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Michael T. "Nuf Ced" McGreevy (June 16, 1865 – February 2, 1943) was an American businessman and baseball fanatic. He was the leader of the most vocal fans of the Boston Americans (now the
Baseball Guru: Nuf Ced & The Royal Rooters & Good Old Tessie
Boston Public Library's McGreevy Collection on Flickr.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGreevy, Michael T. 1865 births 1943 deaths American people of Irish descent Boston Red Sox Businesspeople from Boston Saloonkeepers Baseball spectators
Michael T. "Nuf Ced" McGreevy (June 16, 1865 – February 2, 1943) was an American businessman and baseball fanatic. He was the leader of the most vocal fans of the Boston Americans (now the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
), known as the "Royal Rooters
The Royal Rooters were a fan club for Boston's professional baseball team in the American League in the early 20th century. The team was known as the Boston Americans during the 1901–1907 seasons, and has been known as the Boston Red Sox sinc ...
", and owner of a Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
bar called the Third Base Saloon.
Biography
McGreevy's bar got its name because, like third base, it was the last stop before home. His saloon was Boston's original sports bar—it was decorated in a baseball theme, with pictures of the players, and a scoreboard on the outside wall. His nickname, "Nuf Ced", was given to him because that was what he usually shouted to end barroom disputes, usually about the Boston Americans and theBoston Braves
The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...
. He was an avid member of the L Street Brownies, one of the oldest polar bear swim clubs in the country.
McGreevy amassed a rich collection of photographs, clippings, and other baseball memorabilia. When Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
forced McGreevy to close Third Base, he donated his collection to the Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse''), meaning all adult re ...
. Author Glenn Stout (''A Red Sox Century'') helped popularize the collection when he worked at the library.
The theme song of the Royal Rooters
The Royal Rooters were a fan club for Boston's professional baseball team in the American League in the early 20th century. The team was known as the Boston Americans during the 1901–1907 seasons, and has been known as the Boston Red Sox sinc ...
was " Tessie" from the Broadway musical "The Silver Slipper". McGreevy was mentioned in a 2004 remake of the song by the Irish American punk band Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The current lineup consists of co-lead vocalist and bassist Ken Casey, drummer Matt Kelly, co-lead vocalist Al Barr (on hiatus from the band since 202 ...
—''Tessie, Nuff Ced McGreevy shouted, We're not here to mess around''. The song was subsequently part of the soundtrack of the 2005 movie '' Fever Pitch'' concerning fans of the 2004 Boston Red Sox season
The 2004 Boston Red Sox season was the 104th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Managed by Terry Francona, the Red Sox finished with a 98–64 record, three games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The ...
.
In 2008, Dropkick Murphys bassist Ken Casey re-opened Third Base, although it was re-named McGreevy's, and added open-air elements for warmer months. There was also a sign on the front of the bar that said "1200 Steps to Fenway Park." This iteration of McGreevy's permanently closed following Massachusetts' March 10, 2020 state of emergency declaration, due to the building's owner, A&S Realty, demanding full rent payments despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It was on Boylston Street
Boylston Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, and its western suburbs. The street begins in Boston's Chinatown, Boston, Chinatown neighborhood, forms the southern border of the Public Garden (Boston) ...
across from the Hynes Convention Center
The John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center is a convention center located in Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1988 from a design by architects Kallmann, McKinnell & Wood. It replaced the John B. Hynes Memorial Auditorium, als ...
located in the Back Bay
Back Bay is an officially recognized Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on Land reclamation, reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the ...
of Boston.
References
Further reading
* *Baseball Guru: Nuf Ced & The Royal Rooters & Good Old Tessie
External links
Boston Public Library's McGreevy Collection on Flickr.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGreevy, Michael T. 1865 births 1943 deaths American people of Irish descent Boston Red Sox Businesspeople from Boston Saloonkeepers Baseball spectators