Otto: Cubs are a circus, and Maddon's the ringmaster

The dictionary broadly defines a "ringmaster" as someone in charge of performances in a circus. Joe Maddon should be considered a ringmaster, because this Cubs season is some kind of circus.

So far, it has been a great circus, and one where Maddon has masterfully directed his 25-player roster and their performances. Great ringmasters are only as good as their performers, and the Cubs front office has provided Joe quite a cast.

One part of managing is simply the casting, what names to write down on the lineup card, and in what order. Lately, the 25-player roster which Maddon gets to choose from has changed almost daily. Earlier injuries to players like Dexter Fowler, Miguel Montero, Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber challenged Maddon on what performers to plug into key holes in the lineup.

Dexter Fowler has been one of the best in the business in center field and hitting from the leadoff spot. In a 6-pitch at-bat on Friday against the Oakland A's, Fowler led off the game with a home run. As the catalyst for the Cubs, Joe Maddon's job is a tad easier now just by writing Fowler's name down at the top of the card.

While Miguel Montero's offensive numbers have been down this year, and he has struggled throwing runners out, Miggy does a tremendous job handling a pitching staff. Maddon's challenge will remain when to play Miggy and when to give him a rest, because Miggy is a big reason this pitching staff is as good they are.

Jorge Soler is back from 2 months on the disabled list. That means if he gets hot, the dynamics of the team will change again. Soler's 3-run home run in his first game back Friday certainly makes it easier for Maddon to write his name down.

But a big part of managing is what to do with your players once the game starts. For most games, Maddon has 8 relievers in the bullpen to choose from. However, that leaves only 4 position players on the bench.

That's where the ringmaster Maddon has pulled some rabbits out of his hat.

Maddon used 22 of his 25 performers in a 12-inning victory last Sunday which ended on a Jon Lester bunt that drove in the game-winning run. Lester didn't pitch that night. He only bunted.

But unlike Lester, Travis Wood did pitch that night, in the sixth and eight inning. But not the seventh. Instead, during the seventh inning Wood made a circus catch out in left field.

Willson Contreras is a catcher. One night he's making a sliding catch into the brick wall near the bullpen area at Wrigley in left field. The following night, he is a catcher, and throwing out one of the fastest basestealers in the game, Dee Gordon.

Managers have to handle the daily demands of media and player personalities in addition to the game strategy: when to change pitchers, when to pinch-hit, when to change your defense, etc. I've had the privilege to be around some great managers and each leader handled certain elements of the job better than others.

Maddon's not perfect and he doesn't always make the right decisions. Nobody can. The team on the other side is doing the same thing. It's a chess match every day with some good moves and some bad moves.

Yet I don't think I've seen a ringmaster quite like Maddon where all those elements consistently come together.

• Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former baseball analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame.