Lefty o' the training camp

"Lefty o' the Training Camp" by Burt L. Standish is a sports novel written in the early 20th century. It follows star southpaw Lefty Locke through spring training as he helps rebuild a Big League club, scouts a promising young pitcher, and clashes with a volatile rival whose behavior hints at deeper intrigue. Baseball action mixes with questions of character, loyalty, and team chemistry, centering on Lefty, manager Jack Kennedy, the hotheaded Nelson Savage, and newcomer Gene Temple. The opening of the story sets off with a heated train-car debate where Lefty defends organized baseball against a loudmouthed critic who proves to be bush-league pitcher Nelson Savage; tempers flare until a conductor cools things down. Summoned to his manager’s farm, Lefty learns the team’s captain is ill, forcing urgent roster moves; he recommends young Gene Temple to shore up the pitching staff while Kennedy bets on the talented but unstable Savage. In New Jersey, Lefty secures Temple’s rights, glimpses Savage acting suspiciously in a nearby house, then meets Temple—who denies knowing Savage—before a puzzling station encounter shows Savage suddenly contrite and likable. At the Southern training camp, Kennedy vows to keep Savage sober, but Savage turns surly and threatening; Lefty later hears Savage and (he believes) Temple talking secretly in the dark, only to find Temple apparently elsewhere and an old teammate arriving with a tipsy Savage—leaving Lefty unsure who’s telling the truth and what game is being played.

Lefty o' the training camp, by Burt L. Standish. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #77754.