Despite pursuit of perfection, Red Sox still ruled local scene

The Daily ItemTen regional stories that mattered the most in 2007.Perfect SmerfectWhen Red Sox win the World Series, they’re No. 1.For the second time in four years, the Sox are champions of the major leagues.And for the second time in four years, the Red Sox came back from oblivion (this time a 1-3 deficit to the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS) to win the AL flag. They then swept the Colorado Rockies for the title.Pursuit of perfectionWhen they traded a draft pick to Oakland for Randy Moss, you had a feeling this could be a special season for the Patriots.Who knew it would be this special?They went 16-0, and they enter the playoffs – on paper – as the clear best team in the NFL. Time will tell whether that translates into a Super Bowl win.Tom Brady overtook Peyton Manning’s record for most touchdown passes (Brady has 50; Manning had 49) for a season while Moss eclipsed Jerry Rice for TD receptions (23 to Rice’s 22).The New Big ThreeThe Celtics won 24 games in all of last season. This year, they got 24 before New Year’s.The acquisition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, both in trades, gives the team a Big Three (along with Paul Pierce) reminiscent of the Bird-McHale-Parish era.The irony is that the Celtics – who had the second-worst record in the NBA last season – ran into bad luck in the lottery, forcing Danny Ainge to swing the deal for Garnett.Champs ? not ChumpsAfter flirting with the No. 2 spot in the country (benefitting from a string of upsets on the national level), Boston College’s football team fell back to earth, and finished as the ACC’s runner-up.This put them in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, where they defeated Michigan State, 24-21.Along the way, quarterback Matt Ryan has been mentioned as one of the two or three top prospects in this year’s NFL draft.Eagles landed too soonFor the second straight year, the BC hockey team got to the NCAA finals – and lost.Goalie Cory Schneider of Marblehead backboned the team, but over the summer, he signed a pro contract with the Vancouver Canucks.Belichick ? Bill BelichickIt doesn’t roll off the tongue like Bond ? James Bond. But any resemblance went out the window when one of Belichick’s cameramen got caught filming defensive signals at the Meadowlands in September.The Pats lost a draft choice and Belichick was fined $500 thousand. The incident cast aspersions on all the team has accomplished. But it also angered the Pats, who destroyed everything in their way for the next month and a half.A Hundred Pounds of ClayTo put this in perspective, Roger Clemens never pitched a no-hitter. Boston’s Clay Buchholz pitched one in only his second start, beating the Baltimore Orioles, 10-0.Then, he saw the mound only one more time before the Red Sox shut him down due to a tired arm.My Kingdom for a CoachAfter one uninspired season with the Bruins, Dave Lewis was relieved of his command in favor of Claude Julien.Julien was also dealt a bitter blow when promising forward Patrice Bergeron was lost – perhaps for the season – when he was checked into the boards, face first, during a game in Boston against the Philadelphia Flyers.Revolutionary BridesmaidsThe New England Revolution have no trouble getting to the Major League Soccer finals. They just have trouble winning them.This year, the Revs lost for the second straight year to the Houston Dynamo.10,000 Men of HarvardThe Crimson were undefeated in the Ivy League, walloping Yale in The Game, to win the title.Lynn English graduate Matt Curtis, a junior, ended his season as all-Ivy, all-New England, and as the captain-elect for the 2008 season.