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 (401)
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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
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
