2025 Vocal Year in Review

Greetings, Vocal readers! Before 2025 comes to a close and we welcome 2026 into our lives, I'll be going over some of my accomplishments and most impactful stories I've written from this year on Vocal. This will be the final story of 2025. Before I proceed any further, I want to say thanks to my loyal subscribers and supporters for taking the time to read my stories. You're the reason why I continue to write and publish these stories. Also, thanks to those who have sent me one-off tips. Those help out greatly, because you're supporting writers like me on Vocal. Please keep them coming, because I'll be writing and publishing new stories in the new year. If you would like for me to talk about a certain topic and offer my thoughts, please comment down below and I'll take them into consideration. The following stories are not in any particular order. Alright, let's go over some of my most impactful stories first from 2025.

The Disrespect of Jackie Robinson

As much I have a huge dislike of the Los Angeles Dodgers, well, the modern-day Dodgers, I had to come to the defense of Jackie Robinson earlier this year. Why? It was because the Department of Defense deleted an article mentioning the World Series champion and Hall of Famer's time in the Army. then Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot stated it was done to stop what he called "Woke cultural Marxism." In other words, deleting any mention of the accomplishments of Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ figures who came before us. Over five decades after Robinson's death, he's still being disrespected by an administration who dislikes minorities. The deletion of an article was 100% racially motivated and they never respected him. If they had respected him, they would have acknowledged and recognized his accomplishments. A few days later, the article was revived on the Department of Defense's website after public outcry. Jackie Robinson was and will always be an icon, pioneer, and part of pop culture. He paved the way for not only black baseball players, but other minorities to have the opportunity to live out their dreams. Black History is part of American History, and it shouldn't be erased.

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Giving the St. Louis Cardinals Kudos 14 Years Later

It's been 14 years since one of the best World Series was the talk of the baseball world. The 2011 matchup between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals was worth watching. The Rangers were seeking their first World Series title in franchise history, while the Cardinals were seeking their second championship in six years. The Rangers had two opportunities to clinch their first World Series title with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning and in extra innings but were unable to seize the opportunity. Even though the Cardinals went on to win the final two games of the World Series, I showed my gratitude to them, because they were the better team and the Rangers wasted two golden opportunities. Even though the Rangers choked away a World Series title and left a bad taste in the mouths of Rangers fans, they would redeem themselves 12 years later by finally winning a championship. I've since shared my thoughts about the 2011 Fall Classic for the first time, which you can read it in its entirety in the link down below.

https://todaysurvey.today/unbalanced/my-thoughts-about-the-texas-rangers-loss-to-the-st-louis-cardinals-in-the-2011-world-series%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="14azzlx-P">.css-14azzlx-P{font-family:Droid Serif,Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:1.1875rem;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.01em;-moz-letter-spacing:0.01em;-ms-letter-spacing:0.01em;letter-spacing:0.01em;line-height:1.6;color:#1A1A1A;margin-top:32px;}

The Year of MLB Retirements

Matt Carpenter, Clayton Kershaw, Kyle Hendricks, and Anthony Rizzo (pictured above) were some of the players who closed out their MLB careers in 2025. Rizzo, a three-time All-Star and World Series champion, announced his retirement after 14 amazing seasons. He was made a Cubs Ambassador, joining Ben Zobrist, Kerry Wood, and Ryan Dempster. His warm personality will be missed and who knows, he might be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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The Most Hated Team in Baseball

Many baseball fans, including myself, have come to the conclusion that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the most, hated team in Major League Baseball. Once the 2020s arrived, the team has changed drastically. Shohei Ohtani came from the Los Angeles Angels, where he made his MLB debut, to the Dodgers before the 2024 regular season began. He demanded that he'd be paid nearly a billion dollars, which almost all of it was deferred. The next two seasons show the many reasons why I have a huge dislike of this team. The overspending of players, gatekeeping Japanese talent from other teams, entitled and selfish behavior, multiple players selected to the 2025 All-Star Game, and the now retired Clayton Kershaw's bigotry are the other reasons why I can't stand them. After the conclusion of the 2025 World Series, I officially disowned Shohei altogether. I used to like him when he was with the Angels, but when he joined the Dodgers and came into the picture, he became a different person. His entitled demeanor and the scandal involving his former interpreter were two of the main factors led me to no longer support or defend him. The huge dislike of the Dodgers has been present, based on the numerous stories I've written on here, which you can read for yourself. If a favorite player of mine from another team joins the Dodgers, don't expect me to support them or their career. Jealousy has nothing to do with me heavily loathing this team. There's nothing wrong with having a winning ball club. It's the selfish and devious mindset behind it. I'll never drink the Dodgers Kool-Aid. They simply cannot be trusted, as they continue to be a Postseason nuisance. They and MLB think that everything has to be about them all the time. The Dodgers are too attention hungry, and their arrogance shows that.

A Bucket List Item Accomplished

Back in Mid-March, I had an opportunity to live out my dream of some sorts, for a day. On a warm Saturday afternoon, I had an opportunity to take part in an exciting event. I was among the few dozens of people who took part in a batting practice event at Arvest Ballpark, home of the Minor League's Northwest Arkansas Naturals. I never played any sports in school, but P.E. class was the closest I've gotten into doing just that. The event was first come, first serve, meaning you had to sign up online in advance and bring some batting gloves, bat, and batting helmet. I had to purchase all three the day before the event, since I didn't own any f them. I arrived at Arvest Ballpark and while I was waiting for my named to be called to the batting cage, I got a chance to be in the Naturals dugout, a first for me. It was something I've never done before, but it was a great experience. Once my name was called to enter home plate, there was a machine where baseball would shoot at you and the object was to hit as many balls as possible for a minute to a minute and a half. I missed a lot of balls but hit two of them before it was over. Sure, my swings weren't the best, but I had a good time. Oh, and I approached a fellow Rangers fan at the event, which was rare. It wasn't the first time I've encountered a Rangers fan in public, and it won't be the last. I would definitely attend a batting cage event at Arvest Ballpark again. So technically, I knocked off two items off my bucket list.

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The Quarter Century Club

As you've noticed in this story, the majority of stories I've written this story has been heavily focused on baseball. I've put together my own lists of the best World Series games, MLB players, Texas Rangers players, MLB team, and managers over the last 25 years. The links to those stories will be found down below.

https://todaysurvey.today/unbalanced/best-texas-rangers-players-over-the-last-25-years%3C/a%3E

https://todaysurvey.today/unbalanced/best-mlb-managers-of-the-last-25-years%3C/a%3E

https://todaysurvey.today/unbalanced/best-quarter-century-mlb-team-boston-red-sox%3C/a%3E

https://todaysurvey.today/unbalanced/favorite-mlb-players-of-the-last-25-years%3C/a%3E

https://todaysurvey.today/unbalanced/best-world-series-games-in-the-last-25-years%3C/a%3E

Coming Together in the Name of Equality

Pride Month 2025 was an event that I'll remember forever. For the first time, I volunteered for the annual Pride Parade, as I was responsible for holding up a sign (shown above) with one other person. The best part about it was we were first to lead the parade and others were behind us. I plan to volunteer next year, because the experience was so memorable. I've been attending the Pride Parade in my area since 2016. 2026 will mark 10 years since attending my first Pride event. You don't have to be LGBTQ+ to attend a Pride event. Everyone is welcome and you can be an ally to someone.

https://todaysurvey.today/pride/good-vibes-at-northwest-arkansas-pride-2025%3C/a%3E

Marriage Equality Turns 10

June 2025 marked 10 years since Marriage Equality was legal in the United States. Even with an administration who continues to make the lives of LGBTQ+ people more difficult and spreading misinformation, the fight for equality is far from over. Silence will never be an option and our voices will become even louder. A commander-in-chief, regardless of political party, should show compassion and dignity towards people like us. We're not asking for special treatment, but to be treated as human beings and being free to exist without being discriminated against.

https://todaysurvey.today/pride/celebrating-10-years-of-marriage-equality%3C/a%3E

Baseball is Everyone's Sport

I'm a die-hard Texas Rangers fan, but what I don't love is the bigotry from many baseball fans. Every June in Major League Baseball, teams hold a Pride Night at their ballparks. The Rangers are the only team in the league that has yet to hold such an event, but hopeful that they will in the near future. In a series of stories regarding baseball being everyone's sport, bigoted baseball fans dislike Pride Nights, accusing MLB of "pushing an agenda down their throats." You can't be a fan of baseball and a bigot. The first Pride Night dates back to 1994 with the San Diego Padres with their "Until There's a Cure Day" to raise awareness and money during the AIDS epidemic. The picture you see above made many people lose their minds for no apparent reason. People who are heavily opposed to LGBTQ+ people or Pride events are doing nothing but arguing with themselves. Not only that, but searching for problems that are there. I've called this fake outrage. In my story about Clayton Kershaw retiring from baseball, there was a picture of him the dugout wearing a Pride-themed Dodgers ball cap with a Bible verse written on it. In case everyone didn't know, Clayton is a devout Christian. He made disparaging remarks about the LGBTQ+ community on numerous occasions and I called him out on his bigotry on here. I'm a few months older than he is, but born in different years. We're both from the same state: Texas. Clayton is from Dallas and I'm from Arlington. Everyone is entitled to their own personal beliefs, but having a religious belief doesn't mean making the lives of LGBTQ + people more difficult than it already is. It's not a hall pass to treat others like crap. Compassion and empathy matters. Kershaw has since retired, but I won't miss him at all. He was an angry, disgruntled player who looked for problems in everything. He was, what we say in Texas, all hat, no cattle. In other words, he can talk smack at opposing players and teams, but won't fight. He was a fake tough guy whenever it was convenient for him. Baseball shouldn't be gatekept or reserved for certain people. Everyone has the right to exist in online baseball communities and at games without the fear of being verbally or physically attacked.

https://todaysurvey.today/pride/baseball-is-for-everyone%3C/a%3E

https://todaysurvey.today/pride/clayton-kershaw-announces-his-retirement%3C/a%3E

40 Years of Super Mario Bros.

The final story of 2025 I'll be highlighting was celebrating 40 years of a video game I loved as a kid. Super Mario Bros. turned 40 back in September and I've shared my favorite memories about playing this game, as well as the levels I enjoyed the most. Since 1989, I've played this game any chance I got. Nearly four decades later, I'm still a Nintendo guy and will forever be as such.

https://todaysurvey.today/gamers/the-very-first-game-i-ve-ever-played%3C/a%3E

Now that everyone has gone over the most insightful stories I've written on Vocal in 2025, I'm going to highlight some stats.

54 subscribers: When I first joined Vocal in 2018, my subscriber count was in the single digits. Now, it had since increased greatly. My goal is to reach 100 subscribers by the end of 2026.

5 Top Stories: This is the most stories I've had chosen by Vocal in a single calendar year.

152 stories written and published: A new record! I was aiming for 100 stories in a single year, but I never thought I'd surpass this total. 152 stories in a calendar year are bonkers, yet outstanding. In 2024, I've written 42 stories.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my stories and send me one-off tips. Please continue to support me by subscribing to my page and one-off tips, which can be found at the end of every story. I'll return in 2026 with more stories. Happy writing!