Accidental appeal and mechanics question.

[greymule]

The play where the BR touches 1B and then "retreats" toward home but still has to be tagged is the only play can think of where the out at 1B is not exactly the same as a force at another base.

Maybe there are other examples. Actually, I wish I knew a couple more, so I could better explain to people why the out at 1B is technically not a force.

Obviously, the rules-makers had some reason for specifically excluding the out at 1B from the category of force play.

Of course, people who know better still routinely call it a force out, but that's only because there's no short term for "the BR is put out before reaching 1B."