ERNIE JOHNSON, JR.
If it seems as though Ernie Johnson, Jr. has been around forever, well he has.
I know that I have been listening to the dulcet tone of his unmistakable and inimitable voice — soaked in genuine charm — for over forty years.
I listened to his father Ernie too, a former major league relief pitcher primarily (40–23; 3.77 ERA; 319 K’s twirling the horsehide for the Boston/Milwaukee Braves — 1950, 1952–1958; and the Baltimore Orioles — 1959) and 1957 World Series champion.
Senior achieved greater notoriety as a color commentator and play-by-play broadcaster on Braves radio and television, particularly while working with Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren beginning in the late-1970’s at Superstation TBS.
Ernie Jr. was exposed to this craft at his father’s feet and had already begun to hone his skills by the time he found himself working alongside Pop on SportSouth telecasts from 1993–1996.
The rest is history and it’s safe to say that Junior’s broadcasting career has eclipsed even that of his old man’s, after whom the broadcast booth at Atlanta’s Turner Field was named in recognition of his sustained excellence (and endearing self-effacement) behind the mike.
Junior, known as “E.J.” is a renowned sportscaster today for Turner Sports and CBS Sports acting currently as the lead television voice for Major League Baseball on TBS; the host of TNT’s Inside the NBA; and a key contributor to the joint coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament for Turner and CBS.
For all NBA-related shows host Johnson is flanked regularly by former league greats Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal and occasionally by Chris Webber, Grant Hill or Reggie Miller.
His dance card is forever full as he also hosts and moderates Tuesday Fan Night (with Webber and Greg Anthony) on sister station NBA TV as well as that network’s Open Court which features him and a rotation of six panelists all of whom are NBA analysts for TNT.
Baseball and basketball aside, Johnson is the play-by-play announcer for TNT’s PGA Tour coverage. His past work at the network has included roles as studio host for: The Championships, Wimbledon (2000–2002); NFL coverage (1990–1997); various responsibilities at the 1994, 1998 and 2001 Goodwill Games; and pivotal broadcasting roles at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. He was the studio host when TNT covered the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Many other not-so-plum assignments dot his portfolio including co-hosting Barkley’s now-defunct talk show Listen Up! and calling weightlifting for NBC in Sydney at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
There is nothing it appears that Ernie Johnson, Jr. can’t or won’t do in the sports broadcasting world; his three Sports Emmys for Best Studio Host only figure to increase in number as time moves along. In 2015 when he won his third such prestigious award, he graciously presented it to the daughters of the late Stuart Scott in a touching tribute seen around the world.
And that’s the kind of guy he is.
A proud and unabashed Christian leaning toward devout, those who are asked to describe EJ’s persona typically begin with a reference to his kind heart.
He and his wife Cheryl have six kids, four of whom are adopted and one of whom, Michael is afflicted with Muscular Dystrophy. He stays alive — at home — courtesy of a ventilator under the watchful eyes of his parents and supported by full-time nurses who care for him from 10 at night to 10 in the morning.
But make no mistake, EJ and his wife are the day nurses also meticulously trained, and hands-on parents and caregivers (one and the same?). When Johnson says “it’s a wonderful life,” he genuinely means it and his broadcasting exploits are but a part of it.
(He would never dwell on his many successes).
He’s talking about his family and love.
Stressing positivity, EJ is convinced that “every day is a blessing…We are a family who loves one another…And just seeing what Michael has done with his life and how he has impacted people, I can easily say, we can all say, that he has done so much more for us than we could ever do for him…It really is a wonderful life.”
EJ’s inner being was on full display when he eulogized pal Craig Sager at the latter’s December (2016) funeral. During a heart-rending interlude spanning several minutes Johnson simply but eloquently regaled the overflow crowd with anecdotal and insightful snippets revealing the true “Sages” (hard ‘g’), culminating in his reading of a handwritten poem he (EJ) had composed, as has been his wont traditionally in times such as this one.
Overcome by emotion — for him — he hit a grand slam.
Citing Sager’s signature wildly colorful wardrobe and unique fashion sense and moving to his golf course hustles and then on to his storming the field at Atlanta Stadium as a 1974 cub reporter/journalist milliseconds after real home-run king Hank Aaron’s record-setting 715th. blast, Sager was in relentless pursuit of the first interview.
And EJ himself touched all the bases in praise.
“You knew then and there, with that move which took guts…that great things awaited — no ifs, ands or buts,” Johnson asserted. He added, “I really do believe that no man enjoyed life more. That laugh, that smile, that joy we saw when he walked in the door.”
Junior knows what’s important; his priorities in life are in order.
If anything could be characterized as a blip on Johnson’s personal screen, it would relate to his take on the election of Donald Trump.
So thoroughly disheartened by the presidential campaign’s suffocating nastiness and negativity and unwilling to cast a vote for either Trump or Clinton, he wrote-in Ohio Governor John Kasich.
His privilege. But a cop-out.
During his TNT on-air ‘at-bat’ concerning the election results in its aftermath a day or two later, he espoused the virtues of his faith and declared that he would do his part to move forward and help heal our tragically divided country. Again, it is his undeniable right to embrace his religion and spirituality and admirable of him to heartily endorse moving on.
But here’s the rub. Standing on religious soapboxes with respect to politics is no good. It reeks of toxicity.
How’d that work out for Pat Robertson, Patrick Buchanan and countless others?
Be yourself, be proud to be yourself but please don’t put religiosity on others.
Opine, but let’s leave whatever goes on in churches, temples, mosques and however many other houses of religion and worship there may be, out of it.
Keep whatever goes on in your brain associated with that, out of political discourse.
That’s for you. Let it stay there.
Ernie Johnson, Jr. is among the very best at what he does of all time. It’s a slam-dunk that he’s at least as fine a human being as he is a broadcaster.
Pretty serious stuff. I’d like to be on the receiving end of compliments like that.
This business of mixing religion and politics was not self-serving or mean-spirited on his part — quite to the contrary — nor was it egregious.
But in these troubled times, perhaps we should reach inward — more deeply than we ever have before — fortifying ourselves with the goodness within.
And rely like mad on just exactly and only that.
[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in March 2017.]
