Al Michaels pronunciations

[Dan Darragh]

Big Al pronounces Etienne as E-T-N like it's an acronym. Here's how Etienne pronounces it: https://www.nfl.com/videos/travis-etienne-explains-correct-pronunciation-of-his-last-name-to-steve-smith-sr

 

He also pronounces Ekeler as "Ek-a-ler" which is handy to remember for the next time we have Haiku week around here.

[DJB]

I pronounce Kelce as “Dumb - arse”

Edited January 15, 2023 by DJB

[GunnerBill]

Al is so done in. I honestly think he should retire. He has been great. Just feels like he is done.

[atlbillsfan1975]

Al is fine. He isn’t what he was, but still good enough. 

[Airseven]

The “crowd was at church” comment was great.

[ArtVandalay]

2 hours ago, Dan Darragh said:

Big Al pronounces Etienne as E-T-N like it's an acronym. Here's how Etienne pronounces it: https://www.nfl.com/videos/travis-etienne-explains-correct-pronunciation-of-his-last-name-to-steve-smith-sr

 

He also pronounces Ekeler as "Ek-a-ler" which is handy to remember for the next time we have Haiku week around here.

I don't get it, in the video he says the E-T-N pronunciation is the correct way.  He says that back in NOLA on the bayou they have the accent where they say "ay-chen" but he says ETN is the proper way. 

 

 

[Bookie Man]

YUUUGE

[Livinginthepast]

I thought Al had a "YUGE" performance tonight! Actually, I was glad the game became interesting for him considering the stinkers he has had all season. Etienne's name is old school French so I guess Et tee en would be the way to do it.

[ExiledInIllinois]

I would see it as: Aye-Ti-En.  Which is close to A-Chen sans the marbles in your mouth.

10 minutes ago, ArtVandalay said:

I don't get it, in the video he says the E-T-N pronunciation is the correct way.  He says that back in NOLA on the bayou they have the accent where they say "ay-chen" but he says ETN is the proper way. 

 

 

Isn't "E" with an accent in French pronounced like "E" in Spanish? As "A"... First letter "E" is followed by a consonant.

 

It's equivalent is "Stefan/Steven" in English and should have an accent... Probably why they butcher it on The Bayou, get the first syllable and just lazily roll into "Chen."  Don't they talk with marbles in their mouth down there? 😉 

 

[HOUSE]

Al is broke, give him a break

[Franco_92]

2 hours ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

Al is fine. He isn’t what he was, but still good enough. 

Last night's game was an all-time classic and he called it like it was bingo night at the retirement home. He is not fine. Last night was a disgrace to the game. 

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

4 minutes ago, arcane said:

Last night's game was an all-time classic and he called it like it was bingo night at the retirement home. He is not fine. Last night was a disgrace to the game. 

 

 I agree. Would've been much more exciting if someone like Gus Johnson was calling the play by play. God I miss him calling NFL games.

 

 

 

 

[GunnerBill]

33 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I would see it as: Aye-Ti-En.  Which is close to A-Chen sans the marbles in your mouth.

Isn't "E" with an accent in French pronounced like "E" in Spanish? As "A"... First letter "E" is followed by a consonant.

 

It's equivalent is "Stefan/Steven" in English and should have an accent... Probably why they butcher it on The Bayou, get the first syllable and just lazily roll into "Chen."  Don't they talk with marbles in their mouth down there? 😉 

 

 

The french city Saint-Étienne is as per that video (I know from soccer) so when he first broke onto the scene at Clemson that is the way I'd say it. Et ee en rather than ee tee en or ETN for short. 

[Mr. WEO]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Al is so done in. I honestly think he should retire. He has been great. Just feels like he is done.

 

no way!  I think he is having a bit of a chuckle out there each time.  It's refreshing, compared to the vanilla monotone drone of Joe Buck and inebriated slurring of Aikman, for example. 

[Shaw66]

3 minutes ago, arcane said:

Last night's game was an all-time classic and he called it like it was bingo night at the retirement home. He is not fine. Last night was a disgrace to the game. 

Hallelujah!!!  You're absolutely correct, and it wasn't just last night.  It's been at least the last couple of seasons.

 

Michaels is a self-centered old fart who doesn't care about much of anything except his wealth, his comfort, and his convenience.   For example:

 

He often mentions the dollar amounts of players contracts.  It's obvious he cares about money is impressed by people who get big money.

 

He often slips in comments about what a late game field goal might do to the outcome of bets.  

 

He mocked Herbstreet all season long about the podunk towns he had to travel to for the college games.   No podunk towns for big Al.

 

Someone said he got stuck with a lot of stinker games this season.  You know why people thought they were stinker games?  Because MIchaels kept telling us they were stinkers.  It was obvious that Al feels entitled - he's a great announcer so he should only get great games to call.   Well, no, Al, you are an entertainer, and your JOB is to be sure the show is entertaining.  Jimmy Fallon doesn't open his show by telling his audience he has a bad show for them tonight.  There's always a story to tell about a game, and it's his job to tell it, not to whine about the fact that he doesn't find the game interesting. 

 

It culminated last night, as you said, by his more or less completely blowing his opportunity to call a historic game.   You could hear it when the Jags got the TD near the end of the first half.  That was a big, big drive.   Down 27 is a blowout; down 20 is a football game.  He had already decided that the game was over and he had switched into bingo-mode.   It was completely ho-hum to him.   Then, when the Jags stopped the Chargers on the first possession of the second half, stopped them easily, it looked like the game could be changing, and Al said more or less nothing.   Throughout the second half, there was a lot of drama.  Important possessions, changes in field position.  

 

Then, when it was over, all Michaels could say was that the game was "crazy."   That's the only word he seems to be able to find when something exciting has happened - it was "crazy."  Guy gets paid umpti-ump millions of dollars a year, and all he can do is talk like a fourteen-year-old kid.  

 

If you ever get a chance to hear call another game (I hope I don't) notice how when he tells you how much time is left it seems like he's counting how many minutes he has until he has a break and doesn't have to do his job.  It's not "the Gophers have another 1 minute 16 seconds to work with."  It's "another 1 minute 16 seconds to the end of the half."

 

He says "of course" a lot.  He uses it when he's telling you something he knows you already know, but he doesn't have anything else to say.  "Wilson, of course, got that big contract in the off-season."   In other words, "you know it and I know it but I'll say it anyway.  He got a lot of money.   47 seconds left in the half."  "Diggs, of course, came over in that trade with Minnesota.  That touchdown with two minutes left put the Bills up by 13 which, for the time being, made a lot of people out there happy, if you know what I mean."

 

Please, please, please.  No more Al Michaels.  

[GunnerBill]

7 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

no way!  I think he is having a bit of a chuckle out there each time.  It's refreshing, compared to the vanilla monotone drone of Joe Buck and inebriated slurring of Aikman, for example. 

 

Oh anything is better than those two. But Al (who has been the best of my NFL fandom) is a shadow of himself IMO. I do think part of it is low energy partners. His two best partnerships were Madden and Collinsworth who are high energy. The Amazon fella and then Dungy last night are not great fits.

[frostbitmic]

Last night was the first I've seen of Al this season. He's aging like we all are but he wasn't this old coot ready to nap at any second like many on here made him out to be this year.

 

I'd still rather hear him than Collinsworth frothing over Brady's jock, even if the Bucs aren't playing, any day of the week.

[Mr. WEO]

18 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Oh anything is better than those two. But Al (who has been the best of my NFL fandom) is a shadow of himself IMO. I do think part of it is low energy partners. His two best partnerships were Madden and Collinsworth who are high energy. The Amazon fella and then Dungy last night are not great fits.

 

I agree. Dungy is zero energy.  Over-rated as he was in his coaching career.

 

Need to pair Al with Gus Johnson!

[without a drought]

1 hour ago, HOUSE said:

Al is broke, give him a break

He was lucky to afford 1 vowel. 

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

if I make it to 78 I'll likely have issues with pronunciations among other things.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 minute ago, without a drought said:

He was lucky to afford 1 vowel. 

Al Michaels had a colostomy?! 😳

*
Oh, vowel.

[Shaw66]

25 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Oh anything is better than those two. But Al (who has been the best of my NFL fandom) is a shadow of himself IMO. I do think part of it is low energy partners. His two best partnerships were Madden and Collinsworth who are high energy. The Amazon fella and then Dungy last night are not great fits.

Gunner - think about what you just said.  In order for Michaels to be good, he needed a high energy.   That's like saying I'm good at QB so long as I have Diggs and Kupp and Chase to throw to.   It's the same as the comment that he wasn't good because he didn't have good games to call.  The reality is that he isn't good is in his own right, and hasn't been for years. 

[Nextmanup]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Al is so done in. I honestly think he should retire. He has been great. Just feels like he is done.

It's not that he's done; it's that you haven't heard him with a competent color guy all year long.

 

Kirk Herbstreit is incredibly bland and boring; it's how he does college football too; he's totally wrong for Al as a partner.

 

And then last night we got possibly the worst color commentating performance I have ever seen for an NFL football game.

 

What total meathead making 7 figures at NBC thinks it's a good idea to keep promoting f-ing Tony Dungy in broadcasting roles?

 

He has ZERO charisma, he has ZERO personality, he says NOTHING That is relevant, ever, and most of the time he adopts his favorite strategy:  SAYING NOTHING.

 

I've never heard so much dead air in a football broadcast.

 

OMG....I honestly can't believe Dungy survived his first few studio appearances back in the day before Sunday Night football.  He is totally wrong for TV.

 

Tony Romo and Al would be magic.

 

 

[GunnerBill]

6 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Gunner - think about what you just said.  In order for Michaels to be good, he needed a high energy.   That's like saying I'm good at QB so long as I have Diggs and Kupp and Chase to throw to.   It's the same as the comment that he wasn't good because he didn't have good games to call.  The reality is that he isn't good is in his own right, and hasn't been for years. 

 

I have already said that he isn't what he used to be. The point was only that if he is going to carry on you can't give him duds like Dungy to share a booth with.

[T master]

I will say i think Al has found a really good partner to announce games with in Tony Dunge they bounce things off each other very well much better than Herbstreet did . Tony has vast knowledge of the game & they seem to just work very well together & it was a enjoyable listen with this team of 2 ! 

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

49 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

no way!  I think he is having a bit of a chuckle out there each time.  It's refreshing, compared to the vanilla monotone drone of Joe Buck and inebriated slurring of Aikman, for example. 

 

 Imo that was one of the worst announced games I've seen in a quite a while. No energy from AL or Tony and there were  pockets of long drawn out dead air time. I'm not a fan of Buck or Aikman by any means, but I'd take them over last night anyday. AL was one of the best, back in the day, but it's been time for him to hang it up for a few years now.

 

 

 

 

[BarleyNY]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Al is so done in. I honestly think he should retire. He has been great. Just feels like he is done.

I agree. He’s been phoning it in all season. The crappy Thursday night games probably sapped whatever enthusiasm he had left. Also he’s 78. Just call it a career already. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by BarleyNY

[LabattBlue]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

Hallelujah!!!  You're absolutely correct, and it wasn't just last night.  It's been at least the last couple of seasons.

 

Michaels is a self-centered old fart who doesn't care about much of anything except his wealth, his comfort, and his convenience.   For example:

 

He often mentions the dollar amounts of players contracts.  It's obvious he cares about money is impressed by people who get big money.

 

He often slips in comments about what a late game field goal might do to the outcome of bets.  

 

He mocked Herbstreet all season long about the podunk towns he had to travel to for the college games.   No podunk towns for big Al.

 

Someone said he got stuck with a lot of stinker games this season.  You know why people thought they were stinker games?  Because MIchaels kept telling us they were stinkers.  It was obvious that Al feels entitled - he's a great announcer so he should only get great games to call.   Well, no, Al, you are an entertainer, and your JOB is to be sure the show is entertaining.  Jimmy Fallon doesn't open his show by telling his audience he has a bad show for them tonight.  There's always a story to tell about a game, and it's his job to tell it, not to whine about the fact that he doesn't find the game interesting. 

 

It culminated last night, as you said, by his more or less completely blowing his opportunity to call a historic game.   You could hear it when the Jags got the TD near the end of the first half.  That was a big, big drive.   Down 27 is a blowout; down 20 is a football game.  He had already decided that the game was over and he had switched into bingo-mode.   It was completely ho-hum to him.   Then, when the Jags stopped the Chargers on the first possession of the second half, stopped them easily, it looked like the game could be changing, and Al said more or less nothing.   Throughout the second half, there was a lot of drama.  Important possessions, changes in field position.  

 

Then, when it was over, all Michaels could say was that the game was "crazy."   That's the only word he seems to be able to find when something exciting has happened - it was "crazy."  Guy gets paid umpti-ump millions of dollars a year, and all he can do is talk like a fourteen-year-old kid.  

 

If you ever get a chance to hear call another game (I hope I don't) notice how when he tells you how much time is left it seems like he's counting how many minutes he has until he has a break and doesn't have to do his job.  It's not "the Gophers have another 1 minute 16 seconds to work with."  It's "another 1 minute 16 seconds to the end of the half."

 

He says "of course" a lot.  He uses it when he's telling you something he knows you already know, but he doesn't have anything else to say.  "Wilson, of course, got that big contract in the off-season."   In other words, "you know it and I know it but I'll say it anyway.  He got a lot of money.   47 seconds left in the half."  "Diggs, of course, came over in that trade with Minnesota.  That touchdown with two minutes left put the Bills up by 13 which, for the time being, made a lot of people out there happy, if you know what I mean."

 

Please, please, please.  No more Al Michaels.  

Damn.  Michaels kick your dog, and screw your wife?

[Albany,n.y.]

This is similar to Bill Belichick who pronounces his father's name differently than how his name is currently pronounced.  The discussion starts around the 30 second mark in the video.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nextmanup]

2 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Damn.  Michaels kick your dog, and screw your wife?

LOL;  there's some truth to some of his comments, but I love Al, though he is starting to get old.  

 

All great sports announcers at some point get old enough where the mental side of things starts to slip first, and it shows.  That's usually when it's time to go.

 

The last few years, RJ was mispronouncing and flat out using WRONG NAMES calling Sabres games.

 

Bob Cole was horrific his last 3 or 4 years on CBC....

 

And those are 2 of the greatest announcers of all time.

 

 

3 minutes ago, Albany,n.y. said:

This is similar to Bill Belichick who pronounces his father's name differently than how his name is currently pronounced.  The discussion starts around the 30 second mark in the video.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting that!  I always knew he had a "fake" Americanized name...but couldn't figure it out.

 

Ivan Bilicic.  From Croatia.

 

Interesting!

 

 

 

 

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

24 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

LOL;  there's some truth to some of his comments, but I love Al, though he is starting to get old.  

 

All great sports announcers at some point get old enough where the mental side of things starts to slip first, and it shows.  That's usually when it's time to go.

 

The last few years, RJ was mispronouncing and flat out using WRONG NAMES calling Sabres games.

 

Bob Cole was horrific his last 3 or 4 years on CBC....

 

And those are 2 of the greatest announcers of all time.

 

 

Thanks for posting that!  I always knew he had a "fake" Americanized name...but couldn't figure it out.

 

Ivan Bilicic.  From Croatia.

 

Interesting!

 

 

 

 

 

 Yes everyone knows the correct pronunciation is Bell-i-cheat. 

 

 

 

[EasternOHBillsFan]

As someone who is French-Canadian, I am glad that he at least was close and didn't butcher the name with something stupid... reminds me of what I see with Versailles... people pronouncing it Ver-sails 🤢