Sports Illustrated honors long-suffering Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox, who swept the World Series for their first Major League Baseball championship in 86 years, were picked as Sportsmen of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine.

The Red Sox are the first major professional squad and just the third team overall to win the annual award "for symbolizing in character and performance the ideals of sportsmanship," the magazine said in a news release.

Boston became the first baseball team to overcome a three- game deficit and win a seven-game series when it beat the New York Yankees for the American League pennant last month. The Red Sox went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in four straight games for their first title since 1918, ending decades of frustration for their worldwide fan base known as "Red Sox Nation."

The Red Sox will receive the award on a television special tonight on News Corp.'s Fox network, and be featured on the cover of the magazine's Dec. 6 edition.

The other teams to receive the honor were the 1980 U.S. ice hockey team, which beat the Soviet Union in the "Miracle on Ice" game and won the Olympic gold medal, and the 1999 U.S. women's World Cup soccer champions.

David Robinson and Tim Duncan of the National Basketball Association's San Antonio Spurs were last year's winners.