How to pronounce.....

[Archive]

Posted By: Andy Broome

Since my question came from looking at images of pre-war newspapers, I thought this board would be a better place to ask...
I was going through some old newspapers today with a friend and we got into a discussion. How do you actually pronounce Tony Lazzeri's last name? Another name we couldn't agree on was Bert Neihoff.
I think I'm right but I thought I'd get some opinions!

Andy

[Archive]

Posted By: Dan Bretta

Luh-zerry
Ny-Hoff

[Archive]

Posted By: Steve Murray

La Zeeeery

[Archive]

Posted By: Steve

Hey meatball!

[Archive]

Posted By: CarltonHendricks

I firmly believe they are pronounced:
La-zairy...(zairy like scary)
and
Knee-hoff...(like Neiman in Neiman Marcus)

I make my livelihood striving to ad-lib peoples names correctly, and those are no-brainers. One that kills me is the way some pronounce Napoleon Lajoie's name Lazh-a-way, but I've always thought it was La-Hoy....but I guess pronunciation all depends on what part of Tanzania you're from unless you have audio documentation of the subject pronouncing their own name.

[Archive]

Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

The "La-zsoe-way" ("zsoe" as in "Zsa Zsa Gabor") is derivative from the French Canadian pronunciation of the true French "La-zswah". Napoleon was of French Canadian descent if I recall correctly, so the first pronunciation I mentioned is probably correct.
EDIT--sp.

[Archive]

Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

And don't get me started on Eli Grba! (Actually, he's a nice guy. I once bumped into him online somewhere and we exchanged a few emails.)

How about Joe Zdeb? Larry Biitner? Why the two i's? The second one seems wholly superfluous!

[Archive]

Posted By: Steve Murray

"La-zswah"?
Nope...
"Lazs-wah"

[Archive]

Posted By: CarltonHendricks

So what about Zsa Zsa Gabor?...didn't he play for Cleveland?

[Archive]

Posted By: Mark Steinberg

Sometimes the phonetic pronunciation can also apply to a player's status. Such was the case with Tom Niedenfuer, who gave up lots of big home runs.

A day after serving up back-to-back walk-off homers to Jack Clark and Ozzie Smith, a radio talk show caller asked how to properly pronounce his name.

The disgruntled Dodger commentator spontaneously answered "Need-in-fewer... as in, we need him in fewer games". I always thought that was a funny reply.

[Archive]

Posted By: John Harrell

I cracked up when I read the Niedenfuer story. I'm sure at the time, tough, that the announcer and the fans were not laughing.

John

[Archive]

Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Carlton,

Actually, it was Eva Gabor who played for Cleveland. After winning the title of Miss Hungary in 1936, "Double Zsa" went on to become Hungary's first dual-sport star, excelling in both lawn darts and frozen haggis-tossing.

[Archive]

Posted By: CarltonHendricks

O.K. now I remember her on Monday night haggis-tossing....what an arm!

[Archive]

Posted By: Anthony N.

Zsa Zsa was also a standout at the sport of cop- slapping.

[Archive]

Posted By: Bob Pomilla

And she changed husbands like Steinbrenner changed managers.