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 Expos coach and Season 2’s champion gmchappe some questions about his experience this season.

BBL News Center: Congratulations on a well-fought series! What are your initial thoughts on your narrow loss?

gmchappe: Thank you very much. I did my best, especially considering I was down 0-2. I fought hard to get 2 wins, and was a run short of pushing it to extras or another tiebreaker. To be near-perfect and still lose … it’s bitter-sweet. But Ellman did what he had to do, and I give him all the credit in the world for dethroning me.

BBL News Center: Did you have much hope of victory after losing the first two games? Did winning the next two games change your outlook on your chances?

gmchappe: I still had hope. I’m never out of it. I had proven that battling back with the Astros in S2, a team that was drafted for me and I grabbed halfway through the season. Games 3 and 4 were perfect by me, and going into Game 5 I basically knew I needed a repeat performance. There was a little added pressure, but nothing I hadn’t faced before. My outlook was the same from start to finish.

BBL News Center: How much does it affect your feeling on the end of the season knowing that you lost by a single AI run?

gmchappe: Y’know, it is a little tough, but I fell victim to my own gameplan, honestly. I went way too hard in the first two innings trying to pile up runs and coast to the end, and I was stuck with Ezra Travolta on the mound (who I’d only used I think once or twice before). Everyone was down on stamina. In the 4th, Star Moonbeam got on base and immediately stole 2nd. Bloop single by some other batter, my 1B couldn’t get to the bag in time and Star was already home. I knew right then that I probably lost. Ellman hadn’t given up many runs especially when he was putting up 50’s. I finished out, scoring the 6 or 7 I needed in the 6th to make it a 50, but yeah. If I hadn’t gassed half my players in the first 2 innings, it might’ve been different. Just the way it went.

BBL News Center: Going into the season, did you expect for the Expos to be your success story, or had you been relying more on the Red Sox?

gmchappe: I thought the Expos would be the tougher team to play with. I learned early on that wasn’t the case. The Red Sox simply don’t have the speed or fielding to limit the occasional run or two when Sommers or Nomar weren’t pitching great. I do love playing with the Red Sox more, because wins took an all-out Home Run Derby versus safe grounderball play from Dunkel and Company. But when drafting both teams I knew going in that it would be two different play-styles; the early losses kept me from getting to the playoffs. Hard to believe that if I squeaked out a win over Jibbo or Tyler with the Sox, the Indians wouldn’t have even made the playoffs, and then they beat me for the World Series title!

BBL News Center: You spent the season as the reigning champion. Did this distinction add any extra pressure during the season to repeat your victory?

gmchappe: At times, yeah. I think more of the pressure came from the 9-0 or start I had with the Expos. Once I came out of the tough division undefeated and then had that big win against the Giants in Week 5, I cruised until the Astros crushed me. The pressure came off a little bit then, because I knew the next time I’d see them was the NLCS [if at all]. I did what I had to do, got wins against the Dodgers, Melons, Fishes, and my Week 14 game against the Marlins was more of a victory lap. Being the reigning champion was fun, and it’s interesting because we’ve been compiling all of these stats and my name hasn’t been at the top of the leaderboard or dominant in any one facet. But everyone knows that I win games. I can do it via dingers, defense, grounderball … doesn’t matter. I match anybody’s game. And I think the pressure gets factored in when I can’t rely on grounderball with the Expos, or all of my HR power is gone with the Red Sox, or just when I have to make in-game adjustments. The pressure comes when people have found that perfect gameplan or drafted a great team, and it takes me a while to crack it.

BBL News Center: Do you have any advice for Ellman as the new reigning champion?

gmchappe: Really to just stick to his gameplan. I’ll tell you right now, even though both games 1 and 2 were weak scores for me, I think +10-15, those very well could have beaten the Ellman I played earlier in the season or in S2. He figured out something down the stretch that really works for him. Drafted a great team, took a while to figure ’em out but clearly he knows what’s going on now. Take that momentum into next season and don’t change a thing. Just know that I can’t let that happen again. Hahah.

BBL News Center: Just how much did Julie Dunkel carry the team during this series?

gmchappe: Julie Dunkel is everything. There are levels to this game, and then there’s Julie freakin’ Dunkel. Once I moved her to the top spot of the lineup, making sure someone got on 2nd base to get the grounderball train rolling, there was no stopping the offense. That reliability helped me hit strictly power with the finicky Molly May, get slap doubles down the line with Bobby Higginson … she opens up the whole playbook. Plays an amazing CF and pitches when I need her. Couldn’t ask for more from any single player in the entire time I’ve played this game. In the playoffs, her dominance was understated, because I needed 50’s. One person can’t do that. But I think she only got out at the plate 2 or 3 times. She was on base and scored runs to near perfection. I didn’t have to worry about the top half of my lineup because of that, so, yeah. She played like the league MVP.