With all the recent reports about Ken Griffey Jr. sleeping in the Seattle Mariners clubhouse, it reminded me of my freshman baseball coach from high school.

We were in the field as the other team batted. Once the third out was made, we gingerly made our way back to the dugout....to find our coach sleeping. The brim of his hat shielded his eyes and he had his arms crossed over his chest, but he was definitely in the midst of a peaceful slumber. A couple of my teammates called out his name, but no response.

Half the team was laughing, while the other half was a bit stunned that the coach had somehow dozed off DURING A GAME. This wasn't exactly a shock to me. This was the same coach who, earlier in the season, spent an entire half-inning tearing paint chips off the dugout wall instead of giving signals to the catcher.

Oh, the memories. Some kids grow up with coaches who pass on invaluable life lessons while teaching them the importance of character and sportsmanship. And....some kids had coaches who slept or played with paint chips.

I suppose there were some unintentional lessons taught by my freshman baseball coach: 1. If you're tired, drink a coffee. 2. If you have a dire, uncontrollable interest in the inner workings of a dugout, so much that you can't focus on the game, perhaps coaching a baseball team isn't the right fit.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Last November, McCann Tech senior Ben Raimer threw a touchdown pass to his little brother, Chad, a freshman, during the last game of the Hornets' football season.

Junior Ryan Raimer was the starting safety on McCann's defense, which meant the three Raimer brothers shared the varsity stage for Ben's final high school football game. Steve and Tarryn Raimer, the boys' parents, thought it was the last time they'd witness their sons play on the same team.

Not so fast.

Five months later, the Raimers were sharing the field once again, but this time on the baseball diamond.

In an April 30 varsity baseball game against Westfield Vocational at Joe Wolfe Field, Ben, Ryan and Chad were side by side — quite literally — in the starting lineup. Ben was at shortstop, Ryan at third base and Chad, who was called up from junior varsity, at second base.

Hornets head coach George Canales, who has been coaching for 36 years, has never seen or heard of three brothers playing the infield together during a varsity baseball game.

"I've talked to umpires, I've talked to coaches," Canales said. "They've seen two brothers together, but no one can remember seeing three, especially in the infield at the same time."

Senior shortstop Ben Raimer, left, warms up during McCann's game against Westfield Vocational on April 30 at Joe Wolfe Field. His younger brothers are close by; Ryan, right, plays third base and Chad, center, plays second.

For Canales, the situation presented itself when starting second baseman Jimmy Nowak was out of town competing in the SkillsUSA State Championships. Chad, who had impressed coaches with his defense on the JV team, was the logical choice to fill Nowak's spot.

Ben, who can play just about any position — from center field to catcher to pitcher — started at shortstop because McCann's usual starter, Bryce Horsfall, was on the mound. Ryan is the team's everyday starting third baseman.

"They were outstanding together in the infield," Canales said. "The way they talked to each other, worked together, it was outstanding. They get along so well, and it's just an honor to have them on the team."

It was no shock to Steve Raimer that his boys performed like a well-oiled machine; he gets a glimpse every night at the dinner table.

"They like to debrief and talk about game situations," he said.

"I'm proud as heck, not just in their athletic accomplishments, but I'm just proud of the young men they've become and the character they show as students at McCann and as members of the community."

Steve admitted that one of the major upsides to having Ben, Ryan and Chad on the same field is the added convenience for he and his wife. When Chad was in middle school, there were days in which all three boys were playing in different towns for different teams.

"With both parents at the same game, we're not shuffling from place to place, calling each other in between innings with updates on each game," Steve said.