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 (410)
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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 about a year 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 about a year 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 about a year ago in Education
My Thoughts About Alex Bregman
Spring Training is in full effect and we're that much closer to the start of the regular season. One player that the Boston Red Sox recently acquired was Alex Bregman. Yes, that Alex Bregman, also known as Breggy the Cheater. After spending many years with the Houston Astros, the disgraced player has headed out east. So what did I think about him being a member of the Red Sox? Honestly, I don't care about him. He's free to sign with whatever team he so chooses. However, in my previous stories about the Astros, your past will always follow you.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
Best World Series Games in the Last 25 Years
The World Series is an event where you hope to see your favorite team hoist the Commissioner's Trophy. In this story, I'll highlight some of my favorite World Series games that occurred between the years 2000-2024. You've probably seen the following games that I'm about to feature more than once.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
One Is the Loneliest Number
February 14: the day that I always dread Why is that you ask? I'll touch on the reasons why towards the end of this story. I tend to keep my personal romantic relationships relatively private. However, I believe that being open and transparent about my love life is necessary. I'll share a story about two separate relationships I was in and why they failed.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Pride
Three-Peat Denied
On Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs had one mission in Super Bowl LIX: to win their third consecutive Super Bowl title. They would've made NFL history by becoming the first team to win three Super Bowl titles in a row. Unfortunately, this wasn't meant to be and their three-peat hopes were dashed.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
Baseball, We Missed You
Spring Training: the two words baseball fans have been waiting for since the conclusion of the World Series. Yes, baseball has finally returned. I have no interest in watching the you know what. It has been a busy and productive offseason for many MLB teams. There were some interesting acquisitions, and I was busy writing stories about them. In case you've been living under a rock, I'll share some of my thoughts about the stories I've written, as well as provide links to them for your viewing pleasure.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
Lessons That Pride Parades Taught Me
Greetings, Vocal readers and also to my wonderful subscribers. I want to say thanks to the people on Vocal for making my Baseball Is for Everyone story among the Top Stories for the month of January. I'm grateful for that honor and it only motivates me to write and publish more stories. For this story, I'll be sharing a few lessons that Pride parades have taught me. Before I get into that, I want to share a bit about myself to those who aren't familiar with who I am.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Pride
The Most Underrated and Unappreciated Fighting Game Ever
I have a question for you: What is your favorite fighting game franchise? Street Fighter? Tekken? Mortal Kombat? How about Fighters Destiny? You might be thinking, "What is Fighters Destiny?" Allow me to tell you about it. Fighters Destiny, also known as Fighting Cup in Japan, was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. I enjoyed this game so much as a kid and nowadays, you hardly see anyone talk about this fighting game.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Gamers
Recalling My First Ever Visit to an Arcade
An arcade is a place where you have stepped into nerd heaven. It's a place where memories from your childhood start creeping into your mind. If you grew up in the 70s or 80s, you knew exactly what that feeling was like. Oh, and remember when you had lots and lots of quarters to in order to play multiple games? I'm going to have a link at the end of this story to a 1982 news story from an ABC News affiliate in Los Angeles where they discussed arcade games. It'll be worth the watch.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Gamers
Baseball Is for Everyone . Top Story - January 2025.
I've received some positive reactions to a previous story I've recently written about the reasons why I, a gay man, loves baseball. I'll have a link to that story down below. I'm hyped up about Spring Training and the regular season.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Pride
