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 (416)
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Estrangement from My Parents: 15 Years Later. Content Warning.
2011: The year that I decided that enough was enough. I went home for summer break from Job Corps. For context, home was in Texas and I was attending a Job Corps center in Arkansas, nearing completion of my vocational trade, which was Office Administration. I was nearly four months away from graduating. Days before I was scheduled to head back to Job Corps, I felt like the two people who were supposed to love and support me were now focused on their attention towards my two younger siblings (a brother and sister). That was the last time I saw my family. My relationship with my family had been deteriorating for years, even well before I decided to officially distance myself from them.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about an hour ago in Psyche
Wesley's Favorite Forgotten Texas Rangers Players: Part 3
Greetings, Rangers fans and baseball fans everywhere! This will be the third and final part of this series where I highlight past Rangers players that you might have remembered but haven't heard of or hardly mentioned in online baseball spaces. In case you missed the second part from last year, be sure to go the link down below to check out my personal favorites. If you have a forgotten Texas Rangers player that you admired, please comment down below. Now, on to the list.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about 2 hours ago in Unbalanced
Celebrating 20 Years of Hannah Montana
Disney Channel had some of the best shows and movies that aired in 2006. However, there was show that would leave a lasting impact for Disney for decades to come. That show was called Hannah Montana. The titular character starred now Grammy award-winning artist and Disney Legend Miley Cyrus. Cyrus received the latter honor in 2024 for her contributions to the company. The streaming platform, Disney+, will air a 20th anniversary special on March 24, exactly two decades to the day the original series premiered. Hannah Montana aired from 2006 to 2011, lasting four seasons and 98 episodes. Miley Cyrus portrayed Miley Stewart, a teenager who had to keep her pop star identity a secret from the public. Only her close family and friends knew her secret identity. In this story, I'll be highlighting some of my favorite Hannah Montana songs. There are four words that describe her songs: inspirational, powerful, emotional, and empowering. In a later story, I'll highlight some of my favorite Hannah Montana episodes. In the meantime, once you've read this story, let me know in the comments section below what are some of your favorite songs from the tv series. Also, what is your favorite Hannah Montana album. Be sure to subscribe to my page on here, follow me on social media, and leave me a generous one-off tip at the end of this story. The following list of songs are not in any particular order.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 days ago in Geeks
MLB Opening Day Needs to Become a National Holiday
Opening Day: it's more than just a day off for many of us baseball fans from either school or work. It's a long-standing tradition that means so much to us. If you've been playing hooky from school or work for years in order to watch your favorite team play in person or on TV, good for you. Everyone has done it, so no judgement here. The first Opening Day dates back to 1876 between the Boston Red Caps and Philadelphia Athletics, where 3,000 people were in attendance. The Red Caps won that game with a final score of 6-5. 150 years later, the yearly debate of whether the unofficial holiday of baseball should be official continues.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 7 days ago in Unbalanced
Fun Times at Globe Life Field: Part 2
Last month, I took a trip to my hometown of Arlington, Texas. It was the first time in nearly 15 years I've been back to the place that I grew up. During the two days I was there, I did some sight-seeing and was highly impressed with how much has changed the last time I was there, which was 2011. On the last day of my trip, I took part in a premium stadium tour at Globe Life Field, the home of the Texas Rangers. It was my first time there and was with a small group of people on the tour. I've discussed the things I've seen during the hour and a half tour in my previous story, which you can read down below. After the tour concluded, I went outside and took even more snapshots. I'll go over some of the images, individually and in collage form.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 10 days ago in Wander
My Brutally Honest Thoughts About Bryce Harper
The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is fast approaching and we're here for it. The offseason has been filled with blockbuster trades and attention-grabbing headlines. Will a new World Series champion be crowned? Only time will tell. In this story, I'll be discussing a player who has been on the minds of baseball fans lately. I'm talking about Bryce Harper and why has he been in the news, you ask? In case you didn't know, Phillies General Manager Dave Dombrowski stated that the All-Star needed to do his best to reach the organization's standards. Dombrowski didn't say that Harper was a terrible player, but Harper took Dombrowski's remarks as a personal attack towards him. Bryce Harper will be entering his 15th season in MLB and turns 35 in October. What Dombrowski said was facts, because Harper is being paid all of this money and has been struggling at the plate. My theory is that Bryce Harper doesn't like constructive criticism and throws a huge fit about them. He has a reputation of being a hot head. Examples include arguing with umpires about bad calls (yes, most of them had justifiable reasons for him to be upset about them), cursing out Commissioner Rob Manfred last season over a proposed issue while he visited the Phillies clubhouse, and being sometimes rude to reporters. If you've watched any compilation videos of players being ejected or angriest players in MLB, most likely you'll see Bryce Harper in those. Regarding the incident involving the Commissioner, Bryce was in the wrong for cursing out the person in charge of the league. I understood how he felt at the time, but he could've taken the Commissioner to the side and calmly discussed his concerns in private. Also, Bryce should've been the bigger adult and kept his demeanor towards Manfred professional. No matter what your feelings are about Rob Manfred, I believe that all players should have a level of professionalism, whether in the clubhouse or at events. Whether Bryce likes it or not, just like a regular job, he's under evaluation just like every player and everyone else in their respective ball clubs.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 14 days ago in Unbalanced
The Life and Career of Former Arlington Mayor, Tom Vandergriff
When you think of the State of Texas, what the first thing comes into mind? The Texas Longhorns? Dallas Cowboys? However, there was one man who was determined to bring a baseball team to Arlington. His name was Tom Vandergriff, and everyone should thank him for being persistent and making his dream a reality for the city. Let's learn more about Mr. Vandergriff's life and career.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 21 days ago in Unbalanced
Fun Times at Globe Life Field
Before the 2025 calendar year concluded, one of my goals for 2026 was to travel more. Most recently, I did just that. In my previous story about going on vacation to my hometown of Arlington, Texas, I discussed taking part in a stadium tour at Globe Life Field. I loved every minute of it and everyone who was part of the tour were excellent. In this story, I'll give my opinions about what I thought about GLF.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 21 days ago in Wander
A Texas Homecoming
Greetings, Vocal readers and subscribers! Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a familiar place that I haven't been to in almost 15 years. I've expressed my love for my hometown of Arlington, Texas in numerous stories on Vocal. Fow two days, it was my time to do some sight-seeing and nothing more. This long overdue vacation was solely about me, not about visiting family, as I've been estranged from them since 2011. I'll share a collage of pictures from my two-day stay in Arlington throughout this story. Just for reference, I took over 200 photos, so not every one of them will be featured.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 27 days ago in Wander
Signs That You Grew Up in Texas
Greetings, Vocal creators! We're going to talk about arguably the best state in this country. I'm talking about Texas and it's also my home state, in case you didn't know. Nicknamed The Lone Star State, it has over 31 million people as of 2024 and is the second largest in the country. Last year, I wrote a story about the things that I loved about Arlington, which is where I'm originally from and where I grew up. Some notable people from the 28th state include Matthew McConaughey, Nolan Ryan, Matthew Stafford, and Willie Nelson. You can read the full story by clicking the link down below. The following entries are not in any particular order.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 28 days ago in Wander
A Whole Lot of BS: Part 2
Over the years, we've seen and heard of people suing companies, either for their own clumsiness or something that they willingly chose to do. Such examples involve Red Bull being sued because their product didn't "give them wings", Uber sued for ruining someone's marriage, and a couple suing a video game company for their son's addiction. I feel like these people who do things like this are just looking for attention. What's next? Someone suing McDonald's for making them fat? I have zero sympathy for people who file meritless lawsuits. The topic for this story, however, is about parents suing social media companies for causing their children to develop mental health issues.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a month ago in Critique
Taking a Different Approach on Valentine's Day
U.S. consumers are projected to spend nearly $28 billion on Valentine's Day this year, with $6 billion of it would be spent on jewelry. For yours truly, I've always had a huge disdain over this day, mainly because of it being too commercialized and also shames single people not being in relationships. Normally, I wouldn't disclose details about my romantic life, but I'll share some things about the last Valentine's Day I celebrated. It was Valentine's Day 2019 and received a package from my now ex-fiancé. I'll explain the ex-fiancé part in a bit. I received some roses, chocolates, and some underwear. In June of that year, he and I were engaged. Our wedding date was set for March of 2020. I was in love with him and eager to live the rest of my life with him and also take his last name. During Pride Month, he came from Wisconsin to Arkansas to attend the Pride Parade, after months of him talking to me via text. Unfortunately, at the end of October, we mutually decided to split up. It wasn't because of unfaithfulness or arguments. It was due to circumstances that made it impossible for us to be together. Don't get me wrong. We loved each other so much. The dagger that stung inside my heart was my now ex-roommate married my ex-fiancée. I'm a believer that you shouldn't date someone else's ex, because there's a good chance that it won't go well. My ex-roommate didn't respect my boundaries, and I wasn't pleased with that. I was betrayed by my ex-roommate, and I've always had suspicions that he had been lusting for the man I was with once he arrived in Arkansas for the aforementioned visit. It took me a year and a half to get over the end of my relationship, but I've since stopped speaking to my ex-roommate and I'm still good friends with my ex. He's always expressed how much he still loved me and wished we were still together. We talk every now and then, but we never stopped caring for each other. Alas, I had to move on with my life. At the time we first started talking, he was over 20 years older than me, which I had no problem with. I've always been attracted to older men, as opposed to someone my age.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a month ago in Critique
