When Are Umps Supposed to Arrive?

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by dash_riprock

For college games, the umpires are required to check in with the coaches an hour before the game. Sometimes they want us to rub up a dozen baseballs. Then we have a thorough pre-game, suiting up and some stretching to do. By rule, the plate meeting is conducted ten minutes before game time and since it is never a good idea to park right next to the field, there is usually a five-minute walk to the field. That hour is pretty much used up. If you show up 59 minutes before game time, you are late.

That's an NCAA requirement. MD was talking about an assignor's requirement for, which I assume, games that are not under NCAA. If they were NCAA games, he wouldn't have painted this as an assignor's standard. And, Yes, I do arrive an hour before game time for college (softball) games.

Anything else, I typically show up between 30 to 45 minutes before game start. I've got plenty of time to suit up and stretch while doing a good pre-game with my partner (no need to do these sequentially), walk to the field, check equipment, and conduct my plate conference.