Question for the ages

October 8, 2015

With the Chicago Cubs headed to the National League Division Series, the NIU Newsroom posed a question for the ages to Artemus Ward: Are the 2015 Chicago Cubs better than the last Cubs team to win a World Series—in 1908?

Ward is an NIU professor of political science who teaches a spring course on politics and baseball and is extremely knowledgeable about the game’s history. He says the modern-day team is indeed better. And that’s saying something considering the 1908 team won the second of two consecutive World Series championships. Its stars included four future Hall of Fame players.

Ward, who lives near Wrigley Field and has two old seats from the ballpark in his NIU office, has plenty to say on the topic. In addition to his knowledge of Major League Baseball, he is an expert on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tom Parisi, NIU Media and Public Relations