Smith, who many view as the greatest defensive shortstop in the history of the game, will be the highlight of the 2002 Induction Ceremony, set for 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center, weather permitting. Also to be honored are longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, the 2002 Ford Frick Award winner, and Joe Falls, a longtime sports writer this year's J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner.

Hall of Fame spokesman Brad Horn said crowds should be close to a normal induction weekend crowd, despite rule changes in 2001 which saw Veterans Committee voting changed from every year to every other year.

"Philadelphia Phillies announcer Harry Kalas is receiving the Ford C. Frick Award, and we know a strong fan base from Philadelphia will be at the induction," Horn said. "And while Ozzie Smith played most of his career in St. Louis, he is a nationally recognized name and popular all over the country. Ozzie's style of play reached fans everywhere."

Fans may remember Smith, nicknamed "the Wizard," for his backflips, his trademark diving plays or his home run to win Game 5 of the 1985 National league Championship series against the Dodgers. But Smith said on a recent orientation visit to the Hall of Fame that he tried to make every game special.

"I always tried to be creative, and I think of myself as an artist on the field," he said. "Every game I looked for a chance to do something that the fans had never seen before."

He accomplished that feat often, even impressing fellow Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount when the two met in the 1982 World Series, which the Cardinals won four games to three.

"He does things I've never seen before," Yount said. "His ability to dive for a ball, get up and get something on his throws is unbelievable."

Smith said he honed that talent playing hours of stick ball in the Watts section of Los Angeles, where he grew up.

"I would spend hours diving in different directions and working on getting up as quickly as possible," he said. "It's the old cliche about getting out of something what you put into it, and I worked hard every single day."

He had to, after graduating from high school as an All-City shortstop but going undrafted largely because of his small, 5'10" 150-pound frame.

But after a couple of years of college, he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers but wound up signing with the San Diego Padres the next year for more money.

Smith broke into the major leagues with the Padres in 1978, and made a name for himself defensively over the next four seasons, but never hit above .230. After the 1981 season, Smith's agent asked for a million dollar contract, but when Padres ownership balked, they traded him to St. Louis.

Smith was reticent about leaving the West Coast and the Padres, but then St. Louis manager visited him and told him, 'With you, we win the World Series next year.'

Herzog made good on his promise, as the Cardinals won the 1982 Series over Milwaukee, winning the final two games at home after trailing three games to two.

Smith and the Cardinals played in two more World Series, losing in 1985 to the Kansas City Royals, and in 1987 to the Minnesota Twins, both in seven games.

After coming to St. Louis, Smith began steadily improving his offensive production under the tutelage of Herzog. Herzog made a bet with Smith, saying he would pay him $2 for every ground ball he hit, and Smith would have to pay him $1 for every fly ball he hit.

"The first thing was to understand what type of offensive player I was," Smith said. "I had to utilize my speed by hitting the ball on the ground, but I also had to learn to hit balls in the gaps to force the outfielders to play me a little deeper. Once I learned to stay on top of the ball, everything else fell into place."

A 15-time All-Star and switch-hitter who amassed 580 stolen bases, Smith was and is best known for his incredible defense, though, which led to 13 consecutive Gold Glove Awards. Among shortstops, Smith ranks first all-time with 8,375 assists and 1,590 double plays. He also is second with 2,511 games played and a .978 fielding percentage. He amassed 2,460 hits and scored 1,257 runs, and after never hitting above .230 for San Diego, had several straight seasons hitting at or above .270 for the Cardinals.

After the 1982 season, Smith was asked to judge himself as a player and said something which turned out to be prophetic.

"The true test of greatness is being consistent for 10 or 15 straight years," he said. "We'll have to see about that. And in the meantime I'll try to keep the fans entertained. They deserve a good show."

Those same fans are hoping for one more great show on Sunday.