Dunkel traces the rise of a Bismarck integrated squad and follows them through their ups and downs, focusing on the 1935 season, and the first National Semi-Pro Tournament in Wichita, Kansas--a decade before Jackie Robinson broke into the Major Leagues!

"Left on Base in the Bushes profiles minor league legends and near-misses from baseball's golden era, as well as unknown players and gifted storytellers. Newspaper and magazine stories are interwoven with comments gleaned from some 200 player interviews, many of them dating back to the 1970s, creating a colorful tapestry of baseball and the times"--