RULES, MECHANICS, TECHNIQUES:

Basketball
Held Ball? Hold On: How, When and Why to Whistle a Held Ball; 'Live or Dead Ball'; Chalk Talk: NFHS Three-Person: Long Switch Reinstated; NFHS: Basket Interference Further Defined

Baseball
Ties, Ground Rules and Pitching Motions: Those and Other Fundamentals Are Found in the Rules; The Added Touch of Professionalism; Moving Toward Better Field Presence; Sneak a Peek; Five Minutes With ... Dale Scott

Softball
Stop Thief? Nope, It's Legal This Year: ASA Alters Obstruction Rule, Adds Steals; Moving Up Too Fast? A Cautionary Tale; The Box Stance; Chalk Talk: Two NCAA Umpires: Potential Double Play

Soccer
Are You Ready to Upgrade? Weighing the Risks and Rewards of Assessment; Guide to Handling Youth Sidelines; Lesson From the Cup; Chalk Talk: Trouble on the Field – Prevent Bench Problems

Football
Stop, Think and Listen: Communication Prevents Enforcement Errors; Rules and Restrictions on Pass Plays; Options for Option Plays; Replacing the Football

FEATURES:

'I Go In. I Run the Game. I Leave.'
When it comes to top-notch college basketball refs, few stand as tall as Jim Burr. Sure, some consider him a hard-ass, but there's no doubt he gets the job done. From his early days in the upstate New York small college meatgrinder to the pinnacle of the Final Four, Burr's done it all.

Ego Driven
Forget those clichés about leaving your ego at the gate. If anyone needs to project a strong ego, it's officials. But be warned: If you lose control of your ego, it'll drive you right off a cliff.

Refs Can't Rate Refs
Everybody knows the answer to the question, "Who does a more objective job of rating officials?" Coaches or other officials? The Illinois High School Association found a surprising answer.

You Are There: Milan vs. Muncie
With three seconds to go, the perfect jumper slid through the net and capped the ultimate underdog story as the small-town Milan Indians defeated the big-city Muncie Bearcats to take the state championship. Years later the game was immortalized and fictionalized in the classic film Hoosiers.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS:

Publisher’s Memo
Rules and Our Beliefs

The Gag Rule
'Players Don't Always Make the Best Refs'; 'Welcome to the 21st Century'

The News
'Zebra' Commercial Most Likable of 2003; ABUA Surveys Umpires on Tobacco Use

Back to Basics
Time to Speak Up and Support Your Peers!

Getting It Right
Trailing the Perfect Game

Profiles
Pushing for More Refs in Canton

Tools
LearnRugbyLaws.com; Kids Come First; Accountability in Officiating; IAABO Mechanics Tutorial Disc

Take Care
Is the Stress Getting to You?

For the Record
NCAA football bowl officials

Classifieds
Camps/Clinics; Equipment/Apparel; Cyberspace; Supplies; Computer Software; Miscellaneous

Last Call
Where Do I Stand?