E-Mail This Article to a Friend Boston’s top-10 sports icons (retired division) BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

Back in December 2002, while this column was still in its nascent stage, we put together a list of the top-10 New England sports personalities that would stop you in your tracks if you ran into them at the local Home Depot. After seeing Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, and current Patriot players Tedy Bruschi and Richard Seymour emerge from behind the Green Monster at last Monday’s Red Sox home opener, we felt it might be time to update that list. The 2002 countdown can be accessed by clicking here. Now we bring you the new-and-improved list for spring 2005, charting one man’s opinion about who would generate the biggest cheers if he had graced the Fenway home opener — or even your back-yard cookout. This list consists of retired icons; come back Tuesday for the still-active countdown.

10) Dennis Eckersley. The Eck belongs on this list because he has returned to prominence in recent years — not only as a pre- and post-game analyst on the Red Sox’ NESN telecasts, but as a 2004 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Always a personable and tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy, Eckersley earned some points by continuing to live year-round here, even during his tenure with the A’s, as well as in post-retirement. Even better, he chose to finish his star-studded career in Boston. He’s a down-to-earth guy, he’s got a lot to say, and he’s a former baseball superstar (if not here in Boston). That’s good enough for me.

9) Cam Neely. Hard to imagine that there’ll be three hockey players on this list despite the fact that there hasn’t been a puck dropped in these parts in a full year, but fans still hold a warm place in their hearts for the hard-nosed Bruins winger. He was already a legend when his career was cut short by debilitating injuries, but instead of feeling sorry for himself and living off his NHL pension, he’s put his notoriety to good use, establishing the Neely House, the Neely Cancer Fund, and the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care — all of which help cancer patients and their families through difficult times. He also pops up on NESN’s broadcasts of Bruins’ games as an analyst, but unfortunately, not lately.

8) Dave Henderson. The genial center fielder came to the Red Sox in July 1986 as an unknown commodity and spent less than two full years in the Hub, but he certainly made his mark. If not for the ignominious bullpen meltdown in game six of the 1986 World Series, it would have been Henderson who would have been credited with nearly single-handedly busting the then-68-year-old curse. A memorable home run in game five of the 1986 ALCS (which saved the Sox’ post-season life), along with what should have been the World Series–winning homer in game six — comparable to David Ortiz’s heroics last fall — made the always joyful Hendu an unforgettable idol in this town.

7) Ray Bourque. The hockey Krishnas around here may feel that Bourque-y deserves to be higher on this list, but despite all his accomplishments during his nearly 21 seasons as a Bruin, it was indeed as a Colorado Avalancher that he won his lone Stanley Cup. That’s not his fault, but just the facts. Ray’s still a ubiquitous figure around here, whether by appearing in TD Banknorth radio commercials (with Troy Brown), appearing in old-timers’ games, or grooming his college-age son Chris to follow in his skatesteps. Bourque the elder will always be one of us and remains an undeniable superstar and gentleman.

6) Danny Ainge. Should a 46-year-old business executive still be referred to as "Danny"? I guess if Bonaduce doesn’t change, why should our Danny? Anyway, Ainge would have had to pay a pretty penny to be anywhere near this list in 2002, but he’s back on the radar in a big way these days, as his revamped and rejuvenated Boston Celtics have somehow or other won the NBA’s Eastern Division. Already embraced by the Green faithful as forever one of their own by virtue of his being a vital part of two championship seasons, Ainge has proven himself a shrewd and wily executive director of basketball operations. His 2004 drafting prowess, in and of itself, has made him relevant again, and by virtue of his actions, so too are the title-starved Celtics (despite residing in a city spoiled by championships).

5) Doug Flutie. Is he retired or not? I’m putting him on my retired list, as I can’t see anyone picking up a 42-year-old as a high-priced back-up. Sorry about that, Doug, but on my list, we’re polishing up the gold watch and preparing the testimonials. In recent years, it’s become apparent that Flutie does not engender quite as much love and admiration among his former Buffalo and San Diego teammates as he has among the New England fans he left behind, but he’s still worshiped here. Flutie will always be the 5’9" dervish from Framingham remembered for his mercurial Heisman Trophy season at BC, highlighted by the Miracle in Miami in 1984; his brief stint with the Patriots in the late ’80s; or his Peter Pan–like contributions in the CFL and NFL. He’ll forever live in the Pass.

4) Bill Russell. Despite opening up significantly to the media and fandom in recent years, the former Celtics center remains a bit of a mysterious and distant character. Still, there was good reason that Dr. Charles Steinberg and the Red Sox invited the hoops legend to Fenway last Monday, and that’s because he remains the epitome of championship basketball in Boston — by virtue of his 11 rings earned in just 13 seasons.

3) Bobby Orr. If Russell remains the epitome of championship basketball in Boston, you know damn well who’s the embodiment of championship hockey. Like Neely, Orr also had his sparkling career cut short, but in his memorable decade as a Bruins defenseman, Number Four revolutionized the game and the position while leading the Big Bad Bruins to a pair of Stanley Cup championships. Because the team has yet to return to the pinnacle of the sport since the last Cup in 1972, the always classy Orr remains on a pedestal — and deservedly so.

2) Carl Yastrzemski. Similar to the top-ranked gentleman below, Captain Carl was not a big autograph-signer or a hang-with-the-masses kind of guy. But he did put a team on his broad shoulders and lead them on a path to improbable post-season glory — like Orr around the same time. Yet whereas Orr had some solid teammates who helped the B’s win a couple of titles, Yaz was never quite as fortunate. His Triple Crown season came close — but ultimately fell short — of being the catalyst to a Red Sox championship season in 1967. But the Hall of Famer spent his entire career in Boston, and was productive and a reason to come to Fenway Park for most of his 23-year career. He was in the news last fall for good and bad reasons; his only son Michael died suddenly of a blood clot last September, but a month later, Yaz’s former team finally won the World Series. When it was accomplished, a lot of people thought immediately of Number Eight, and how deserving he (along with fellow icon Ted Williams) would have been to share in that long-awaited moment.

1) Larry Bird. Who knows how many more championships the Celtics could have won if not for the heel and back problems suffered by the Hick from French Lick in the late ’80s? Still, three championships in his first seven years was pretty damn good, and the fact that he always played his heart out, practiced like a demon, and remained a Celtic throughout his career is a testament to his place on this list. Even after all these years, he remains atop many of the Celtics’ statistical categories. It was his consistently spectacular play that made Larry Legend both the face of the team and the reason that a hoops ticket to the Garden was the most difficult ducat in town back then. He remains the most revered Celtic of my generation, and most folks would agree that we haven’t seen the likes of his abilities any time since his premature retirement from the game in 1992.

Honorable mentions: Wade Boggs, Dwight Evans, Carlton Fisk, Marvelous Marvin Hagle, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Jim Rice.

Coming Tuesday: Boston’s top-10 icons (active division).

"Sporting Eye" returns Tuesday at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com