Mark Wesley Pritchard
Bio
You can call me Wesley. Former cosplayer, retro gaming fanatic, die-hard Texas Rangers fan, and nostalgic freak. Need I say more?
Threads: @misterwesleysworld
Instagram: @misterwesleysworld
Stories (395)
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The Blatant Disrespect of a Baseball Legend
Just a fair warning that I'm going to go on a bit of a rant. Recently, I ran into a story online that I wanted to talk about. As a baseball fan, I couldn't let what I'm about to say go. It was about an article mentioning the late, great Jackie Robinson's time in the Army deleted from the Department of Defense's website. In case you're not up to speed about what's behind this, President Trump signed an executive order to purge DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs from the U.S. Government. This was one of his campaign promises. That means erasing any mention of Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ figures who came before us. When asked for the reason behind this move, Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot stated it was done to stop what he called "Woke cultural Marxism." The Pentagon claimed that everyone at the Defense Department respected Jackie Robinson, which I didn't buy one bit. If they truly respected him, the article about him serving in the Army wouldn't have been deleted. This was 100% a racially motivated move on their part.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 10 months ago in The Swamp
I Can Be Both
Greetings, Vocal readers. It's been a while since I've written a story. The following story may ruffle a few feathers and raise a few eyebrows. However, I want everyone to hear me out for a few minutes. Religion is a taboo and touchy subject for most people. Growing up in Texas, I attended church with my family almost every Sunday. When I left home for college years later, I attended a local church, and I loved the people there. Just to remind everyone that this was around 2010: two years before officially coming out as a gay man. At the time, I was still hiding my true self from everyone. When I finally came out in 2012, I repeatedly asked myself this question to myself: "Now that I've come out as gay, will God love me as I am?" Even after I stopped going to that church and then I moved to a new area after I graduated from college, I was still seeking a church that was gay friendly. In the spring of 2013, I found a church in my area that wasn't far from where I was living at the time...or so I thought. I attended that church for a month before leaving it for good. The reason? They were regurgitating anti-gay rhetoric. It broke my heart that people always assume the worst about us when they don't even know us personally. Christians would tell everyone to love one another but would waste no time degrading and dehumanizing gay people at every opportunity. Some, not all, Christians are walking hypocrites. I wouldn't say that I was an Atheist, per se, but I want to be able to accept myself and believe in God at the same time.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 10 months ago in Pride
FanGraphs' MLB Predictions for 2025
Greetings, baseball nerds! The MLB regular season is fast approaching and you're curious about how well your favorite team will do this year. For this story, we'll be going over what teams FanGraphs have chosen to win each division and their chances of winning the World Series. Those are the two categories that will be the main focus throughout this story. Please note that these predictions and odds are subject to change and updated daily. These are posted as of this writing. I'll be comparing what FanGraphs have said versus what I've predicted in previous stories. Alright, let's get on with it.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 10 months ago in Unbalanced
Wesley's Best Baseball Movies of All Time
If you've been reading my stories for a period of time on Vocal or are subscribed to me, you know that I love baseball. Not only that, but I love watching a good, heartfelt baseball movie. You don't see many of those kinds of movies these days. The 2025 MLB regular season is right around the corner and in this story, I'll be sharing three of my personal favorite baseball movies. These selections are in no specific order, but baseball documentaries will not be included on this list. Alright, let's play ball!
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 10 months ago in Geeks
My Honest Thoughts About Pete Rose
I've avoided talking about a controversial baseball figure who is no longer with us for so long. Now, it's time that I'd finally talk about the late Pete Rose. I'll be sharing some of my brutally honest takes and the reasons why he's in the news six months after his September 2024 death, which I'll get into later.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 11 months ago in Unbalanced
My Sexuality Is Not An Apology
Now that you know who is back in the White House, his hateful and dangerous policies targeting us once again has gotten even worse. He lacks empathy and compassion towards certain groups of people. This manchild has no soul. I refuse to mention him by name, because I've always seen him for who he was: a childish, petty, out of touch individual who hasn't had a dose of reality and refuses to take any responsibility for his actions. It's always everyone else's fault and refuses to do some self reflection. The next four years will be hell and his right-wing policies are becoming more extreme.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 11 months ago in Pride
More Thoughts About Clayton Kershaw
The 2025 MLB regular season is only a month away and we're eager for it to get underway. About a month ago, I wrote a story about Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. In that story, which I will post a link to it down below, I called him out for his bigoted rhetoric. In a 2023 interview, he got in his feelings over Dodger Stadium inviting The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence during Pride Month. He stated in that interview that they, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, were mocking Christianity. To him, it was a personal attack towards him because he's a Christian, when it really wasn't. I've also called him out on other things, but in this story, I have even more to say about Clayton.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 11 months ago in Pride
Baseball Eye Candy
The 2025 Major League Baseball regular season is a few weeks away and we're ready for it. If you were to ask anyone who's not a fan of baseball what their favorite part about the sport is, the response will most likely be the cute players and them wearing tight baseball pants. As a gay baseball fan, I agree with these assessments. Even if you're a fan of whatever MLB team your root for, we can't stop staring and admiring good looking players. In this story, I'll be featuring some of my favorite MLB players, one who's active and the rest who have since retired, so you can drool all over the following guys at your own expense. Now, let's get started.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 11 months ago in Pride
New York Yankees Facial Hair Policy Is No More...Sort Of
Facial hair is seen as attractive and appealing to everyone. What does facial hair have to do with the New York Yankees, you ask? Recently, Hal Steinbrenner, son of the late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, announced that the club will allow players to have facial hair. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) before the Yankees' Spring Training opener, he stated that it was the appropriate time to abolish the almost five-decade old policy. The rule, known as the Neatness Counts policy, was first instituted back in 1976 by George Steinbrenner and former manager Billy Martin, due to Steinbrenner's military background. It also prevented players from having long hair, afros, and so on. According to an excerpt in the team's player manual, it stated the following:
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 11 months ago in Unbalanced
The Thirteenth Year
The number 13: there are two reasons why this number holds dear and near to me. The first being that I was born on the 13th of November and the second is today, I celebrate my 13th coming out anniversary. February 20, 2012, was a scary, yet joyous moment in my life. While many people have since stopped being friends with me because of me coming out as a gay man, there are others who love and accept me for who I am. I knew that I liked guys at a very young age, but my now estranged parents, made it difficult for me to fully express myself. I had to act and look a certain way around them. To them, being yourself is wrong and they think something is wrong with you. I had to hide my true self for about the next 20 years, because I grew up in the 90s, at a time when being gay was a taboo topic and not accepted by society.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 11 months ago in Pride
My Experience at Ouachita Job Corps
It's been almost 15 years since I've attended and graduated from the now closed Ouachita Job Corps Center. During my time there, I've had my highs and lows. For those who are unfamiliar with Job Corps, it's a residential career training program for 16–24-year-olds, helping them learn a trade, complete their high school education, and also guiding them to transition towards meaningful careers, prepping them for the workforce. As of 2025, there are 121 Job Corps Centers. I attended Ouachita Job Corps Center in May 2010 and it was located in Royal, Arkansas, which was located outside of Hot Springs. There were four separate dorms (Dorms 1, 2, and 3 for the males, while Dorm 4 was for the females). As for the guys, the dorm that you stayed in depended on the trade that you were taking. For instance, I resided in Dorm 2 for the duration of my time at Job Corps and my trade of choice was Office Administration. I'm going to share my likes and dislikes about the program. This is in no way of bashing the Job Corps program or discourage others from taking part in it. The following are my own personal experiences and opinions. Most of the people that attended the same Job Corps center as I did or other centers, would agree with some or all of the things that I'm about to talk about.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 11 months ago in Education
