Jack Applin sends in this language question: “Heart figures that her team might be able to achieve third place. Tall girl says “we might place”. To me, to “place” as a verb means to come in second (horse racing: 1st/2nd/3rd = win/place/show). Did tall girl truly think that their team might come in second, or is she using “place” to mean any of 1st/2nd/3rd place?”
Comics I Don't Understand 
“Tall girl” is actually the teacher, but that doesn’t change anything. I’d say either Steenz messed up the racing meaning or this is some Philly slang with an equivalent meaning to podium.
It’s not horse racing terminology, to place at a tournament is to get one of the recognized places (1st, 2nd, 3rd usually). Win/Place/Show is basically mega-Geezer these days, as track betting hasn’t really been a prominent part of popular culture for ages.
In a broader sense, you can ask someone who’s run a 10k race “where did you place?” and get an answer like “35th out of 125”.
I suppose you could ask “Where did you rank?” but rank is what a runner might smell like after 10k on a hot day. “Where did you finish?” might be answered as “Back at the high school”.
Now I’m getting flashbacks to The. Sting. IYKYK.
I guess there’s no podium. In racing, or Olympic events, A finish anywhere in first-second-third is a ‘podium finish’.
All right, somebody had to post this:
Doyle Lonnegan: I put it all on Lucky Dan; half a million dollars to win.
Kid Twist: To win? I said place! “Place it on Lucky D-” That horse is gonna run second!
Doyle Lonnegan: [There is a pause, and Lonnegan runs horrified to the betting booth] There’s been a mistake! Gimme my money back!