Player notes: Johnny Kling was the regular catcher for the great Cubs teams of the Nineteen-Aughts. He played in four World Series from 1906 to 1910, with the Cubs winning two of them.

He was known as a strong defensive catcher and was a very good hitter by the day's standards for catcher. His value as a catcher extended beyond his physical skills. Johnny Evers was quoted as saying "Kling is a master of the art of working umpires on balls and strikes, which is one of the duties of a catcher that is not suspected by the spectators."

He sat out the 1909 season, spending the year looking after his business interests in Kansas City. As reported in the Chicago Tribune of March 21, 1909, Kling sent a telegram to Cubs manager Frank Chance stating his reasons:

Don't expect me this season, as I find it impossible to trust my business here in other hands. No question of salary, but my manager here is not capable of handling my affairs in the proper way. Things are breaking too well for me to leave, as my prospects here are the brightest. Best wishes to you and the boys.

Kling was also a championship caliber billiards player, who won the world billiards championship in 1908. He spent part of his time in Kansas City in 1909 organizing and playing on a semi-pro baseball team, and returned to the Cubs in 1910, helping them to win the N.L. title, but failing in the World Series. Subsequently he was unable to attain his previous level of play, and finally retired for good in 1913.

Kling is less well-known than many of his teammates on those great Cubs teams, but he was as important to their success as any of them, and certainly ranks among the great catchers of all time.