Decisions, Decisions: Dumping Cepeda

Dumb stuff happens. All the time, all around us.

When I say dumb, I mean things that are instantly identifiable as dumb, the moment they happen. There isn’t any debate about them. For instance, last week we got a lot of snow here, and I, a grown adult person from Massachusetts who has shoveled snow an uncountable number of times in my life, threw a shovelful of snow directly into a pretty strong wind, which promptly blew the snow back onto my driveway after a detour across my face. That was dumb. Insert the dumb blunders from your own life here.

Then there are the dumb sports things. You’ve probably thought of countless examples already. Jim Marshall running the fumble the wrong way certainly qualifies. José Canseco hurting himself while pitching in a blowout may be the dumbest, most José Canseco thing ever. The exasperated look on LeBron James’ face as J.R. Smith dribbling out the clock in a tied playoff game instantly told you it was a dumb sports thing.

We have a bit of grace and forgiveness, I think, for players who make mistakes in the heart of competition. Sure, it was dumb for Jim Marshall to run the wrong way, but it wasn’t something he did on purpose, and he had a remarkably long, distinguished career that resulted in his number being retired. He did plenty of things to make Vikings fans forget that one dumb play.