Gopher Ban in Cowtown

Gainer can't Go!

Is that the story from Calgary, the famed mascot of the Saskatchewan Roughriders cannot cross the provincial boundary this Sunday?

The Prairie Dog will have to sit by the television Sunday afternoon as the Riders take on the Stamps in the Western Semi-Final, a casualty of the Riders finishing third in the West and missing out on the home playoff date they've been looking for all these years.

While Gainer is left out, the Riders will still find a fair amount of support at McMahon stadium on Sunday, on any given game day the Rider faithful come out of the woodwork to support their team, sometimes splitting the stadium in half between red and green supporters.

With a playoff spot in hand and a chance to advance to the Final, the invasion will be on as the legions of Green Rider fans load up the cars and buses for the trek to Calgary. The ticket will be a hot one this weekend, with those looking to profit from their ducats thankful that the Riders are coming to town, brining with them their exciteable fans.

A crew that will make some noise on Sunday with or without their cheerleading gopher, Ralph the Dog had best watch out. Parts of his own dog house are going to be no go areas on Sunday!

Update Nov 1: Gainer the Gopher can pack his bags, the Stamps have relented and allowed him to travel to Calgary, for this weekends playoff game. But the Gopher is still under strict orders, he can't stand on a sideline, (we wonder if he can burrow underneath one though?). The game hasn't even started and already the Riders have the Stamps on the run!