Since this is football season, I want to begin with a couple of football stories.

The first is about a place kicker who was so angry with himself after missing a field goal that when he got to the sidelines, he literally kicked himself. Yep, he missed there, too.

The second story concerns a game between traditional football powers Michigan State and UCLA.

The score was tied at 14 with only seconds to play. Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State’s coach, sent in place-kicker Dave Kaiser who booted a field goal that won the game.

When Kaiser returned to the bench, Coach Daugherty said, “Nice going.” Then Daugherty noted with some surprise, “But you didn’t watch the ball after you kicked it.”

“That’s right, Coach,” Kaiser replied, “I was watching the referee instead to see how he’d signal it. I…