John "Noisy" Kling

"John Gransfield Kling (February 25, 1875 – January 31, 1947) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs (the Chicago Orphans until 1903) (1900–1908, 1910–1911), Boston Rustlers & Braves (1911–1912), and Cincinnati Reds (1913). 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)."
Wikipedia

"Arguably one of the most overlooked star players of the Dead Ball Era, catcher Johnny Kling was key part of the great Chicago Cubs Dynasty of 1906-10. When his baseball career was over, Kling returned to his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri where he enjoyed a successful business career. A modest man, Kling never thought anyone would be interested in his accomplishments as a player once he retired. John Kling fell in love with the game at an early age, but he was required to help his father with the family bakery business. His job was to drive a horse drawn wagon and deliver bread to waiting customers. Every morning, the clang of the family alarm started John on his route, making deliveries. The story is told that the route never grew in numbers and the elder Kling started to learn why. An irate housewife informed the bakery proprietor she would take bread from a competitor since the Kling wagon never reached her house on time.
SABR: Johnny Kling

The Top 100 Cubs Of All Time - #65 Johnny Kling
"... Photos all appear to have been taken in 1910, as that is the only uniform style that precisely matches the photos. That's also the road uniform, according to that link. One thing is certain regarding Cubs catcher Johnny Kling. That is that he was one of the best catchers of the dead ball era and perhaps the entire 20th century. But Kling is at the center of another great debate. Was he, or was he not the first great Jewish baseball player? Kling made his debut on September 11, 1900 as a 24-year old, going 3-for-4 in the second game of a double-header with the New York Giants that was tied after nine innings at 3-3. He made an impact the next day when he was involved in a home plate collision with Giants pitcher Win Mercer, with Mercer being carried off of the field unconscious."
SB Nation

Johnny Kling: A Baseball Biography
"In the view of contemporary players and sportswriters, Chicago Cub Johnny Kling was one of the greatest catchers of all time. A strong batter, Kling was even better behind the plate, where his strong arm, quick reactions, and even his chatter harried the opposition. He was by all accounts an indispensable part of Cubs teams that won four National League pennants and two World Series titles between 1906 and 1910. Yet today he is remembered by historians as a player at the center of two unresolved questions: Was Johnny Kling’s absence from baseball in 1909—during the prime of his career—the result of a salary holdout? And was he Jewish? This heavily researched biography ends the debate over those questions while restoring Kling to his place among the greats at his position. It covers in detail his exploits on and off the field (which included a world billiards championship in 1909) and his life after his playing career ended, when he became a philanthropist and gentleman farmer. The foreword is provided by Ernie Banks."
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