RULES, MECHANICS, TECHNIQUES:

Basketball
Goaltending and Basket Interference: The Differences and Why They Are Important; Getting It Right to the Very End; Chalk Talk: Inform Thrower Your Intentions to Move; Additional Bonus Signals

Baseball
Location is Everything: Calling Pickoffs in the Two-Umpire System; Darkness Can Put Umpires in the Twilight Zone; Putting Some Order in Batting Out of Turn; ŒI¹ve Got the Appeal¹; Five Minutes With Š Dan Iassogna

Softball
Are You Seeing What You¹re Looking At? How a Little Distance Gives You a Better View; Discerning a Foul Nick, Foul Tip and Foul Ball; Umpiring By the Book; Covering Double Plays Using Modern Mechanics

Soccer
Ready, Feet Set, Throw: Know What to Look for on Throw-ins; Set the Tone Early; ŒSpectators, Do You Have Any Questions?¹; Chalk Talk: Throw-in Near Goal: Referee Takes Extreme Position

Football
Walking (Penalties) in Your Sleep: Avoiding Penalty Enforcement Mistakes; When Players Run Afoul of the Fashion Police; Meeting the Coaches: It¹s More Than ŒShake and Howdy¹

FEATURES:

Being Joe Crawford
Angry, gritty, old school. Easily one of the NBA¹s premier officials, Joe Crawford¹s got issues. But there¹s something else ‹ the man knows himself, knows his weakness, and just like his approach to the game, he deals with it head-on.

Bottom of the Sixth
Norman Rockwell¹s famous painting is a slice of Americana to warm the heart of any baseball fan, but for anyone who knows the rules, there¹s something that¹s just not quite right about that painting.

Body Speak
From the moment you walk onto the field or court, you¹re talking to everyone who lays eyes on you. You can say all the right things, choose the most effective words for every game scenario, but if you¹re a slouch when it comes to body language, nobody will hear what you¹re saying.

You Are There: 96 Dead
Fifteen years ago, what should have been a festive day at Hillsborough turned into one of the worst tragedies in the history of sports. Ninety-six fans who turned out for the Football Association semifinal were crushed to death.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS:

Publisher’s Memo
Officials on Top

The Gag Rule
'Refs Can Rate Refs'

The News
NBA Refs Protest Suspension; NCAA Rules Oversight Committee Under Fire

Back to Basics
Keys to Watching the Calls

Getting It Right
World's Top Refs Join Forces for Children

Profiles
Motley's Long Journey

Tools
Agora Write-on Cards; Leather Luster; NFL Officials Watch; The 3rd Team on the Field; UmpNews.com

Take Care
A Major League Road to Fitness

Opnion
Why We Need Background Checks

For the Record
NBA All-Star officials; Arena2 roster

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

Last Call
From See to Shining See