The Storm have a promotion with In-N-Out Burger (sort of the California equivalent to White Castle, or so I'm told) where if a certain player hits a double during the game, all fans sitting in a particular section can get a free Double-Double burger (two beef patties, two slices of cheese; great stuff) with their ticket. The Double-Double player this game is DH John Scheschuk. In the bottom of the second, Scheschuk steps to the plate and proceeds to rip one into the right-center gap to drive in what turned out to be the game's only run. But more importantly, he scored a bunch of happy fans a free burger. I've never heard so many people screaming for a guy to stop running.

Xavier Nady is putting up huge numbers (.303/.386/.542) in his first professional season. Yeah, it's the Cal League, but Elsinore is not a good park for hitters (I don't have home/road splits, but as a team the Storm are hitting .259/.334/.409, contrasted with the .288/.364/.486 posted by the Mavericks). He didn't do anything at the plate this night. Actually, he hasn't done much when I've been out to see him, but the numbers don't lie. And he sure looks like he knows what he's doing at the plate. Very balanced, steady approach. Reminds me a bit of Edgar Martinez in the box.

Ben Johnson (.273/.361/.438) continues to impress. He didn't get a hit in the game but he made a great play to hold Krynzel to a single on a ball hit off the wall. A tremendous athlete, Johnson reminds me a little of Andruw Jones at the plate. He hangs over the plate and tends to swing at bad pitches early in the count. He already draws a fair amount of walks, and he's very young; if he ever learns to be a bit more selective, Johnson could be a serious offensive threat. I still can't believe the Padres got him for Carlos Hernandez.

I also got my second look at Vince Faison. Like Johnson, this kid is obviously a terrific athlete. Unfortunately, he has no clue right now at the plate (.192/.264/.414), swinging at pretty much everything without a real plan.

On the Mavericks' side, Krynzel, the Brewers' first-round pick a year ago, probably doesn't belong in the California League judging from his stats (.226/.268/.316), although the 19-year-old held his own on this night. In fact, Krynzel finished with two of his club's five hits (one a beautiful bunt single, the other a shot off the right field wall that was really the only hard-hit ball off Howard all night). He also committed a huge baserunning error in the eighth when he tried to score from second on a grounder to second base. Nady threw him out by a good 20 feet en route to an unusual 4-3-2-5 double play that killed the Mavericks' only real scoring threat of the game.

The two other guys who made an impression on me were shorstop Billy Hall and right fielder Cristian Guerrero. Hall is putting up solid numbers (.318/.364/.564) in an admittedly hitter-friendly park. And although he's committed 28 errors, he showed good range, particularly to his left, and a strong and accurate arm. Historically he's had very poor strike-zone judgment (an affliction shared by an alarming number of his teammates), and although his 3.5-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio this year isn't too good, it's a significant improvement over what he's done in the past. Hall is pretty raw, and he is doing much of his damage in a bandbox park, but that kind of power out of a middle infielder can't be ignored. If he were in the Oakland system, I'd really like his chances. As it is, he's worth keeping an eye on.

Guerrero (.301/.336/.382), younger brother of Vladimir and Wilton, looks a lot like Vlad in terms of build and approach at the plate. Like Vlad, this Guerrero stands on top of the plate and swings at everything. Unlike Vlad, he doesn't always connect with the ball. Cristian saw four, maybe five, pitches over the course of three at-bats. The pitches he swung at weren't good ones, and he generally appeared off-balance. He's still very young, and he's a terrific physical specimen, but he's definitely a work-in-progress. If he ever gets it figured out, though, he could be special.

Returning to the game, after southpaw Cliff Bartosh (1.40 ERA, 8 BB, 54 K in 38.2 IP) fanned the side in the ninth to seal the victory for Howard, we stuck around for the Independence Day fireworks display. The show lasted about 13 minutes and was unexpectedly impressive. After filing out of the stadium and navigating our way out of the parking lot we headed home via the In-N-Out in Temecula. And, unlike some fans, we actually had to pay for our burgers.

But you know what? It was worth every penny.

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