Sportscasting legend and Wauwatosa native Ernie Johnson gave shout-outs to his hometown on national television Wednesday night, and on Thursday morning he fulfilled a promise to meet a local fan for brunch.
Kevin Weber said he reached out to Johnson two months ago when heard Johnson mention he was from Wauwatosa during a Bucks game. Weber went to Twitter to take a shot at connecting with the sportscaster, ultimately meeting Thursday morning at Blue's Egg in Tosa.
"A couple days ago he messaged me on Twitter, said 'Hey, I've kept my promise, does this Thursday morning work for you guys?'" Weber recalled.
Weber immediately replied with the obvious, bringing friends along for the experience as they dined with Johnson.
"One thing that sparked me out of the whole thing was he was just as interested in talking with us and finding out where we're from than we were of him," Weber said.
Other than learning about each other's lives and upbringing, Weber had to ask the big question: how far does Johnson think the Bucks will go?
"He does think the Bucks have a good shot at making the finals," Weber said. "He still has the Warriors over the Bucks just because of their experience."
But Johnson's love for Milwaukee and Wauwatosa is evident.
"I'm Ernie, this is my hometown! Shout-out Wauwatosa!" he said during the TNT pre-game show Wednesday night. "Shout-out N. 68th Street!"
Today we tracked down the home where Johnson grew up on N. 68th that now belongs to the Nelsons.
"It was very cool," Pat Nelson said. "It wasn't a big surprise because the two times he did Whistling Straits for the PGA Championship he stopped by our house to visit us twice."
The Nelsons said they're expecting Johnson to make another stop by before the series heads to Toronto.
