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Sound it out and the last name of Alabama's kicker isn't too intimidating. It, however, remains a stumbling block for a few professionals charged with prouncinging Andy Pappanastos' name on television. It took a beating from the ESPN2 crew Saturday night. That's probably why Pappanastos' parents stopped Eli Gold when they bumped into him last season. They wanted to thank the voice of Alabama football for saying the multi-syllabic name correctly.
'For those of us in the talking business,' Gold said, 'Pap-uh-NASS-tis just kind of rolls off your tongue. It's never really been an issue.' The kicker who strength coach Scott Cochran calls 'Pappy Nasty' is one of a few members of a 2017 Alabama football roster with unique surnames. Gold and his broadcast partner Phil Savage said it's all about the preparation when getting the names memorized to the point it's second nature. It's the opposing teams that take time.
Gold spells them phonetically on his custom broadcast board he starts on Monday. The pronunciation guide is always printed in lettering to contrast with the rest of the words for quick reference. Gold chuckled recalling the first time he said the name of Alabama's freshman quarterback from Hawaii.
He became the latest from the mainland to stumble on Tua Tagovailoa. Page 3 of the Alabama media game notes contains the pronunciation guide for players' names. Tagovailoa is, without a doubt, the longest entry. 'TOO-uh Tongue-OH-vai-LO-uh.'
'In many instances,' Gold said, 'just out of speed and ease of operation, he'll become Tua on the air instead of Tagovailoa. After that one muff, thank God, I haven't had any others.
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If you do your homework, it's not that difficult.' Back on signing day, the freshman was already used to the wide spectrum of failed attempts to say Tagovailoa. The funniest one? 'I don't know,' he said. 'Many people butcher my last name.' Speaking of Hawaii, Gold chuckled looking back on Alabama's series with the Warriors 2002-03 and 2006. Legendary quarterback Kenny Stabler was his broadcast partner at the time.
Those rosters were a minefield for a broadcaster. Gold specifically remembered the challenge presented by Hawaii linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa. 'For Snake,' Gold said, 'the whole name started out with Mr. He wasn't even going to tackle it. Then Pisa became pizza and it degenerated from there. We laughed about it and everybody knew who he was talking about.' Former Alabama linebacker Saleem Rasheed played in Tuscaloosa just before the games with Hawaii started.
2017 Sponsor Pronunciation Guide
'Snake, god bless him, he would call him everything,' Gold said of Stabler, who passed away in 2015. 'He didn't do it to be a jokester. He just couldn't remember.
'I'd have to concentrate and remember his name was Saleem Rasheed and not what the blessed Snake was saying.' Gold, though a pro's pro, isn't claiming perfection on all occasions. It happens sometimes with the opposition. 'Before you spew it out, you double clutch to make sure you get it right,' Gold said. 'So, it's not that difficult as long as you've done your preparation.'
Football is a relative breeze compared to some of the other sports on Gold's resume. Hockey has been a challenge with the long Russian and Czech names paired with the intense speed of the game. Savage said he leans on the broadcasting experience of Gold at times with mastering names. He too said Alabama names were fairly easy once you remember the tricks. 'With (Ross) Pierschbacher,' Savage said, 'it's spelled 'bocker' but it's actually 'baker.' ' Every name on the roster, Gold said, deserved respect. You never know when a walk-on could get in the game and he didn't want to be caught unprepared.
Recent non-scholarship players Nate Staskelunas and Kyle Kazakevicius rolled off the tongue with ease. 'So, it does mean something because everybody is listening,' Gold said. 'Mom and them, grandma and grandpa and the whole bit.
You do owe it to these young men.' It's a duty Gold holds sacred. And for the Pappanastos family, a chance encounter with the baritone voice of the Tide was an opportunity to give thanks to the man who got actually it right. Alabama pronunciation guide K Joseph Bulovas (Bull-uh-VUS) OL J.C.
Hassenauer (HASS-en-our) DL Phidarian Mathis (fuh-DARIAN) DB Kyriq McDonald (Ky-REEK) K Andy Pappanastos (Pap-uh-NASS-tis) OL Richie Petitbon (PETTY-bone) OL Ross Pierschbacher (PEERSCH-baker) QB Tua Tagovailoa (TOO-uh Tongue-OH-vai-LO-uh) WR Chadarius Townsend (CHA-darius).