TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No matter what the University of Alabama offensive line might like to do to Hawai'i's Ikaika Alama-Francis or Melila Purcell today, the UH pass rushers could get more worked over by a 60-year-old.

That would be former Alabama quarterback and NFL great Kenny Stabler, who does color commentary on the 64-station Crimson Tide Sports Network radio broadcasts and makes no pretense of being able to handle Polynesian names.

"I'm probably gonna have to just use their numbers, because I don't think I'm going to get those names," Stabler said yesterday at a book-signing at the Paul Bryant Museum.

"It was pretty tough over there last time (in 2003)," Stabler said.

Stabler's play-by-play partner, Eli Gold, joked that Stabler would say, " 'Yeah, that guy Eli just talked about' " and sometimes bypass names altogether.

A sportscaster on WJOX, who stumbled over the pronunciation of the name of UH's Reagan Mauia, suggested just calling him, "the air conditioning unit."

Gold once teamed with UH defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville on NASCAR broadcasts.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Should the Warriors feel at home in Tuscaloosa?

The Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce Web site said both the the name of the city and the river that runs through it come from the name of a Native American leader from the area.

The site said Tuskaloosa translates to "warrior" (Tuska) and "black" (loosa) from Choctaw Creek Indians who lived in the area.

ELSEWHERE