I couldn't help but think about Jimmy Dugan yesterday. I couldn't help but think he's an idiot.

For eight innings, the Phillies were cruising along. For eight innings, they were in no real danger. For eight innings, everyone breathed easy. And then Brad Lidge came in and made things interesting - or, in Dugan parlance, "hard" - by yielding a run and putting two more men in scoring position. In the end, Lidge got the save, but he also caused the entire town's acid reflux to flare up.

Which reminds me: The Food Network says baking soda is good for that kind of thing. Perhaps you should keep some at the ready.

"When the tying run comes on, I think you can either get a little worse or get a little better," Lidge said after closing out an unexpectedly tense 3-1 win. "For whatever reason, this year, when guys are on second and third or it's a one-run game, it's been a good feeling for me. That stress has turned into extra adrenaline, and it's kind of helped. That's one of the reasons this season has gone so well. I wish it was easier. I wish I was going out there for 1-2-3 innings. But a lot of the time, it takes guys getting on for me to have my best stuff."

Drama or no, you really can't overestimate the significance of yesterday's win. Sometimes, it's easy to get caught up in the moment or overinflate the magnitude of a given situation. But the Game 1 victory - with CC Sabathia looming and the taint of last year's postseason meltdown still lingering - was every bit as important as it felt. Not to mention that it's been 15 long seasons since the Fightin's treated Philly to a playoff win. The wait alone made it huge.

Still, it could've been - should've been - a lot less stressful.

"That's what a big closer is good at," Charlie Manuel said. "He can get in jams but at the same time he can wiggle out."

In a way, it's sort of comforting that Manuel and Lidge seemed to almost relish yesterday's theatrics. Well, either comforting or disturbing. And they weren't the only ones who reacted that way.

While I was in the bathroom after the game (probably too much information, but bear with me), "That's the Way I Like It" by KC and the Sunshine Band blared through the speakers.

Someone has a sick sense of humor.

Cheers

Carlos Ruiz: The guy takes a lot of flak. But he got the Phils' first hit of the game in the third inning, then scored the team's first run.

Chase Utley: His two-run double in the bottom of the third got the Phils on the board. Of course, Mike Cameron badly misplayed the ball, so Utley should probably send him a thank-you note for the assist.

Pat Burrell: It wasn't a great stats day for Burrell (he was 0 for 2 with a walk). But - despite a sore back - he was in the lineup, which was good enough.

Lauren Hart: No one sings "God Bless America" better.

Boos

Jim Cohen: Who invited the boss? In the fifth inning, our sports editor stood up in the press box and asked Frank Fitzpatrick when he had last covered a perfect game. Approximately 1.3 seconds later, Hamels surrendered his first hit. That's jcohen@phillynews.com for those of you who'd like to "correspond" with our resident jinx.

The Phillies took some heat for picking Mitch Williams to throw out the first pitch. But I loved how Wild Thing purposefully uncorked a high, hard one that missed the catcher by a mile. That's comedy. . . . Brett Myers is starting to grow on me. He's surprisingly playful with some of the media. When asked whether he's grown as a person this season, Myers didn't hesitate: "I'm still 6-4. My weight might have fluctuated."

ESPN-AM (950) decided to escalate its ongoing war with Howard Eskin. Yesterday, someone from the station dressed a mannequin outside the stadium in a fur coat, a Burger King mask, and a crown, and hung a "nitwit" sign around its neck. . . . Shane Victorino has a postseason blog (http://shanevictorino.mlblogs.com/). Upon reading it, you'll learn that the team is "hungry this year," "over" last year and that he "expects" the Phils to make the World Series. . . . The Phillies media relations department used some interesting language on yesterday's postseason roster press release: "Pitchers Adam Eaton, Les Walrond and infielder Tadahito Iguchi have returned to their respective homes." It was the PR equivalent of saying Eaton has been exiled.