I was in high school when I read Ball Four and there were a couple of things I distinctly remember. First was the part where he talked about the coaches who looked younger by a decade or more because they maintained good suntans. The other was the subcompact beat up car they drove during spring training in Florida. It was a real junker and I think they only put gas in it. No oil or maintenance of any sort. After the last spring training it was abandoned on some street in town. After coming back to the town a couple years later it was discovered parked in the same place. And it still ran!