So there’s big news to divulge in this Thursday Blog Day installment. Did you know the Super Bowl is here in the Twin Cities this weekend? Oh, you knew that? OK, but that wasn’t the big news anyway. Did you know I accepted a position as house-sitter and cat-sitter for my sister Mary, and that difficult assignment begins on Tuesday, and it’s for nearly two weeks? Some of you knew that. For those of you who didn’t, perhaps you know where my sister Mary lives. Yes, you do. She lives on Kauai, of course. Aloha! Mary and Lonnie are doing a Mainland tour to see their kids and grandkids, and that means leaving their condo empty, and without human interaction for Maxie and Biscuit. So, being the caring and giving brother I am, I volunteered to come hang out with the felines and keep an eye on the place. This has been leaked on social media and other places, and it’s been in the works since right after we got back from our Christmas visit, but now it’s almost here. Can’t wait, but that’s not really the big <BIG> news either.

This is the news. The headline story. The breaking bulletin. Just take a look at this photo and stop reading. Yes indeed loyal readers and longtime followers, I’m going to be doing some more PR work this year, while I also write my next book. And I’m going to be doing it for this guy. The “Worsham & Wilber” band is officially back together for a reunion tour! Time to learn all the songs again, I suspect. And with so many of the CSK crew guys, including my buddy John Fink, being involved with this team, it’ll be the whole band, back-up singers and all.

It’s not quite like the early days, but it’s got me excited and I really appreciate the fact Del contacted me and asked if I’d do some work for him. It’s an honor.

I’ll travel to some races, and I’ll do quite a few from my home office as well. The budget is tight (the budget is always tight) so we’ll find ways to make it work and I’ll give the PR effort my 100% best. I’ll have to be really diligent about giving the team the best I have while I also carve out time for the book, but I didn’t hesitate one minute after I got a text from Del asking if there was any way I’d be interested. My reply was “We can absolutely make this happen. Let’s talk.”

By going back to racing with his dad last year, Del was closing a long loop by getting to race a Funny Car for the love of it, again. When we talked, he said he planned it that way. He just wanted to race, like they did back when Worsham & Fink Racing was just starting out. He loves it, and wants to continue to do it, but he’s smart enough to know that publicity is a key part of return on investment for sponsors, and he wants to keep building his sponsor base with partners who understand his values, the family approach, and his love of the sport, while they also see the upward trends NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing is experiencing in terms of attendance, TV ratings, and buzz.

I won’t be as fully immersed in it as I was before, during the peak of the Team CSK days when it was my full-time job and I worked seven days a week keeping multiple spinning plates from hitting the floor, but that means I’ll be able to devote 100% of my PR time to creating good stories, press releases, updates, reports, social media, and maintaining my relationships with the media, NHRA, and Fox.

So there you have it. How’s that for big news? We’re in a bit of a thrash mode, because we just decided to do this in the last few days and I have to head to Kauai on Tuesday. That means I won’t be at Pomona, but I will do the pre-race stuff on Monday and then cover the race, in terms of social media and updates, from the condo. Or maybe on the beach. I’m just sayin’… I mean, it’s walking distance.

I’ve already booked travel plans for Phoenix, and will be booking Gainesville and Las Vegas before I head to the tropics. And all of this reinforces just one more reason I’m so happy we moved back “home” to Minnesota. This kind of travel can wear you down, but it will absolutely wear you down further and faster when you live in the upper lefthand corner of the country in a town with a little airport. Just about every racing trip from Spokane was a connection and a very long day, both ways. Just looking at flights for those first three I’ll attend was like a breath of fresh air. Lots of options and almost all of them are nonstop. Ah, the good old days…

Back here in the land of book writing, I had my lunch meeting with Doug Skipper yesterday, and it was nonstop conversation between two baseball guys who seem to know everyone in common. Doug is a phenomenal researcher, which means he knows you have to be tireless if your mission is to discover great details and stories from the past. Often the distant past. We had so much in common, by the end of lunch he was gracious enough to say, “Whatever I can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask me. I’m here to do whatever I can.” I’m really glad we got together over a couple of Applebee’s chicken quesadillas and met in person.

Meanwhile, we’re still in Phase 1, wherein I’m searching for former colleagues and guys who played for my dad. The help the Twins are giving me is priceless, and I’m expecting no less (or at least hoping for no less) from the Texas Rangers. The list of guys I’ve actually been in touch with, to talk about their involvement, is growing steadily.

While I’m on Kauai, I may just “mess around” with some writing, even though I’m still pretty adamant about sticking to my multi-phase plan because I don’t want to get lost in the project by going back and forth, trying to do both the research and the storytelling at the same time. I’ll have so much free time over there, with very little in the way of distractions, so it will be good to stretch those writing muscles out again and see what’s buried in my brain, trying to get out and onto the screen. It’s the islands, man. Go with the flow…

And before any of that happens, we’re going to be hosting our Woodbury gang on Sunday for that football game we had hoped the Vikings would be in. Hey, the Super Bowl is always a good excuse for a party, and a betting pool, and some good grub. I’m in charge of making both beef and shredded-chicken for tacos, and we’ll set up a buffet line so everyone can make tacos or burritos just how they like them. And queso, too. With chips, of course.

Last weekend, much of the same Woodbury gang got together in downtown St. Paul on Saturday, for a terrific “wine event” unlike much of anything I’ve ever seen. The Jordan Winery brought an 18-liter bottle of their renowned Cabernet to the St. Paul Grill, inside the historic St. Paul Hotel, and our group of 12 was part of a larger gathering of 75 total people. We each got one glass from the mammoth bottle, and then could buy more from regular-size bottles to go with the appetizers and entrees that were provided by the restaurant. I’d never seen an 18-liter bottle of wine. It needed a pressurized “tap” to dispense it. Way too big to tip and pour

A terrific time was had by all, as you might imagine. This group, along with Terry and Lynn Blake who couldn’t make it because they were packing up to move, is easily the most tightly knit and wonderfully fun bunch of friends I’ve ever known. Can’t wait to host them at our house this Sunday!

And speaking of the Blakes, you’ll note I just wrote that they were packing up to move. They were the first of the Woodbury group to “leave the bubble” when they sold their house in Marsh Creek and moved to a fantastic high-rise apartment in downtown St. Paul. Now, the gravitational pull is just too great. They had a new home built in, guess where? Woodbury, of course. Welcome home, Terry and Lynn!

And on a more personal note, although it’s tied to the new book, I’ve been reveling in trading emails with my cousin Donna. When I first reached out to her, she said “Oh gosh, I don’t know if I can help much. It’s been a long time since we were all kids up at Wamplers Lake.” I understood that, but we kept in touch and the memories started to flow, slowly at first. By yesterday, they were tumbling out like a waterfall of names, places, and stories. We were emailing so fast we couldn’t keep up with each other. And she really does have a great grip on cousins, aunts, uncles, and so many people I remember from the lake and Allen Park (where my grandparents lived) but I never really knew how we all fit together.

Plus, Donna is a hoot and that makes it twice the fun. As we agreed upon last night, we really need to get everyone together. All the Del Wilber kids and all the Don Wilber kids. We spent so much time at Wamplers together, each summer, but other than that it was typically just weddings and funerals. It’s been way too long since Del Jr., Rick, Cindy, Mary, and Bobby Joe (me), were in the same room with Michelle, Karen, Donna Kay, and Donn Kevin. This needs to happen.

So that’s it for today. How did my <BIG> news rate in your book? I think it’s pretty huge, and when Del called today, just to tick off some items and discuss some others, it really did feel like we’d never been away from it. That’s a great friend and colleague. When you work together for 12 years, then spend the next nine years still in the same “business” but working for different organizations, and then you reunite and it feels like you never skipped a beat, well…  That’s pretty special. I’m energized and excited. Can’t wait. What the heck, let’s win some rounds and some races, while we’re at it!

As always, if you just finished this blog and liked what you read, please click the “Like” button at the top. The more likes the merrier.

See you next week, from Kauai!!!  Aloha.

Bob Wilber, at your service and juggling PR, book writing, party hosting, and island travel. I got this…