[SanDiegoSteve]

It's almost like Bill Clinton saying, "it depends on the definition of what is is." What is the definition of "shall," and what does it imply?

One of the Ten Commandments is "thou shall honor thy father and mother." If you do something to dishonor them, you are going against the commandment. It didn't need to say, "now if you dishonor them, you are in violation." That part is simply an understood second part of the first statement.

The same thing applies to "The pitcher shall take signs form the catcher while standing on the rubber." It implies understanding that the signs are to be taken on the rubber, and nowhere else. If they meant for him to take the signs from the catcher anywhere else, they would have said, "oh, and he can take them off the rubber too. We just thought we would tell you to take them from the rubber, but we didn't really mean it."

When someone uses the word "shall," it means that is the way it is to be done. Period. Not done another way.

Yes, he can get signals off the rubber from the man in the moon if he so chooses, but not from the catcher.

And no, it is not that big of a deal, as long as he does not quick pitch the hitter.