Ernie Johnson: A peach of an announcer, a prince of a man
Ernie Johnson salutes fans on his last night of work in 1999. (AJC photo by Ben Gray)
My esteemed and much-missed colleague George Cunningham said it best long ago: “Listening to Ernie is like slipping into an old shoe.” Skip Caray told the jokes and Pete Van Wieren gave us the stats, but Ernie Johnson Sr., the old pitcher and the nicest man who ever lived, pulled it all together.
That was the Braves’ broadcast team back in the day when the broadcast team was the best thing by far about the Braves. Having been a player himself, Ernie added a needed gravitas to the festivities, and I write that word knowing full well it’s misused. “Gravitas” implies weight, and there was never anything heavy about ol’ Ernie. He was sweetness and light.
His voice was a wondrous amalgam of New England — he was from Brattleboro, Vt. — and his beloved Crabapple, Ga. He would always call me “Mahhk,” accenting his pahk-the-cahr-in-Hahvahd-Yahd roots, but on the air he was pure magnolia. He’d come to Atlanta when the Braves decamped from Milwaukee, but it’s hard to imagine Ernie calling games for a team not based in the heart of the South.
The most famous Ernie-ism was, “We’re just zippin’ right along, folks.” (This to punctuate a ponderous game.) When the Braves were down, which was often, he’d say: “Let’s see if they can give us a finish.” And when, on that famous Saturday night — it was Aug. 13, 1983 — Bob Watson turned on a Steve Howe pitch and the Braves felled the hated Dodgers, Ernie’s call began: “Back toward that wall … ”
As a human being … well, there were none better. If Ernie uttered an unkind word, I never heard it. (And I was privileged to know him off the air.) Skip? OK, Skip uttered the more-than-occasional unkind word, and even Professor Pete had a sarcastic side. But Ernie was a Southern gentleman who just happened to have grown up in the North.
Ernie Johnson Sr. died at age 87 Friday night, his wife Lois at his side. Ernie had been in declining health for a while, and he’d just been moved to a hospice. The belief here is that Ernie is in a better place now. The belief — no, an absolute conviction — is that ol’ Ernie, in his time in this world, made it a better place.
By Mark Bradley
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192 comments Add your comment
Dr. Phil
August 13th, 2011
9:46 am
I generally do not like announcer humor, particularly when they laugh at their own jokes. Ernie’s humor was childish and so bad that it was good. He was a true gentleman. Back in the 70’s, I waited in line for an automobile tag, and Ernie was next to me. He spoke to me like I was an old friend, with a humility rare for a sports personality. I think that humility was what made him a special announcer. We were lucky to have him.
SA
August 13th, 2011
9:53 am
Beautiful piece Mark. What a great tribute to a true gentleman.
wagster1969
August 13th, 2011
9:57 am
So many of my teenage nights were watching the Braves and listening to Ernie. Sir, you were the highlight of many bad Braves teams. Rest in Peace.
Mitch
August 13th, 2011
9:58 am
God let him stay with us until he could say good bye to Bobby. What a loss for the world of sports. You’ll be really missed.
phil
August 13th, 2011
10:00 am
Ernie always reminded me of my grandfather for some reason. I loved the man, if that’s possible with someone you never got to meet. I grew up listening to him on the am dial as well while falling asleep and as a child, probably best remember a call of a Biff Pocoroba grand slam one night in the late 70s. Possible it was Skip or Pete but I seem to recall that it was him. Regardless, he brought a sense of calm to me that I sometimes needed, and I just truly enjoyed every word the man said. He really was one of a kind.
It was sad to lose Skip 3 years ago, but this really does hurt.
I’m glad he isn’t sick anymore though and he lived a fine, fine life by all accounts. RIP, Ern…
Steve
August 13th, 2011
10:00 am
My sincerest condolences to the Johnson family. I grew up listening to Ernie Johnson Sr. announce games for America’s Team on TBS, the superstation, back when the superstation carried EVERY Braves game, or so it seemed. Those were some pretty lean times for the Bravos that Ernie guided us through. My best to you Mr. Johnson.
phil
August 13th, 2011
10:02 am
RIP, Ernie. You were the very best.
And Dr. Phil, try on some of that same humility you just attributed to Ernie next time you insult the man.
Mark in ATL
August 13th, 2011
10:14 am
Ernie- you were the voice of the Braves of my childhood…..I feel like a piece of that died with you on Friday night. You were the greatest and will be missed.
Dooner
August 13th, 2011
10:14 am
Your comments were so true.
RAMBLE ON!!!
August 13th, 2011
10:22 am
Ernie was the best. RIP
gcs
August 13th, 2011
10:24 am
It is a damn shame that the Cooperstown Hall of Fame has passed over Skip, Pete & Ernie for all these years.
I have so many fond memories of these three guys. The way they called a game and their chemistry made me a fan of baseball. They felt like friends, like people you personally knew.
It is time for MLB to step up and honor these three before we lose Pete van Wieren.
.
Mark It
August 13th, 2011
10:24 am
I too loved Ernie Johnson….which is why I believe I enjoy listening to Don Sutton so much. He too has the warmth, stories and easy-listening delivery that folks love to listen to.
Timbo
August 13th, 2011
10:26 am
I’m greatful to have been able to grow up listening to Ernie. I love the Braves, but loved the old broadcast team of Ernie, Skip, and Pete as much. RIP Ernie! Thanks for everything.
Mark in ATL
August 13th, 2011
10:26 am
Ernie- you were the voice of my childhood with the Braves. Many days and nights were spent listening to you from my childhood home in Greenville SC. You were the eyes and ears for us to big league baseball here in the south and with your passing a part of our childhoods have passed. You were the greatest.
Sonny Clusters
August 13th, 2011
10:29 am
Sad.
rod
August 13th, 2011
10:42 am
as a 50 year old Atlantian reflecting on Ernie Senior passing, I grew up with Ernie, Pete and Skip as well as Bobby Cox. Were we bad, yes. Could we have won more world series, probably. But that is whats special about the South. We embrace gentlemen like these and celebrate what they have done or what they are doing. I will miss Ernie.
Rick
August 13th, 2011
10:47 am
One of your best articles, Mahk.
As an only child, Ernie, the Braves and a transistor radio was all that I had at times.
He always made you feel better and made you love the Braves even more.
Fan of the Game
August 13th, 2011
10:48 am
I can see it now. In Heaven Mr. Ernie, Skip, Chuck Tanner, Dave Bristol, Jim Busby, Tommie Aaron, Bill Lucas, Clete Boyer, and Eddie Mathews talking Braves’ Baseball and God has his Braves cap on listiening.
Saddened to hear the news
August 13th, 2011
11:19 am
Ernie Johnson and Milo Hamilton were a huge part of my childhood.
WVOP-FM in Vidalia broadcast Braves games at night when all the other South Georgia radio stations went dark at local sunset, and I’d listen on earplugs so my parents wouldn’t insist that the radio go off and I go to sleep.
The Braves usually stunk, but I’d listen nonetheless for Hammerin’ Hank or Joe Torre or Rico Carty or Eddie Matthews to knock yet another one out of the park.
You never could be sure what might happen, the Braves were equally liable to blow an eight run lead in the ninth as they were to score eight in the ninth to take the win.
Ernie always called the games as though the Braves were in the thick of the pennant race, even though they were down by 25 games in September,
Thanks, Ernie, for the memories.
Godspeed to you and God bless your family in this time of loss.
In heaven, the Braves always win.
playmeortrademe
August 13th, 2011
11:25 am
Sad, but fitting on a weekend when the Braves are honoring Bobby Cox and the legendary 1991 team that Ernie would sign off from this world. I think Ernie probably enjoyed that season as much as any of us, team included. I have a video about the 1991 team and he has some classic calls during that season that are burned in my head forever. After beating the Mets to take sole possession of first: “This game is gonna be over RIGHT NOW!…..” One thing is certain. They don’t make broadcasters like Ernie anymore, and probably never will again. One of a kind.
Life Long Braves Fan
August 13th, 2011
11:27 am
Well done Mark. Growing up in Atlanta and being a Braves fan forever, Ernie was the voice, the heart and soul of the team. It’s never really been the same since he left the booth. I had the chance to meet Mr. Johnson three times….always very approachable, cordial and with a long warm handshake and smile. It was like you were an old friend…God Speed to the “old righthander”.
Thoughts and prayers to his family.
Tim
August 13th, 2011
11:37 am
Great tribute, Mark, to a truly great man. Watching the Braves every night on TBS, or listening to them on the radio, I felt like I knew Ernie, Skip and Pete. Glad you got to know him and confirmed what already came through the airwaves. He was a terrific and kind man. Atlanta may be the home of the Braves, but we in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida and the Carolinas consider them to be ours too, and feel the same about the announcers we grew up listening to. RIP and God Bless, Mr. Johnson.
Brent Bagley
August 13th, 2011
11:45 am
Heaven is a place for special people like Ernie Johnson, Sr. Condolences to the family. EJ is one of the few who was w/ the team in alll three cities, but boy were we alll blessed to hear his voice during his time in Atlanta. He saw it all, so we can take solace in the fact a special place is reserved for this man who will never be forgotten here in the ATL and beyond. Nice tribute, Mark.
Dr. Warren
August 13th, 2011
11:55 am
Nothing feels more soothing than the same voices calling the same team year after year. You can get lulled into thinking life is a permanent thing. Hard to believe when guys like Skip and Ernie die.
Dr. Warren
August 13th, 2011
12:01 pm
Mark, I think my comment on Ernie went to spam. Got caught in the China filter I think.
ronaldh
August 13th, 2011
12:03 pm
I became a Braves fan the day they moved to Atlanta. I grew up listening to the games on WAPI in Birmingham. It is all but impossible to think of the Braves and not think of Ernie Johnson. He was the one consistency about the team. If there was anything I could change about the Braves history in Atlanta it would not be all the years of losing. It would be one memorable night in April many years ago. The one thing I would change would be to have Ernie at the mic when the Hammer hit #715.
dtanner311
August 13th, 2011
12:14 pm
ernie was the last of a breed of announcers who realized it was about the game,not about him,unlike the ego driven jerks nowdays with their back,back, back garbage and so forth
Fred-D
August 13th, 2011
12:19 pm
My deepest sympathy to the Johnson family. Ernie was a class act and will be deeply missed. Braves baseball will not be the same without him.
tulsabravo
August 13th, 2011
12:43 pm
What a great, and then sad night last night, and day today. When I was a kid, I couldn’t stand baseball or the Braves, but I would listen to them on the radio because of Ernie Johnson. And then Skip and Pete. But it was always Ernie who, no matter how bad the Braves were, seemed to look forward to the next game. And then, so did I. Mr. Johnson, you will be missed.
Kevin
August 13th, 2011
12:51 pm
Ernie and Skip together again. Thanks for the memory guys. Well done.
Wayne Turner
August 13th, 2011
12:52 pm
The main reason I got cable TV back in the 70s was so I could tune in the Skip & Earnie Show on WTBS, Channel 17. If you don’t remember the name “Skip & Earnie Show,” it was onstensibly labeled as “Atlanta Braves Baseball” but usually the interplay of Skip Carray & Earnie Johnson (with an occasional boost from Pete Van Wieren) was far better than the baseball game.
MT
August 13th, 2011
1:26 pm
Anybody remember when he use to do the Vince Dooley
show back in the sixties?
TedInATL
August 13th, 2011
1:31 pm
I never met Ernie, but always thought of him as a dear old friend. Thanks to Ernie, Skip, and Pete for all the hours of entertainment and education. I doubt there will ever be a better team.
bulldogbubba
August 13th, 2011
1:46 pm
AMEN
BaseballBuff
August 13th, 2011
1:50 pm
You’re not my favorite columnist, but well done, MB.
Nate
August 13th, 2011
1:52 pm
I remember growing up, my dad used to take me to the Braves game almost everyday. That was pretty much my summer. And he’d always carry this radio with him to listen to the game with Ernie Johnson. Mr. Johnson like raised me with the Braves. Even when the Braves weren’t good, Mr. Johnson kept you relaxed while I ate peanuts and sometimes run around the stadium as a kid. His voice was every where in the stadium. It was like listening to a talk show with all the stories lines and every now and then he’d call a play to let you know there was still a ballgame going on. And I will never forget his marquee call whenever someone hit a homerun, “Swung on, theirs a line drive, deep left-center field, THAT BALL IS….OUTTA HERE”. Well, isn’t it ironic that Mr. Johnson now is “Outta Here.” We’ll miss you Mr. Ernie Johnson.
keith
August 13th, 2011
1:54 pm
Enter your comments here
keith
August 13th, 2011
2:00 pm
I’m 53, but I have to admit that I shed a tear last night when I heard. What a great ambassador for the Braves and mankind. There won’t be another. May he rest in peace.
blazerdawg
August 13th, 2011
2:03 pm
“Mahler with the pitch…right down Peachtree for a called first strike and we are underway here where all roads lead to Atlanta Stadium and another beautiful night for Braves baseball.”
Man, I miss that gentlemen.
Well written Mark.
Condolences to Ernie, Junior and the entire Johnson family.
Hillbilly D
August 13th, 2011
2:22 pm
I never met Ernie but many is the night I fell asleep to his voice on the radio. Back in the early days of the Atlanta Braves, they only televised about 20 games a year. The other 142 games were radio only. Many times the voice came crackling through static, due to distance, weather, or low batteries but it was a part of daily life back then. Most nights, the games were uneventful and the Braves came out on the short end of the stick but it didn’t matter. There’s just something about baseball on the radio. Those who didn’t have the experience of listening to that, missed out on something, I think.
Rest in peace, Ern and thanks for the memories.
Hillbilly D
August 13th, 2011
2:33 pm
This seems to have gotten lost in cyber space the first time, so trying again:
I never met Ernie but many is the night I fell asleep to his voice on the radio. Back in the early days of the Atlanta Braves, they only televised about 20 games a year. The other 142 games were radio only. Many times the voice came crackling through static, due to distance, weather, or low batteries but it was a part of daily life back then. Most nights, the games were uneventful and the Braves came out on the short end of the stick but it didn’t matter. There’s just something about baseball on the radio. Those who didn’t have the experience of listening to that, missed out on something, I think.
Rest in peace, Ern and thanks for the memories.
Braves73
August 13th, 2011
3:11 pm
It’s truly sad to see that yet another great, Brave’s voice has passed. They had a gift of being able to transcend the very sport they were working. Often times, they were the only reason to tune and they had a unique chemistry that will be sorely missed. Skip and Ernie – We love and will always miss you guys!
dawg4u
August 13th, 2011
4:25 pm
Ernie Johnson was a legend in Atlanta sports radio and tv and was really the only reason I kept watching the terrible Braves teams of the mid to late ’70’s and early eighties. As a diehard Braves fan I can understand MB saying he was the nicest man ever. He came across that way on radio and tv too. I have missed that voice for a long time and deepest condolences to Ernie Jr. and his family and friends. He will always be remembered as a true icon! Now you and Skip can broadcast from the best seats in the house for sure!
TN Jeff
August 13th, 2011
5:07 pm
Nailed it Mark. Thanks
Jimmy
August 13th, 2011
5:15 pm
My highest compliment to him is that he was a southern gentleman…
Skeezix
August 13th, 2011
5:21 pm
Before Skip there was Ernie. May God bless both their souls.
oldfart
August 13th, 2011
6:38 pm
Mark, I can’t improve upon it and will only repeat it as it is likely the best and most true statement you’ve ever written.
“The belief — no, an absolute conviction — is that ol’ Ernie, in his time in this world, made it a better place.”
Hillbilly D
August 13th, 2011
6:43 pm
Tried to post earlier but it’s lost somewhere out there in cyber space. Thanks for the memories, Ernie.
AL hEFLIN
August 13th, 2011
6:58 pm
Many of my favorite memories of listnening to the Braves on radio include the voice of Erine Johnson. He always made you feel that he was a member of the family telling his stories and making even losing enjoyable.He will always live in my memory. God Bless Ernie.
GHF
August 13th, 2011
7:18 pm
AGREE!