Originally posted Monday, October 1, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Veteran broadcaster Ernie Johnson is sitting out the MLB playoffs this year on TBS because of blood clots in his legs.
Johnson was supposed to provide play-by-play for the Indians-Astros American League Division Series. He will be replaced by former Red Sox play-by-play man Don Orsillo.
“It’s a great time of year, and unfortunately I am not going to be a part of it at TBS,” Johnson said in an Instagram video. “I went to the doctor the other day and had a physical, and they discovered blood clots in both my legs. They advised me against flying and put me on blood thinners… The best course of action is to just stay grounded at this point, not fly.”
"When you are doing the playoffs, there's a lot of flights in a compressed time, and blood clots are nothing to be messed with. As tough as it is for me to miss baseball's postseason, it's the thing for me to do."
So he'll be watching the playoffs on TV with blood thinners and compression socks, he said.
Johnson is better known for covering NBA basketball for TNT but he has helped Turner out with baseball coverage for the past decade. He is based out of Atlanta so he’ll continue to provide TNT pre-season NBA coverage from Turner studios in Midtown.
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