On this edition of The Small Market Notebook, host Callan McClurg breaks down a monumental week across Southern California sports, legal battles, media collapses, and franchise milestones. First, Arte Moreno agrees to sell the Los Angeles Angels to Stan Kroenke Sports & Entertainment for $4 billion—ending a 23-year era defined by stadium legal battles, lost name identities, and wasted generational talents. Callan examines the legislative pressure from California’s "Home Run for Anaheim Act" (AB 2512) and what Kroenke's arrival means for Orange County baseball.

Next, the NBA hands down a historic $30 million fine and multiple executive suspensions against the LA Clippers for salary cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard—but did Commissioner Adam Silver actually drop the hammer, or did the player walk away virtually untouched? Plus, Major League Soccer reverses course to restore all 27 U.S. clubs to the historic Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the rapid operational collapse of FAST platform Victory+ shifts local NHL rights over to Amazon Prime Video, and the Anaheim Ducks announce the jersey retirement of long-time captain Ryan Getzlaf.

About The Show:The Small Market Notebook is an audio extension of the Mr. Small Market Substack written weekly by Callan McClurg. Delivering unapologetic takes on sports, blending insights from the broadcast booth, sports business, and media with the passion of a true small-market fan. New stories and podcasts drop every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before the X-Games brought extreme sports to the masses, a radical experiment in televised chaos hit the sands of Huntington Beach. In the late 90s, when the inline hockey boom was searching for its next identity, founder David McLane turned the volume all the way up—literally.

In this third installment of Pucks Among The Palms, Callan McClurg takes you back to the short-lived, high-octane era of Pro Beach Hockey (PBH). For three summers, ESPN brought us a version of the game that felt less like a sport and more like a neon-soaked, adrenaline-fueled music video.

In this episode, we explore:

• The "Gimmick" Revolution: Why PBH became infamous for its "ramps behind the nets" to keep the ball in play, a 2-point line for long-range snipers, and a faster, four-on-four format that stripped away the blue lines and the icing.

• Life in the Sand: We break down the brutal reality of playing professional inline hockey on a black sport-court surface under the California sun, where the blowing sand, scorching heat, and beachside humidity tested the endurance of every skater on the roster.

• The Spectacle: From the Laker Girls on the sidelines to celebrity cameos and live bands, we discuss how PBH tried to package the "party atmosphere of the beach" to capture a younger, television-ready demographic that was slipping away from traditional leagues.

• The Dynasty and the Dust: A look at the dominance of the Web Warriors, the rowdy legacy of the Gargoyles, and the teams—Salsa, Dawg Pac, Heavy Metal, and Xpress—that defined this strange, unforgettable corner of sports history.

• The "Blue Dot" Warning: How the eventual decline of PBH after 2000 serves as a lesson for modern leagues about the dangers of prioritizing "spectacle" over sustainability and the fickle nature of summer television ratings.

Whether you remember gluing yourself to ESPN2 in the summer of 1998 or you're just discovering this bizarre piece of hockey heritage, this episode is a deep dive into the sport’s most colorful, sandy, and experimental frontier.

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Before the X-Games went mainstream, a radical experiment in sports entertainment took over the California boardwalks and suburban rinks. In the summer of 1993, Roller Hockey International (RHI) exploded onto the scene, stripping away the traditional, rigid structures of ice hockey and replacing them with four-on-four speed, neon aesthetics, and a "summer of the blade" attitude.

In this comprehensive second installment of Pucks Among The Palms, host Callan McClurg conducts a deep dive into the RHI—a league that dared to believe inline hockey could challenge the NHL for the American sports crown.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Architects of Inline: How sports legend Dennis Murphy designed a cutthroat, win-loss-based financial model and revolutionary rules—no offsides, sudden-death shootouts, and blistering four-quarter play—to turn hockey into a television spectacle.

• The California Circuit: We break down the fierce tribalism of the West Coast division, from the championship-caliber rosters of the Anaheim Bullfrogs and San Jose Rhinos to the home-grown grit of the San Diego Barracudas.

• The "Mini-Game" Madness: An analysis of the most heart-stopping postseason format in sports history and how the RHI’s intense playoff drama pushed the limits of professional stamina.

• The Permanent Legacy: We map the infrastructure left behind by the nineties boom—from the iconic Escondido Sports Center to the neighborhood rinks at 4S Ranch and MLK Park—that still serves as the home for elite tournament play and the San Diego Elite Draft League today.

• From Neon to Grassroots: How the RHI’s "corporate" bubble eventually burst, only to transform into the thriving, community-driven neighborhood hockey culture that continues to produce the next generation of San Diego talent.

Whether you were a fan of the Barracudas in the 90s or you're lacing up your skates at Kit Carson Park today, this episode is a love letter to the era of neon wheels, plastic pucks, and the enduring passion of San Diego’s "other" hockey scene.

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