The Box Score Show

Not long after a stoppage in play, baseball needed a lift. But we aren't talking about 2022 here. Oh no, instead, it’s 1996 – the first full season after the 1994-95 strike – we have in mind for the latest episode of ‘The Box Score Show’ with a particular focus on the anticipation of Seattle's Opening Day and the ultimate letdown of the season that followed.

It might not sound like the most likeliest of picks for a game to look back on, but bear with Kevin Chroust and Chris de Salvo as they journey back into an era when Randy Johnson toed the mound for the offensively prolific Mariners, and Frank Thomas was driving in runs for a White Sox team still getting over what could have been in '94. A shortstop sensation by the name of Alex Rodriguez was still proving himself and hit ninth on this opening day, while Ken Griffey Jr. was in the prime of Seattle primes. And Frank Costanza would not be thrilled if we forgot to mention Jay Buhner.

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It’s Shaq’s birthday, his 50th in fact, and what better way to celebrate than joining Kevin Chroust and Chris De Salvo as they wind the clock back to March 6, 2000 as the Los Angeles Lakers star delivered a one-of-a-kind performance to crush the Clippers.

In the midst of his only MVP season, Shaq’s birthday was one to remember. In 45 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back, he put up 61 points and grabbed 23 rebounds as a regular-season precursor to the first NBA championship of his career, aided by a particularly bright young star by the name of Kobe Bryant.

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For the first time in 2 1/2 years, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are set to be reunited on an NBA court for the Golden State Warriors. Yeah, the Splash Brothers are back in town.

Come for the stats and info, stay for Chris’ Tim Robinson impersonations.

This podcast originally appeared as an article on The Analyst in January 2022.

It might be hard to believe, but once upon a time the Chicago Bulls had to give up their home court for two weeks when the circus came to town each November. Instead of dunks, blocks and rebounds, it was tightrope walkers, roaring lions and clowns not of the refereeing variety that ruled either Chicago Stadium or the United Center.

In the 1990s, that meant Michael Jordan got to take his talents on the road for lengthy West Coast trips, a few of which helped solidify his status as perhaps the greatest to have ever played the game.

Join Chris DeSalvo and Kevin Chroust as they join the Bulls on a 1992 jaunt that saw the eventual World champs take on Minnesota, Seattle, the LA Lakers, Phoenix and Golden State, plus that well-known West Coast outfit the New York Knicks, in the space of 11 November days as Jordan reached heights he would never again surpass in his career.

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1968 World Series. Game 1. Forever remembered as Bob Gibson's Day. The St. Louis Cardinals pitcher recorded a shutout while notching a still standing postseason record of 17 strikeouts in the pitchers duel of pitchers duels against Denny McLain after both had won the MVP and Cy Young awards in their respective leagues.

Set against a backdrop of an ever-changing America, the country’s national pastime was also set to go through a revolution in an attempt to level the balance between pitching and offense by leveling the mound, Chris DeSalvo and Kevin Chroust (along with a heavy dose of Harry Caray!) head back to Busch Stadium to relive this memorable day.

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Kevin Chroust and Chris DeSalvo are back for that always tricky second album and have thrown themselves into the deep end with the likes of Cupid Childs, Spud Johnson, Kid Gleason, Chicken Wolf and Pie Traynor.

That's right, it's 1920's baseball to feast upon: a time when at the start of the decade the Yankees weren't the biggest team in New York and hadn't even appeared in a World Series yet. Oh, and seriously, the World Series was a best-of-nine effort.

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“I’ve seen a lot of things over the years, but that’s got to be the biggest comeback in NBA history.” 

For a while on November 27, 1996, Dick Motta's Denver Nuggets looked in cruise mode against the Utah Jazz in the battle of the NBA's brightest jerseys, leading by 36 points against a lineup that featured the likes of John Stockton and Karl Malone.

But as Kevin Chroust and Chris de Salvo will guide you through in the season finale of The Box Score Show: the greatest, biggest (and ugliest, thanks to those jerseys) NBA comeback took place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City – a feat which hasn't been surpassed in the almost 25 years since.

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The date was April 18, 1962, and the two most storied franchises in NBA history were facing off in Game 7 of the NBA Finals: the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the end, it was the seemingly unbeatable Celtics that came out on top in a 110-107 overtime victory to claim a fourth consecutive NBA title. But the star of the show was Bill Russell, who put up 30 points and grabbed … wait for it … 40 rebounds.

Yes, you read that right. The legend had 30 points and 40 rebounds in a winner-takes-all, overtime, Game 7 with the title on the line. Kevin Chroust and Chris De Salvo take us back to an era where there were rebounding opportunities aplenty. And Russell grabbed them.

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When 101,501 fans settled in to watch Texas A&M take on LSU two days after Thanksgiving in 2018, they had no idea of the time commitment they were in for. But it was worth it.

Kevin Chroust and Chris De Salvo go back to that historic night at Kyle Field in College Station where two schools combined for 146 points as records books were torn to shreds and Joe Burrow suffered defeat on a college football field for the last time.

The Box Score Show is a production for The Analyst. Visit theanalyst.com for more data-driven storytelling or join in the conversation on Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to check out our other podcasts as well, including the incredible story of the 1941 baseball season that produced two of the most iconic numbers that still stand today as Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams made their mark on a world that was shrouded in chaos.

You can subscribe to all the podcasts from The Analyst on your favorite podcast applications now to ensure you don’t miss an episode. Don’t forget to rate and review the shows while you are there too.

You're unlikely to win an argument against Sept. 28, 2011 being one of the most momentous days in baseball history. A dynasty came crashing down and postseason structure was changed, in part due to the events that unfolded under the domed roof of Tropicana Field.

For Episode 7 of the Box Score Show, Kevin Chroust and Chris DeSalvo take you back to Game 162, an unforgettable night in the AL East, with the Red Sox and Yankees tasting defeat in heartbreaking fashion and also find the answer to life's eternal question: who on earth is Dan Johnson?

The Box Score Show is a production for The Analyst. Visit theanalyst.com for more data-driven storytelling or join in the conversation on Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to check out our other podcasts as well, including our mini-series looking at the state of analytics. Our final episode focuses on baseball: the land of openers, defensive shifts, four-men outfields and more abbreviations that you can shake a stick at. You don't have to look far to see how baseball has been shaped by the data revolution.

You can subscribe to all the podcasts from The Analyst on your favorite podcast applications now to ensure you don’t miss an episode. Don’t forget to rate and review the shows while you are there too.