In case you don’t know who Mark Kertenian is, he was the Manager of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2019 and was a rising star in the Dodger Organization. Here is a video as he approached the 2019 Season:
He was slated to be the Bench Coach at OKC in 2020, but that never happened as COVID-19 hit. Then is the Spring of 2022, he was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), which is a condition that causes neurological symptoms that cannot be explained by brain damage. It is also known as conversion disorder.
Symptoms
- Movement problems: Weakness, paralysis, tremors, abnormal movements, or difficulty swallowing
- Sensory issues: Numbness, loss of balance, dizziness, or vision problems
- Speech difficulties: Slurred speech, stuttering, or sudden onset of trouble speaking
- Cognitive difficulties: Memory problems, difficulty concentrating, or lack of responsiveness
- Pain: Chronic migraine or pain in the joints
- Fatigue: Extreme slowness or chronic fatigue
Causes
- FND is caused by changes in how the brain’s networks work, rather than damage to the brain itself.
- The exact cause is unknown, but it may involve brain areas that respond to threats and emergencies.
- Symptoms may appear suddenly, without an obvious trigger, or following a stressful event.
This is Mark today:
Here’s the UPDATE on his condition:
We wanted to give you all an update on Mark as we enter this new year. Mark is in good spirits, and from an overall health standpoint stable. His physical condition has not changed much, and he is currently residing at a long-term care facility in Pasadena, CA. His brother, mom and dad visit daily and it’s nice to have him close to family and friends.
Mark really enjoys visitors and while communication is a struggle, he is very sharp and loves getting caught up with people he cares for, I know that’s all of you. If you would like to visit Mark, he would love to see you and it would be healthy for him. The best way to coordinate a visit is through his brother Bryan, at [phone redacted].
Thanks for all you have done and continue to do for Mark, your thoughts and prayers are important and if you can arrange a visit, that would be very special.
Keep Mark in your thoughts and prayers. Here is his GO FUND ME PAGE.
UPDATE – Keith Law’s Top 100 Prospects
Just released:
#16 Dalton Rushing (BA had him at #30)
#26 Josue DePaula (BA had him at #47)
#52 River Ryan (not listed by BA)
#58 Zyhir Hope (BA had him at #51
#68 Alex Freeland (BA had him at #46)
Missing is Jackson Ferris whom BA had at #82.
Missing is Roki Sasaki whom BA had as #1.
I wouldn’t want Bauer because of the distraction he would bring with him although he was found innocent. I have nothing against Bauer himself.
Mark thanks for the update.
I would not add Bauer to this team for multiple reasons, some baseball related, but sticking with the cultural reasons for the purpose of this discussion, I do not believe he fits with this team. While he may have been set up by this women, as it looks like he was, this type of lifestyle does not fit either with the other members of this team or the culture the dodgers seek. Chemistry is critical in baseball. AF knows this and builds accordingly. I feel for Mr. Bower if he was indeed a victim in this situation, but he is not best for this team.
Bauer faces accusations of sexual abuse from four women–one of whom was later indicted for fraud.
He was disciplined by MLB for a documented pattern of behavior, not a single incident. He seems to have been victimized by one woman, but it’s not accurate to say he was “found innocent.”
I doubt he’ll ever be welcomed back in the MLB–and certainly not by the Dodgers. Bauer will continue to pitch in other pro leagues and do his YouTube stuff.
It’s nice to see Mark Kertanian smiling despite his travails.
Saw someone with the aaaassssstros issued a statement saying the dodgers were ruining baseball! how hypocritical is that? they tanked to get draft picks and cheated their way right to the world series! i hope you’re right Mark about the bregman rumors. i really believe the only 3 teams that he would feel comfortable are (1) the saaasssstros. (2) tigers. (3) red sox. hinch and cora? now why would he feel comfortable playing for those 2?
I cannot see him coming to the Dodgers… this is just a rumor started by an agent or some moron.
He’s already confirmed that he’s going back to Japan so this is NOT happening.
Blessings for Mark and his loved ones…
UPDATE ABOVE
Mark, I fully understand the need for keeping phone numbers and even addresses off the site, but is there any way you could suggest a way for those of us who wish to send Mark Kertenian a note could do so? The Dodger family that is not actually on the field seldom gets the credit they deserve for their contribution to making the magic happen that we all love so much. Mark was, and still is, a part of that family and some notes from the DodgerTalk gang thanking him and reminding him that he is still part of the family might be an encouragement. Part of what I admire about the Dodger organization is that I firmly believe our Dodger leadership has this family mentality, Andrew Toles being perhaps the best evidence of this.
It was redacted when I got it. John Murphy is who I e-mailed. You can reach him on the Go Fund Me Page.
If I were in California I would stop and see him.
File this under “what as he thinking”
Although the Dodgers have engineered arguably one of the best offseasons in sports history, Chris Russo ranked baseball executives Dave Dombrowski, Alex Anthopoulos, Mike Rizzo, Brian Cashman, David Stearns, and Erik Neander all before Friedman.
Are you talking about “Mad Dog?”
If so, he has rabies of the brain!
OTOH, maybe he doesn’t like Jews. Only Stearns is Jewish!
Actually, I think the explanation is that he is a moron!
Hes a Giant fan, and a moron.
This is for my friends in the LA Area who have been impacted by the wildfires:
https://uswatersystems.com/blogs/blog/what-about-the-water-after-the-los-angeles-wildfires
Kirby Yates signed – 1 Year/$13 Million.
Next comes Clayton, who will likely put the Dodgers over $400 million.
Love it, they draw 4M fans, they can afford it.
Glad they have owners that want to win….
mad dog. steve A Smith. francessa. skip bayless. just a few of the wind bags i never listen to. reruns of walker texas ranger are far more entertaining!
I could not agree more dodgerdad
Any word on who the Dodgers are going to bump off the 40 man roster?
Signing has not been confirmed by the team yet, and the roster is full still. Grove seems a likely candidate for DFA.
I think they keep Grove. The back of the bullpen is solid. The entire pen is solid but my guess is if they don’t make a trade and have DFA a player it will be a backend piece, perhaps Brusdar Graterol. Not sure how everything plays out when a player is injured but not DL or whatever it’s called now. Graterol was brilliant in the 2020 series but really hasn’t done anything since. Just my unprofessional take.
They are not cutting Bazooka. He is 27 and has a 2.45 career ERA with a 1.05 WHIP. He is injured but should be back in the second half.
They are trying to trade Brasier and should get that done soon, but Grove is a possibility.
I’d agree if Brusdar’s shoulder and elbow are ok. Just reading the tea leafs it makes a person wonder if he’s going to be able to produce at the level the Dodgers expect. I hope I’m wrong. We won’t find out for a while because he will start the season on the 60 day DL. He spent much of last year on the DL. And he has a history of arm trouble. I believe the Red Sox’s had him in a trade but nixed the trade because his arm showed damage when he was given a physical. The trade worked out well for the Dodgers but I guess that has been on the back of my mind since we acquired him and last year he was broken down much of the season and this year starting on the DL sends red flags.
Totally agree that there is no way they get rid of Bazooka.
I think AF could easily have traded Brasier or Grove by now for whatever somebody would give him, but maybe he’s working on something bigger. Like, for example, a couple of our young pitchers who are being pushed farther down the pecking order as we continue to add veteran pitchers and getting a good position player prospect in return.
If he can’t pull that off soon, he’ll just go with trading Brasier or Grove, probably in that order since Grove still has options.
Great article on IP by starters. Doesn’t seeing how many pitchers it really takes to get thru a season say it’s time to increase both the 26 and 40 man rosters?
With so many uncertainties attendant to pitcher development and readiness, teams need to be able to protect more pitchers.
PS – may God bless Mark Kertenian’s recovery.
AF trades brasier to toronto for bichette and Vlade! wouldn’t that make the baseball world come unraveled? lol. Hal steinbrenner has a problem with the dodger spending? wow ! isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? nothing is guaranteed! glasnow, yamamoto, snell, sasaki could all have injuries. max could regress further. mookie could struggle at shortstop. teo might not replicate his last season. confirto could be a bust. ohtani could blow his shoulder. all these things could happen. they probably won’t! but nothing is guaranteed! ( man i love this team!). theres not a guy in the outfield the pittsburgh pirates couldn’t have afforded. the braves could have afforded blake snell . sasaki took less money to be a dodger. yankees offered yamamoto the same money the dodgers did. there’s at lesst 10-12 teams that could have paid tanner scott what the dodgers did. bottom line? the other cheap -ss owners are what’s bad for baseball! spend or shut up!!!
My guess is based on the Dodgers DFA’ing someone on the 40 man roster. I agree with any trade they might make involving Grove, Brasier or one of the pitchers that fit in that category. I would be okay with them trading Outman or a position player in his category, Taylor would fit in that group but he would be hard to move. Isn’t it February 15th when the team can place players on the IR list? If so you’d think the front office has something going on or they may have asked Yates to wait until then to sign. There are many ways to manage a roster and I’m confident that our front office has it covered.