No Good

 

Michael and Ernie Johnson

I've heard Ernie Johnson, the renowned, respected host of "Inside the NBA" on TNT talk about his son, Michael, before.

Ernie is a remarkable person. You probably know that. His wife, Cheryl, is also.

Hopefully, after watching Ernie speak about his son, Michael, you'll love his family even more.

Those of us of a certain age remember Ernie's dad as a pitcher with the Braves and then as a broadcaster.

Of course, the Braves, Atlanta, and the Johnson family take on a hint of a different poignancy today.

The Braves -- always Hank Aaron's team -- won the World Series last night over the Astros. It's their first title since 1995, having previously won once in Boston (1914) and Milwaukee (1957).

So you have the Braves and you have Hank Aaron, who we all lost in January.

Then you have Ernie Johnson Sr (who died in 2011) and EJ jr and Michael and Cheryl and the Johnson family.

Michael Johnson died last Friday night at the age of 33.

I've rarely seen such an outpouring of love and compassion in the broadcasting business. Literally, everyone -- Chris Erway and I included -- took time to post and discuss Michael, Ernie, and the Johnson's during a broadcast.

If you know the backstory of Michael Johnson, you can understand even more why this is so profound.

I'm a dad, as you know. I have a healthy child (now 19) who I pretty much worship.

The short backstory on Michael is that he had muscular dystrophy. If you choose to skip the video in the tweet I'm going to post, I understand but you need to know that Michael was described as being "no good" at the orphanage where he was adopted because of his perceived limitations

Can you imagine?

Now watch this video. Please. Knowing what I've told you here I can imagine listening to EJ talk about Michael will hit you. Hard.

And it should. It's OK if you need to blink back a few tears. Some emotion can be a much-needed thing.

What am I thankful for today? This. The gut-punch of wanting to do better.

Do good today. Hug someone. Don't be an ass for a few moments. Tell someone you love them.

If only for Michael Johnson.

No good, indeed.

Do good.

And congratulations, Braves.

"There’s value in everybody."

Back in 2019, Ernie shared a powerful message about his son Michael.

Michael Johnson passed away at age 33 on Friday, but his impact will never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/MAdSsFrhQ4

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 2, 2021