Maddon needs no excuse for Chapman moves

CHICAGO — Joe Maddon is returning to manage the Cubs next season, and then probably the one after that, and two or three after that. Maybe even 10 more. Who knows?

Winning never gets old, at least not to the people actually doing it.

Try as they might, second-guessers in the media and among the Cubs’ post-drought fan base aren’t going to be able to run off Maddon. He would love some more World Series rings to go with the one he won in 2016, even if the criticism he’s receiving for his handling of Aroldis Chapman is putting a cloud over his celebration.

“My intent was to win, and we could not have won without him,” Maddon said on Friday at an event in his home town of Hazleton, Pa.

Maddon was responding to Chapman saying he was overused in the postseason, which has been a common theme since Maddon pulled Mike Montgomery to bring the closer in during the seventh inning of Game 6 against the Indians.

Cry me a river.

This was the World Series, and the Cubs forfeited their chance for delicate handling of pitchers by putting themselves in a three-games-to-one hole when they couldn’t hit Cleveland pitching. If ever there was an all-hands-on-deck situation, this was it.

And not only did Chicago manage to come back in dramatic fashion, with Chapman playing the role of Goose Gossage or another old-time closer, but the lefty has since signed a five-year, $86 million contract with the Yankees.

Where’s the angst in all this?

The Cubs ended their 108-year drought and Chapman became the most highly paid relief pitcher ever, shattering the pre-2016 mark set by Jonathan Papelbon by $36 million. Yet Maddon’s handling of Chapman remains a hot-button issue among fans.

Chapman had thrown 2 2/3 innings to get a save in the Cubs’ 3-2 win in Game 5, then would throw 1 1/3 innings in both Games 6 and 7, piling up 97 pitches in four days. The takeaway moment for critics came when Rajai Davis delivered a game-tying home run in the …

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