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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40 Years of 'Super Mario Bros.'
September will mark 40 years since we were introduced to Super Mario Bros. This platform game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is one I still enjoy to this day. It was produced and directed by the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto. Fun fact about him: More than 1 billion copies of games featuring franchises created by Miyamoto have been sold. These include franchises such as The Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong. Overall, Super Mario Bros. has sold over 40 million copies of the original NES release, excluding ports and re-releases. This proves that this game hasn't lost its relevancy in the four decades since its release.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Gamers
Nothing Surprises Me Anymore
The stage is set: The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9. It doesn't surprise me that the Chiefs would make it to the Big Game yet again. It's not the match-up I or many people want to see. Honestly, the more certain teams make it to the Super Bowl multiple times in a few years, the less watchable the Big Game is for me. The Chiefs are like the New England Patriots. A Commanders-Bills match-up would've been awesome to see, but it didn't end up happening. People, including myself, are suffering from so-called "Chiefs fatigue." In other words, we're tired of them making it to the Super Bowl every year. I'm convinced that the NFL is rigged. I've watched several videos on YouTube recently about many, not all, Super Bowl games favoring certain teams. One example of this was Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana featuring The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. During the second half, there was a blackout, which lasted for 34 minutes. After the lights came back on and play resumed, the 49ers scored 17 unanswered points to make it a 28-23 game. However, Justin Tucker added a pair of field goals for the Ravens and Kaepernick added a 15-yard touchdown run. Nonetheless, the Ravens held on to win the game.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
Reasons Why a Gay Man Loves Baseball
A gay man who loves baseball? No way! Yes, it's true. There are gay people who love America's past time. Don't believe me? Search #gaybaseballfan and you'll see a plethora of photos of people like me showing love for our respective teams. Not only that, but they're fans of their respective teams. 29 out of the 30 MLB teams celebrate Pride Night at their ballparks. The only one who has yet to do this is my beloved Texas Rangers. I've talked about them being homophobic and not having a Pride Night in a story last year, which I'll link down below. More recently, I had to call out Los Angeles Dodgers player Clayton Kershaw for bigoted and homophobic comments he made in an interview back in 2023. I didn't hold back in putting him in his place. I'll also have a link to that story down below. Let's just say that I let him know about myself and why I'll never look at him the same way again.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Pride
Story #250: My Experience at The Ballpark in Arlington
250 stories on Vocal! I've come a long since I first started writing stories on this platform back in 2018. For my 250th story, I'll be sharing of how I became a fan of a Major League Baseball team. But first, a bit of history.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
This Is the Moment You've Been Waiting For...
Greetings, baseball nerds! The most exciting moment has finally arrived: the announcement of the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Class. After much anticipation, the players who will be inducted this summer are the following players:
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
2025 Texas Rangers Predictions
I know that y'all miss baseball so much. Believe me, I know the feeling. It won't be long until Spring Training arrives, also known as the unofficial start of baseball. The Texas Rangers may not have repeated as World Series Champions last year, but it's a new year and we're wiping the state clean. The Rangers have been busy during the offseason by signing several players. I won't go through every single one, but the most notable ones. In case you missed it, here are the new additions:
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
Ways To Prepare for Your Ceremonial First Pitch
Opening Day in Major League Baseball is not until late March, but if you happen to be chosen to throw the first pitch at a baseball game, whether it's at a Major League or Minor League Baseball game, I have some helpful tips to make sure your experience goes successfully smoothly. In the summer of 2023, I got a chance to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Northwest Arkansas Naturals game. It was an opportunity that I was excited and also looking forward to. So, the night of taking part of this wonderful experience, one of my coworkers tagged along with me, as well as others from a local non-profit organization, which they asked me to take part in this.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
My Thoughts About the Los Angeles Dodgers
It's still the offseason, but Spring Training is just around the corner. Teams have been busy with signing players to improve their rosters. No team has been more busier than the Los Angeles Dodgers. In case you haven't heard, the defending World Series Champions have signed Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki. I've been following the signing of several players since the offseason began, with one being Blake Snell, which was the only move I agreed with. To refresh your memory, Snell threw his first career no-hitter last season while he was with the San Francisco Giants. As you can tell from the title of this story, I have more to say about the Dodgers and the reasons why I have such a huge dislike of them. You must be wondering why I've been so harsh towards them in previous stories. My criticism of them will never ease up and won't anytime soon. Once you see the following reasons, you'll have a better idea of why I'll never look at them the same, nor respect them again.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Unbalanced
'No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls' Review
If you were around in the early 2000s or a 2000s kid, bands such as Blink-182 and Linkin Park were most likely the ones you might have grown up listening to. One band in particular that hardly gets enough attention these days is Simple Plan. They're a Canadian rock band that was part of my childhood, dating back to middle school. As of 2025, they have released six studio albums, with the most recent one being 2022's Harder Than It Looks, which was their final album featuring bassist David Desrosiers. In this story, I'll be reviewing their debut album and reveal some of my favorite songs.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Beat
Say His Name: George Floyd
During the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone was in quarantine, daily life was interrupted, and everyone was staying safe from the deadly virus. However, one event that received national attention was the death of George Floyd. On May 25, 2020, the then 46-year-old was suspected of using fake money and was stopped by police and then, they held him to the ground. What happened next was shocking. Now former Minneapolis police officer and convicted murderer, Derek Chauvin, was seen on video pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes. Despite Floyd’s constant pleas that he couldn't breathe to Chauvin and from bystanders to let him breathe, Chauvin ignored their pleas and the other officers at the scene refused to intervene. Floyd’s death sparked worldwide outrage and protests from around the world. One of the things that continues to irk me is when anytime a black person has been killed by the police, most people would say the following: “If he/she would’ve followed the officer’s orders, then they wouldn’t have been shot.” This is such a tone deaf way of saying that a black person who lost their life deserved it. To me, it's a form of victim blaming. Even if they obeyed a police officer's orders, no one deserves to have their lives taken in a tragic manner. Also, opponents of racial injustice protests would also describe black people as thugs, drug dealers, and everything under the sun. As a person of color, I ask everyone to not paint all black people with one brush. You're missing the entire point of why we still hold Black Lives Matter protests. The point of these protests is to call for accountability of any police officer who takes the life of black individuals. In other words, arresting police officers as opposed to putting them on administrative leave (paid or unpaid) or on bond. Also, seeing them being convicted and sentenced to time in prison, making sure that the families of the slain receive justice.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in The Swamp
My Thoughts About the 'Brave New World' Trailer
A new year brings new movies. This year, a total of 50 films are scheduled to be released in theaters. Among the slate of movies is Captain America: Brave New World. A fitting Valentine's Day release is a perfect time for you and your significant other to see this superhero film. Or if you're single like myself, this is also the movie that you should go and see. The 35th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, stars Anthony Mackie, Giancarlo Esposito, and legendary actor Harrison Ford. However, I dislike Valentine's Day for a number of reasons. First, I feel like it makes single people like me feel miserable. Second, it's too commercialized and forced onto those who don't have a romantic partner to spend this day with. Third, it puts too much emphasis on highlighting couples expressing their love for one another in commercials and other forms of media. It's not to say those are bad things to promote. I've been single for a little over five years. In 2019, I was engaged to be married in March 2020. However, complications made it impossible for me and the man I was with at the time to make our wedding happen. I won't go into details, but we mutually decided to part ways, even though we loved each other very much. I'm nearing 40 and haven't given up on finding love again.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Geeks
A Message to Clayton Kershaw
Many of my readers know that I love baseball, especially the Texas Rangers. In case you didn't know that, you do now. Spring Training is right around the corner and the MLB regular season is in our sights. However, in this story, I want to send a strong message to a player who needs a lesson in both humanity and compassion. The player I'm talking about is Clayton Kershaw. To all of you non-baseball fans who aren't familiar with who he is, he's a World Series champion and Cy Young Award winner. Back in 2023, he made disparaging and bigoted remarks regarding the Dodgers were having a promotion inviting The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Dodger Stadium during Pride Month. Because of this, I can no longer look at Clayton Kershaw the same way again. It's time that I read this man for the filth, because I have a lot of things to say to him. I could call him every name in the book, but it would make the points that I'm about to share absolutely meaningless. I'm not going to apologize for standing up for what I believe in or being honest. If I see someone being disrespectful towards a certain group of people, I'm not afraid to call them out on it. If I'm wrong for speaking up, then so be it. I'm not afraid to expose people for who they are.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Pride
