I remember watching a football game between Kansas State and Ohio State. Kansas State was evidently favored to win because they had clobbered Oklahoma just a few weeks earlier, but they were not doing very well. In fact, they were behind by quite a bit and then in the last half they mounted a comeback and midway through the fourth quarter they were doing quite well. They were only behind fourteen points and were deep in Ohio State territory. Then it happened — a senseless, silly, stupid penalty. It was a personal foul penalty that cost them fifteen yards and set them back so far they did not get a touchdown nor were they able to get a field goal. They lost the game by seven points. Ohio State won.

A silly penalty! An action or a reaction! A decision! An impulse! And that one decision prob…