Go Phillies!

Philadelphia residents sure know how to celebrate! I couldn't help but get a big smile on my face when I read about how Philly fans are relishing their baseball team's 10-4 victory over the LA Dodgers Wednesday night to send them to the World Series.

"This is like Christmas, New Year's, my birthday and our anniversary all rolled into one," Annmarie Winkler, 44, of Philadelphia, told the Associated Press.

"If the Phillies win the World Series, that's all the Christmas I'll need this year," added her husband, Walter, 49. (Bonus: that gift won't drain the Christmas Club account.)

City residents seem to have struck the perfect balance: exuberant celebration without the bone-headedness of last year's victory celebrations, which included looting and general looniness.

Just after the Phillies won this week, fans streamed into the streets, where drivers honked their horns, while a trumpeter and trombonist walked through the crowd playing songs including "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and people set off fireworks in celebration.

To its credit, the city was prepared for the worst, but hoped for the best for its beloved baseball team. City workers greased utility and light poles to thwart would-be climbers, removed the expensive solar-powered trash cans from sidewalks and Mayor Michael Nutter (yep, that's really his name) asked bars to consider serving drinks in plastic cups.

But in general, it seems like most fans were uninterested in causing trouble — just basking in the glow of victory.

"It's an amazing night," said Gerry Nathan, 48, a lifelong Phillies fan who was celebrating downtown after watching the game in a bar. "No matter what happens, no one can take this moment away from us."

Photo courtesy of brandon.weight via Flickr.