Ernie Johnson's Face

TNT's halftime and postgame studio shows are something I always enjoy watching. Unlike most, they don't seem scripted, and Ernie Johnson seems to bring the right amount of professionalism, candor & patience to deal with Barkley & Kenny's antics night in and night out. During a Lodge gathering last week after a hard fought whiffle ball game, we noticed last week that the left side of the face of TNT studio host Ernie Johnson was growing and the network didn't use close-ups for him.

Assuming it was a temporary ailment or result of a minor injury, we casually mentioned it and forgot. But I was in shock when I found out last night that it's actually cancer. Though we had never noticed before, it turns out EJ revealed the cancer in February because a swollen lymph node under his left ear became visible on TV. Johnson was diagnosed with "follicular" Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma all the way back in August of 2003. He plans to work through the remainder of the NBA season before beginning treatment in June.