We’re two or three fuzzy-cheeked 13- or 14-year-old ballplayers, being driven to a game by one of our coaches, a man who had actually played professionally.

We’re peppering him with questions from the backseat about his experiences, and he’s answering us as best he can. Then he stops us cold with, “But here’s the single most important tip I can give you about playing baseball.”

We lean forward. This is obviously going to be a gem.

“Never,” he says, “Never, ever shave on the morning of a game day. The sweat really burns.”