'The Texas guy? Is he bringing his steroids with him?'

I was talking sports with my dentist today when I happened to mention that the Cubs have inked former Texas Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo to a three-year contract.

My dentist, who is also a Sox fan, replied, "The Texas guy? Is he bringing his steroids with him?" LOL. That statement would serve as a good counter to any of the Cubbie glee that is being felt in association with this signing.

Jaramillo is highly-regarded in the game, but it is true that a number of his prized pupils have also had their names linked to steroids. Sammy Sosa, Gary Matthews Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez are among the players who have toiled under Jaramillo's tutelage through the years. None of those guys are/were clean.

In any case, I have no idea whether Jaramillo will help the Cubs, who slumped to ninth in the National League in runs scored this year. I do know that Jaramillo will be the third hitting coach the Cubs have employed over the last 12 months.

I also know that Jaramillo's presence will provide an endless parade of idiotic stories from the Cubbie-loving media next spring training. Every time a Cubbie player hits the ball hard, the press will scurry over to that player's locker and ask him how Jaramillo's genius helped him in finding a way to get the ball out of the infield. It will be both hilarious and nauseating.

Don't believe me? Look at all the dumb stories the Bears media have written about Rod Marinelli's influence this season. Every time a Bear defensive lineman uses the potty correctly, Marinelli gets the credit. You can expect the same thing with the Cubs and Jaramillo next baseball season.