CLEVELAND — If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.

That phrase has been around the game since the first time a pitcher figured out how to make a baseball move oddly by scuffing its surface or the first time a batter glanced back at the catcher’s signs.

Cheating was the subject of pregame discussion around Jacobs Field on Friday after the NFL fined New England coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000 for videotaping defensive signals from New York Jets coaches during the teams’ regular-season opener.

“They are different games,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “I can feel 10 eyes on me when I’m giving signs. I’m sure they feel the same way.”

Football coaches, especially at the college and professional level, are notable for their paranoia. Wedge said he doesn’t plan to take great measures to avoid an opposing team picking up his strategies.

“I’m not going to hide down in the corner and have towels put up around me,” Wedge said. “If they want to spend all of their time and energy on that, go for it.”

General manager Mark Shapiro didn’t elaborate on the issue, but he has an interest in both sides of the NFL’s problem. Patriots Vice President for Player Personnel Scott Pioli is one of Shapiro’s best friends, and Jets coach Eric Mangini is his brother-in-law.

“You always hear rumors in baseball,” Shapiro said. “I always figure it isn’t true. If you let it get in your head, it can become a negative.”

Wedge said he doesn’t consider studying pitchers to see if they are tipping off their pitches to be cheating.

“It’s no different than a guy leading off first base trying to pick up the pitcher’s move,” Wedge said. “That our responsibility, to figure that out.”

Boston manager Jimy Williams accused the Indians in 1999 of using a center-field camera to steal the catcher’s signs. White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle in 2005 accused the Texas Rangers of using a light system in center field to signal the pitch to their batters.

Wedge noted that hitters are provided so much information, some don’t even want to know what might be coming.

“We’ve got plenty of information,” Wedge said. “You have to be efficient with how you use it.”

n Bring on the Tigers — The pitching matchups for next week’s critical series against Detroit at Jacobs Field have been set. Kenny Rogers will start against Paul Byrd on Monday, Justin Verlander against Jake Westbrook on Tuesday and Nate Robertson against C.C. Sabathia on Wednesday. Plenty of tickets remain — the approximate presale for the three games is 25,000, 30,000 and 24,000.

n Reinforcements — LHP Jeremy Sowers will join the Indians at the close of the Eastern League finals, Wedge said. Sowers was scheduled to pitch Game 3 of the series Friday against Trenton at Canal Park.