The Boston Public Library has very interesting collection of historic Boston baseball photos. They have posted this McGreevey Collection on flickr. The description provided by the BPL of this photo set is:
“A collection of early Boston baseball photographs ranging from 1875 to 1916. Represented are many of the most important ballplayers of the 19th and early 20th century including Cy Young, Ty Cobb, Mike “King” Kelly, Kid Nichols and many others. Also included are panoramic photos of the ballparks of the era including the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston and the Polo Grounds in New York. The centerpiece of the collection is a series of photographs related to the first World Series in 1903 between Boston and Pittsburgh. Featured are photographs of the fans of the Boston team, the “Royal Rooters” and their leader Michael T. “Nuf Ced” McGreevey. ”
Michael McGreevey and his Royal Rooters are, of course, memorialized in the Dropkick Murphys famous song, “Tessie.” To see the Murphys perform this Red Sox anthem at Fenway, check out this YouTube video.
While, the library couldn’t score the Dropkick Murphys for our Play by the Book program (we did try), you can stop by to learn more about the early history of baseball at the April 12th program presented by the Essex Base Ball Club. The club will be at the library that Saturday at 11 a.m. to talk about their league, which plays by 19th century rules. To sign up for this program, call the library at 978.531.0100.
Play by the Book: A blog of books and baseball 