Disclosure – this is simply personal thoughts that I open to my family and friends and anyone else who has interest. 

Some years ago my son, Chris Wondolowski, scored his 100^th goal in Major League Soccer regular season play.  The goal itself was unremarkable as it was a penalty kick and the field was Levi Stadium in Santa Clara.  Nonetheless, surprising to me, it moved me to tears. 

We are now 44 goals later in Chris’ career and the next goal (if it comes) would tie him with Landon Donovan.  I never believed that Chris would score 100 goals and I never believed that he would score 144 goals and I never believed that he would be mentioned in comparisons to the best American Soccer Player of this generation – probably all time.

Let me qualify “I never believed” … I actually always believed.  In fact, I always knew.  I just put up my guards against what I believed and knew and real life.  Chris took real life and bent it into a reality that matched his skills, passion, desire, and attitude.  As a father, witnessing this for the past dozen-plus years is something that I am thankful for every day. Actually thankful may not be the right word – more accurately I am amazingly impressed by him every day.   Real life meets my son and my son tells real life: "try to stay up with me". 

The biggest thing against my nature is to write about an accomplishment that has not yet occurred.  So I will try to not do that.  Actually I don’t have to because there are 144 other goals, championships, and awards that Chris has earned and countless friendships that individually Chris and I have been able to build over those years. 

Chris’ accomplishments have allowed me to spend a couple of amazing weeks in Brazil rooming with his brother Stephen and watching World Cup Games in person.  His accomplishments have allowed me to travel to virtually every city that MLS plays in and watch those games in person.  I’m thinking of writing a MLS Travel Guide.

One of my favorite stories (that can probably be told now) is when Chris (with Houston) was playing in Denver.  We went to dinner on 16^th Street at a Sports Bar and the Hockey Playoffs were going on so the place was all about the Avalanche.  They had a sports trivia contest and Chris and I won a huge Coors-Avalanche Mirror (don’t mess with us on sports trivia).  We decided to carry it back to his team’s hotel (the mirror was huge) and put it in the room that Chris was sharing with Brad Davis.  All statute of limitations have expired by now so this is the first time this news has come out (I’m guessing Dominic never found out) … I miss that mirror.

Chris has been blessed to be able to spend most of his career with San Jose.  The fans are amazing, Avaya Stadium is great, while the results have been up and down – the ride has been wonderful.  Selfishly I have been blessed to be able to drive 45 minutes to watch my son play soccer (like many of you I’ve driven a lot longer than that early Saturday mornings over the years).  I have also been blessed to fly halfway around the world to watch him play soccer and all the way across the country (and all points in between). 

While his soccer career has been amazing – it may be hard for outsiders to see that it has always been and is – a family thing first.  His wife and daughters watch (sometimes his daughters take an ice cream break during the game) and cheer for him, his extended family is in the stands, friends from his childhood come to home games, high school teammates and college teammates are at every game.  We’ve been incredibly lucky to attach our family to the San Jose Earthquakes family.  We’ve been incredibly lucky to be able to witness Chris chasing this milestone. 

If 145 happens – and you happen to be by me …. I hope you can handle some tears.  If 145 never happens ... the other 144 are pretty awesome. 

Top Five Signs That Now You Are a Grand Dude

I think that one day, all of a sudden, I was a Grand Dude.  I suspect that (like everything else in my life) that it was a deliberate and obvious process).  However I have no evidence to prove that it was a deliberate and obvious process and only my seriously-faulty memory to claim that “all of a sudden” I was a Grand Dude.

Top Five Signs that Now – Your Life is Being a Grand Dude

5.  This one is easy and obvious – one day your Grand Daughters introduce you to strangers, teachers, stray dogs, zookeepers and Baristas as “this is my Grand Dude”. 

4.  Without trying (and you would like to say despite not trying) you now know all the words to the movies Frozen and Moana. 

3.  Even though you know better and see the transparency – when any one of those little girls says “Grand Dude I love You” – you immediately reach for your wallet and start throwing out money.  You know you are being played but somehow you don’t resist.

2.  Despite a life time of playing “go fish” – you let your Grand Daughter adopt a brand new set of rules (dynamic rules) that seem to favor her hand.

1.        Even though you know that being within 6 meters of any of them guarantees that you will be sick for the next 7 days … you do it anyway.

Top Ten Signs that Your Life is Cool

This past Friday night (January 26) was a bit humbling, but it was also tremendously fun and rewarding.  When you are just a guy (like me) -the spotlight is something that you see shining on other people.  Thanks to my son, for a short period of time, I found myself on the other side of the spotlight.  And after 24 hours I decided to reflect on some signs that maybe your life has turned out okay.

TOP TEN SIGNS IN ONE NIGHT THAT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN PRETTY GOOD:

10.  You go to an event where your sons are wearing suits and ties.

9.  Your sons and daughters-in-law share a pre-ceremony drink with you in the lobby bar at the Fairmont Hotel (you pick up the tab – your sons have learned alligator arms).

8.  You look at your daughters-in-law and realize that they are two of the most beautiful women on earth (right up there with your step-daughters).

7.  When you look at your three sons – you see men.  Men that you would want to be friends with.

6.  You get to be part of an amazing organization’s awards night like Coaching Corps.

5.  Coaching Corps and NBC Sports Bay Area give you your own handler – I’ve never had a handler and that was pretty cool …no – wait – that was way cool.

4.  Your sons and daughters-in-law spend part of the night with you at the Tonga Room in the Fairmont and you watch your daughter-in-law dance with your wife to a cover of Earth Wind and Fire. (#onlytwodancing)

3.  You remember the last time you danced with your wife to Earth Wind and Fire and you realize it was “Reasons” last Thursday.

2.  You have 3 sons, 2 step-daughters, 2 daughters-in-law, 2 sons-in-law, 5 granddaughters and 1 grandson.

1.  You’ve been able to be a volunteer coach for 43 years and the last 22 years have been at a high school in town where each and every year you fall in love with your players and remember why this is important.