CLEVELAND — Joe Maddon has played the roles of philosopher, comedian, zoo director, T-shirt maker and self-help guru in his two years as Cubs manager.

But now that he’s the first manager to take the Cubs to a World Series since Charlie Grimm in 1945, his sole task is to outmaneuver Indians counterpart Terry Francona, one of the best in the business.

The pressure is on, and we all know what Maddon thinks about pressure.

“Why would you ever want to run away from that?” Maddon said before Monday’s workout at Progressive Field. “The alternative right now is I could be in Tampa cooking steaks in my backyard, making sure DirecTV is working properly.

“I’d much prefer this reality, so I plan to enjoy it. I want our guys to enjoy the moment. I want them to take mental snapshots of everything we’re doing out here. It’s really difficult to get into this position — really difficult.

“This is fortunately my third time I’ve had a chance to do this, where our players, a lot of them it’s the first time. Enjoy it. Enjoy it. Go play your game. It’s another game.”

Maddon was a coach on the 2002 Angels team that beat the Giants in a seven-game World Series, and he managed the Rays to the 2008 World Series, where they lost to the Phillies in five games.

Ben Zobrist, who played under Maddon with the Rays, said there’s no difference between the old model and the 2016 version.

“It’s the same, except a little bit more moves because of the National League, the double-switching and that,” Zobrist said. “Same guy, same stuff.”

Maddon interviewed for the Red Sox managerial opening in the winter of 2003. Theo Epstein, then the Red Sox general manager, liked what he heard, even if he didn’t hire Maddon.

“I saw just how different he was than anyone else we ever interviewed — his offbeat sense of humor and the use of the language and the way his mind worked, and his mode of transportation,” Epstein said, referring to Maddon’s bike.

“Everything about him was different than what you’d expect from a manager, and it was refreshing.”

Epstein believed Maddon was ready but thought Boston was the wrong market for him at the time. So he hired Francona, who went on to win two World Series rings with the Red Sox, ending the “Curse of the Bambino” in 2004.

“In the end we loved (Maddon) but thought taking over a veteran team in a big market, there would’ve been some risk involved because he’s so unique,” Epstein said. “He could go to Tampa, which was a Petri dish at the time, try some things out, grow into it with young players and blossom.

“And for us, having (Francona), who had already managed in the big leagues (with the Phillies), I think it turned out great for both.”

But Epstein didn’t forget about Maddon. And when an out clause in Maddon’s Rays contract made him available after 2014, Epstein jumped, even though Rick Renteria had two years left on his deal.

Maddon hit the road running with his “shot-and-a-beer” news conference at the Cubby Bear, where he said he would be “talking playoffs” in 2015. The Cubs indeed made it, losing in the NL Championship Series, then began talking World Series in the spring.

That’s when Maddon dressed up like a hippie and drove onto the field in a 1976 Dodge van he called a “shaggin’ wagon,” some of the daily spring wackiness that is vintage Maddon.

“I think it’s part of the formula of who we are,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “It’s fun, and spring training can get long sometimes. In our camp, it’s fun every day. You don’t know what to expect.”

The lack of rules in the clubhouse makes Maddon a players’ manager, and that has helped make this group of diverse personalities such a tight-knit bunch.

“He does a great job of just allowing his players to be themselves,” pitcher Jake Arrieta said. “As a young player, I can look back on my first year (with the Orioles) and had a feeling that I kind of was walking on eggshells. I didn’t want to do or say the wrong thing to make the wrong person upset.

“That doesn’t happen here. Guys can do or say whatever they need to say. You might get yelled at by another guy on the team, but we do hold ourselves accountable. And it’s fun to do it that way. You police yourself, you give guys a lot of freedom. We don’t take advantage of it, and that’s why it works.”

Maddon is so quotable, Epstein once joked the media should help pay part of his salary. We’ve heard all of his stories about Idaho Falls, Gene Autry Park and the Hazleton-West Hazleton football game a thousand times. We’ve heard him utter dialogue from every episode of “The Office” and name-drop his mom, Beanie.

But we’ve never seen him be rude or condescending. We’ve never seen him refuse to answer a question, no matter how irrelevant.

The journey made Maddon who he is, and the journey is why the Cubs are here now.

“I’m really grateful for the fact it took me so long to become a manager,” Maddon said. “Because I think all of the experiences I’ve had permitted me to think the way I do right now.”

Think different.

It’s now part of the Cubs Way.