As a Midwesterner, there’s little I understand about the East Coast.

Being loud and obnoxious is somehow a good thing. Clam chowder isn’t that great. And, of course, Yankees vs. Red Sox.

The fans make these games out to be life and death like no other fans do, but they’re still just games.

But don’t tell that to Ivonne Hernandez.

Hernandez was in a bar in Nashua, New Hampshire, which is apparently Red Sox territory, and identified herself as Yankees fan.

A couple of ‘Yankees suck!’ chants and the argument went outside when Hernandez went to her car. The group continued to heckle Hernandez, and she accelerated into the group, striking Matthew Beaudoin and another person with her car.

Beaudoin died of massive head trauma at the hospital later that night.

Hernandez told police she was just trying to scare the group and thought they’d get out of the way.

Sure, the games aren’t actually life and death. But when they spill into life, they can be.

Andrew Hansen, staff writer