Photo by Rick Jaffe / Los Angeles Times INSPECTING THE SECTIONS: Chris D'Amico of the Newark Star-Ledger takes a hard look at one of the special sections in the 100,000-250,000 circulation category. D'Amico was one of more than 90 who took part in the February judging at St. Petersburg -as APSE's contest used four circulation categories for the first time.

• Albom, Plaschke keep on winning
Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press didn't win the Associated Press Sports Editors 1999 contest for column writing — only the second time in 14 years that he missed that honor — but he did win for best feature story.

• The best 1999 APSE sections
The list of top 10 sections and honorable mentions.

• View the best 1999 APSE sections
NEW! Check out the 120 winning section fronts from the 1999 contest.

• The best 1999 APSE writing
The list of top five writing winners and honorable mentions.

• Read the best 1999 APSE stories
NEW! Read the entries from the first-place winners in the 1999 contest.

• How these sections made the top 10
Randy Beard: What moves a sports section into the top 10 in an APSE contest? I asked editors of some of the best from 1999 for their ideas.

• Reading, studying, learning
Randy Beard: The conference rooms at the Bayfront Hilton in St. Petersburg didn't have windows, but Michael Anderson didn't encounter any of the dungeon-like conditions that he might have envisioned when he agreed to be a first-time judge for the APSE contest.

• This list affects all APSE papers
To facilitate administration of contest, it is critical that each APSE newspaper's circulation category is accurately recorded — and that dues are paid for the correct circulation category.

• Newspapers, circulation categories

• Preliminary, final judges for 1999

• It'll be a busy, challenging four days
Tracy Dodds: The session that has always come under the general label Diversity will take a new form under guest leadership, and it is expected to be a highlight of APSE's Chicago convention.

• The tentative day-by-day schedule

• Paxson wants your reply
In a convention questionnaire will be several items that will attempt to get a count as to how many will want to participate in certain events.

• Some questions and some answers
Herb Stutz: Some frequently asked questions concerning APSE's 27th annual convention, June 28-July 1 at Chicago.

• Demand hikes number of interns
Leon Carter: This year's Sports Journalism Institute class will have an odd twist: 11 students instead of the usual 10.

• Sports Journalism Institute class
The list of 2000 class of APSE/Sports Journalism Institute interns.

• One-on-one critique sessions return for fifth year
Paul D. Bowker: The sessions enable sports editors or assistants to have their sections reviewed and critiqued by another sports editor.

• Opening Executive Committee minutes

• Closing Executive Committee minutes

• Back to St. Petersburg in 2002
The Executive Committee voted to return to the St. Petersburg Bayfront Hilton for the 2002 winter meeting.

• APME bylaws change gets first approval
At the winter meeting in St. Petersburg, the Executive Committee passed, on first reading, a change to one of the APSE bylaws.

• Some major issues ready for action
Bill Dwyre: The writers group subcommittee of APSE's External Affairs Committee met in St. Petersburg before the contest judging, with the goal of identifying issues and coming to conclusions on how to deal with them. In three hours much of that goal was achieved.

• Keep an eye on what your people say
Tracy Dodds: Brace yourself and prepare to cringe. These are issues that all sports editors need to know about and monitor.

• APSE, commissioners meet
The PGA Tour and NASCAR were scheduled join the lineup for the first time when a group of APSE representatives made the annual trip to New York this month to meet with the commissioners of the major professional sports.

• Nominees for the Red Smith Award
The nine nominees for the 2000 Red Smith Award.

• Jaffe leaves Times for Internet job
Kirby Arnold: First the Internet people grabbed some good sports reporters and copy editors; now they're coming after the bosses.

• On the move: Bowker headed to Kalamazoo
Kirby Arnold: The only thing to cover as many miles as Paul Bowker the past 11 years might be his 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier.

• Obituaries
Jack Mann, Newsday and Joe Concannon, Boston Globe.

• Regions: It's a morning show in Seattle now
The Seattle Times, the last dominant large-market afternoon paper, made the switch to mornings March 6.

• Salt Lake process in high gear now
Roy Hewitt: If you thought you might take some time to plan for the Olympics this spring, you're right.

• Three running for third vice president
Three sports editors have been selected as candidates for third vice president.
Michael Anderson
Christopher Krug
Gene Warnick

• Different options for first, second VP
One outgoing region chair and one candidate nominated at a February Executive Committee meeting are on the ballot for APSE's first and second vice presidencies.
John Cherwa
Don Skwar

• Six ways to handle Selection Sunday
Cover close-up: Here's a look at how six APSE papers dealt graphically with the Selection Sunday process and related material in their issues of Monday, March 13.
Akron Beacon Journal
Cincinnati Post
Detroit Free Press
Los Angeles Daily News
Raleigh News & Observer
San Francisco Examiner

• Color photographs wanted
Note from the APSE webmaster.