RULES, MECHANICS, TECHNIQUES:

Basketball
That's Intentional! Rules Rationale for Calling Intentional Fouls; Don't Let These Violations Floor You; Getting the Angle; Chalk Talk: Avoid ‘Quicksand’; Five Minutes With ... Cameron Inouye

Baseball
Here Are Four to Remember: Rule Differences You Should Know; 10 for the Price of Nine; Ground Rules vs. Playing Rules; The Bat as a Yardstick; Five Minutes With ...
David Rogers

Softball
Hold It Right There! Umpires Must Respond to Bat-Tossers; More Than Safes and Outs; One Step and Snap-Thud; Chalk Talk: The 'Staging Area' in the Two-Umpire System

Soccer
Slow Card or Fast Card? Know the Right Order for Booking; The Beginning of Time; Chalk Talk: Out of Sight and Sound; Five Minutes With ...
Tim Debysingh

Football
Keep Your Eyes on the Ball - Sometimes: Following Through is a Key to Good Officiating; Climbing the Ladder Means Careful Steps; Opportunity to Catch a Punt; Chalk Talk: Cross-Field Spotting

FEATURES:

The Old Boy Network
Is there really a smoke-filled back room somewhere where fat cat officials and assigners meet to help only each other and leave the rest of us out in the cold - or worse, working a schedule filled with 2-10 teams?

Independent Contractor or Employee?
Are sports officials independent contractors or employees? Who cares? You should! Your status as either will determine a lot of what happens if you're ever injured while officiating or sued because of your officiating. That's not even to mention questions the Internal Revenue Service may have for you.

2005: The Biggest Stories
What impacted the officiating world the most last year? We had everything from background checks to Supreme Court rulings, instant replay to locker room privacy. We ranked the top 11 stories. Which one was the biggest?

Basic Training: Name, Rank and Serial Number
You may be a public figure on the field or court, but that doesn't mean you have to be accessible to the public. There are any number of reasons someone present at one of your games might want to contact you: Maybe an A.D. wants to offer you some games, maybe a coach wants to opine about your great calls or maybe - just maybe - the reason might not be a particularly positive one.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS:

Publisher’s Memo
Two Really Great Calls!

The Gag Rule
Another Great Official; What Happened in the Pregame?; Too Harsh on the Officials; A True Professional

The News
Supreme Court Upholds Decision to Suspend Player; Instant Replay Comes to High School Athletics; Struckhoff Named NCAA Women’s Basketball Coordinator

Back to Basics
Time is of the Essence

Getting It Right
Never Alone in Times of Adversity

Tools
Ask Jerry Markbreit; Tourney Time; Officiating Wrestling;
Ultimate Umpire Bag

Profiles
A New Way to Reward Officials

For the Record
Olympic Hockey Officials

Classifieds
Camps/Clinics; Equipment/Apparel; Leadership Resources; Cyberspace; Miscellaneous

Last Call
Silence Screams