[waltjp]

Knowing what the rule states and applying it with some logic are two different things. I'm not at the field to be a traffic cop before the game. I like to arrive early enough to take my time getting my gear on and going over a pre-game with my partner. I usually try to time my entrance to the field area to coincide with the teams wrapping up fielding practice ~ 10 minutes before the start of the game. This allows time to check equipment and prior to the plate conference.

A few years back I was scheduled to work a Babe Ruth game. I entered the field about 10 minutes before game time and asked the coach to wrap up his fielding practice. He initially ignored me so I repeated my request. He starts to get pissy and tells me that they just got on the field because the other team took too long. He then said that I should have been there earlier to get the other team off the field. I politely told him (okay, not so politely) that it wasn't my job to babysit. "I'm here to umpire a baseball game that WILL START IN 5 MINUTES. BRING THEM IN."