Name: Mark Olberding
Claim to Fame, Minnesota: led the Melrose Dutchmen to two Class A boys basketball titles. A potential third was lost in 1972 when St. James defeated Melrose on a legendary last-second heave in the championship game. (To this day, mustache enthusiast, Melrose native and former St. John’s quarterback Tom Linnemann will challenge anyone from St. James to fisticuffs.*) The august Mr. Reusse still lists him as the best Minnesota prep basketball player he’s ever seen. Olberding then paved the way for Kris Humphries by playing one whole year for the University of Minnesota.

Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: put in a dozen years in the Association, primarily with the San Antonio Spurs. Wiki says the physical play of Olberding and his fellow Spurs earned them the nickname “The Bruise Brothers.” They should have copyrighted the name.

Where He Is Now: well, Wiki also says he lives in San Antonio and coaches for the University of Texas-San Antonio. However, a scan of the UTSA athletics directory reveals nary a mention of the man. RandBallers, particularly those also from Melrose, can you help settle this?

Glorious Randomness: UTSA’s mascot is Rowdy, who, as with all mascots, will appear at pep rallies and your child’s nightmares in equal measure.

*Probably not true, but don’t push it. Same goes for you, Albert Lea. You never crossed him or his kin; he just doesn’t like you.

Proprietor question: who is the greatest prep athlete you ever watched?

Names: Johnny “John” Pohl and Krissy Wendell
Claim to Fame, Minnesota: Pohl was a schoolboy hoc-key legend for the Red Wing Wingers, leading them to a state title in 1997 and being named Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey in 1998. He would go on to the U and acquire roughly 17 Mike Crupi Most Determined Player awards. (Proprietor note: Pohl also was the state’s all-time high school scoring leader until recently, when his record of 378 points was topped by Little Falls’ Ben Hanowski).

Wendell was a schoolgirl hoc-key legend for the Park Center Pirates (“You can call me Peter.” “No, thank you.” Awesome), leading them to their own state title and earning Minnesota’s Ms. Hockey honor in 2000. She would also go on the U and win the Patty Kazmaier Award for best female hockey player in 2005. In addition, she was the starting catcher for the Brooklyn Center Little League World Series team in 1994.

Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: Pohl was drafted by the Blues and ended up playing professionally for the Maple Leafs. Wendell was on the last two US Olympic teams, earning a silver and bronze medal. More importantly to some of our readers, they’re married, and the wedding was featured in People. The bride wore Mori Lee, and the first dance was to Clint Black’s “Easy for Me to Say.” I have never heard that song, but Mori Lee makes one hell of a wedding dress.

Exclusive RandBall Insight: RandBall correspondent and World of B proprietor Brandon is also a Park Center alum and played hockey against Wendell growing up. Quote: “I tackled her because she was better than me and I got in trouble with my mom.”

Where They Are Now: according to Wiki, Pohl plays for Frölunda HC in Sweden, where he’s coached by former North Star Ulf Dahlen, and Wendell captains the American national team.

Glorious Randomness: in her teens, Wendell appeared on the Nickelodeon game show Figure It Out. It being Nickelodeon, slime and Amanda Bynes were prominently featured.

The last two segments of this had us laughing out loud. LOL, kids! Stu?

Name: Robb Stauber

Nickname: Robb is short for Robert. Not Robbert, unfortunately, because that would explain the extra “b.” (Proprietor note: For that comment, Stu and Crentist will be rumbling later).

Claim to Fame, Minnesota: the Duluth native was a goaltender of some renown for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Men’s Hockey program, winning the Hobey Baker Award in 1988. As of 2004, he was still the Gophers’ all-time leader in save percentage (.906). TNABACG majordomo and RandBall hoc-key addict Jon Marthaler still thinks he gave up a soft goal to Harvard in the 1989 NCAA Championship game.

Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: was a top 10 pick for the Los Angeles Kings before being traded to and ending his NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres. Most notably, he was traded alongside the perfectly named Alexei Zhitnik.

Where He Is Now: hey, kids, want to learn how to have hard pieces of rubber shot in your direction at unimaginable speeds while state school drunks yell “Sieve! Sieve!” at you? Well, you’re in luck. Stauber’s Goalcrease has branches in Blaine and Edina and will teach you the tricks of the trade. And goalie yoga, it appears. I’ve been told that the downward facing Gump will really tone those lats.

Glorious Randomness: I watched the Minnesota/Harvard game in a Washington, DC, hotel room on my high school’s senior class trip, which is the only reason I remember it. For discussion: what are the oddest/most memorable locations from which you’ve observed a sporting event? Ramon probably watched the Don Denkinger game while stringing Greg Norton’s bass in a Coeur d’Alene all-ages club, but I assume the rest of you have a story to tell, too.

Proprietor note: It’s a tie. 1) We watched the final out of the 1996 World Series (Wade Boggs catches pop up, Yankees defeat Braves) from former Minnesota-Duluth hockey coach Mike Sertich’s office after covering Dave Spehar’s triumphant return to Duluth. 2) We watched the Gophers men’s hockey championship OT period (and winning goal) in 2002 from the media room at the men’s gymnastics championships in Norman, Okla.

(A quick programming note: Ms. Minneapolis encourages you to vote for future relative Ashley P. in the Timberwolves dancers Facebook challenge. Apparently the dancer with the most fans by 5 p.m. today wins some sort of prize or eternal gratitude or some such thing. Anyway, Ashley P. is doing well (she’s beating the pants off of nemesis Ashley K. 273-78 at last check), but she could still use some help to overtake some of the other dancers. So if you are so inclined, become a fan. Or not. It’s up to you. And now, on with Stu’s Hunt Down of Dusty Rychart, whom we once interviewed at a breakfast joint in Uptown.

Name: Dusty Rychart

Claim to Fame, Minnesota: a native of Grand Rapids (one of us!), Rychart walked on at the University of Minnesota, eventually earning a basketball scholarship and becoming the lone bright spot in the immediate post-Dohrmann era. His most memorable game was probably the 23-point, 17-rebound effort he posted in the Gophers’ loss to Gonzaga in the first round of the 1998-99 NCAA tournament. I apologize for making anyone remember that game (and for reminding you that the Wolves also traded Steph Marbury on the same day).

Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: is probably as familiar with Vegemite and Yahoo Serious as any American-born individual is allowed to be. He’s played for the following Australian/New Zealandian basketball teams, only one of which I’ve made up: the Adelaide 36ers, the Victoria Giants, the Perth Didgeridoos, the Hawkes Bay Hawks, the Brisbane Bullets and his current team, the Wollongong Hawks.

Where He Is Now: find out from Dusty himself at www.d-rych.com. There are a couple profanities laced into his most recent update, but it’s worth reading if you want to get a feel for what it’s like trying to make a living playing basketball half a world away, where the economy is equally dismal.

Glorious Randomness: although I invented the Perth Didgeridoos, you can get an actual “quality, fair trade” didgeridoo at www.laoutback.com the next time you’re in Los Angeles. So, if you’re looking to get your crappy Dave Matthews cover band from college back together, and you need a new, exotic instrument because Nate cracked up and took the theremin with him on his vision quest, well, you’re welcome.

Proprietor note: The name “Dusty Rychart” has appeared in Sid Hartman’s column 45 times since he played his final game for the Gophers nearly seven years ago.

We’re allowing this Hunt Down of Steve Bedrosian (pictured, carrying Kent Hrbek his lunch) only because Stu promised minimal references to the 1991 World Series. Stu?

The Huntdown

Name: Steve Bedrosian

Claim to Fame, Minnesota: was a component of the 1991 World Champion Minnesota Twins bullpen. Although he was no Carl Willis, he did have a beard.

Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: multiple sources on the Intermans say that Steve Bedrosian won the National League Cy Young Award in 1987. His record that year: 5-3, 40 saves, 2.83 ERA. I demand a recount. (For comparison’s sake, here are Joe Nathan’s 2008 stats: 1-2, 39 saves, 1.33 ERA. He received zero votes.) Let it be known that he began and ended his career with Michael Rand’s beloved Atlanta Braves.

Where He Is Now: per Wiki, he lives in the Atlanta suburb of Newnan, serves on the board of education and coaches high school baseball. Last October, he was named to the Coweta (County) Sports Hall of Fame. If you’re interested in going, the induction will take place on Valentine’s Day at the Fairgrounds. Tickets are $25 each, but can you really put a price tag on romance?

Glorious Randomness: roughly two RandBallers probably know that Newnan is the birthplace of country singer Alan Jackson. But in case they didn’t, they do now.

Update: the winner of last week’s Timberwolves’ Eastern European Project Hip-Hop Lyric Contest was, as expected, Rocket. Congratulations, Rocket! [Proprietor note: Knowing that Rocket is not much of a drinker, we are requesting, by proxy, that you reward him not with a malted beverage but instead with a cool glass of turnip juice].

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It: please discuss your favorite non-descript winners of major awards and/or men with beards in comments. If you want to complain about stories in other sections of the Strib, please reassess where you’re at in life.