Let's Remember Some Guys (and Gals) - '90s edition

I've been hit with a wave of nostalgia lately. Every one of my interests seems to have a callback to the 1990s. 

Is Major League Baseball on the verge of a prolonged work stoppage? 

Is a popular singer organizing a music festival showcasing female artists and supporting women's causes? 

Are we sure Kurt Cobain took his own life? 

These videos are all outside of my expected spot for such nostalgia - 60 Songs That Explain the '90s. 

On a recent episode, host Rob Harvilla explains the origins of one of my favorite sports talk subjects: remembering retired players who weren't superstars or even all-stars but just..guys. 

Those Guys played pro sports, possibly for a decade or two. Possibly for your favorite team. And they deserve to be remembered - which is what the writers at Defector (née Deadspin) set out to do.

I'm in the mood to remember some sports guys. And some sports gals. And, as a nod to Olivia Rodrigo and the Daisy Chain Festival, I'm going to remember some musical gals as well. 

Do you remember... Errict Rhett?

He was the star running back at Florida after Emmitt Smith graduated, and had a couple of really good seasons for some really bad Buccaneers teams. I'm adding this very orange card to my wantlist. 

Do you remember... Kent Bottenfield?

He was a run-of-the-mill reliever for the Expos and Rockies, then caught on with the Cardinals and had one breakout year where he led the league in wins at the All-Star break?!? I thought he actually started an All-Star Game, because I had this memory of the most random St. Louis pitcher taking the ball at the beginning of the mid-summer classic. But I guess I mis-remembered a guy. Also it was 1999, not 1996 as I'd initially thought. 

Do you remember... Joe Juneau?

I remember being so excited the first time I pulled this card out of a pack. Juneau was a rookie of the year finalist and made the All-Rookie team after a monster 1992-93 season in which he racked up over 100 points. (To be fair, a lot of guys had 100+ points that year) Boston traded him to the Capitals in 1994, and he kind of fizzled out after that. I also recall at one point his name started getting pronounced in French either by request or some inside joke I wasn't aware of. Zho-ay Zhoo-no. lol. 

Do you remember... Antonio McDyess?

"Dice" was the second overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft (ahead of Kevin Garnett) and made the All-Rookie team in 1996. I remember he was a franchise-caliber power forward with the Nuggets but I did not remember he was drafted by the Clippers and traded to Denver on draft day. He made an All-Star team and an All-NBA 3rd team before a knee injury limited him to bench duty in the 2000s.
 

Remembering non-superstar female athletes is harder; there aren't enough teams and leagues for women to fly just under the radar while still being recognized as a role player/fan favorite, and the male-dominated sports talk landscape has only recently decided to talk up specific average-ish players for very specific reasons. But I've got a couple Olympic athletes that weren't quite champions:

Do you remember... Kim Zmeskal?

My first athelte crush, Sports Illustrated For Kids hyped her up hard in 1992. Kim was the first US gymnast to win the world championship in '91, and naturally everyone expected her to win multiple gold medals. Unfortunately a stress fracture in her ankle wrecked her Olympics, and she didn't make the team in 1996 - when Bela Karolyi's other little dynamo nailed a gold-medal winning vault on one leg. 

Do you remember... Surya Bonaly? 

Surya Bonaly didn't win an Olympic medal, either. But the French figure skater did something even more exclusive - a backflip. In competition. I remember Bonaly was a bit of a rebel; she was more athletic and daring than the traditional skaters and in a sport judged largely by Eastern bloc countries, there wasn't a whole lot of grace given to a black, French woman. Her backflip - which was not even legal at the time - was almost like a middle finger to the establishment. 

Earlier this year I witnessed firsthand how much fun elite figure skaters can have when their unique talents are celebrated rather than shunned. Whenever Ilia Malinin does a backflip, he gets points and praise. Maybe a couple figure skating fans remember who opened the door to make the backflip legal. But maybe they don't realize that, not that long ago, even if you could do a backflip.. you couldn't. 

It's easier to find random 1990s Gals in the world of entertainment. Let's remember some Alternative Nation faves. Do you remember Letters to Cleo? 

How about Elastica? Republica? Belly? Veruca Salt? (you probably remember Veruca Salt)

Okay one more... this is very random but I somehow remembered a girl without even realizing it...

I've been watching 13 Reasons Why on Netflix lately. I'd read the book a long time ago, and missed the show when it initially aired. Young adult fiction was my favorite genre for many years, even after I'd aged out of the demographic. I'm much closer to the parents' age than the young stars who play teenagers in the show. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I didn't recognize any of the younger actors but I recognized a couple of the moms. The lead character’s mom had a major role in Grey’s Anatomy. One of them played a memorable side character in Seinfeld. Another one had a supporting role in Dawson's Creek. And then there's this lady..

I didn't recognize the actress who played Clay's mom. Not consciously, anyway. However, the more episodes I watched, the more I noticed her. But... why? 

Finally, after about 30 episodes I decided to let the credits run. A list of names appeared. No photo or character name to link up, just actors' names. One by one. Until... 

Wait!! That's Amy Hargreaves?!? From Brainscan?!!? No way!!

So, apparently Amy Hargreaves has been acting pretty regularly for decades. But I haven't seen her in anything since (checks notes)... 1994. 

I actually have a VHS copy of this cult horror-ish fave somewhere in my closet. I've probably watched it five times total and not once since 2000 or so. I have no idea how I remembered Amy Hargreaves. 

Then again, I remember Erik Kramer and Pokey Reddick and Curtis Pride and Gianluca Pagliuca and Jyrki Lumme and Duce Staley and Paul Sorrento and... you get the idea. 

How many of these Guys (and Gals) do you remember? Who would make your list of niche/obscure 1990s athletes/actors/musicians? 

Thanks for reading!


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