Top Boston Sports Stories Of 2015
BOSTON (CBS) -- The last year was certainly a memorable one for the Boston sports scene, from the highs of New England's Super Bowl XLIX title to the lows of another October spent at home by the Boston Red Sox.
There was also a little bit of controversy thrown into the mix, with one of the strangest and most ridiculous sports "stories" of all-time.
So sit back, relax and relive all the joy -- and sorrow -- of an action-packed 2015 as we break down the Top Boston Sports Stories of 2015:
Super Bowl Champions Again
In what will go down as one of the most exciting Super Bowls of all-time, the Patriots beat the Seahawks 28-24 to earn their fourth Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
Tom Brady was named the game's MVP after an amazing fourth quarter, going 8-for-8 for 65 yards on the go-ahead touchdown drive, but it was undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler who saved the day with his interception at the one-yard line in the closing seconds. It's hard to write up a better Cinderella story than that.
And with any title comes a duck boat parade through the city. This time around, we got to see Julian Edelman do a great Ferris Bueller impression:
DeflateGate
The euphoria from the Super Bowl was a bit muddied this year, as the DeflateGate saga ate up most of the headlines during the offseason.
Where do we start? The story was brought to light by WTHR's Bob Kravitz and really took off after some misreporting by ESPN. Bill Belichick held a science fair at Gillette and dropped a Mona Lisa Vito reference on us all the week before the Super Bowl, and then Robert Kraft adamantly demanded an apology from the NFL if the Patriots were found clear of any wrongdoing shortly after the team landed in Arizona.
Then came Ted Wells' "independent" report for the NFL, which found it was more likely than not that Tom Brady probably knew about a scheme to take air pressure out of footballs, leading to Roger Goodell slapping Brady with a four-game suspension and a $1 million fine and lost draft picks for the Patriots. The Patriots responded with a report of their own, which comically gave us a new meaning for the world "Deflator."
We heard from clowns like Mark Brunnel (crying on TV), Shannon Sharpe (calling for Brady's suspension seconds after the Wells Report was released) and Gregg Doyel (kick Patriots out of the Super Bowl), who all got arrested by the Hot Take Police at one point or another. We were treated to court appearances by Brady, one of which led to a hilarious court room sketch of the QB, followed by the release of several of Brady's that delved into his personal life including a pricey pool cover and a Peyton Manning jab. And we can't forget about Brady's broken cell phone -- which was an obvious sign of guilt to many outside of New England.
In the end, Brady was out there opening night to raise the Super Bowl XLIX banner after Judge Richard Berman threw Goodell's suspension in the trash.
Read: Failed DeflateGate Accusations Mean It's Time For Irsay, Pagano To Be Banned
If that wasn't enough for you, the NFL appealed Berman's decision so the saga will continue in March. At least we got the nicknames like "Jimmy Hot Fingers" and "Dorito Dink" out of all of this.
Changing Of The Guard In Red Sox Front Office
After missing the playoffs for the third time in four seasons the Red Sox moved on from Ben Cherington in August and made a big splash, naming Dave Dombrowski the team's new president.
Dombrowski wasted no time this offseason improving the club either, trading for a dominant closer in Craig Kimbrel and signing ace David Price to a monster contract.
Red Sox Sign David Price
The Red Sox needed an ace after their starters posted a 4.39 ERA in 2015 -- 24th in the majors.
Dombrowksi didn't wait around and handed lefty David Price a seven-year, $217 million deal on December 1, giving Boston a front-line starter for the foreseeable future.
In 2016 we'll see if Price can handle the Boston market and, hopefully, turn around his postseason struggles.
Read: Price Wants To Be Part Of Winning In Boston
Celtics Acquire Isaiah Thomas, Make Postseason Run
The Celtics appeared destined for another season in the lottery, but the team found new life after Danny Ainge traded for guard Isaiah Thomas at the deadline.
Thomas gave Boston the scoring punch they desperately needed and the C's became one of the hottest teams in the NBA -- going 20-11 after the move and 7-1 in April to clinch the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
Kelly Olynyk Ends Kevin Love's Postseason
Boston's postseason berth didn't last very long, as they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, but that wasn't the big story of the series.
In Game 4, Kelly Olynyk gave Kevin Love's shoulder a yank while going for a loose ball, ending the Cleveland star's playoffs. Love was pretty miffed at first, calling it "bush league" and intentional, but he eventually accepted Olynyk's apology.
The Cavs went on to lose to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Bruins Miss Playoffs, Fire Chiarelli
The Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years, and by season's end they had enough of Peter Chiarelli. The GM was dismissed and in came Don Sweeney, who didn't wait long to put his own stamp on the team.
Bruins Trade Hamilton, Lucic
Sweeney pulled off a pair of major trades on draft night, sending defenseman Dougie Hamilton to Calgary and forward Milan Lucic to Los Angeles. He received a first rounder in both trades, and ended up keeping all three of Boston's first round selections that evening.
Pedro Enshrined In Cooperstown
Pedro Martinez took his place among the all-time greats in baseball in July as he was enshrined in Cooperstown. We don't really have to say much about Pedro, so we'll just let him do the talking.
Photos: Pedro Inducted Into Hall of Fame
John Farrell's Diagnosis, Recovery
Another rough season for the Red Sox on the field didn't matter much in August when we learned manager John Farrell was battling stage-1 lymphoma. Farrell received worlds of support during his chemotherapy, with Terry Francona accompanying him for his first session, and the cancer was in remission by October. The Sox announced that month that Farrell will return to the dugout for the 2016 season.
Ortiz Hits 500th Homer
The Boston slugger became the 27th player in Major League history to join the 500 club with a blast against the Rays in mid-September.
Ortiz clubbed 37 homers last season, giving him 503 for his career as he heads into his final season.
Read: 10 Best Moments Of David Ortiz's Career
Hanley In The Outfield
It wasn't a great story for the Red Sox, but watching Hanley Ramirez try to play the outfield was a fascinating one for baseball fans everywhere.
