Jerry,
you have brought up some very good points, but you are missing something key. We are a TEAM on the field, we don't have to be friends, and we darn sure can't see everything. So if my signal helps my partner out, ok, great! If not, ok, it is still his call to make and I sure won't overrule him on it.
3/4 of the guys that I work with are not in my association. I ALWAYS do a pregame with my partner, and we cover signals, including infield fly on/off, timing play, I'm moving, caught third strike, even GLMs
(jj), etc. This is a routine part of my pregame.
The point is we all use signals to communicate situations on the field, but we never lose the responsibilty to make certain calls. This has worked for the guys in my association. If you choose to use this, use it correctly and happy trails! If not, ok, I'll still sleep tonight.
[Edited by jumpmaster on Jun 18th, 2002 at 02:49 PM]