History was made on Saturday afternoon in a place where special moments happen regularly.

Alex Rodriguez dispensed with the drama and belted home run number 500 on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first inning -- a three-run bomb that dropped just fair along the left field line.  A-Rod became the fastest ever to reach the milestone and his clout gave the Yanks a 3-0 lead en route to a 16-8 rout of the Royals in the Bronx.  It was a bookend moment of sorts for A-Rod; his first home run also came against the Royals back in 1995.

Saturday's victory now puts the Yanks 10 games over .500 on the season.  Things are really starting to click in the Bronx and the timing couldn't be better.  The dog days of August will be filled with games against Cleveland, Detroit, the Angels and Red Sox.  It will be sink or swim for the Bombers during the next 4 weeks.

The Good:

Alex Rodriguez.  It was A-Rod's day on Saturday.  You could see the weight fall from Rodriguez's shoulders after his historical dinger.  The entire Yankee team came out of the dugout to congratulate A-Rod as he crossed the plate.  There were hugs, kisses, raindrops, lollipops and rainbows . . .  OK, maybe it didn't get that far, but it was a love-fest between A-Rod, the team and the fans as Alex joined the 500 club.  Now, everyone, including A-Rod can get back to just winning ballgames.  Rodriguez wrapped up his big day by going 3 for 4 with a walk, a stolen base, 3 runs scored and 3 RBIs.  

Bobby Abreu.  The Yanks won by eight runs so you know Abreu had himself a good ballgame.  The Yankee right fielder returned to the lineup after taking the night off on Friday and continued his hot hitting.  Abreu's solo homer in the sixth gave the Yanks an 8-6 lead and his RBI single in the seventh began a five run outburst which helped put the game away.  El Comedulce finished the afternoon 3 for 5 with a walk, 4 runs scored and 2 RBI.

Robinson Cano.  Canu continues to tear the cover off the ball and moved his average to .311 on the year.  Cano finished a home run short of the cycle and collected his 44th multi-hit game of the year.  He nearly picked up his homer when he drilled a ball almost through the wall in the sixth.  Cano had to settle for a double.  Robbie extended his hitting streak to eight games and finished 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 3 runs batted in.

The Bad:

Phil Hughes.  The rookie made his long-awaited return to the Yanks on Saturday and didn't fair well.  Hughes started off strong -- his fastball and curveball looked overpowering during a 1-2-3 first and he struck out three Royals in a row after giving up a lead off walk in the second -- but he seemed to run out of gas as the game progressed.  The Royals knocked him around a bit in the second and really teed off on him during the fifth.  Still, I'm encouraged by what I saw.  Hughes possesses a confidence and presence on the mound that really can't be taught and I think he'll be just fine once he gets a few starts under his belt.  At the same time, I have to be fair and say I was a bit disappointed that the talented rookie couldn't survive long enough to pick up the second win of his career.  Hughes' no decision: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 1 WP.  Hang it there, kid.

Johnny Damon.  Damon was the only Yankee regular who didn't reach base on Saturday afternoon.  It will be interesting to see where Damon winds up once Jason Giambi rejoins the club.  I'm really not sure what to make of Johnny at this point.  There are times when he looks like the old Johnny Damon -- taking pitches, getting on base, stealing bases -- and then there are times when he just looks old.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.  Damon finished 0 for 6 with 3 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Kyle Farnsworth.  A thought occurred to me as I watched Farnsworth struggle through the seventh inning.  If Kyle were a thoroughbred, I thought, they would have taken him out by the shed and blown him to kingdom come by now.  Minutes later, my brother called and left a message saying the exact same thing.  Maybe it's just our warped genes, but I don't think we're that far off.  It's almost getting to the point of tragic comedy -- or at least it would be -- if I weren't so emotionally involved.  Does anyone see a happy ending to this?  Farnsworth's line: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP. 

The Yanks will take out the brooms on Sunday and go for the sweep against Gil Meche.  Meche pitched well against the Yanks in Kansas City last week, but he faltered late and picked up an L.  The Royals' ace has an impressive 3.70 ERA on the season, but has pitched even better on the road -- he sports a tiny 2.93 ERA away from Kauffman Stadium.  The Yankees will counter with the resurging Mike Mussina.  OK, maybe resurging isn't the right word, but The Moose has looked a lot better in his last two outings.  He's gone into the sixth inning both times and picked up two straight victories.

And Yankee Stadium is no stranger to victories.