John Gransfield Kling (November 13, 1875 – January 31, 1947) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to , most prominently as a member of the Chicago Cubs teams that won four National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1907 and 1910. He also played for the Boston Braves / Rustlers and the Cincinnati Reds. Early years Kling was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of John (a German-American baker) and Caroline Kling. It was expected that he would work in the bakery business, as his brother Charles seems to have done, but Johnny fell in love with baseball. By the age of fifteen, he was playing amateur ball. He also had an interest in pool, and began playing competitively even as he pursued a baseball career ("Match Game of Pool", 1897, 3). In late January 1904, Kling married Lillian May Gradwohl. While Kling was not born Jewish, his wife was, and they were married by a Kansas City Rabbi Harry H. Mayer, of Temple B'nai Jehudah, a Reform congregation. In the major leagues After playing amateur and semi-pro baseball, Kling finally made his major league debut on September 11, 1900, playing for the Chicago Orphans of the National League. He got three hits, and made a positive impression both as a catcher and as a hitter. For what was left of the season, he caught fifteen games and had a batting average of .294 He also acquired the nickname "Noisy John", because he kept up a constant chatter on the field; some baseball historians have noted this was part of his skill in waging "psychological warfare" on his opponents. By all accounts he was an exceptional defensive catcher, praised for his skill in throwing out runners who were caught stealing. He was also a reliable hitter, and a pivotal member of the team that became known as the Chicago Cubs, an integral part of the dynasty which included Hall of Fame infielders Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers and Frank Chance. Between 1906 and 1910, the Cubs won four National League pennants and two World Series titles, and Kling was said to be one of the reasons why. And unlike many ballplayers of his day, he didn't smoke, drink or chew tobacco. Staying in good shape as a result was said to contribute to his