Following the disaster that was Terry Francona’s final days in Boston, the Red Sox went looking for the next manager of the future. After it looked like Dale Sveum was destined to become that guy, they (meaning Larry Lucchino) went and hired Bobby Valentine. It was Valentine’s first job in the majors since 2002, and he led Boston to a 69-93 record; the club’s worst since 1965. The Red Sox got off to another slow start, and Valentine lost the clubhouse early after calling out Kevin Youkilis in April. By mid-season it was a “toxic” clubhouse, and the team all but quit on Valentine. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
Long Lockout
In arguably the most disappointing story in all of sports in 2012, the NHL lockout robbed fans of seeing their favorite sport. The months of discussions didn't lead to much, pitting the owners against the players and leaving the fans without hockey after the league experienced record growth and revenues in the past few years. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Losing Super Bowl XLVI
Thirty other teams would have loved to be in the Patriots' position, but that doesn't make the pain of losing the Super Bowl feel any better. Wes Welker's dropped pass would've gone a long way to seal a Patriots victory, but instead Eli Manning drove the Giants down the field in an all-too-familiar scene for the Pats. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Game 7 OT Loss
After winning the Stanley Cup in 2011, expectations were high for the Bruins heading into the 2012 playoffs. While fans knew a repeat would be incredibly difficult, they at least expected the B's to get past the Capitals in the first round. However the B's were eliminated by way of a painful Game 7 overtime winner in Boston. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Lebron's Big Game 6
The Celtics finished just one win away from their third NBA finals in five seasons, but they had a golden opportunity to get that win at home in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Instead, the Celtics forgot there was a game and lost 98-79 thanks to a 45-point explosion from LeBron James. As for Game 7, that didn’t go all that well either for the Celtics… (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Ta-Ta, Timmy
Following his 2011 season – which ended with a Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe and Vezina Trophy – Tim Thomas was a Boston sports legend. He fell out of many fan's favor, though, with his decision to skip the White House visit, his subsequent Facebook posts and his decision to sit out for the 2012-13 season, choosing to not honor his contract. The lockout has largely made the last part meaningless, but Thomas undoubtedly left Boston in as ugly a manner as possible. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Dancing Gronk
The Patriots lost the Super Bowl, and everyone was upset about that. It was surprising, then, to see Rob Gronkowski dancing the night away just hours after the game. While some fans didn't think much of it, others who were disappointed in the wake of that painful victory didn't appreciate seeing Gronk partying it up in Indy. It became a major talking point for a while, and worst of all, it spawned the phrase "Summer of Gronk."
Theo Compensation
It took four months for the Red Sox and Cubs to figure out what Boston would get in return for GM Theo Epstein, and all Boston ended up with was Chris Carpenter – a reliever that likely won’t do much in the majors. Carpenter made eight appearances, allowing six runs off seven hits and 10 walks over six innings of work. At least the Cubs had a worse season than Boston, losing 101 games. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Slow Start
After following their Super Bowl trip with a solid offseason, the Patriots were expected yet again to be the best team in the league, with some folks going as far to predict 16-0 season to be a real possibility. So it was definitely a surprising low point to see the Patriots with a 1-2 record after three weeks, and a 3-3 record after six weeks. They turned it around after that with seven straight victories, but seeing the Patriots with a losing record was a rare sight in these parts. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Bard The Starter
Moving Bard to the starting rotation was just one of the many failed experiments by the Red Sox this season. Bard went 4-6 with a 5.30 ERA in 10 starts in 2012, walking more batters (36) than he struck out (34) through his 54.1 innings of work. His last start came on June 3 in Toronto, when he walked six and allowed five runs over just 1.2 innings or work. He spent the rest of the year in the minors or bullpen with similar results. (Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images)
Not So Happy Birthday For Fenway
2012 was supposed to be a season of celebration with Fenway Park turning 100. The famous ballpark celebrated its centennial on April 20, with the Yankees in town and special throwback uniforms, but the Sox laid a stinker that wouldn’t be saved by birthday cake – losing 6-2 thanks to five New York home runs. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
"Rock Bottom"
The night that followed Fenway’s birthday was even worse. The Red Sox held a 9-1 lead after six innings, but watched that lead slip away after allowing seven-run innings in the seventh and eighth. The Yankees scored 15-unanswered runs to walk away with a 15-9 win, and after the game Valentine said the Red Sox had hit “rock bottom.” If he only knew… (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Ray Allen Takes His Talents To Miami
Yes, it seemed as though the Celtics were always trying to deal Allen, and Allen himself was not happy with the fact Avery Bradley took his spot in the starting lineup. It was best for both sides to move on after Allen’s five years in Boston, but it burns that he took less money to come off the bench for the Miami Heat. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Beckett Goes Golfing
After missing a scheduled start in April with a lat injury, Beckett created an uproar when he went golfing the next day. When asked about it, Beckett became very defensive and noted he only gets 18 off-days a year (minus that whole off-season thing), and what he did on those off-days were his business. In his next start, Beckett lasted just 2.1 innings and was booed off the mound by the Fenway faithful. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Mutiny In Clubhouse
The Red Sox players reportedly had a “heated” meeting with owners John Henry and Larry Luchhino on July 26, with Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez the most vocal -- according to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan. Some Red Sox players went as far as saying they no longer wanted to play under Valentine, and the team – just a game under .500 at that point – went 20-43 the rest of the way. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Sellout Streak
Whether Fenway Park was full or not, the Red Sox’ storied sellout streak continued in 2012. It’s now up to a record 793 games, but the title needed to be amended when it was apparent there were plenty of good seats still available for many of the games. After some criticism, it was termed a “distribution streak,” with tons of tickets available – on the cheap -- on the secondary market. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Aceves Can't Close
Aceves was thrust into the closer’s role at the start of the season thanks to Andrew Bailey’s thumb injury, a job he didn’t want. Aceves prepared all off-season and spring training to be a starter, and was up-and-down as Boston’s closer. He ended up 2-10 with 25 saves and eight blown saves for the season, and numerous late-season clashes with Valentine led to a three game suspension in late-August. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
Poppin' PEDs
The "Patriot Way" has come to mean different things throughout the year, and whike the idea of the Patriots as a shiny, perfect franchise may be an old one, failed drug tests are never good news. The Patriots had two players suspended for PEDs in 2012, Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Bolden. The Patriots survived without them, and PEDs don’t have the same stain in football as they do in baseball, but it was nevertheless a forgettable moment of the '12 season. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Rondo's Suspensions
Rajon Rondo is viewed by many as the future leader of the Boston Celtics, but he needs to actually be on the floor in order to lead. Rondo was suspended on three different occasions in 2012; twice in the 2012 season and once (so far) in the 2012-13 season. Rondo was punished twice for incidents with referees – throwing the ball at Sean Wright in February and bumping Marc Davis in Game 1 of the East Quarters vs. the Hawks – and then again this season for a fight with Brooklyn’s Kris Humphries. While the suspensions haven’t hurt the C’s, Rondo’s budding reputation may at some point. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
