In 1966, The Standells released a single titled "Dirty Water," about Boston's filthy harbor. The song became the city's sports anthem and foreshadowed decades of Massachusetts malfeasance. The Boston sports mascot should be Whitey Bulger.
Bill Belichick has defied or bent NFL rules, and last week the New York Times reported that the Boston Red Sox used Apple watches and television broadcasts — maybe the "Seinfeld" season during which George Costanza works for the Yankees? — to steal signs from New York during games at Fenway Park.
Leave it to a team from Boston to decide that stealing signs the old-fashioned way wasn't efficient enough.
The Red Sox made a dire mistake, and the mistake wasn't cheating. The mistake was using modern technology to cheat. That is against baseball's rules, and that's what transformed this episode from quaint to criminal.
Baseball has always tolerated, if not encouraged, cheating that falls under the category of gamesmanship. If you don't believe me, ask the Twins manager.
When he played, Paul Molitor and Brewers teammate Robin Yount were considered among the best sign stealers in the game. When they reached second base, they'd figure out the catcher's signals and notify the batter of the type of pitch or its intended location with their own signals, often picking at different locations on their uniform.
That kind of sign stealing doesn't incur the wrath of Major League Baseball. But if you got caught, in those days, you'd probably be ducking a fastball your next time at the plate.
When Molitor worked with Twins minor leaguers in his previous job, he would sit in the dugout, observe the opposing pitcher and be able to predict every pitch within an inning or two.
