Craig and Raphael/Rafael

[trishy-h.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that Americans (generalization alert!) pronounce the name Craig 'CREG', in other words, like Greg with a c. Why? It drives me up the wall but maybe there's some explanation for it. I (and everyone I know here - I live in South Africa) pronounce it CRAY-G.

Also, how do you pronounce Raphael/Rafael? I pronounce it RAFA-YEL but every time I watch the US Open on ESPN the American commentators pronounce it RAFI-YEL (for Rafael Nadal). I see no 'i' in the name but maybe I'm the one who's been pronouncing it incorrectly all this time. What say you?