CU President Dr. Joseph Stowell“Hey, Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today. Go, Cubs, go! Go, Cubs, go!”

Cornerstone President Joe Stowell smiles as he sings these words from the famous Cubs anthem, written by Chicago folk legend Steve Goodman.

“There’s no fans like Cubs fans; they always pack out Wrigley field,” Stowell said. “’Go Cubs Go;’ all the fans sing it after they win a game. The whole place sways.”

It’s obvious from the way Stowell talks about this team that he loves the Cubs. But his passion for Chicago baseball wasn’t always there.

“I grew up in New Jersey, just outside of New York. I was a raving fan of the New York Yankees in the good old days,” Stowell said.

In fact, Stowell’s favorite sports story doesn’t involve a Cubs player, but his hero Mickey Mantle from the Yankees.

“I idolized Mickey Mantle. Every time I played sports I chose seven. I used to want his autograph, but I never got it,” Stowell said.  He’s shared the story of wanting Mantle’s autograph so many times, he now has three baseballs autographed by Mickey Mantle. According to Stowell, it’s because people felt sorry for him.

But the best part about Stowell’s hero was that he became a Christian.

Before Mantle died, Stowell’s friend Bobby Richardson shared some incredible news with him. Richardson, who knew Mantle, led him to the Lord before he passed away.

“I heard he accepted the Lord two weeks before he died. When I go to heaven, I want to go there for Jesus but maybe when He’s busy someday…” Stowell trailed off with a laugh.

After moving to Chicago and living there for 22 years, his love for the Yankees began to turn over into a passion for the Cubs.

“Slowly but surely in Chicago I became a Cubs fan. If you live in Chicago and you like baseball, the Cubs are more fun. Wrigley Field is like a classic baseball stadium,” Stowell said.

Even when the Cubbies are losing, he, along with all the fans, remain faithful. He remembered the curse of the goat, as all Cubs fans do, which began in 1945. Of course, some of the team’s woes are attributed to the curse, but the fans are steadfast.

“There’s a certain something about Cubs fans, they all share in common rooting for losing teams. They wouldn’t be our Cubs anymore if they won!” he exclaimed, laughing.

His favorite Cubs memory was when one of his favorite players, first-baseman Derrek Lee, hit a grand-slam to win a game last season.

“Last season the Cubs were in a terrible slump,” Stowell said. “I was at the game and we were behind by three runs in the ninth, bases loaded with two outs. It was Lee’s first day off the disabled list and who should come out of the dugout? The place went wild.”

And then, he hit a grand slam and the fans really erupted, Stowell said.

Kind of like the city would if both its teams went to the championship.

“Chicago would just go crazy. There would be riots if the Sox and Cubs went to the World Series,” he said.
“If you’re a Cubs fan, you hate the Sox. It’s a north-side, south-side (rivalry). Cubs are the north-side, more white collar. Sox are working class,” Stowell said. “When the Sox played in the ’05 World Series, not many Cubs fans rooted for them. If the Cubs make it to the Series, Sox fans wouldn’t care or watch.”

This of course translates into a good-natured rivalry between Stowell and Dr. Tweitmeyer, an avid White Sox fan.

“I’m worried about him and his spirituality. I’m worried about having a faculty member with this poor judgement,” Stowell joked.

With season tickets, Stowell is hoping for the Cubs to go all the way, since he will still have his seats for the playoffs and World Series.

So if Cornerstone is missing its president in a month, it can only mean one thing: the Cubs have finally made it to the World Series.