A Philly lawyer trolls the Astros for cheating with a new billboard on I-76

If you had a laugh coming into Center City on I-76 Monday morning, you can thank local attorney James Helm, founder of TopDog Law.

Helm is the guy behind the massive trolling message on a billboard at mile marker 345.8 on the Schuylkill Expressway, which squarely targets Philadelphia’s current public enemy number one: the Houston Astros.

“Had a funny sign,” the billboard reads, “but the Astros stole it.”

That, of course, is a reference to the Astros’ 2017 World Series cheating scandal, in which the team used cameras in center field, as well as other technology, to steal opposing teams’ signs throughout that year’s regular and postseasons. During that World Series, Astros players relayed signs to teammates in the dugout, who passed the message on to players at bat by banging trash cans in different rhythms.

The Astros went on to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers that year, and investigators said the Astros continued stealing signs in 2018.

Helm, a “four-for-four” Philly sports fan who is “caught up in the emotion” of the team’s run, decided he needed to send a message, which went up at about 8:30 a.m. on Monday. It will remain there “for the foreseeable future,” Helm said.

TopDog Law, he said, has billboards across the city to advertise the business. The I-76 billboard was set to be just another advertisement for the personal-injury law firm. But once Helm realized the original ad would be put up on the same day as the Phillies’ first 2022 World Series home game, he knew had to do something drastic.

“We paid extra for a last-minute creative change and expedited shipping to get it up for the first home game,” Helm said. “The obvious thing to do was poke fun at the Astros and their scandalous history. I wanted something that would make Phillies fans laugh.”

What Helm didn’t anticipate was that there would be cheating allegations against the team in Games 1 and 2 against the Phillies. So far, fans have called out three suspicious Astros incidents this series, including Aledmys Díaz leaning into a pitch, Martín Maldonado using an illegal bat, and Framber Valdez allegedly doctoring baseballs.

“If the Astros thought no one would remember 2017, these last two games have people talking about it,” Helm said.

So far, the feedback about TopDog Law’s billboard has been positive.

“It’s been a pretty eventful day for us,” Helm said. “I think people appreciate the creative troll.”

The Phils face off against the Astros in Game 3 at 8:03 p.m. Monday at Citizens Bank Park. Helm, of course, will be there.