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Cover credits:
Cover credit: High school football official Gus Hughes, Birmingham, Mich., by 20-20 Photographic

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THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHTS

RULES, MECHANICS, TECHNIQUES:

Basketball
Should Contact Always Be a Foul? The Spirit and Intent Behind Incidental Contact; Finding the 'Magic' Spot; Keep Sidelines and Endlines Clear; Five Minutes With ... Mike Sanzere

Baseball
Bats Take Center Stage Again: NFHS Committee Also Addresses Sportsmanship; Chalk Talk: Third-Base Overthrows; Five Minutes With ... Greg Brewer

Softball
Goodbye, DH; Hello DP/FLEX: Rule Change Gives Teams More Options; Chalk Talk: Two Umpires, Three Ways to Handle Rundowns; Keeping Track of the DP/FLEX

Soccer
Send-Offs Spelled With Four Ds: Denying Obvious Scoring Chance Merits a Card; A Better Position; What a Game Report Should Include; Five Minutes With ... Jesse Johnson

Football
Running Commentary on Penalties: Enforcing Fouls on Running Plays; Regional Mechanics; Chalk Talk: NCAA Blocking Below the Waist Rule; Five Minutes With ... Tom Barnes


FEATURES:

Export Officiating
There's a thirst for officiating improvement worldwide, and referees and umpires in the good ol' U.S. of A. are answering the call, traveling to exotic locations from Asia to Europe to share their knowledge.

What You Owe the Game – What the Game Owes You
The concept of accountability gets a lot of lip service in sports. Players are accountable to their teammates, coaches are accountable to their bosses, owners are accountable to fans and officials are accountable to pretty much everybody, including the media. There's no doubt that we are heavily invested in the game – but it's a two-way street.

Interview: Mike Pereira
There's been a lot of buzz about the new NFL evaluation procedure and crews advancing together into the playoffs instead of fielding all-star crews. The architect behind the changes gives all the details.

Overtime
What happens when a city government decides city employees can't umpire city league softball games because it would have to pay overtime? Well, let's just say you can't fight city hall.


COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS:

Publisher’s Memo
Talk It Up

The Gag Rule
'Officials Aren't Famous'

The News
New Survey: Soccer Refs Are Tough; Coach Sentenced, Then Threatens Teenage Ref

Back to Basics
Big-Time Attitude is for Small People

Profiles
The Unconventional Choice

Getting It Right
Getting a Leg Up

Law
Can the Referee Be Negligent?

Tools
NBA Recommended Reading; REFTEC Football Officials CD-ROM; PAVO Line Judge and Scorekeeper Videos; Sports Ethics Institute Website

Opinion
Time to Step Up

For the Record
NFL and CFL rosters

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

Last Call
Uncle Wilse and the Snow Game