100 years. We marveled at Sandy Koufax for his assassin's arm and gentlemanly grace, reveled in the frat-house antics of the 1974 Oakland A's and relived that steamy night in South Florida in '82 when the collective agony of the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins brought us to football ecstasy. Our end-of-the-year issue will offer a final favorite: SI's Frank Deford will expound on a pair of men famous for their feats of feet.

Still, we wanted to do more. In addition to listing our preferences, we wanted to create an evening in which the Greatest and the Great One could mingle with Tiger and Yogi. So how are we capping the greatest sports century? By throwing the sports party of the millennium.

On Dec. 2 Sports Illustrated will be host to the most august collection of athletes ever assembled under one roof. We've billed it the Sports Illustrated 20th Century Sports Awards, but it will really be a night for the ages. There will be Magic (Johnson) and Kings (Billie Jean and Richard Petty) and a certain Air apparent who has graced our cover more often than anyone else. Some 100 of the best sports performers of the century will join us at a Madison Square Garden party. The once-in-a-century event will be broadcast live on CBS at 9 p.m. EST, with behind-the-scenes coverage starting at 6 p.m. on cnnsi.com.

During the evening we'll reveal our choices for the Ten Greatest Sports Moments of the Century, present a silver wreath, sculpted by David McCornack, to our Athlete of the Century in each of seven categories—baseball, basketball, football, hockey, individual sports (men), individual sports (women) and U.S. Olympians—and crown SI's Sportsman or Sportswoman of the Century. Seven Athletes Who Changed the Game will also be honored: King, Petty, Peggy Fleming, Arnold Palmer, Pel�, Jackie Robinson and Bill Russell. You can review the credentials of the nominees starting on page 58 and then survey the century as SI writers eloquently evoke events they missed but wish they'd seen.

How did we approach the Ruthian task of selecting the best of the century? Editorial teams were formed for each of the categories under the judicious eye of executive editor David Bauer. Debate was as spirited as Ali-Frazier, as exhausting as Colts-Giants. "Comparing athletes of different eras and generations is a virtually impossible task," says Bauer. "No matter where you land, somebody will argue with you. But that's part of the fun of it, and we feel good about where we landed."

We're confident we've made the right choices, but for once the old Academy Awards mantra rings true: Everyone nominated is a winner. Or in Russell's case, an 11-time winner.

Speaking of Oscars, the Big O will be in the house, along with a cast of presenters with Academy Award credentials: Al Pacino, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, to name a few. We've even enlisted Oscar's sometime host, Billy Crystal, to give us a hand. Every party needs music, so we've turned our lonely eyes to Paul Simon as well as Whitney Houston and part-time San Diego Padres outfielder Garth Brooks. The Early Show's Bryant Gumbel is staying up late to host the festivities.

Sports in the 20th century has been on our minds and in our pages since Aug. 16, 1954, when power-hitting Eddie Mathews welcomed readers to America's newest sports weekly. On Dec. 2 those pages will come to life for one very special night. Please join us.