We had an ugly scene here last winter.  My friend Barry’s band came through Chicago while touring with his band.  They brought along a host of people with them from both New York and Boston.  They were here during the Superbowl when the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots.  They take their sports rivalries seriously on the east coast. Boston Red Sox fans and New York Yankees fans have always hated each other.  Whenever the two face each other in the playoffs, there’s always the chance that both cities will be burned down.  Naturally, everyone was yelling and taunting each other all throughout the show, but the magic of alcohol eventually calmed everyone down and we had a good time.  The next day was actually Superbowl Sunday and we were all hanging out at Boston transplant Nate’s loft while the actual Superbowl was playing.  Needless to say, things did not go well.  Fistfights broke out, drinking and swearing matches erupted, and couples broke up over the game.  And these were all really close friends.  I grew up during the heyday of the Chicago Bulls and I was also paying attention when the White Sox finally went all the way and won the World Series, but I had never seen anything like this before.  It was novel.