McCaffery: Flyers’ culture change is more yawn than jawn

For years, because it was the easy thing to do, frustrated observers of what had been a treasure of a hockey club demanded that Ed Snider — all together now — change the culture.

“There’s nothing wrong with our culture,” Snider replied.

The culture was perfect. Alumni were embraced. Charity was emphasized. A fighting spirit reflected the city. The owner spent. The owner spent more. Rare was a ticket left unsold. Players reached the Hall of Fame. Souvenir sales were high. The Flyers’ emblem was an international symbol of a franchise meaning business. The fans embraced a patriotic theme song. The players immersed themselves in the community.

And eight times in 36 years, the Flyers were in the Stanley Cup Final.

That was the Flyers’ culture.

Snider died in 2016. NBC now calls the corporate shots. No longer are the Flyers known for being rugged. Instead, a repugnant mascot is being sold relentlessly as a representation of a city and its fans. It’s as weird as it is wrong. But it has reflected what has happened, and which reached the point of disturbing Thursday. That’s when a missive from the Wells Fargo Center outlined — wait for it — Flyers Theme Nights for the 2020-21 season.

There will be the Marvel Super Hero Night. There will be Star Wars Night. There will be nights with holiday themes.

And then, come Jan. 20, when Columbus visits, there will be “Jawn Night.”

Jawn Night.

Jawn. Night.

If you must know what that is all about, look it up, because there will be no further glorification of that idiocy here. Just try to picture the Zoom meeting that led to it all, the half-asleep corporate types nodding along as some entry-level marketing know-it-alls suggest that as a way to regenerate hockey interest in South Philadelphia.

But that’s where it has reached at the WFC, where some other brainiac thought it a good idea to set aside a room that fans can pay to enter and demolish things. No, seriously. There’s that.

The Flyers seldom win hockey games anymore, but at least there shall be Jawn Night.

Good thing that culture was changed.

• • •

You know what’s always a good time? Ringing a cowbell as marathon participants run past.

• • •

They needed to commit to a young quarterback, one chosen with a valuable draft pick, an upgrade over the incumbent.

They needed better offensive line health.

They needed to be smart enough in the draft to steal a difference-making point-scorer.

They needed to believe.

Maybe that’s all the Eagles needed to do in the 2021 offseason to return to significance. And if so, then isn’t it true that Doug Pederson was right and Jeffrey Lurie was wrong?

Wasn’t it Pederson who was asking ownership to relax, to not panic after a 4-11-1 season, to believe that recovery was nigh?

And wasn’t it Lurie who told him to hit the pike, insisting that rebuilding will take a while?

That referendum is still in play, regardless of the Eagles’ 32-6 Week 1 victory over Atlanta and a quarterback who typically wilts when he confronts his hometown team. Nick Sirianni’s team may still be years, not weeks, away from a winning record. Lurie may be right.

It did, though, take just that one week to reveal an escape route to safety: A better quarterback, an early Rookie of the Year candidate, solid line play and swagger. And if all of that holds, just put it like this: It wouldn’t be the first time Pederson envisioned an unlikely but workable back-door route to football fulfillment.

• • •

The Met Gala. If you have to ask …

• • •

Give or take one of those goof-ball start-with-a-runner-on-second-base extra frames, Joe Girardi is about 135 innings from being a lame-duck manager.

With Dave Dombrowski not having risked a paper cut preparing an extension, one question must be answered before judging a manager two-thirds of the way into his contract: Did he have a fair chance?

Girardi has been a failure this season, unable to steady his bullpen, inspire responsible defense, demand more alert baserunning, ensure that his pitchers comprehend scouting reports or keep enough order in the dugout to prevent underachievers from donning that homer hat after cutting a deficit to 11-2.

But there were major injuries, including a couple of the season-ending to pillars Rhys Hoskins and Zach Eflin. Seasons like that happen. It’s why coaches and managers typically enjoy multi-year deals. It takes a while to prepare an accurate judgment.

Before buying out the final year of Girardi’s contract, the Phillies must decide whether Girardi has had one rotten year or two. Was that 2020 mini-season a reasonable opportunity for a manager to thrive? Or should that have been written off as an impossible situation, smothered in health protocols and rendered insignificant by ballparks haunted by cardboard fans?

No matter which way the Phillies turn, they can make a strong case either way.

All that is certain is that those final 135 innings cannot be written off at all.

• • •

Gabe Kapler is about to be the National League Manager of the Year. Good for him.

Though a clubhouse disco ball and two years of relentless excuse-making for poor play was a flawed plan in the Philadelphia market, Kapler is a brilliant batting-order craftsman, strong communicator and understated competitor.

For a man who purchased a home in the city, never dodged a question and always respected the fans, he deserved to be more than a punchline. It just took him time to show why.

• • •

And I never got big-league players who needed rehab assignments after recovering from injuries. There. I said it.

Contact Jack McCaffery at jmccaffery@21st-centurymedia.com