Reds-Bengals co-promote 'Double-Headers'

CINCINNATI - Let's put it this way: prior to Wednesday's unprecedented simultaneous announcements, the closest the Reds and Bengals got to a sharing of resources was when Marvin Lewis was invited to bring some players to Great American Ball Park for pre-game batting practice.

That act of détente caught the attention of many long time Bengals-Reds followers, who saw it as a turning of the tide in a long and at times acrimonious relationship between Cincinnati's two major professional sports franchises. Most of that engendered by the competing leases that Hamilton County cobbled together when the two shared Riverfront Stadium.

Inviting a couple Bengals to take some cuts in the cage though, is a far cry from shared news releases and posters featuring likenesses of A.J. Green and Brandon Phillips, under the working title, "Cincinnati's Best Hands." Aroldis Chapman and Andy Dalton, Rey Maualuga and Jay Bruce will adorn two other Promotional Posters that will soon be scattered throughout local businesses.

Maualuga in fact delivered the ceremonial first pitch to Bruce Wednesday night, to inaugurate the long overdue collaboration.

The co-promotion as its termed, takes advantage of the Bengals moving their training camp to Paul Brown Stadium, with practices that coincide with Reds games at Great American Ball Park.

The starting times on Aug. 2, 4, 5 and 19, are staggered so fans can catch a Bengals and Reds event, in what the teams' identical statements herald as "the ultimate Cincinnati sports double-header."

Reds Chief Operating Officer Phil Castellini put it best: "There is nothing better than seeing your favorite sports teams live and in person and for the first time ever, you can watch Bengals training camp in Cincinnati and take in a Reds game on the same day."

To which Jeff Berding, Director of Sales and Public Affairs for the Bengals, added, "The practices on these promotional days will be in the stadium to accommodate large crowds and have been scheduled to avoid any conflicts with the Reds games. We are Reds fans, and are excited to work together on this very cool promotion."

And that goes for the Reds being Bengals fans too. Both organizations have luxury boxes at the others facilities, so they literally have skin in each others' operations. Good to know, even better to see in the flesh. You can get more specifics about the "Double-Header" days here or go to www.wcpo.com/dpp/sports/baseball/reds/reds-bengals-announce-co-promotion-dates .