I think Vintage is right, I guess he means the trans case cover. The pin sitting in the cover protrudes just enough to fit the slot on the ball. I guess the purpose is to prevent the shift lever end from damageing the gear shift shafts. Here is a
picture I took ten years ago, maybe you can see the pin on the right side of the case cover.
And here is a
picture from the right side, where you maybe can see the end of the pin.
Finally a
picture of the lever, the lever collar and the two long screws with springs.
And yes, the shift lever is very sloppy! I guess there were some kind of bushing between the ball and the gear shift lever collar, but there was non on my 490. So I use peaces of armoured rubber mat, cut a hole in it, just enough to press it over the ball. After say 1000 kilometers (600 miles), or even less, the rubber is so worn so I have to replace it with a new one.