[Matt Williams]

[ QUOTE ]
During the 5th inning of tonights Mets game the Mets had the bases loaded with 1 out.

Ramon Castro was on 3rd, Kaz Ishii on 2nd, Reyes on 1st, and Miguel Cairo was at the plate.

Cairo hit a long fly ball to left field.

Castro tagged and jogged down the 3rd baseline toward home. Garret Anderson, having no play on Castro, threw the ball in to 2nd base to try to get Ishii who was correctly halfway between 2nd and 3rd on the ball.

The ball rolled by the 2nd baseman covering but had the ball gotten to 2nd it would have been before Castro had crossed the plate.

Gary Cohen, the Mets announcer said that Castro should have been hustling down the line because if the ball had gotten to 2nd the run would not have counted. He went on to say that the replay showed that Castro was jogging and yes, the ball would have arrived at 2nd base before he would have scored so Castro could have cost the Mets a run...

He continued on this train of thought for 3 minutes before I got sick and turned the radio off.

My interpretation of the rules (which I am 99% sure of) is that if the ball had beat Ishii to the base then it is a FORCE PLAY! If the ball beat Ishii and he was out before tagging up then it wouldnt matter if Willie Wilson himself had been chugging down the line and crossed the plate well before the out was made because its a force play.

I plan on callling in to 660am WFAN tonight calling for Gary Cohen's resignation because he clearly does not understand the game. I know that I am right here but before before I make a scathing call into The Fan (and it will be scathing) I just want to doublecheck so I dont make an ass out of myself.

Please confirm that this is indeed a force and Cohen is an idiot, (or tell me that I don't know what I am talking about.)

If I am indeed correct NJ/NY OOTiots listen for Steve from N.Caldwell calling into WFAN tonight, it should be a good one, I hope I don't get cut off.


-Steve

[/ QUOTE ]

Cohen is right. When the LF made the catch, it was the 2nd out of the inning. The out at 2nd would not be a force play, it would have been the 3rd out of the inning. If Castro touches home before the 3rd out is made, the run counts. If he touches home after the 3rd out, it doesn't matter because the inning is over.