IN THE PIPELINE:

Sitting here in the pretty town of Troutdale, Ore., (“Gateway to the Gorge!�), it’s easy to forget that the Major League Baseball season starts next week.

After all, it’s cold, rainy (though very green), but the mind drifts back to Huntington Beach where the grip on baseball has begun taking its hold on many minds, young and old.

The Little League fields were full of colorfully uniformed young Major League hopefuls and dreamers as I drove to the airport the other day. The Angels are wrapping up a solid spring campaign and within days will be playing within about 20 minutes of Surf City.

And Huntington Beach’s own Hank Conger gets the bobblehead treatment out in Rancho Cucamonga at the Epicenter on April 13, when the Quakes host the Visalia Rawhide.

For all of you who love baseball cards (as I do) or have kids who appreciate the magic of tearing open packs in search of a prized rookie card, there’s more to be happy about. Another local, my friend Brian Nicalek, and a couple of his buddies have taken over the reins of the old Dugout baseball card shop over at Hobby City in Anaheim. Now called the OC Dugout, it’s everything a baseball card shop should be: crammed with tens of thousands of cards both old and new, and knowledgeable guys running the place who know how to cater to a kids’ love of the hobby.

Here’s how Brian describes the new store and the philosophy behind it: “My partners, Lance Kirkland and Matthew James, and I wanted to open a store that is customer-friendly, and especially kid-friendly. And with the prices of cards only rising with each year, even as the economy continues to suffer, many kids have been priced out of cards, which may ultimately doom the future of the hobby if no kids grow up collecting. We truly want to perpetuate the hobby of collecting. One special we offer are $1 grab bags that have a minimum value of $3 worth of cards. Some of the grab bags have cards worth $5, $10 and even $25. We also offer all Little League teams the opportunity to have pizza parties at our store. We will host the party, pay for the pizza, and provide the tables and area for the party. We have two televisions in the store — one devoted to sports, the other intended solely for kids to play the XBox 360. For the seven years since I started working in baseball card stores, I have heard too many stories from people who felt intimidated or disrespected after their visits to their local hobby shops. While it sounds pretty obvious, I have found the best customer service seems to be within the Golden Rule. And that is our goal — to treat everyone who walks through our doors the way we would want to be treated.�

The OC Dugout’s address is 1238 S. Beach Blvd., Anaheim, in Hobby City. The phone number is (714) 527-6319. On a personal note, at the risk of embarrassing this exceptional young man, Brian was forced to deal with a severe health challenge several years ago. I met him shortly after this episode and was always struck by his positive attitude, fighting spirit and especially his big smile. I admire Brian on many different levels, especially now as a businessman who I know will do well in his new venture. Best of luck, my friend, I’m sure readers of this column will love the shop.

More Huntington Beach baseball: Did you know that not just Babe Ruth but also Lou Gehrig apparently were in Huntington Beach back in the 1920s? Evidently, as guests of Glenn Thomas, the well-known Dodger dealer, the Yanks did some local hunting. Several years ago, a reader told me he had it on fairly good word that the Hall of Famers did their shooting on the grounds of the old Lomita Gun Club, which was where Huntington Harbour is today.

To think that the Babe and the Iron Horse were within a ball toss of where we live takes my breath away, and I thank David Carlberg for supplying the copy of the photo included in this column today. They were here!

Finally, the second edition of my baseball history/travel book, “Roadside Baseball� was released this week. There are some new nearby places included (did you know the composer of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame� is buried in Anaheim?) and I have a signed copy to give away to a Pipeline reader. Send me an e-mail before April 9 to be eligible for the drawing.

On that note, here’s to this wonderful season; of oiled gloves and chalked lines, the sound of the crack of the bat, and the graceful geometry of a perfectly executed double play. For all of us, young and old, who still cherish spring’s delivery of this elegant game, it is time to rejoice — for it is time to play ball.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 14 books, including the new “Huntington Beach Then & Now.â€� You can write him at [email protected].