Evening star., 1948-12-01
St. Johns Head Gels Delayed
ChuckIes Over Zube Sullivan
By Lewis +. Atchison

morning some years ago-never
you mind how many-when
Coach Zube Sullivan looked up
and saw a tall. skinny youngster
with sandy hair send one swish
ing through the net from mid
court.
Hey. kid" he growled in that
traffc-cop voice. why aren't
you out for the team?"
I'D like to play. Mr.. Sullivan"
the boy replied, but I have to
work after school,"
You be here Monday after
noon" commanded zube. I'VE
can use you"
We went back to ST Johns the
other morning for a visit with
that tall, but no longer frail-
looking younester. This time we
sat in the front Office because
Johnny Schlegel is now Brother
Edmund Clement of the Chris
tian Brothers and director of st.
Johns College high school.
"Zube didn't care whether
you worked or not" Brother
Clement recalled. HE didn't
have much material and I sup
pose any boy with strength
enough to throw the ball looked
good to him. I played, but I also
worked in a drugstore every other
night from 6 until II o'clock,
and had a job on the side col
lecting bills for The Star. 1t was
difficult keeping everything go
ing at times, but I had a lot OF
fun doing it."
Brother Clement simply roarS
when he recalls some Of his epi-
sodes with Zube. There was the
La Sale game when he missed
three fouls in a row, with st.
Johns two points behind, and
Zube tossed a towel to him. And
the time he was picked of third
in the ninth inning Of a baseball
game with Eastern with the op-
position leading, 2-1.
II turned my head for second
to get the sign from lube"
Brother Clement said, "and the
next thing I knew Willie Fisher
had the ball and tagged me out.
Zube was so mad that day I
went over the fence and ran all
the way home"
Brother could tell the story,
too. of the day St. Johns went
to Alexandria to play st. Mary's
Celtics. Short one player, Brother
Clement persuaded zube to let
his friend Augie Geiger, good
player, round out the nine. En-
route to the game, crammed
into one auto, they stopped and
bought some bananas. Snake"
Lewis ate an even dozen and
then pitched a Shit game. The
Celtics, however, had a 81 lead
In the ninth with two out when
Joe Hudson slammed a triple.
Geiger was up next and, for one
of the few times in his career,
struck out. Zube was ready to
take a bat to Brothers hide that
day.
It was a good st. Johns team,
what there was of it. with the
late Bill Rapp at third base,
Walter Morris on second, Hudson
at short and Joe Lucas catching.
We boys thought, Geiger would
have been one of Washington's
all-time great athletes had he
played school sports. His brother.
Marcus Geiger, was an-hlgh
guard at Tech in footballs but
Augie was an all-around athlete
who could play any position.
HE used to take us to the
symphony concerts" Brother
Clement recalled, but the music
was too deep for us and always
put us to sleep, much to Augie's
disgust"
Brother Clement grew up in
the neighborhod of Fifth and
K streets NE, where a young
ster had to be a good athlete
to have any standing with his
cronies. One of his rivals for
the first-string coaching Jon
with the defunct Pcerlc-5 A. c.
was Sonny Workman, who later
became one of the turf's leading
jockeys.
Sonny was tough as nails
and a good catcher, too" Brother
said. He would night twice MS
weight in wildcats and wouldn't
let anybody come into the plate.
But Geiger was the pitcher, and
after I caught three pop fouls
in one game he always let me
catch him."
Dick Mothershead was pitch
er-manager of the old Saks
Clothiers in those days and some
of the crowd thought he was a
bit too polite and we'll groomed
to be much of an athlete. Broth
er Clement subscribed to the
majority opinion until the day
Saks was short a catcher and
Geiger, also a member of the
team. persuaded MotherShead to
let his friend catch.
Dick pitched" Brother related,
"and all he did was strike out
Is batters with the hardest fast
ball I ever had seen. II I'm not
mistaken. Walter Haight played
for the other team and ! think
we threw him out twice trying
to steal second"
Brother Clement played on so
many basket ball teams he had
difficulty keeping his dates
straight. One night Peerless
A. c., St. Peters Club and
st. Johns were scheduled to
play and he was a big wheel on
all three. He drove the Peerless
players to their game at the
Army War College. phoned his
regrets to st. Peters and starred
for st. Johns.
st. Peters won the 145-pound
South Atlantic basket ball cham
pionship In 1929 when Jack
Hickey, the Kane brothers, Nc
Quillan, McVean and Robey
completed the seven man roster.