William Brashler's novel is story of a black barnstorming ball club in 1939, before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's unofficial color barrier. This edition includes a preface by the author and an introduction by Peter Bjarkman discussing the novel's place in books about the Negro Baseball Leagues and in sports fiction in general.

William Brashler is an author and journalist. His books include the novels City Dogs and Traders and the nonfiction works Josh Gibson: A Life in the Negro Leagues and The Story of Negro League Baseball.