The Name Game
New Cubs manager Dale Sveum's surname is pronounced "swame," rhyming with 'name.'
It occurs to me that there have been a host of athletes' names through the years that do not have the most common pronunciations, and yet sports fans don't give them much thought.
MLB
Craig Biggio - "bih-zhee-oh"
Kiki Cuyler - "kye-kye kye-ler"
Johnny Evers - "ee-verz"
Mark Grudzielanek - "grud-zih-lah-neck"
Derek Jeter - "jee-ter" (NBA player Pooh Jeter pronounces his surname "jeh-ter")
Sandy Koufax - "koh-fax"
Stan Musial - "myew-zee-uhl" (or "myew-zhul")
Mike Piazza - "pee-ah-tza"
Albert Pujols - "poo-holes"
Gary/Ron Roenicke - "reh-nickey"
Red Schoendienst - "shane-deenst"
Jim Thome - "toh-may" (although "toh-me" is also acceptable)
Joe Torre - "tohr-ee"
Carl Yastrzemski - "yuh-strem-skee"
NBA
Kobe Bryant - "koh-bee"
Antawn Jamison - "an-twan"
Dirk Nowitzki - "noh-vitz-kee"
Shaquille O'Neal - "shuh-keel"
Kiki Vandeweghe - "van-deh-way"
Dwyane Wade - "dwayne"
And, lastly:
It occurs to me that there have been a host of athletes' names through the years that do not have the most common pronunciations, and yet sports fans don't give them much thought.
MLB
Craig Biggio - "bih-zhee-oh"
Kiki Cuyler - "kye-kye kye-ler"
Johnny Evers - "ee-verz"
Mark Grudzielanek - "grud-zih-lah-neck"
Derek Jeter - "jee-ter" (NBA player Pooh Jeter pronounces his surname "jeh-ter")
Sandy Koufax - "koh-fax"
Stan Musial - "myew-zee-uhl" (or "myew-zhul")
Mike Piazza - "pee-ah-tza"
Albert Pujols - "poo-holes"
Gary/Ron Roenicke - "reh-nickey"
Red Schoendienst - "shane-deenst"
Jim Thome - "toh-may" (although "toh-me" is also acceptable)
Joe Torre - "tohr-ee"
Carl Yastrzemski - "yuh-strem-skee"
NBA
Kobe Bryant - "koh-bee"
Antawn Jamison - "an-twan"
Dirk Nowitzki - "noh-vitz-kee"
Shaquille O'Neal - "shuh-keel"
Kiki Vandeweghe - "van-deh-way"
Dwyane Wade - "dwayne"
And, lastly:
NFL
Brett Favre - "farv"
All right, who'd I miss?
Comments
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/therundown/2008/07/espn_list_baseball_players_names_pronunciation.php