Under the attentive guidance of a volunteer manager passionate about baseball, a group of boys assembled as the “B” team to play travel baseball for their town team. In Shortstop … or Bust!, author Linda Padilla-Diaz shares a compilation of stories covering the journey through the five years her two sons played competitive traveling youth baseball—from her perspective as both a mother and the manager’s wife. Shortstop … or Bust! describes Padilla-Diaz’s love of the game and delves into parents’ fixation for their children’s extracurricular activities, seeking the glorified shortstop position. The humorous, touching chronicle of lefty Derek and manager Harry provides firsthand insight into the growing revolution and competitiveness of youth travel baseball. The story begins with the modest commencement of the team with overzealous coaches and dads and describes their winning transformation through several seasons. Padilla-Diaz offers an entertaining play-by-play account of events and provides an up-close view of the games the team played. Offering a personal account into the harried nature of youth baseball, Shortstop … or Bust! presents an informative, amusing, and bittersweet story about the five-year journey of a group of boys who worked hard and played hard to win.