GREASE EM! You know something’s going right in Philly sports when the light poles are shining with a fresh coat of lard. With a potential World Championship on the line, the time has come for Philadelphia City officials to begin preparations for what could be a ravenous night on Broad Street.

 Last weekend, the grease was in full effect when the Fightins took down San Diego for their first trip to the World Series since 2009. I got the chance to be down in Center City after the exhilarating victory, and it had to be the most rabid fanbase I have ever seen. Poles were still being arduously scaled, toilet paper was casted above the roaring crowds, and the excessive energy remained for hours following the final out.

Whether it was crammed Broad Street or even the underlying subways, you couldn’t turn a corner without hearing the familiar chants of “Go Phils!” or my favorite “We’re talkin’ about the Fightins baby!”

The City of Philadelphia has already started its preparation with hundreds of gallons of lard being shipped as a safety measure in hopes to somehow avert fans from ascending the slew of light poles. Police started to grease poles for sporting events back in 2009 when the Phillies clinched a World Series berth with Officer Tanya Little saying the purpose was to “to discourage and mitigate illegal and dangerous behavior, as well as for the safety of revelers.”

The grease didn’t seem to avail in stopping the reveling fanatics however, as everywhere you looked you could find ‘Phanatics’ of all ages soaring above the gathering on South Broad Street only to eventually come down to a pair of handcuffs. 

While nobody is sure when the tradition of climbing traffic lights and street poles started for sporting event wins, one thing is sure, it will never stop. Grease or no grease, the diehards of Philadelphia will only see the lard as a challenge. With the Phillies leading 2-1, fans hope to get the chance to conquer the poles again come the end of the World Series, with high hopes in abundance!