The ball that went through Bill Buckner's legs in 1986 failed to sell Tuesday on eBay (AP).

Apparently Red Sox fans really have moved on . . . from former first baseman Bill Buckner‘s grounder through the legs, that is. The baseball that allegedly went through Buckner’s legs, leading to the eventual Red Sox collapse in the 1986 World Series, was available on eBay Tuesday for a lofty minimum of $1 million. The ball failed to sell by the 11:37 p.m. closing time because no bidder reached the minimum required to bid on the memorabilia.

The ball was made available by Los Angeles songwriter Seth Swirsky, who originally purchased the ball for $63,500 in 2000. Swirsky put the ball up for bidding Tuesday until 11:37 p.m. because that time marked the 25-year anniversary to the minute of when the ball went through Buckner’s legs.

David Hunt, president of sports memorabilia auction house Hunt Auctions, said the ball was way overpriced. Market value, he claimed, was around $200,000 to $300,000.

While it is now impossible to tell, it is interesting to think whether the ball would have sold had the Red Sox not ended their 86-year World Series drought in 2004. The Cubs, who are in the midst of a 103-year World Series drought, detonated the Bartman baseball back in 2004. The ball was named for Cubs fan Steve Bartman, who impeded then-Cubs outfielder Moises Alou from making the second out in the eighth inning of an NLCS game when the Cubs were just five outs away from advancing to their first World Series since 1945. That ball was auctioned off for $113,824 before detonation.

Boston sports have become known through the early 21st century as a success story. The city has celebrated seven championships among the four major sports teams since 2001. But as Boston fans know, the city’s sports scene has its share of historic and painful collapses — and this year’s September swoon by the Red Sox ranks right up there. Here’s a look at 10 of the most noteworthy Boston sports heartbreakers of the past 40 years.

10. 2009-10 Celtics

Just two years removed from their 17th NBA championship, the Celtics returned for a 12th NBA finals confrontation with the Lakers. The Celtics carried a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 in Los Angeles, but they suffered a crushing blow when center Kendrick Perkins blew out his knee early in the game and had to miss the rest of the series. The Lakers won 89-67, forcing a Game 7 in Los Angeles.

The Lakers and Celtics traded leads through the first half, but it was the Celtics who led 40-34 after two quarters. Boston came out strong in the second half, going on a 9-3 run to extend its lead to 13 points. But the Celtics could not hold on and the Lakers crawled back to within four at the end of the third quarter. The Celtics offense struggled in the final frame while the Lakers caught fire, outscoring the C’s 30-22 for an 83-79 win and their 16th NBA championship.

9. 1974 Red Sox

Before there was the horrific September of 2011, there was the terrible September of 1974. The Red Sox entered September leading Baltimore in the American League East by three games but sank fast. Boston lost six games from Sept. 1-6, three of which came against Baltimore, to fall 1½ games back in the division. The Red Sox never recovered, going 12-13 through the rest of the season and falling to a third-place finish.

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This year marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most memorable years in Boston sports history – 1986. All four Boston teams made the playoffs, three reached the championship and one won it all. There were also great individual performances, broken records, comedy and tragedy. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, here’s a look back at the 10 most memorable Boston sports moments of 1986.

10. Early February: The Beanpot Trot

This might not be as famous as the Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle,” but it’s every bit as entertaining and embarrassing. Leading up to the 1986 Beanpot, the Boston College hockey team wrote, choreographed and videotaped the “Beanpot Trot.” The Eagles ultimately lost 4-1 to archrival Boston University in the Beanpot final, but this is much more memorable than the game itself. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing for BC is another story.

9. April 21: Robert de Castella breaks Boston Marathon record

In becoming the the first (and still only) Australian to win the Boston Marathon, de Castella did it in record time. De Castella finished in 2:07:51, shattering the previous record by a full minute. His record stood until 1994 when Kenyan Cosmas Ndeti beat it by 36 seconds.

8. April 12: Canadiens sweep Bruins

It’s always memorable when the B’s and Habs meet in the playoffs, but this is one of the less memorable matchups, especially for B’s fans. Led by Keith Crowder’s 38 goals and 84 points, the B’s finished just one point behind Montreal in the regular season. But the Habs, backstopped by rookie goalie Patrick Roy, made quick work of their rivals in the playoffs, winning three straight en route to claiming the Stanley Cup.

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After stealing second base on Sunday, Johnny Damon looked up and saw that third was also uncovered and took off, stealing it as well. It was a heads up play by Damon and a costly mistake by the Phillies, who had mounted a dramatic comeback to tie the game in a game that would have tied the series, 2-2. 

We all know how that game ended, but it opens up an interesting subject. How often have we seen athletes make game-changing mistakes that cost their team wins? We decided to list some of the more (un)forgettable moments.

Chris Webber calls a timeout
Webber, while maybe not one of the all-time NBA greats, was a good big man and a contributor for the teams he played for. However, he will always be known for calling a timeout in the 1993 NCAA championship game between Michigan and UNC. In retrospect, there was plenty of time left in the game for Michigan to set up a play and if the Michigan guards, who usually handle the ball, had helped after the rebound, we might only talk about how Michigan collapsed and not how Webber lost the game for his team.

Andres Escobar scores own goal
Escobar was a defender on the Columbian 1994 FIFA World Cup team. Despite a celebrated career, he cemented himself in sports history when he scored an own goal in a match on June 22 against the United States while attempting to redirect a shot from U.S. midfielder, John Harkes.

The result of the own goal was the U.S. winning the match, 2-1. Columbia failed to advance past the first round in the tournament, and helped propel the U.S. into the second round, where they lost a 1-0 match to Brazil. The win over Columbia put U.S. soccer on the map in terms of World Cup play. For Colombia and Escobar, the result was far more harrowing. On July 2, 1994, Escobar was shot and killed in front of a bar. His death is widely believed to be punishment for the own goal.

Jim Marshall runs the wrong way
As a football player, this is one of those situations that you hope never happens to you.
It was an athletic play to pick up the ball on one bounce, but you have to pay attention to where you are! Even to this day Marshall can’t live it down. But at least Roy Riegels has company.

Bill Buckner 

Need I say more?

Merkle’s Boner

The granddaddy of all brain cramps in U.S. professional sports, which has been immortalized in culture and literature. Fred Merkle, a rookie making his first-ever big-league start, was on first base when one of his Giants teammates lined an apparent walkoff single against the Cubs, with whom New York was in a heated pennant race. Rather than touching second, however, Merkle sprinted straight from first base to the Giants clubhouse, located in centerfield, to avoid a flood of fans on the field. Johnny Evers of the Cubs somehow retrieved the ball (or a ball), brought the umpires back on the field as he stepped on second for a force out, and insisted that Merkle was out. Instead of a Giants walk-off win, the game was declared a suspended tie that the Cubs ultimately won, a pivotal moment in their claiming the pennant and their last World Series triumph in 1908. 

These plays and others like them will live on in infamy because of how much fans cherish sports and their favorite teams. These plays gain significance over the years because they are often deciding factors in what makes an individual, a team or game memorable.