Don Banks is an Idiot (mistake in Pats article)

[EasyMac]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

Wow, do you really think they have fact-checkers re-run every football, baseball and basketball statistic for every column? That would absolutely shock me -- it would be a huge expense against precious little risk of a lawsuit. (What's the potential litigation in, say, miscalculating the Celtics' free-throw percentage during a road trip? What damages and defamation?)

I have to agree, the expense of keeping "fact checkers" on staff is not something most media is willing to budget for. Certainly fact checking is absolutely necessary and should be done as carefully as possible .... but I have a friend who is the Editor in Chief of a small newspaper and I know for a fact that there is NO extra salary/budget for "fact checkers" so the reporters/writers are expected to do that work themselves.

Not sure if the same budget issues apply to this circumstance/story but I'd wager they do, as budget issues apply to just everyone.

 

[patchick]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

It's such a minor statistical error that no one would probably notice it, though, so the argument really doesn't matter. Calling poor Mr. Banks an idiot for miscalculating the margin of victory, which was then missed by whoever proofread the document as well (there, fair enough?) is hardly fair. He's been more than supportive of the Patriots this year and is one of the better football columnists out there.

Oh, I quite agree on Banks, don't mean to bash him. And there's no question that the overwhelming Patriots machine of mid-season wasn't seen so much in the later games. In fact, my main problem with with article isn't the statistic, it's the premise: that the Patriots in their late-season incarnation aren't good enough to win it all, because they're not as good as the mid-season Patriots. They're still good enough to be the favorite over every team they meet in the post-season...and probably better than some earlier Pats teams that won it all, one tightly fought victory after another.

 

[EasyMac]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

Some people get angry that anyone could imply the Patriots have weaknesses. The same people who will likely be driving a backhoe through those weaknesses if they happen to lose in the playoffs. It's bizarre, they're only a football team.

You're right, some fans take this all very very seriously and personally, even to the point of saying "we," "us", "our" etc when referencing the Pats, somehow thinking they are part of the team.

 

[primetime]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

They're still good enough to be the favorite over every team they meet in the post-season...and probably better than some earlier Pats teams that won it all, one tightly fought victory after another.

I think they're better than all those teams, late season hiccups notwithstanding. The Giants played their best game all year, possibly their best game of the Eli Manning era... and were still eventually defeated. Basically, a playoff team would have to play their best game, and the Patriots one of their worst, in order to eventually win. It's the playoffs, games are liable to be close... that's just how the playoffs are. But aside from the Colts, I don't see the Patriots having competition... or playing a poor game.

I don't have a problem with "we" or "us" in referencing to a team, as I always think a team is more than just its players. We all have a bit of an obsession if we're posting here, and I'm sure many of us were raised with it, as I was. But some people don't realize it's only a game at the end of the day... the worst part is the mindless defense of players. People defended Rodney's HGH to the death, even though it was clear there was plenty of evidence and he admitted the use... if he was a friend of mine, I'd be fighting tooth and nail for his reputation, but it's just Rodney Harrison, a guy who plays football for the team I'm a fan of. The same goes for Bill Belichick... sometimes he acts like a jerk, and personally I don't think he has any personality, but if I say this people flip out. Sorry guys, if I die tomorrow, there aren't going to be any Patriots at my funeral.... and I doubt there will be any at any of yours, either.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

They have since corrected the erroneous math in the article but here's the funny part. His 'modest margin of victory of 10.1 points" translates to a net of 162 points per season (10.1 x 16) That is such a slim margin that only one other team (Colts) outscored their opponents by more than that margin ......
and nobody was close to the Pats margin of 315.
He also neglects to mention that everybody brought their A game when playing the Pats and 4/5 (NYJ,NYG, Balt, Phil) were either playoff teams this year or last so they weren't slouches but somewhat talented...

 

[GameDay]

A small mistake should not discredit his entire thesis, which is correct. Opponents played the Pats much more competitively in games 9-16

 

[Grogan's neck roll]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

Some people get angry that anyone could imply the Patriots have weaknesses. The same people who will likely be driving a backhoe through those weaknesses if they happen to lose in the playoffs. It's bizarre, they're only a football team.

How dare you.

 

[EasyMac]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

I don't have a problem with "we" or "us" in referencing to a team, as I always think a team is more than just its players. We all have a bit of an obsession if we're posting here, and I'm sure many of us were raised with it, as I was. But some people don't realize it's only a game at the end of the day... the worst part is the mindless defense of players. People defended Rodney's HGH to the death, even though it was clear there was plenty of evidence and he admitted the use... if he was a friend of mine, I'd be fighting tooth and nail for his reputation, but it's just Rodney Harrison, a guy who plays football for the team I'm a fan of. The same goes for Bill Belichick... sometimes he acts like a jerk, and personally I don't think he has any personality, but if I say this people flip out. Sorry guys, if I die tomorrow, there aren't going to be any Patriots at my funeral.... and I doubt there will be any at any of yours, either.

I totally agree, that's what I was trying to say, you just said it better!

 

[spacecrime]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

Don Banks is just as bad a writer as TMQ and King, and his columns are filled with just as many examples of factual errors and misguided rationale as the other two, he is just a Pats homer, so I guess that earns him a pass in some people's eyes.

He made a math error.

 

[spacecrime]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

You're right, some fans take this all very very seriously and personally, even to the point of saying "we," "us", "our" etc when referencing the Pats, somehow thinking they are part of the team.

Good Lord, are you trying to be an A-hole or are you really that stupid? If you believe that people who say "we" when referring to our team think they are part of the team, you have a serious comprehension problem.

But I don't think you believe that when someone says, "We beat the Russians to the moon," that they aren't claiming to actually have gone to the moon. I think you are not that stupid.

So, if you're not stupid, you must be an A-hole.

Fun with logic.

 

[EasyMac]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

Good Lord, are you trying to be an A-hole or are you really that stupid? If you believe that people who say "we" when referring to our team think they are part of the team, you have a serious comprehension problem.

But I don't think you believe that when someone says, "We beat the Russians to the moon," that they aren't claiming to actually have gone to the moon. I think you are not that stupid.

So, if you're not stupid, you must be an A-hole.

Fun with logic.

Wow it's fun to meet you too, and I don't need to ask you if you're trying to be an A-Hole.

 

[spacecrime]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

Some people get angry that anyone could imply the Patriots have weaknesses.

I don't think it's anger. I think it is more incredulity. How can so many people find so much to complain about concerning a team that has not lost a game this year?

That is absolutely amazing to the rest of us.

I suppose for new fans with unrealistic expectations, you want everything to be perfect all the time, but most fans who have been around realize that a bad game does not make a bad team, and that good stats do not mean good players.

But you are correct in that if the team loses a playoff game, the doom-and-gloomers will be front and center with the I-told-you-so's. The Pats lost a game, they suck.

 

[primetime]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

I don't think it's anger. I think it is more incredulity. How can so many people find so much to complain about concerning a team that has not lost a game this year?

Because the Patriots do have weaknesses, and they can lose.

 

[Deus Irae]

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot

Because the Patriots do have weaknesses, and they can lose.

As their 2-14 record proves.....

 

[FrontSeven]

Note that he divided by 10 instead of 6.

Brain fart .....

 

[PatsDeb]

He seems to have fixed the article. All yuse guys must have e-mailed him.

 

[unoriginal]

I read this thread when it was 3 posts long, and I'm not reading the other 33 posts now, so someone fill me in: Has Don Banks been tarred and feathered yet? When will the lynching take place?

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

Don't dump on little old letekro, this was his really big, big, big chance to be the first one in this case to say how much the media sucks. Give the dude some props and just overlook how even handed Banks has been with Pats despite living a few minutes from Foxboro and covering every big Pats game personally. Hey, Banks just said on TV last night that he thinks the Pats will win the SB, but he's a dumb ass, typical mediot and this is letekro's big, big, big, chance to be the first in line to say so, so don't get in letekro's way, OK?

 

[letekro]

Don't dump on little old letekro, this was his really big, big, big chance to be the first one in this case to say how much the media sucks. Give the dude some props and just overlook how even handed Banks has been with Pats despite living a few minutes from Foxboro and covering every big Pats game personally. Hey, Banks just said on TV last night that he thinks the Pats will win the SB, but he's a dumb ass, typical mediot and this is letekro's big, big, big, chance to be the first in line to say so, so don't get in letekro's way, OK?

What's your point? He's a homer so he's immune to criticism? His columns are just as inane as King's are and his reasoning is as poor as TMQ's.

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

What's your point? He's a homer so he's immune to criticism? His columns are just as inane as King's are and his reasoning is as poor as TMQ's.

You make my point so plainly again for me just now - thank you - the point being (I'll present it again since you couldn't bother, or are incapable of, understanding plain language) is your post amounts to nearly mindless, reflexive, oh-look-how-smart-I-am-because-I-caught-a-national-writer-making-another-of-ten-million-mistakes-woo-woo-lucky-me tedium lacking any meaningful reflection on the work in question.

Next you're going to lie and say you're not a regular listener of one or all of Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, or Fox News, etc.