James Tanner: John Chayka Criticism Short-Sighted and Embarrassing
- James_Tanner

Do you actually believe what you write or are you just trying to rile people up?

I mean come on, one of the best GMs in the league?? If I was a Yotes fan, I certainly wouldn't be calling for his head and I'd be willing to give him more time, but I'd have to be at least a little disappointed with his work so far. There is much more to being a GM than just making decisions based on analytics. Here are some:

1. Managing the cap, signing players to smart deals and allocating cap dollars to vital positions in the lineup. The jury is still out on this one, he hasn't been there long enough to judge.

2. Choosing the right coach.
I'm not a big fan of his choice here. I loved Tocchet as a player, but as a longtime Flyers fan who had a relative who worked for the team briefly in the 80s, and who has met Tocchet on multiple occasions, he never came off as a particularly intelligent guy. He seems to me the kind of guy that makes a good assistant, but not so much a head coach.

3. Recognizing the value of team chemistry
Losing Shane Doan, forgetting whatever he still brought on the ice, had to leave a huge vacuum in the room. By all accounts, Doan was a class act that younger players could lean on for advice. I'm not sure that Chayka has brought in the right mix to replace that loss of leadership.

I'm willing to concede that losing their starting goalie to injury has had an effect, but I also have to criticize Chayka for not having better depth ready to go at that position. Other teams lose their starters and don't lose night in, night out.

I don't read your stuff a lot Mr. Tanner, quite frankly I find you a bit smug and abrasive and you don't seem to handle criticism well. As a Flyer fan, I feel very lucky to have a guy like Bill Meltzer covering our team. Bill writes informative blogs, looks at all sides of an issue and presents thoughtful, and usually very accurate, analysis. You'd do well to emulate him.

s is another one of your tactics. The only flaw here is that what he offered is not anecdotal. He offered facts. This is another one of your tactics. "What I say is true most of the time, disregard that it's not true this time" . There's that self awareness roaring it's ugly head again.
- MJL

If you offer one fact, and use that fact as "proof" that is called "using anecdotal evidence."

The three teams that lead the NHL so far this year in CF%.

1. Carolina
2. Edmonton
3. Montreal

Those teams position in the standings so far this year:

24. Montreal
26. Carolina
29. Edmonton

Look, I'm not trying to say that advanced stats are meaningless. Quite the opposite, I think they can be incredibly telling when used effectively. However, a lot of the time you use the argument that a team is "good" but "unlucky" when they have a high CF% and low PDO, while using the opposite argument that a team is "bad" but "incredibly lucky" when they have a low CF% and high PDO. There are just too many counterexamples to keep making this argument.
- tkecanuck341

It's 15 games into the season. Results are very random at this point. As time goes on, there is almost certainly going to be a correction.

If you offer one fact, and use that fact as "proof" that is called "using anecdotal evidence."
- james_tanner1

False.


Anecdotal evidence is evidence from anecdotes, i.e., evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily or entirely on personal testimony.


Anecdote noun

plural noun: anecdotes
a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
"told anecdotes about his job"
synonyms: story, tale, narrative, incident; More
urban myth/legend;
•an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay.

It's 15 games into the season. Results are very random at this point. As time goes on, there is almost certainly going to be a correction.
- james_tanner1

Why wasn't there a correction in recent seasons with LA?

False.


Anecdotal evidence is evidence from anecdotes, i.e., evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily or entirely on personal testimony.


noun

plural noun: anecdotes
a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
"told anecdotes about his job"
synonyms: story, tale, narrative, incident; More
urban myth/legend;
•an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay.
- MJL

One fact, from a set of facts, amounts to an anecdote. You can argue about technicalities all you want, it's the same (frank)ing thing. Your ill-informed pedantism is tiresome.

Why wasn't there a correction in recent seasons with LA?
- MJL

Why should there be? Lots of times numbers don't correct to the norm. The point is that it's very useful information to know that they usually do.

One fact, from a set of facts, amounts to an anecdote. You can argue about technicalities all you want, it's the same (frank)ing thing. Your ill-informed pedantism is tiresome.
- james_tanner1

Similar to logical fallacies you like to make up your own definitions. Facts such as Corsi or PDO stats are not anecdotal. You simply mischaracterized his post as anecdotal. Get it right. Calling it anecdotal is pedantic.

Why should there be? Lots of times numbers don't correct to the norm. The point is that it's very useful information to know that they usually do.
- james_tanner1

That doesn't answer the question. You're dodging. Far more useful information would be learning why it didn't happen.

It's 15 games into the season. Results are very random at this point. As time goes on, there is almost certainly going to be a correction.
- james_tanner1

Examining the standings from this exact date last year, 13 of the top 16 teams ended up in the top 16 at the end of the season.

Does that sound random to you, James?

Examining the standings from this exact date last year, 13 of the top 16 teams ended up in the top 16 at the end of the season.

Does that sound random to you, James?
- Atomic Wedgie

There almost certainly will be a correction!

Examining the standings from this exact date last year, 13 of the top 16 teams ended up in the top 16 at the end of the season.

Does that sound random to you, James?
- Atomic Wedgie

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