A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

play ball • play the ball
play ball —
1
. engage in a sport such as baseball, soccer, etc.:
My buddies couldn’t decide where we wanted to play ball, so
we gave up and went to a movie instead 2. go along with a
person; cooperate willingly in a plan or activity: I might have
played ball just a little, but I scorned to.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase play catch-up ball—
1
. play a game determinedly when
one is losing: “We made them play catch-up ball,” commented
head coach Rick Schwiebert. 2. work hard to recover from a
disadvantage: For the last two years it’s been a matter of playing
catch-up ball with the budget.
play the ball —(in cricket, football, etc.) hit or kick the ball:
I pointed to the penalty mark, but the defender protested
loudly that he had played the ball.
plain sailing
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Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase play the ball not the man— not resort to attacks directed
against the character of the person rather than the subject under
discussion: Let’s play the ball not the man comrades, simply hurl -
ing insults at people who differ with our views will not help.
play by ear • play it by ear
play by ear —play music without notes by relying on one’s
sense of tune and harmony: In fact I can only play by ear and
have never been able to read music.
play it by ear —act in a situation taking things as they come
with no prior plans: I’m still not sure what I’ll do when I get
there, I’m just going to play it by ear.
play donkey • play donkey-drop
play donkey —take part in a simple card game played with
special cards: Rachel forced us to play donkey with her. For
some reason she kept winning and I’m always losing.
play donkey-drop —(cricket, tennis, etc.) hit a slow ball so
that it travels in a high curve: He is content to play “donkey
drops” back into court, awaiting the right ball to hit.