RULES, MECHANICS, TECHNIQUES:

Baseball
Swing (and a Pitch) and a Myth:
Separating Rules Fact from the Fiction;
Advice for Newer Officials Part II;
Four Ways to Speed Up the Game;
Five Minutes With … Brian Runge

Basketball
‘Third Man In’:
Don’t Let Others Pile On; Got It Covered;
How Many Games?;
Same for Refs Too?;
Five Minutes With … Joe Crawford

Soccer
To Play or Not to Play?:
Determining When Conditions are Safe;
Get a Grip on Holding;
Five Minutes With … Dr. Robert Evans

Football
New Foul:
Block in the Back, Ten-Yard Penalty, Enforcement on Trys Top NFHS Changes;
What Do Coaches Want? Let’s Ask Them;
Five Minutes With … Jerry Diehl

FEATURES:

Conflict of Interest
That’s a hot button phrase in officiating because it calls your impartiality and integrity into question. Learn how to identify potential conflicts of interest and how to sidestep them before anyone gets the chance to question your motives.

What Works
Getting and keeping officials is a tough proposition, especially in today’s sports culture. Here are 12 tough questions about recruitment and retention and 12 practical answers to go along with them.

Interview: Frank Deford
Let the refs be heard. Should the press be allowed regular access to the officials’ locker room? Renowned sportswriter and commentator Frank Deford sounds off on the sometimes-strained relationship between officials and the media.

You Are There: NBA Bad Boys
It was one of the hardest fouls in the history of the NBA when Karl Malone laid out Detroit’s “Bad Boys” captain Isiah Thomas with a vicious elbow to the head. Legendary referee Jake O’Donnell recalls that gruesome hit.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS:

Publisher’s Memo
What’s French for ‘Cop Out’?

In Black & White
Delving Deeper into ‘Intentional Fouls’

The News
Soccer Referee Stabbed

Back to Basics
The ‘Four Cornerstones’ Model

Tools
Interactive College Umpire Mechanics;
Rulebooks.Com;
‘Make the Right Call’ Brochure;
Clean Sweep Umpire Brush

Getting It Right
What is Officiating?

Law
A Quick Study of Ref Assault and Battery

For the Record
ABA roster, World Cup soccer officials

Classifieds
Camps/Clinics;
Books, Manuals, Cassettes;
Equipment/Apparel;
Miscellaneous

Last Call
Culture Shock