I have to agree with your views. I have been caching for almost 6 months now, and have noticed how much people want the numbers and icons. I am a TB lover and when I take a TB, it is taken everywhere with me. To events, camping, trips, school, etc. and pictures are taken and posted. If I can't drop the TB right away, I ensure I let the owners know. If the TB doesn't have a 'Who am I' tag, I make one for it. No bag? I give it one. And I also put a little travelling bug tag from me on it (if I can).
I do agree with the idea of not being able to log it until you drop it off, but what about those that find the cache, discover the TB, and want to post that they discovered it? There isn't any harm in discovering a TB as you are stating you saw it and you aren't taking it.