Even after half a six pack still can't sleep, guess I need to drink faster.
OP, Josh Choate (Keel) is not my real son, nor a step son, but rather one of my son's closests friends. They have played select together since they were 12 years old. Everytime they change teams, they insist they are a team, if you take one, you take both of them.
Seems to have worked out for them.
In the summer, Josh is either at my house, or my son is at his house. His parents are some of my closest friends, since I have no life outside of watching my son play ball, it's not that hard. But also, they are two of very few people that really can stand to put up with me.
Josh's grandparents who are at nearly every select game thru the hot summer have adopted my 6 year old daughter as one of their own. My 6 year old really hasn't grasped that they aren't her "real" grandparents, because in all reality they really are. Heck, she sees them more than her blood grandparents.
His parents claim my son as one of their own as well, and he as well claims them as his "other" parents. When last summer I couldn't make the trip to the Triple Crown World Series because of work issues, they took him with them. When a few years ago they couldn't make it to a tournament in Houston, I took Josh with me. When neither set of parents could take them last summer, they went with Rich's dad. When I was going thru a tough custody battle with my ex wife, they would drive from Lewisville to Lake Dallas and pick him up from my ex's house to make sure they got to games at Arc Park, Cowtown, BBI or where ever we were playing.
They truly are a great family. Just wish I could have sat with them at the game tonight, but I was too antsy. After the first batter I got up and walked around nearly the whole game. My wife was a trooper though, sat there on the Lewisiville side the whole game with Josh's parents and grandparents.
She is the level headed one of our family.
On a side note about Josh. His name is Josh Choate, his biological father's last name. His mother married Rich Keel when Josh was a baby and Rich has raised Josh as his own. To pay tribute to his dad (can't call him his step dad, because Rich is his dad), he always wears Keel on the back of his Jersey in summer ball. And the grandparents that are at every game, they are Rich's parents.
So, whenever my son isn't playing in the fall or spring, I make every effort to go watch Josh play. Same with the Keel's. They come over and watch my son play.
Sorry for the long post, but if I'm going to explain it, might as well explain it all.
It also explains why it was a very tough night and now I'm on my 4th beer. I hurt that Josh couldn't get the win, but happy that Keller did. The baseball gods can sometime be cruel.
