Pinza Playoff Pool Preview #2 - Team Defense

We'll continue to explain and preview the pool I'm hosting for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If you've made it to this entry, thank you! If you're new to my blog - welcome. I promise I write about things other than fantasy hockey...I'm just trying to get back into a routine after a one-blog-in-eleven-years hiatus. (It was a good entry, but very serious.) My re-entry blog is a bit more multi-faceted, and if you want to go back to the start of the hockey thread, here you go.

OK, back to the business. My Stanley Cup Playoff Pool is doubling as a fundraiser for Language Arts scholarships at Chabot College. You can download the form directly from this link; the fee/donation details are at the bottom of this blog.

Today, we preview how the grids are completed by featuring defensive statistics:

Hockey does use goaltenders, as in soccer, but they calculate shots differently. Here, we only refer to "shots on goal", which can only result in goals or saves. A shot that hits the goalpost in hockey does not count as a shot on goal, whereas it is tallied as a "shot on target" in soccer.

On this particular grid, note that Los Angeles leads the West in fewest goals and shots allowed, so Edmonton moves into the center square as the next-highest ranked team for shots allowed. If we were to put LA in the center square, Vancouver could claim the fewest goals spot in the West - it's the next highest-ranked team in that conference.

We now look at the same statistics, limited to just the last month's worth of games (the NHL's trade deadline was March 8):

In this more limited window, all the top row teams were among the top four in the league in fewest shots against. So the middle row shows you the next-highest teams in that category.

And discerning readers may catch that you've seen ten different teams from the East across the four preview grids so far. That's because there is a very tight race for the final two spots in the playoffs. As of this moment, the Islanders and Washington occupy those spots, but Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Detroit are all within two points of sneaking in with four games remaining in the season. 

Up next, an explanation of how we determine the "longest playoff series" in the first round.

Pinza Playoff Pool Preview #1 - How to Play

This blog is going to be practically focused on the pool I've created for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. At least half of the proceeds from this pool will be donated toward Language Arts scholarships for students at Chabot College wishing to pursue a degree in English or another language. (For more on the "origin story," see my previous entry.)

Structure of the Game

The Stanley Cup Playoffs consists of four rounds - eight teams qualify from the Eastern and Western Conferences for a total field of sixteen. Every match-up is a best-of-seven series within the conference until the final two teams - the champions of each Conference - square off for the coveted Stanley Cup.

As the playoffs unfold, poolies will be given three different 3 x 3 grids to complete. The goal is to predict which teams will end up leading the league or their conference in certain statistics during the designated round.

Here is the grid for the first round of the playoffs, which begins on April 20:

Round 1 Fill in the grid with nine different teams that match the intersecting criteria for Round 1 of the playoffs.

	League Leader	Next best in Western Conference	Next best in Eastern Conference
Most goals scored
Fewest goals allowed
Played in longest series.

Players will earn 2 points for each correct team under "League Leader", and one point for correct teams in the other columns. Highest score after the first round will win a payout (I'm budgeting $2 per player at this point.)

Sample Grids (Offense)

Here are some sample grids with different categories to help you understand how the game works and get you started on your research and preparation. One challenge in the first round is to fill your grid with nine different teams. Thus, if the same team ends up leading more than one category, we'll necessarily have to give some second- or third-best teams a chance to "win" that square.

Let's look at two examples. First, this grid represents statistics through games played last Sunday, April 7:

A quick note - in hockey, when a player commits a penalty, they are removed from the game for an amount of time (usually two minutes), and the other team is allowed to play with an advantage for that time. This is known as a "power play" for the team with the extra player. Conversely, "even-strength" refers to the time when no team has any penalties -- both teams have their full complement on the ice.

For the grid above, if you look at the actual statistics for this part of the season (and the NHL website has a pretty good, easily filtered and sorted stats section), the three teams that lead in total goals also lead the league in even-strength goals. Thus, the "winning" teams in the middle row have to be the next-highest ranked teams. The same is true in shots per game: Los Angeles actually ranks behind other Western teams who are already on the grid (Colorado and Edmonton).

The next sample highlights just the last month or so of the season - games played after the league's trade deadline:

Once again, since Colorado and Edmonton are tops in the league in multiple categories, Los Angeles and Nashville sneak onto the grid as the next-highest ranked teams. 

The pool will feature three grids total, as I said. The second round will have a new grid where you'll, once again, pick teams for each square. After that round, we'll only have four teams left, so the final grid will ask you to use individual players to fill in each square.

As we get ready to start the playoffs, I'll provide more sample grids using statistical categories that will be similar to what you'll be asked to predict in the pool grids. My next preview will focus on defense statistics -- goals allowed and saves made.

How to Donate & Participate

While our college foundation sets up the direct-donation link for scholarships, you can Venmo me your entry fee of $20 using this link or the QR code below. 

If you'd like to donate more, simply add on to that amount. I'll only pull $10 for the pool. Or if you want it all to be donated and you don't want to play in the pool, just send a note to that effect. I appreciate any and all support. Thank you!!

Here you can download the form with your Round 1 grid. You can post your completed grid in the comments, email it to me (coach.pinza@gmail.com), or send it via WhatsApp. 

Check out my other preview blogs for a snapshot of which teams are leading in defense, extra game time, and other stats that may appear on the future grids.

Thank you for reading and (hopefully) playing.

When Hockey and Sudoku Lock Eyes, and They Know....

Believe it or not, ESPN was showing a game last night that was NOT college basketball or baseball. It was a hockey game: Dallas 7, Colorado 4. These are two of the top teams in the Western Conference, with the Colorado Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup championship two years ago, and the Dallas Stars reaching the Cup Final two years before that. 

This was appointment viewing for me because the performance of five players in this game would determine whether I could squeeze out a late comeback victory in my fantasy hockey league. Alas, my team fell just short and will now have to play for 3rd place in the made-up contest this coming week. But the action itself was thrilling: players gliding at a blistering pace up, down, and around each other, firing laser-precise passes and snapping shots on goal, diving after loose pucks and slamming into opponents. It was a great spectacle even without the extra emotional investment, yet fantasy hockey allows me to study a game that already entertains me, learning more about the league, its teams and players, and the variety of ways their performances are measured. In my leadership, I'm committed to data- and evidence-driven decision-making, studying both the statistics and the stories that describe how our education system serves our students, including where it continues to keep learning at bay for some populations. As a hobby, fantasy hockey gives me an additional outlet for these analytical skills without the pressure of fighting historic inequities.

In recent years, I've also started playing Sudoku. I'm intrigued - maybe even entranced - by the challenge of taking a few pieces of data and gradually drawing conclusions out of them until the full picture emerges. It's a good reminder that there is always a solution hiding behind the few numbers we can see. There is only one way that these particular digits can fit together, and we can dig it out if we're thinking with enough care and creativity. I feel a comforting sense of hope in these puzzles.  

A few months back, a long-time friend and fantasy league-mate Marc introduced me to the dream child of these two hobbies of mine: Puckdoku. It's truly a hockey trivia contest - one in which I am regularly bested by our small group of puck geeks. (Marc and I try to fit in as many former and current San Jose Sharks as possible. Cuz who wouldn't want a little extra agony?) But I'm hooked by this simple, engaging format. It actually reminds me of the football pools we spontaneously put together as a family during the NFL playoffs last January. My wife hails from Michigan, so while my siblings and parents were rooting hard for the Niners, our house had a not-so-secret affinity for the resurgent Detroit Lions. When the two teams met in the NFC Championship, we put together a small grid with numbers on each axis and devised some "prop bets" to increase the prizes that could be won. We repeated this for the Super Bowl, and here again, the added investment in our game helped to offset any disappointment we may have had in the "big game" results. Moreover, it brought our family closer and gave us a chance to chat and exchange texts during the week when we often miss those opportunities amid all the crazy-busy. Funny how a simple game can build those connections. Another good leadership lesson.

Now that the Stanley Cup Playoffs are approaching, I hope to re-capture that magic with a playoff pool of my own that will double as a fundraiser for student scholarships at Chabot College. While we are in the process of setting up a direct-donation link, anyone willing to try my Puckdoku Playoff Pool for $20 will donate half that amount towards Language Arts scholarships for students transferring to university to pursue Bachelors degrees in English or another language. Reciprocally, I'll only be keeping $10 per player for the prize pool, so if you wish to increase your donation, simply add to your payment. 

Subsequent blogs will preview how the pool works and offer some insights into which teams might serve you best as you complete the nine-square grid. As there are four rounds in the playoffs, there will be three different grids. You predict which TEAMS fit in each square during the first two rounds, then use individual PLAYERS for the last grid (Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals.)

Here is the grid for the first round of the playoffs:

Round 1 Fill in the grid with nine different teams that match the intersecting criteria for Round 1 of the playoffs.

	League Leader	Next best in Western Conference	Next best in Eastern Conference
Most goals scored
Fewest goals allowed
Played in longest series.

The next blog will demonstrate how to participate in the pool, donate toward the scholarships, and complete the grid, looking at the goal-scoring for teams around the league this season. 

Stay tuned...

Circling Back

Revisiting this Blog

This preamble is a short recap of how I stumbled back into this space after over a decade of dormancy. I'm up before dawn on a Sunday, leisurely enjoying breakfast and some personal time when I look at that dotted Rubik's cube in the corner of my Gmail and wonder -- is my blog still there? The one I started in, what was it, 2012? Lo and behold, not only was it there, but it instantly threw me back to 2016 - the year of my last post, which happened to be written the day after Trump was elected President. (The only such election he's won so far, let's be clear.)

It turns out I started the blog in 2010, and if I dust off the memory, it's because I was about to launch an AP English Language class wherein I wanted students to blog on a regular basis. I was never much for journal-writing, personally, so I resisted assigning a journal to students. But I wanted this new class I was developing to incorporate several new elements that were not quite woven into modern schooling just yet, particularly this burgeoning "internet" that everyone was talking about. Asking students to blog seemed to make the most sense, which led me to start one myself. 

As you can see if you scroll through the front page, I managed about an entry a month for two years. Then, in 2013, the gaps between entries get a little wider. That was when I was wrapping up my Master's degree and beginning to seek an administrative position. I handed off the speech and debate program I had helmed for a dozen years, and in July of that year, jumped into my first full-time leadership position as an Associate Principal at William C. Overfelt High School in San Jose. And the blogs mostly stopped. 

The time may be right to bring them back. Compared to the stability of being an English teacher stalwart from 1999-2012, the next dozen years, when viewed as a whole, looks like a churning, volatile evolution. I've served as Associate Principal, Principal, and state-level curriculum developer. In the last two years, I have been called into adult-learning centers, becoming the first on-site leader for a district's Post-Secondary program, and now, I am a dean at a community college. There is a firmness under me that I haven't felt in a while. Shortly after our son moved out to start his university journey, my wife and I relocated to be closer to the college where I work. We rediscovered community - a warm and welcoming neighborhood and city, inviting us to plant a new set of roots. And I'm really quite excited to do that, to get to know as many of my colleagues and neighbors and fellow community members as I can. To learn the language and the heartbeat of this new landscape. I know my wife is eager to do the same - heck, she knows a lot more neighbors than I do. And I've encouraged her to write a blog as a way of inviting that connection.

So the circle closes. Time for me to come back and model modern journalling. The irony is that I also have an "analog" journal that I write in each morning - a beautiful leather-bound gift from the college Vice President that supervises me. It has the word "Leader" embossed on the front cover. And I've made a personal goal to complete 250 entries this calendar year. I'm on pace, so far - about a quarter of the way there.

Don't be surprised if some of those entries get re-posted here. I may not be able to keep up this online journal otherwise. 😉😆

Back to Work in the Barrio on November 9

I go into work today surrounded by the reasons for Trump. Not voters for Trump - reasons for Trump.

I serve a community where 80% of the households never attended college. Over half of our families have parents that never finished high school. The Great Recession devoured 5.6 million jobs that these workers were qualified for, and the recovery has given back almost nothing - just 80,000 new jobs can be had without any college coursework.

The neighborhoods around us are full of young people eager to prepare themselves for college and to pursue a much better future. Their parents, on the other hand, are a decade or more removed from student life, yet America’s new economy insists that they, too, must return to school before they can return to work. Meanwhile, during President Obama’s tenure, college tuition has risen by one-third to one-half even at the community college level. In a painfully real sense, adults with no college history and no job are caught in the economy’s growing sinkhole. Can’t get work without college, can’t afford tuition without work, can’t attend classes cuz ya gotta work --- can’t attend my classes in high school because I have to work to pay the rent that my parents cannot quite afford because they have no college experience. This is exactly how poverty becomes generational. It is also how millions of citizens perceive that the system is rigged against them.

The housing collapse that brought all this on gave us two polarizing populist movements -- Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party -- screaming the same flabbergasted question: Why is the government bailing out banks and corporations instead of helping us? Has anyone in power effectively answered that question in a way that East Side San Jose or Detroit or Pittsburgh can understand? I’m grateful that we had a skilled economist in the White House for eight years; no doubt he saved us from utter ruin. But that’s the large “us” that he saved. The smaller version of “us” is still wondering, eight years later, why we aren’t any closer to solvency, why we still can’t climb even one step above destitution.

The best that either major party has offered are their tired lines about tax breaks for the already-successful (Occupy and Tea Party: “bailout - we tried that already”) and the vague mantra of “creating new jobs” (East Side: “but we need college to get them and we can’t afford college”). Besides, that duolith is so soaked in cash that it’s hard to believe that they will really, truly build meaningful opportunities for anyone besides themselves. America turned its back on that system yesterday. Instead of a multicultural surge in voter turnout this year, when you compare to 2008, over 11 million citizens voted outside the duolith or stayed away from the polls completely. And in the end, our president-elect successfully cast himself as the enemy of both parties.  

I don’t believe that Trump or his party have the answers -- not by a long shot. I don’t believe he’ll bring about the revolution that his supporters crave. But I understand the anger, the fear, and the frustration that made him the champion of those living on the edge of the sinkhole. I work at that sinkhole. The families I serve live right on that edge. They predominantly speak Spanish, and today their students walk into school under a blanket of fear about what might happen to their loved ones before they even have a chance to get to college. I reject and resent the campaign that thrust this blanket over our communities. In fact, I reject any and every campaign that tries to cast a blanket over any community; whether they lack education or native birth, no family deserves to have their plight or their beliefs demeaned. The healing begins when we peel off those derisive and dismissive blankets, because underneath those labels, East Side frustration isn’t that much different from Detroit’s or Pittsburgh’s or Green Bay’s or Cleveland's. If I can counsel my students today to peer out from that heavy, terrified blanket and see that common thread, perhaps we can begin to rise together.