According to Marc (and others by now), the Reds will not be bringing back hitting coach Chris Chambliss next season. Pitching coach Vern Ruhle, who hasn't coached much pitching this year thanks to his ongoing cancer treatment, will be reassigned, probably to something that jibes better with his medical schedule.

Just talked to Wayne Krivsky, who said Chambliss was informed of the decision last week. He declined to specify any reasons for the dismissal.

“We like Chris a lot,” said Krivsky. “He's a consummate pro, a quality person, he knows hitting. I can’t say anything bad about the guy.”

“But I'd like to,” he continued, “because then it would look less like I'm doing this just to displace blame for our late-season collapse from myself.”

Not really, of course. That's just what he said in my imagination.

I also asked who made the final call on the staff changes.

“Ultimately, it's Jerry's call,” said Krivsky. “We talk all the time and Jerry and I don't disagree on much on a serious level. Well, there might be one, but he says all that stuff in jest, anyway.”

Can you count three things that are wrong with this quote? Let's do it together:

1. The irony that Jerry Narron is firing coaches based on the team's performance is too much to bear.

2. Our general manager doesn't disagree with Narron about anything serious, such as benching Edwin Encarnación, pitching Ryan Franklin into the ground, or pinch-hitting with Royce Clayton.

3. Use of the word “ultimately” and the phrase “in jest.” It's like Dan O'Brien never left.