New England, Old Tricks

Is it something in the (dirty) water up in Massachusetts? The Red Sox just got caught cheating, in a distinct echo of the Patriots’ SpyGate scandal of 2007.

Stealing signs is kosher under Major League Baseball rules — but not using electronic devices to do it. And the Yankees came up with video proof that the Sox used an Apple Watch to relay signs to the dugout in a series last month.

Boston’s surely been doing the same thing all around the league, which ought to be worth at least an asterisk on the team’s lead in the AL East.

The formal complaint from Yanks GM Brian Cashman says the film captures Sox staff looking at an Apple Watch to view signals sent by video-replay personnel.

It seems the Sox have copped to the cheat: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says the team has been cooperating “100 percent.”

Then again, they kind of have to — they were dumb enough to get caught on tape.

Similarly, the Pats got nabbed by Jets coach Eric Mangini filming the New York team’s signals — illegally, because it was done so as to allow in-game use of the info. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and the team charged $250,000.

As our own Ken Davidoff notes, this latest BoSox scandal is mostly “frivolity,” worth the loss of a draft pick or two.

That said, cheating is a hard habit to break. If the Sox still make the playoffs without their Apple Watches, as seems likely, their opponents would be wise to check the ball regularly in case the team tries to copy Tom “DeflateGate” Brady.