Jack Fisher

MONKTON -- Polly Riggs looks out in her front field and sees the fences that Jack built.There are about 20 jumps of various descriptions -- post and rails, stacks of telephone poles, brush hurdles, a chicken coop -- all designed as practice fences for the dozen steeplechasers that live in the stone barns below the house.This weekend 10 of those horses that are trained by Jack Fisher, Mrs. Riggs' young cousin, will compete in steeplechases in Maryland and Virginia for purses worth more than $100,000.

There was a prestigious steeplechase race to be run Saturday at Butler before Across The Sky turned it into a one-horse party. The Holbrook Hollow Farm gelding dominated the 108th running of The Grand National as few others have, leading virtually all the way to easily claim the victory on a cool and windy afternoon. Across The Sky ran the approximately 3 1/4 miles in 6:05 2/5 seconds, an impressive time over ground softened by overnight rainfall, and he did it while virtually unchallenged under jockey K. Fritz Boniface.

Revelstoke led the whole way and won the three-mile Edward S. Voss Memorial timber race yesterday by four lengths over Timmy Flynn at the Elkridge-Harford Point-to-Point at Monkton.Uncle Merlin, the 1989 Maryland Hunt Cup winner, finished third.It was the second straight victory in the Voss race for the gelding, trained and ridden by Jack Fisher. The horse is owned by Fisher's mother, Mrs. J.R.S. Fisher of Cochranville, Pa.

Dr. Jack C. Fisher, former director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Metropolitan Planning and Research, died of undetermined causes Nov. 13 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Fells Point resident was 75. Born and raised in Cortland, N.Y., Dr. Fisher's undergraduate studies at Syracuse University were interrupted while he served with the Army in Germany for several years. He later returned to Syracuse, where he earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in geography, finishing in 1961.

Pleasant Sea overtook Call Louis after the third-to-last fence to win the 83rd running of the My Lady's Manor yesterday in Monkton. Both Liz McKnight, on Pleasant Sea, and Jack Fisher, on Call Louis, were driving hard through the stretch with McKnight prevailing by 2 1/2 lengths at the wire.Fisher's claim of foul against McKnight for bumping at the beacon between the 13th and 14th fences was disallowed by the stewards. No Triskadekafobia, with Michael Traurig in the irons, finished third in the three-mile race over timber.

He had a major-league career of 11 years, and was a member of the Orioles' celebrated Kiddie Korps, but Fat Jack Fisher may be best remembered as the answer to a trivia question.Who gave up Ted Williams' final home run, No. 521, and, almost a year to the day later, Roger Maris' historic 60th?Fisher, who owns Fat Jack's, a sports bar in Easton, Pa., has recounted the stories dozens of times.He came on in relief of "my roomie on the road," Steve Barber, that day in late September 1960 in Boston.

There was a prestigious steeplechase race to be run Saturday at Butler before Across The Sky turned it into a one-horse party. The Holbrook Hollow Farm gelding dominated the 108th running of The Grand National as few others have, leading virtually all the way to easily claim the victory on a cool and windy afternoon. Across The Sky ran the approximately 3 1/4 miles in 6:05 2/5 seconds, an impressive time over ground softened by overnight rainfall, and he did it while virtually unchallenged under jockey K. Fritz Boniface.

If Baltimore had a hometown hero in the Maryland Hunt Cup on Saturday, it was Ned Halle.The 40-year-old lawyer didn't win the race -- he finished second to 22-year-old Sanna Neilson from Lewisville, Pa., on Tom Bob -- but he got a winner's ovation when he jumped off his horse Gesticulate in the unsaddling area.Halle doesn't pretend to be the world's greatest jockey. He admits he's strictly an amateur and rides just for fun.What's more, he didn't pay a small fortune for his horse. Gesticulate cost $1, even though he is sired by 1976 Preakness winner Elocutionist and had been a good winner in high-priced claimers.

If the tuneup at My Lady's Manor Steeplechase Races proved anything yesterday, it was that Jack Fisher again will be tough to beat in the 100th anniversary running of the Maryland Hunt Cup.Even with Revelstoke, considered the best of Fisher's initial six-horse entry in the Monkton races, scratched, Fisher trainees finished 1-2-3 in the 84th running of the My Lady's Manor Point-to-Point.Then Fisher rode and trained the winners of both divisions of the John Rush Streett Memorial for maidens who had never won over timber.

Notre Dame doesn't buy lacrosse success I am very upset after reading Mike Preston's column published in the May 22 edition of The Sun. In particular, I have to disagree with the following portion: "As for Notre Dame, it was kind of strange hearing the band playing the school's fight song at a lacrosse game. "But with the athletic department revenues and other features of the school, the Fighting Irish showed you can almost buy a championship in any sport. "If you're a high school recruit and you visit Notre Dame or Johns Hopkins during the fall, would you be more inclined to enroll at Notre Dame after watching a football game against USC or watching Hopkins tangle with Western Maryland?"

Notre Dame doesn't buy lacrosse success I am very upset after reading Mike Preston's column published in the May 22 edition of The Sun. In particular, I have to disagree with the following portion: "As for Notre Dame, it was kind of strange hearing the band playing the school's fight song at a lacrosse game. "But with the athletic department revenues and other features of the school, the Fighting Irish showed you can almost buy a championship in any sport. "If you're a high school recruit and you visit Notre Dame or Johns Hopkins during the fall, would you be more inclined to enroll at Notre Dame after watching a football game against USC or watching Hopkins tangle with Western Maryland?"

There were a couple of days last week when "Fat Jack's" place in Easton, Pa., more closely resembled the legendary TV bar "Cheers" than just another sports hangout in small-town America.Thrust into the role of Sam Malone, as portrayed by Ted Danson so ably on the tube, was the owner of the establishment, Jack Fisher.First, ESPN's cameras were there reminiscing about the last days of Roger Maris' charge to supplant Babe Ruth as the all-time, one-season home run king, and Fisher played a significant role.

He had a major-league career of 11 years, and was a member of the Orioles' celebrated Kiddie Korps, but Fat Jack Fisher may be best remembered as the answer to a trivia question.Who gave up Ted Williams' final home run, No. 521, and, almost a year to the day later, Roger Maris' historic 60th?Fisher, who owns Fat Jack's, a sports bar in Easton, Pa., has recounted the stories dozens of times.He came on in relief of "my roomie on the road," Steve Barber, that day in late September 1960 in Boston.

If the tuneup at My Lady's Manor Steeplechase Races proved anything yesterday, it was that Jack Fisher again will be tough to beat in the 100th anniversary running of the Maryland Hunt Cup.Even with Revelstoke, considered the best of Fisher's initial six-horse entry in the Monkton races, scratched, Fisher trainees finished 1-2-3 in the 84th running of the My Lady's Manor Point-to-Point.Then Fisher rode and trained the winners of both divisions of the John Rush Streett Memorial for maidens who had never won over timber.

Pleasant Sea overtook Call Louis after the third-to-last fence to win the 83rd running of the My Lady's Manor yesterday in Monkton. Both Liz McKnight, on Pleasant Sea, and Jack Fisher, on Call Louis, were driving hard through the stretch with McKnight prevailing by 2 1/2 lengths at the wire.Fisher's claim of foul against McKnight for bumping at the beacon between the 13th and 14th fences was disallowed by the stewards. No Triskadekafobia, with Michael Traurig in the irons, finished third in the three-mile race over timber.

BUTLER -- Jack Fisher, a 28-year-old rider-trainer from Monkton, continued his dominance of Maryland's spring timber races yesterday when he won the 90th running of the Grand National Point-to-Point on Revelstoke.It was the first win for both horse and rider over the challenging, 18-jump course and served as a perfect prep for Saturday's Maryland Hunt Cup.A week ago, Fisher won the My Lady's Manor Point-to-Point on Push And Pull, a horse he is pointing for the May 2 Virginia Gold Cup.Revelstoke is owned by Fisher's mother, Mrs. John R.S. "Dolly" Fisher, from Coatesville, Pa., and is hunted throughout the fall and winter season with the Cheshire Hounds by his older brother, Rush.

There were a couple of days last week when "Fat Jack's" place in Easton, Pa., more closely resembled the legendary TV bar "Cheers" than just another sports hangout in small-town America.Thrust into the role of Sam Malone, as portrayed by Ted Danson so ably on the tube, was the owner of the establishment, Jack Fisher.First, ESPN's cameras were there reminiscing about the last days of Roger Maris' charge to supplant Babe Ruth as the all-time, one-season home run king, and Fisher played a significant role.

BUTLER -- Jack Fisher, a 28-year-old rider-trainer from Monkton, continued his dominance of Maryland's spring timber races yesterday when he won the 90th running of the Grand National Point-to-Point on Revelstoke.It was the first win for both horse and rider over the challenging, 18-jump course and served as a perfect prep for Saturday's Maryland Hunt Cup.A week ago, Fisher won the My Lady's Manor Point-to-Point on Push And Pull, a horse he is pointing for the May 2 Virginia Gold Cup.Revelstoke is owned by Fisher's mother, Mrs. John R.S. "Dolly" Fisher, from Coatesville, Pa., and is hunted throughout the fall and winter season with the Cheshire Hounds by his older brother, Rush.

Revelstoke led the whole way and won the three-mile Edward S. Voss Memorial timber race yesterday by four lengths over Timmy Flynn at the Elkridge-Harford Point-to-Point at Monkton.Uncle Merlin, the 1989 Maryland Hunt Cup winner, finished third.It was the second straight victory in the Voss race for the gelding, trained and ridden by Jack Fisher. The horse is owned by Fisher's mother, Mrs. J.R.S. Fisher of Cochranville, Pa.

If Baltimore had a hometown hero in the Maryland Hunt Cup on Saturday, it was Ned Halle.The 40-year-old lawyer didn't win the race -- he finished second to 22-year-old Sanna Neilson from Lewisville, Pa., on Tom Bob -- but he got a winner's ovation when he jumped off his horse Gesticulate in the unsaddling area.Halle doesn't pretend to be the world's greatest jockey. He admits he's strictly an amateur and rides just for fun.What's more, he didn't pay a small fortune for his horse. Gesticulate cost $1, even though he is sired by 1976 Preakness winner Elocutionist and had been a good winner in high-priced claimers.