THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHTS RULES, MECHANICS, TECHNIQUES: The NCAA national coordinator of men’s basketball officiating shares his views on off-court communication among officials in this month’s basketball article “Why Do We Eat Our Young? Stop Gossiping, Denigrating, Griping and Complaining.” Even if you’re careful, it can happen. Learn how to deal with umpire interference in the baseball article “The Worst Interference: It’s Not Always a Rules Issue When the Umpire Gets in the Way.” Review how to call close plays correctly in the softball article “In Defense of Defense: Why Close Plays, Pitches Should Skew Toward Team in Field.” Learn how officials should deal with injuries in the soccer article “Handle the Hurt: Player Age and Severity of Injury Impact Decision Making.” There are five errors in particular a crew can commit from which it will be difficult, if not impossible, to recover. Find out what they are in the football article “5 Ways to Mess Up a Game: Avoid the Errors that Lead to Disaster.” Going into a game with a pretty good notion of how you’ll respond to criticism is a sensible way to arm yourself for combat. Find out how to be ready in the all sports article “Enough is Enough: Where Should Officials Draw the Line on Coaches?”
FEATURES: With the down economy, some officials are picking up more games, and others are adding sports as state associations welcome the interest. Learn how the economy is affecting officiating in “Econo-Me.” It’s not just the onfield calls that are challenging. Supervisors and assigners must make the tough calls when it comes to hiring, firing and administering the officials that make up their staff. Find out how they do it in “Tough Calls.” Referee’s editors present the top five news stories of the year as well as others that had an impact on officiating in 2009. Get your year in review with “Biggest Stories: 2009.” Ralph Sampson and the University of Virginia get blindsided by Chaminade in the biggest upset in college basketball history. Get the perspective of the officials who worked the game in “You Are There: Chaminade Slays Sampson.”
COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS: Our “News” section leads off with coverage on Doug Harvey getting elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. “Getting It Right” comes back to officiate after having his leg amputed in “Umpire’s Comeback Well-Supported.” In this month’s “Last Call” article “This Magazine and Me,” Referee vice president of publishing reminices about some of the magazine’s past stories in honor of the 400th issue.
