I caught with one of my favorite people in sports media, Ernie Johnson. Here’s an excerpt from my interview with the Turner Sports veteran that I wrote for Awful Announcing.

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Ernie Johnson goes so far back with Turner Sports it actually pre-dates the start of his broadcast career. His father, Ernie Johnson Sr., was the announcer for the Atlanta Braves when Ted Turner had the outlandish idea to air their games nationally on his WTBS Superstation.

The “Crazy Ted” talk died down once the Braves became “America’s Team.” Ernie Johnson’s son learned early on never to question the drive of his father’s boss.

“It seemed like the more people told (Turner), you can’t do something, the more he wanted to do it,” Johnson said.

So that’s why this year’s NCAA tournament holds extra meaning for Johnson and other long-time employees of Turner Sports. For the first time ever, TBS will carry the Final Four games on semifinal Saturday. They had been exclusively on CBS since 1982.

It will be a landmark moment for Turner Sports. Even though Turner himself isn’t involved in the operation of the networks he founded, Johnson knows what it means to everyone with ties to the man whose name still is on the door.

“It’s huge,” Johnson said. “The reality of it isn’t lost on any of us. You watch this tournament your entire life, but you’re never a part of it. Then to be in that mix and to know that everyone is watching this event. It’s not just sports fans. It’s about fringe fans. They’re not sports fans, but they’re March Madness fans with their brackets. The tournament is one of those events that bring everyone together for a few weeks.”