RULES, MECHANICS, TECHNIQUES:

BASEBALL
Approachability: Has It Gone Too Far? Umpires Can’t Become Pushovers When Dealing With Coaches; Here’s the Lowdown on Rundowns for Umpires; Good Notekeeping Will Avoid Problems; Five Minutes With … Wally Bell

SOFTBALL
More Than the Pitch for the Plate Umpire: Balls and Strikes Aren’t the Only Tough Calls; Subtle Safety in Slow Pitch; Chalk Talk: Two Umpires: Three-Foot Lane Interference; Five Minutes With … Lori Bish

SOCCER
What Ever Happened to the Diagonal? Keep Play Between the Referee and the Assistants; Are You Assisting Enough?; Chalk Talk: Run at the Ball; Can Communication Prevent Red Cards?

BASKETBALL
When Rules Aren’t Enough: How Would You Handle Such Unique Situations?; Bumps, Flops and Whistles; Chalk Talk: Trail Coverage in Center’s Area; In the News

FOOTBALL
2008 NFHS Rule Changes: Fewer Timeouts, More Candidates to Request Them; Chalk Talk: NFHS Mechanics Changes; Arena League Umpires Experiment With Helmets; Touched by the Football

FEATURES:

Steve Javie: One Stand-Up Guy
Watch Steve Javie work a basketball game and you’ll recognize him as an official who is clearly in control. The same can be said about his life off the court. But listen to the man talk and you’ll find out it wasn’t always that way. 

Crime and Punishment
The stories of two officials with very different felony convictions show the complexities that can arise when dealing with officials’ backgrounds. Should a person convicted of a felony automatically lose his or her privilege to officiate?

Your Comfort Zone
The most successful officials are the ones who believe they are in the right spots — with the right associations, the right assigners, the right partners and calling the right level of games. Do you know how to go about finding what’s right for you?

Basic Training: How to Buy Gear
It’s not just about mechanics and rules. To be a top-level official, you must have the right equipment — from uniforms to protective gear to storage and travel bags, it’s essential to know what you need.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS:

Publisher’s Memo
Al Goldberger’s Important New Book

The Gag Rule
Right on Both Ends; From One Judge to Another

The News
Female Not Allowed to Referee; Fitzpatrick Retires as PBUC Director; Luckett Among NFL Retirees

Back to Basics
Use Your ‘Sixth Sense’ to Succeed; Open the Door to Communication; Your Security Blanket

Getting It Right
Recovery, Thanks to a Defibrilator; One Super Seminar; MHSAA Takes to the Airwaves

Tools
Convertible Umpire Jacket; Ultimate Officials Socks; Theumpirelife.com; “You Better Be Right!”

Profiles
Leader on the Court, Alleys; Two-Time Author; She’s Got Games

For the Record
Major League Baseball roster

Law
How to Legally Break a Contract; Size Matters; Keep Comments to Yourself

Classifieds
Camps/Clinics/Schools; Equipment/Apparel; Miscellaneous

Last Call
Can I Get Your Autograph? “My mom … laughed and asked my friend if he knew who he had just met. Much to his dismay, my mom told him it was the umpire.”