The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-01-21

x son Square Garden
Williams My favorite middle
distance runner has always been
Joie Ray. Possibly, because he was
hard boiled. Ray had more color
than an old-time Bowery black eye.
1t was hard to distinguish his am
bition from his arrogance, or his
confidence from his conceit. Be
sides he could pick up those puppies
and put them down with plenty of
speed. Taking him by and large he
was an interesting specimen.
tt Il
AS runner Hahn is better
than Ray ever was. But as a per-
sOnality he is as drab and cold
as a surgical report. All he has is
a great pair of feet. But some
people want that old personal
magnetism, and this is not easy
to find in a pair Of feet.
TTAFIN is one of those mechan-
Il 4 ical men of sports. You wind
him up and off he goes, click
ing away with a precise, steady
movement that carries him to his
goal without effort or incident.
Tommy Gibbons was that sort of
fighter, and it wasn't until he was
an old man and about through that
anybody took him seriously.
Ball players will tell you Herb
Pennock is as capable a left
handler as RUDE Waddell ever dared
to be. The RUDE has been dead for
years. His big league days ended
twenty years ago. Yet his memory
still lives, Pennock will be speed
lily forgotten.
There's nothing circusy about
Pennock. He's just great pitcher,
He never stayed up all night chasing
fire engines; he never sent the out
field and the infield to the bench
while he pitched solo inning to
retire the side; he never, in short,
did anything that lifted him above
the daily routine of cold, perfect
efficiency.
All this makes a difference.
Just why is not simple to say.
Crowd psychology, like chop suey
formulate, is difficult of ANALYSIS.
CTILL, Hahn for all his austerity
~ and lack of color has an in
teresting background and even if he
never commands one of those
Ruthian followings in track circles
he will always stand out as an ex-
traordinary figure.
He was dash man in high school,
where he ran the hundred in 10 Us
seconds. One year, 1919. he won an
interscholastic championship for
his school single handed. The lone
entrant, he finished first in four
events.
The following year he quit COM
petition and was idle for four years.
In 1923 he moved to Boston. The
lure of tie track crept back into his
legs and he joined the Boston A. A.
to train under Jack Ryder. Ryder
watched him run in Che dashes and
decided he was made tor the middle
distances
From now on you run in the
mile" Ryder ordered.
Hahn's first start was at Wor-
cester, Mass, against Ray. He had
a twenty-yard start over the Chi
cago taxi cab driver. Hahn won by
ten yards. He was the first Ameri-
can to beat Ray in stretch finish.
The third time Hahn ran the
mile he won the junior National
A. A. U. title at Chicago in the
great time of 4 minutes and %
seconds. Since then he has been
one Of the games most remark
able milers. Last winter he
created an international sensation
by winning from Edwin Wide, the
Swede.
TTAHN outsmarted Wide. He
4 4 Jumped" him at an unlocked
for moment. Wide, caught by sur
prise, lost his stride and before he
could recover Hahn was five yards
in front. This was on the second
to last lap. Hahn held the advan-
tage to the end.
Hahn is q freak Of the track. He
has no form. He runs with arms
held high and with an upward,
awkward knee action that is con-
trary to all accepted doctrines of
the sport. 1t is a cross between a
springing and running style.
Ryder was once asked why he
didn't try to teach Hahn how to
run properly.
eff I did I would ruin him." he
answered. Hes a great runner be-
cause he runs naturally"