The third season of the BBL just concluded, as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Montreal Expos in a hotly contested five-game World Series. We asked Indians coach Ellman some questions about his victory and experience this season.

BBL News Center: Congratulations on your victory! How does it feel to be the new BBL Champion?

Ellman: Thanks! Feels great. Still can’t believe it!

BBL News Center: Did you feel confident about your chances of winning after taking the first two games of the series? How about after the Expos came back and tied the series?

Ellman: I felt confident after I was up 2-0 but after the Expos tied it up 2-2, I was not confident at all! I knew I had to score 50 to have a chance because the Expos seemed to have found their rhythm.

BBL News Center: Did you expect the Indians to be your more successful team, or had you been thinking that the Brewers would do better?

Ellman: Yes I knew from the start that I would play better with the Indians. I was familiar with more of the players and I liked Dirt Yards much more than Sandy Flats.

BBL News Center: We know that Star Moonbeam can be a liability on AI defense as a catcher with a weak arm, but she also scored the deciding run in the Expos’ Game 5. Overall, do you think her strengths as a player outweigh the obvious weaknesses?

Ellman: Yes. She is one of like 4 players with that extreme speed. She has great vision in the outfield as well. I had Piazza at catcher so I didn’t have to worry about her being put at Catcher. She will make her next coach proud with her skills for sure.

BBL News Center: The Indians were one game behind in the AL wild card race with one game to go in the regular season. They then beat the theretofore undefeated Royals to tie the Red Sox, took the tiebreaker to advance, came back from a first game loss to secure an upset against the Monsters, swept the powerhouse Royals, and finally defeated the reigning champion in five games. Would you have expected any of these results going into Game 14?

Ellman: I expected literally none of that. Especially with the way the Indians were ending the season after the strong start. I had always struggled against Yurya and the other 2 coaches are known to be two of the best.

BBL News Center: You did poorly in Season 2, and undoubtedly didn’t look too much like the next champion, but here you are. Any thoughts on this comeback story? Do you have any advice for newer coaches who struggled this season?

Ellman: I just kept picking up on new strategies as I played more games. Sometimes I had to play some grounder ball when I would rather shoot for a homerun. Also, learning how to manage the baserunning has helped me a lot.

BBL News Center: Is your new status as champion going to put any extra pressure on you in Season 4?

Ellman: Yes probably. I hope don’t lay an egg next season and do poorly. My goal is to just make the playoffs next year and we can go from there

BBL News Center: Finally, would you like to nominate an MVP for the series?

Ellman: Henri was easily my MVP. Could get on base for me almost every time and he would hit a homerun when bases were filled. Also he is great in the field. I strongly suggest that he gets picked 1st or 2nd overall in next season’s draft.