The Parallels between Bane, Bats and Baseball in Light of “The Dark Knight Rises”

On Sports Spin's Wednesday segment, featuring KVIA's Asher Wildman, one of the questions was regarding the new movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Both Andy Lee and Wildman brought up the villian "Bane." The wheels in my head starting turning, but had nothing to do with the action-packed film. Call it a long shot, but this is how I think...

A little back-story on Bane: He was a prisoner that escaped and was fascinated with Gotham City. He was pestered with childhood nightmares of a demonic bat. Once in Gotham City, he was certain Batman was who he feared and who he wanted to destroy.

Bane was known for wearing a mask that covered his forehead, nose and mouth with a tube feeding his brain. A master of disguise. His powers and strength came from his addiction to "Venom," which enhanced his physical conditions and gave him superhuman abilities. Hence, his muscular bulging body image. What he is infamously known for was, "The Man who Broke the Bat." This is the storyline in Knightfall.

Okay, so in my sports-state-of-mind, this is where I drew the parallels. Bane wasn't the only one to break a bat, have abnormal human abilities, power, an addiction problem or anger management issues. But so are the athletes in the MLB who have taken steriods, or their version of "Venom," if you will.

From DC to the MLB, Bane's character made me think about the scandals involving the more high-profile steroid cases involving sluggers like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Jose Conseco. Whether they be implicated users, admitted to using, listed on the Mitchell Report or suspended for using steroids -- my mind couldn't help but wander in this direction.

The drug, "Venom" was administered to Bane by a doctor. In "Vengeance of Bane II: The Redemption," Bane fights alongside Batman in an attempt to put a stop to a criminal ring that is distributing the same Venom drug that Bane fell victim to. Both Batman and Bane defeat the drug ring and come to find out it was the same doctor that gave the Venom to Bane in the first place.

One common theme in that film; Bane also pleads that he is "innocent" of his past addictions. Nonetheless, that's where my mind went. Bane was the first to break the Bat...but many other major leaguers followed in his footsteps. They couldn't fight the good fight alone, but relied on an additional substance to help them prevail.

"The Man who Broke the Bat," is accomponied by many others -- just in a different disguise. Masters of disguise.