Massachusetts/N.E. Year in Review: Oh, those woeful Red Sox!

How bad were the Boston Red Sox in 2012?The last time they finished in last place in the American League East, in 1992, Butch Hobson was the manager and Roger Clemens was still pitching in the carmine hose.Yet you would have to go back to 1966, the days of “Hi Neighbor, Have a ‘Gansett!” commercials, the days when the Impossible Dream really was just a dream, to find more apt comparisons.The 2012 Red Sox finished 69-93 in the first and only season under manager Bobby Valentine, whose quips might rank up there with those of Casey Stengel ? but whose on-field performance certainly didn’t match expectations.Coming off a 2011 season in which Boston imploded down the stretch to miss out on a postseason spot, the 2012 edition continued the disappointment, collectively and individually. By season’s end, Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford had all departed for Los Angeles and the Dodgers. John Farrell, whose Toronto Blue Jays didn’t finish much better than the Sox this year, took over the reins from Valentine.Wait till next year? Those who watched the 2012 Sox might say they can’t wait to turn the page from this season.However, several other New England athletes and teams had better performances this year. They include (drum roll, please)?Pats not quite Super enoughIf you thought the first points in the Super Bowl would come on a safety, well, congratulations. Unfortunately for the New England Patriots, that’s just how it happened after quarterback Tom Brady, pressured by the New York Giants defense, threw out of his end zone ? to the Invisible Man. Giants, 2-0.In fairness, this was only the beginning to an exciting game that saw both teams play like champions. The Giants went up 9-0 ? the Patriots took a 17-9 lead ? and then Big Blue crept back, making it 17-12 and then 17-15.Eli Manning guided the Giants to the win, but fans might also remember the miracle catch from Mario Manningham ? the deflating drop by Wes Welker ? and a quirky call by Bill Belichick to concede the Ahmad Bradshaw TD that put New York ahead (was any touchdown so reluctantly scored?). The Patriots made it interesting at the end, but with Rob Gronkowski playing at less than 100 percent, it was not to be.To get to the title game, the Patriots finished with an outstanding 13-3 record, romped past Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in their playoff opener and outlasted the Baltimore Ravens after then-kicker Billy Cundiff misfired on a field goal that would have tied the score.Celtics see changing of the guardIn two senses, there was a changing of the guard for the Boston Celtics.The “Big Three” of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce became the “Big Two” after Allen joined the Miami Heat in the offseason.That came after the Heat muscled aside the Celtics in a seven-game Eastern Conference finals. LeBron James showed he is a championship-caliber athlete by going on to win his first-ever NBA title, with his own “Big Three” that also included Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. And for good measure, James helped Team USA win a gold medal in the London Summer Games.Bruins: Overtime and outThe NHL lockout may have made this hard to remember, but there was actually pro hockey in these parts one year ago. And the reigning Cup champion was none other than your Boston Bruins.Their reign didn’t last very long. They played the Washington Capitals in the first round of the postseason and Dale Hunter’s Caps wouldn’t go away, forcing a seventh game, which went to overtime. Joel Ward scored the game-winner to propel the Caps into the second round.After the game, the atmosphere was marred with racist tweets from Bruins fans about Ward, who is African-American. The Bruins expressed disappointment about the tweets.Eagles reach Heights of NCAA hockeyBoston College extended its dominance in NCAA men’s hockey by winning the Frozen Four championship, 4-1, over Ferris State.It was title No. 5 for the Eagles, who have taken home the hardware three of the last five years.Netminder Park