In one of the glass cabinets in Nottingham Forest’s newly decorated boardroom, there is a framed picture showing their first-ever FA Cup-winning team — wearing, no kidding, the shirts of Derby County.

“This is cool, but weird. It looks just like what I think Mars must be like,” said our son, Oliver. My husband, our three boys, and I were standing at an overlook gazing out across the Painted Desert ...