I do not have any actual experience with modifying the breather pipe; I let the breather pipe do what it does. A while back someone mentioned something about the breather pipe and its function. I was surprised that the breather pipe was so highly engineered and shorting the pipe or modifying the pipe could be a problem with air flow and engine breathing. When I was in high school, most the cars had a breather pipe and the cars were called ---open crank case ventilation cars.
I see what you mean about trying to catch the drip the pipe makes. I bought a non- running tr3 years and the pipe was cut short. I do not know the effects of that, but I would think if someone tried to catch the drip and the system plugged the outcome would not be good.