THURSDAY COMMENTARY – GAINER GATE

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)

FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CAN’T REMEMBER HOW IT CAME UP BUT ON WEDNESDAY IN CALGARY THE STORY OF THE INFAMOUS “GAINER GATE” FROM THE 2006 CFL PLAYOFFS CAME UP.

DO YOU REMEMBER?

THE CALGARY STAMPEDERS WERE SET TO HOST THE SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS IN THE WESTERN SEMIFINAL AND WORD GOT OUT THAT THE STAMPEDERS WEREN’T GOING TO ALLOW RIDER MASCOT GAINER THE GOPHER INTO THE STADIUM FOR THE GAME.

YOU KNOW HOW IT GOT OUT?

IN THOSE DAYS I BASICALLY HAD A DESK AT TAYLOR FIELD BECAUSE I WAS THERE SO MUCH AND DAYS BEFORE THE GAME, I WAS CHATTING WITH GAINER HIMSELF. HE PULLED OUT HIS BLACKBERRY (YES, GOPHERS HAD BLACKBERRYS AT THE TIME) AND SHOWED ME AN EMAIL HE’D RECEIVED SAYING HE WOULDN’T BE ALLOWED IN AND HE WAS FURIOUS.

I ASKED HIM IF HE’D MIND IF I REPORTED IT, AND HE SAID “NO PROBLEM”.

IT TOUCHED OFF ONE OF THE WILDEST CFL STORIES I’VE EVER SEEN AND THIS TIME, I’M NOT EXAGGERATING. IT WAS LITERALLY NATIONAL NEWS FOR THREE DAYS.

I RECALL STANDING IN THE LOUNGE AT CKRM AND FLIPPING THROUGH CTV NEWSNET, CBC NEWSWORLD, THE NATIONAL, AND IT WAS THE LEAD STORY ON ALL OF THEM.

AND BOY OH BOY, DID I GET IN TROUBLE OVER THAT ONE. TO THIS DAY, I’M NOT SURE WHY BUT THE RIDERS DIDN’T TAKE TOO KINDLY TO THE NEWS GETTING OUT. I’M SURE THEY HAD THEIR REASONS.

THE DAY BEFORE THE GAME, I WAS DRIVING STAMPS GM JIM BARKER AND A HIGH-RANKING RIDER OFFICIAL TO A CALGARY HOTEL AND BARKER LEANED OVER AND SAID, “BOY THAT GOPHER STORY SURE HAS BEEN A GOD-SEND, HASN’T IT?”

I SHOT THE RIDER OFFICIAL A GLANCE.

IN TRUTH, IT DIDN’T MAKE THE RIDERS MUCH MONEY OTHER THAN THEY SOLDOUT THE SHELVES OF STUFFED GAINER DOLLS THEY HAD IN THE STORE WHICH HADN’T BEEN MOVING BUT WHEN THE GAME KICKED OFF THAT SUNDAY, THERE WERE 35,650 FANS IN ATTENDANCE AT MCMAHON STADIUM.

A COMPLETE SELLOUT.

I CAN TELL YOU I HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT STORY IN ALMOST 16 YEARS BUT BOY DID WE HAVE A GOOD LAUGH OVER IT ON WEDNESDAY.

AND I STILL CAN’T FIGURE OUT WHY I GOT IN SO MUCH TROUBLE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for availability. You can also watch on YouTube Live and listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)