What’s the worst thing a politician from Red Sox Nation could do? Taking money from the arch-rival Yankees might be high on the list. And that’s exactly what Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) did.

Brown last month took the maximum $2,500 from Randy Levine, the president of the New York Yankees, according to newly released campaign finance records. “We’re happy to accept Randy Levine’s donation,” said Brown campaign spokesman Colin Reed.

Levine has rightly earned the enmity of Red Sox fans for years. He once accused the Red Sox of “riding our coattails” and attacked the club for allowing “an atmosphere of lawlessness…to be perpetuated” at Fenway Park. When the Yankees signed former Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens in 2002, Levine took aim at the Sox for “whining” about “New York’s century of success.”

The conservative Boston Herald is not happy with Brown for taking Levine’s money: “That’s right, the commander of the Evil Empire is helping to pay for all those Brown ads championing his support of the Red Sox.” “It’s one thing to be bipartisan, Senator, but this is taking it a little too far. There’s no compromising in baseball,” the paper’s Joe Battenfeld added.

Indeed, the tabloid’s cover today rips Brown for his “Bronx Cheer,” a reference to the borough in which the Yankees play:

The Herald produced another image (above right) mocking Brown by dressing him up as a Yankees catcher. Meanwhile, New York news site DNAinfo is not pleased with Levine for giving to Brown.

This is the second strike for Brown in as many weeks on the Red Sox. Last week, he ran a radio ad touting that he stood up to political opponents who wanted to move the Red Sox out of historic Fenway Park. But as it turns out, Brown was one of those people, trying to arrange a meeting to move the team.

“What’s next, a Derek Jeter endorsement?” the Herald asked.