kylejt,
Nice shot!
My point still stands. FED tries to write the rules in as simple a manner as possible so anyone can get a handle on the rules and umpire. And while that philosophy is a good one (as an instructor of new umpires IMO FED is easier to teach a newbie umpire than NCAA or OBR), it leads to problerms at times, with this rule as a prime example.
They want to have a time for F1 to be on the rubber before the time of the pitch, or coming set from a strech. Or, in other words, no quick return pitches. And what is the best way to explain it? You see their answer, for good or ill.