{"product_id":"baseball-college-and-the-toad-michael-periman-9798233264160","title":"Baseball, College, and the Toad from Hell","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt was supposed to be the best year of his life.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1989\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA scholarship to play college baseball. Freedom from his parents. The open road stretching out before him in Southern Illinois.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere was just one problem: his father refused to let him take the family Bronco.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInstead, he got the Toad.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA 1979 Datsun 210 4-door hatchback. Lime green. With a 1.4-liter engine that produced approximately 110 frog power. Maximum speed: 50 mph going downhill with a tailwind and divine intervention. Special features: backfired like a drive-by shooting every time you shifted gears, leaked mysterious fluids on rival vehicles' tires, and may or may not have been possessed by multiple demonic personalities.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor one unforgettable year, this mechanical nightmare became the unlikely center of every adventure, disaster, and near-arrest in a young baseball player's life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough backfiring gears, oil-leak territorial marking, and what may have been actual conversations with a sentient vehicle, one thing became clear: the Toad wasn't just transportation. It was a character. A legend. And possibly a felony waiting to happen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor fans of Patrick F. McManus, Dave Barry, and David Sedaris comes a hilarious memoir of small-town life, college chaos, and the worst car ever manufactured.\u003c\/strong\u003e It's a story about baseball, friendship, and learning that sometimes the things we hate most become the stories we tell forever-and the unexpected lessons that shape us when we least expect it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBecause sometimes life's greatest teachers have four wheels, a bad attitude, and a tendency to pee on other cars.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Periman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798233264160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael D Periman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 88\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.21d","brand":"Michael Periman","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48520306032895,"sku":"9798233264160","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_20288b2a-9ab4-429f-a8d1-b25550ccb138.jpg?v=1778741968","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/baseball-college-and-the-toad-michael-periman-9798233264160","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}