Hi friends, sports fans, countrymen and aficionados of the written art! My purpose in this blog? A) Originality of expression B) Serious reflection and C) Interesting musings. I hope you enjoy!

When discussing sports and all their profound import on our fair land and other societies, we must realize that some events and people take precedent. This is precisely the reason why our country "took a break" from most organized athletics back in the 1940s: we had a few dictators to overcome, and all available talent was needed doing other things than hit .400 or rack up a few more career wins.

Here's hoping that never happens again! So, in that spirit, let's review some of last century's nastiest baddies, so that we may respect the adage, or powerful quote:

"Those who ignore (don't learn from, pay no heed to) history are doomed to repeat it." (Source unknown, help me out on a comment if you find out who gets credit for it).

Agreed? It seems logical to me that this is a healthy exercise, even for us mostly focused on the American sports scene, this Memorial Day weekend. So this is dedicated, in part, to the fallen soldiers of wars and conflicts past.

 And here is where I add a twist, for those slightly twisted in imagination, such as I. If we were to transpose said tyrants and despots to known sports figures, could we effectively do so? Sure, it is a preposterous notion, but maybe we can have some fun with it! And of course, no real implications or accusations will be meant in earnest. And obviously, any true corollary would be completely absurd...

So without further ado, here is my personal top ten madmen/ killers of the 1900s.

1.Joseph Stalin. Originally from pint-sized Georgia, this ruthless autocrat managed to do a ton of damage and harm, mostly on his own Soviet people. (Maybe responsible for up to 40 million dead).

2. Mao Zedong. Like Stalin, a marxist of his own stripes, he also did most of his misdeeds against his own... The Cultural Revolution? A scary answer for a misguided economic plan causing famine and misery. (Not known, maybe responsible for the death of 20-30 million).

3.Adolph Hitler. This guy gets the most hype in our country, but I think it is fair to blame him for a lot. (Provoked war and holocaust killing 15-25 million people.)

4. Emperor Hirohito. He ravaged China ten years before Pearl Harbor. Things were finished after two nuclear detonations. (At least a few million died from these aggressions, the Chinese would probably estimate up...)

5. Pol Pot. The Communist purging of Cambodia was not nice. 1 out of 4 were eliminated. Approximately 2 million "Kampucheans". (Communist Cambodians).

6. Attaturk. Uniting the Turks at the expense of the little nation of Armenia was a costly endeavor. (About 1 million died, many more displaced).

7. Francisco Franco. He was the "winner" of the Spanish civil war, which killed one million. He doesn't get all the blame for those lives lost, including all sides involved.

8. Idi Amin. Maybe there are a slew of other African dictators and strong men who have killed as many last century in the great continent gaining its independence. I don't know who was worse. Mabuto in Zaire (Congo?) Maybe.

9. Saddam Hussein. He was effective against Iran (a million dead), Kuwait, and his own nationals of different backgrounds (unknown number). I suppose other Asian nations had their problems in terrifyingly stark terms as well, India, Pakistan, N. Korea,  etc.

10. The Hutus. I don't know if this genocide was directed or attributed to one guy; maybe someday a single name will stick to the awful bloodletting. Perhaps not.

Some top ten! I have left out Mr. Jong Il of North Korea, a slew of Latin American strong men, plus a great number of other dictators, even Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam. But I think the ten listed are fairly representative of the 20th century and its horrors.

Sports figures like Mike Tyson and Terrell Owens and Mr. Covey Cove seem tame in comparison, no?

Gut check, sports fans!

That said, let's all be grateful for a peaceful weekend of sports and "heated" competition, and let's all thank our Creator, founders, or whomever or however we attribute for living and thriving smack dab in the middle of two beautiful oceans and two no better neighbors than Mexico and Canada.

Ok, I feel better now. The Sox losing two in a row doesn't seem so upsetting anymore.

Peace and happy weekend, all!

Our hearts and thoughts to the fallen and bereaved...