VAN NUYS, Calif. -- Its been a few years since I've been in a Major League Baseball locker room but I can say this much for the one CBS recreated for its new series "Clubhouse" which debuts Sunday, 8 p.m. ET -- it's authentic.

In "Clubhouse," the New York Empires bear a striking resemblance to another pin-striped N.Y. team with 26 world championships.

With the exception of intrusive cameras, extra bright lights, thick black cables and faux brand cleats in the lockers, it looks like the real deal right down to media access signs, standard motivational plaques and high-energy snack bars. There were even a few players scratching themselves.

One lounge wall, however, was a little unsettling in this supposedly fictional home to the pinstripe-wearing New York Empires. It listed the years the uh, Empires won world championships ... all 26 of them ... just like the Yankees.

I ask Dean Cain, one of the shows' stars, about the similarities. So, the former Superman broke it down during a shooting break in the Valley where interior scenes are filmed.

Cain touted his Empires fictional record, ""It ain't impossible! The Yankees have a few! Shoot, I've got five in my 13 years with this team. We've been laying it out-playing some ball. We didn't win one last year but we won one the year before. We're looking to get back to that sort of form."

Alrighty then ... it's TV so I guess it must be real. Despite having to shoot the same scene somewhere deep into the double-digits, Cain, an avid baseball player, is in seventh heaven. The former athlete, who at one time signed an NFL contract with the Buffalo Bills (a knee injury kept him off the field), can't think of anything better than getting paid to play sports. He takes great pride in his skills that are still sharp enough not to require a stunt double.

Cain shows natural athleticism on the field and on the court.

"Oh yeah, yeah for sure," Cain said when asked if he took his own cuts. "It's an added bonus -- an added benefit. You get to get out here and play and pretend to be a better athlete than I used to be, so it's nice." Cain's character, Conrad Dean is a composite of Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. He's the friendly veteran who talks with his bat instead of his jaws. He's also the guy who takes Pete, the team batboy (Jeremy Sumpter) under his wing.

"He's a real good cat," Cain says of his character. "Conrad Dean's career is very similar to Derek Jeter's in the sense that he rose through very quickly. He (Dean) played two years at Florida State. His image is sort of a cross between Jeter and Cal Ripken. He's unmarried, so he does get to run around like Jeter does, but he's also got that kind of clean-cut image that Cal Ripken has. He's got that sort of longevity that Cal Ripken has. Conrad is in his 13th season with the Empires. He was an all-star MVP his rookie season. So he's been a perennial ballplayer for this squad. He's batting three. He's got the most solid stick.

"The one thing I love about the character I play is that he's unique and hasn't been portrayed before on television. Maybe a little bit here and a little bit there, but the superstar athlete who is a commodity by themselves, hasn't existed for that long. Babe Ruth and those guys-they made money for the day, but A-Rod is cleaning up."

While Cain was back on the set shooting his 30th scene take, I spotted Sumpter in the hallway playing something he called "basebgolf." It involved using a Louisville Slugger as a putter. When I asked Cain about the young actor from Lexington, Kentucky, he revealed that Sumpter is the "heart and soul" of the show.

"Jeremy is such a good kid," Cain said. "He's our franchise. He's our 15-year-old star. He's open and accessible and friendly and vulnerable and he really does a nice job with this. He has the energy of a 15-year-old, which I've got to tell you just exhausts me. He's a really good kid with a really big heart and I think that America is going to fall in love with him and root for this kid."

Jeremy Sumpter recently got to hang with Lou Seal and toss out the first pitch at SBC Park.

Sumpter, who recently threw out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game, is also a decently skilled athlete. Although his booming acting career has ended his baseball aspirations, the right-hander with an 83-mph fastball, did have the opportunity to pitch on a Kentucky State Championship team before tossing his glove into the closet. He also claims he can hit a golf ball 300 yards straight-away.

"There are a lot of similarities between me and Pete, we've both played baseball our whole lives. But we have our differences as well. I'm not a batboy, that's one. I have two parents-a mom and dad and he only has a mom (played by Mare Winningham). I have two sisters and they don't drink. And his favorite team is the Empires, mine is the Giants."

To help the actors appear authentic, "Clubhouse" executive producers, Mel Gibson, Aaron Spelling, Daniel Cerone and Ken Topolsky, brought in former minor leaguer Greg Smith as a technical adviser. Smith works with the lead actors, as well as a plethora of highly-skilled extras and supporting players.

"I have about 70 baseball players that I use on the show who play on visiting teams and on our home team, the New York Empires," Smith said. "I probably have about 12 to 15 ballplayers that work all the time. We have Matt Whisenant (pitcher) who used to play for the Florida Marlins and the San Diego Padres. He has a World Series ring from the Marlins. Tony Scruggs played in the Major Leagues for the Texas Rangers; and we have a ton on minor league ballplayers that aren't playing any more, but they love to come out here and work and still get paid, so to speak, to still play baseball."

While Cain takes his own cuts and runs the pads, some of the other actors rely on creative camera angles to get them across the plate.

"Dean Cain gets in there and he's a great athlete," Smith said. "I've had to give him minimal advice on his hitting because he's a good hitter and a good fielder. He definitely has some athletic ability which is great to work with. Other guys need a little help, so that's why I'm here."

It appears he's also there to be the butt of Cain's jokes.

"He's not very good," Cain deadpanned. "He doesn't know what he's doing. No, Greg is wonderful because the baseball is authentic and that's because of Greg. He won't allow anything to happen that's not authentic. He won't allow a play to happen that's not authentic. He won't allow players out there who aren't authentic. If you have all of those elements and you keep them in check, you have a real ball club.

"We have a club-we actually have a squad of guys who can get out there and play and who have played a lot."

Cain, who says he's been preparing for this role for 37 years, was ready to play that day. He couldn't wait to get out of the studio and back to Long Beach State's Blair Field where the "Clubhouse" exteriors are shot. "I'm just trying to organize a game where we can just play and the producers can shoot it and we can use that footage man! I just want to play."

What's his choice of weapons?

"I'm using a 33 bat like Barry Bonds," Cain said. "They accused me of corking after I homered, but we remedied that. I'm facing 85-mph pitches, but I don't have a problem getting around. Right now they're only throwing me fastballs, but if they start cutting me up with some junk I'm going to be in big trouble."

Just before they called him back to work, Cain lifted his arms and did a little shimmy. The man loves his job and it shows.

"You know what? I can't believe I get paid for this! It's just too perfect!"

Yeah, but who gets paid more? Conrad Dean or Dean Cain?

Miki Turner covers the fusion between sports and entertainment for Page 3. She can be reached at dmiki@aol.com.