[YoungRighty]

I think we're confusing two situations.

Case One: The batter can run on a dropped third strike. It is not obvious whether it was caught or not. I think we all agree that the caught/not caught decision should be clearly communicated immediately. My question was (and still is): what are the best mechanics to do this?

Case Two: First is occupied and the ball is clearly not caught. The question here is should the umpire go out of his way to let everyone know that the batter cannot advance, or simply call the strike/out (using the identical mechanics as in Case One) and then let nature take its course. I think this is the one where there is some disagreement.

My whole point in bringing this up was to make sure that I as PU am clearly and consistently communicating:
- the strike and out (if ball is caught or batter cannot advance), or
- the strike and no out (if ball is dropped and batter can advance)

Thanks again for your help.