For Red Auerbach, who may need his own Smithsonian Museum wing to stash his rings, plaques, medals, and honorary degrees, last night's lifetime achievement award from The Sports Museum during a FleetCenter ceremony was the latest of half a century's worth of awards. ''Red's got a statue that the pigeons are already doing damage to,'' cracked Tom Heinsohn. ''Does he need any more honors?''

But for the rest of last night's honorees - Heinsohn, Phil Esposito, Steve Grogan, Luis Tiant, Mary Pratt, Don Gillis and Tim Horgan - being named a `legacy' of the museum was a highlight of a lifetime.

''This is a huge thing for me,'' said Esposito, the former Bruin whose number 7 hangs in the rafters. ''I have a special place in my heart for this town. I never wanted to leave here. It was the best time of my life.''

So it was, too, for their chroniclers - Gillis, the original sports anchor who did play-by-play for all four professional teams (`I'm a lucky bugger.') and Horgan, the lyrical Boston Herald sports columnist. ''I don't know what a legend is,'' Horgan said, ''But it's good. I can tell you that.''